Inside The Wedding Of Tala Arakji & Yazan Aburaqabeh
It was an out-of-this-world extravaganza for this imaginative bride and groom
“I always knew we were going to get married from the moment Yazan made it clear that he wanted us to be exclusive when he said, ‘Tala, I only have eyes for you’. That’s the thing about relationships – when you know, you know,” Lebanese-American advertising strategist, Tala Arakji recalls of the moment she realised her Palestinian-Canadian beau was the one.
The couple met at a food festival in Dubai in the spring of 2016, through mutual friends. “Later that evening, we went out and I found myself dancing with this awkwardly tall man named Yazan Aburaqabeh. I thought he was cute and that my friend should date him, but thankfully he wasn’t her type and the two of us chatted over social media until we started dating.”
The newlyweds in front of the iconic Bosphorus Bridge
Two years later, Tala and Yazan began planning the wedding of their dreams, enlisting the expertise of wedding planner, Jessy Karam and her team at Strawberries & Champagne to turn their vision into a reality following an intimate religious ceremony, held in Beirut. “We chose The Marmara Esma Sultan in Istanbul to hold our wedding celebration. Although the outside space is stunning, we found the inside to be so unique, and perfect for the vibe we wanted. To be honest, the moment I saw the venue online I knew it was the one. It has an unmatched element of grandeur and old-world beauty,” Tala tells Bazaar Bride.
The bride and groom with their guests
On July 13, 2019 with the iconic Bosphorus Bridge as the backdrop, the bride made her grand entrance via boat to an instrumental version of Michael Jackson’s Stranger in Moscow. Dressed in a bespoke Fadwa Baalbaki gown and accompanied by her father, the pair were jubilantly greeted by Yazan and 280 guests.
Strawberries & Champagne turned the couple’s dreams into a reality
“Our brief for the décor was ‘out of this world’. We wanted a galaxy-inspired wedding with a subtle nod to the Hogwarts dining hall – from our favourite movie series, Harry Potter,” Tala explains. Expertly curated by the team at Strawberries & Champagne, a celestial fairy tale was created inside the walls of the Marmara Esma Sultan, based on a quote once spoken by the groom, ‘a star for every time you brighten my eyes’.
The wedding planners thought of everything
Encircled by thousands of candles and stars embellishing every surface, including the ceiling, the bride and groom along with their guests dined on a delectable menu that included dishes from around the globe such as slow-cooked octopus carpaccio, beef tenderloin, and pan-roasted black sea bass served with grilled vegetables and a creamy mousseline sauce. For dessert, chocolate mousse with buffalo vanilla ice cream sprinkled with gold leaf was a hit with the guests before the party got started, and the newlyweds made their dancefloor debut to a mashup of Genuine’s My Whole Life Was Changed and Big Wild’s Aftergold. The evening then turned into a glitter party of gold confetti and sparkling blue fairy dust. Custom-made head pieces were gifted to the guests, and the bride and groom danced into the early hours of the morning until the sun came up.
The newlyweds danced ’til dawn
Once the celebrations were over, the newlyweds embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. “We honeymooned in Colombia – visiting Bogota, Cartagena and Medellín, and we then made our way to Turks and Caicos. We wanted to explore a brand new side of the world together and totally disconnect from our busy lives. It was the perfect mix of city sightseeing, party vibes and luxurious relaxation time.”
BRIDE’S BLACK BOOK
DRESS: Fadwa Baalbaki, Fadwabaalbaki.com
SHOES: Pretty Shoes, Instagram.com/prettyshoeslebanon
HAIR & MAKE-UP: Jonat’s Hair & Make-up Couture, Instagram.com/jonatscoutureofficial
ENGAGEMENT RING: Cartier, Cartier.com
WEDDING RINGS & JEWELLERY: De Beers, Debeers.com
HEAD PIECE: B Bloomed Headpieces, Instagram.com/bbloomed.lb
GROOM’S SUIT: Tom Ford, Tomford.com
GROOM’S SHOES: Dolce and Gabbana, Dolcegabbana.com
EVENT PLANNER: Strawberries and Champagne, Strawberries-and-champagne.com
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT: BG Events, Bg-events.org
PHOTOGRAPHER: Pulse Production, Pulse-prod.com
VENUE & CATERER: The Marmara Esma Sultan,
Istanbul, Turkey, Themarmarahotels.com
FLORIST: Vesaire, Vesaire.online
MUSIC: Dj Jana Saleh, Instagram.com/usernamewiththatusername (DJ) and Nedime Girisken, Instagram.com/nedime.girisken (band)
FAVOURS: Mellow, Instagram.com/lovmellow
From the spring/summer 2021 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Bride
All images: Pulse Production