WEDDINGS IN OMAN

The men, however, are on a selfie spree: annoying the photographers but having a jolly time, as they tease Khalfan with clichéd jokes on marriage. The elder members of the family, however, are immersed in conversation; some even reminiscing of their “lucky day” while also giving the 28-year-old tips aplenty.

There’s music, dance and an abundance of food. But, some of the men are outside dancing to traditional Arabic tunes, with their khaizrans (wooden canes). It’s everything the bride and groom have dreamt of and planned for more than eight months.

“A wedding in September after Eid al Adha was what Meshael and I dreamt off, since we knew we were going to get married. We came to know about the marriage in January of this year,” says Khalfan.

“But, the heat in the summer meant it would have been feasible to have the wedding outside Oman. Now, however, everything has lined up perfectly and it has been the perfect day for what I think is the most amazing couple alive,” he laughs.

“Having the wedding in Oman – my home – has just made my day all the more special; everything felt right and in place.”

Meshael concurs, before adding: “My wedding is a day I never thought would be perfect.

“You see, all these weddings going wrong on television and you feel something is bound to go off-plan. Really, that was not the case for us,” she says, as she looks into Khalfan’s eyes.

Just like Meshael and Khalfan, wedding memories hold a special place in every person’s heart. Every bride and groom aspire to look and feel their best on the most important occasion of their life while being able to enter matrimony in the dreamiest of locations.

In the process, Oman has become home to a new trend – destination weddings, in which the whole wedding party from outside Oman comes here for that “perfect wedding”.

And, why wouldn’t they? With its white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, striking rock formations and stunning mountainous backdrops, the Sultanate is the setting many are looking for.

“The Omanis are lucky,” says Sneha Pillai, a bride-to-be from the coastal state of Kerala, in India, who is considering Oman as the destination for her big day.

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