Let This Lebanese Wedding Inspire Your Dream Day
Dodie Nachabe and Marwan Azzam first crossed paths at the Beirut hospital they were both working in. 'I was a third year medical student and Marwan was a medical resident. Once we met, we were inseparable!' recalls Lebanese American Dodie. The couple was together for the three years before Marwan who has Palestinian, Lebanese and American heritage, whisked Dodie away to Denver, Colorado to pop the question. 'He planned a trip to Boulder, where I was born, and proposed on the top of a hill in the middle of nature, overlooking the entire city – just me and him.' She was so overwhelmed she didn't even look at the ring.
Living on the other side of the world whilst planning a wedding in Lebanon didn't prove easy, so Dodie arrived one month ahead of their nuptials to 'put everything together,' she recalls. 'It was very hectic, but I enjoyed it a lot.'
The couple chose Palais du Mzar which offers up gorgeous views of Jounieh Bay, where you can see the 'real beauty of Lebanon: steep lush green mountains melting into the Mediterranean Sea,' Dodie explains.
Organising a wedding for 280 guests – 'which is relatively small for our culture,' Dodie laughs – is no easy feat. The bride-to-be leaned on her mum Naida to drive her from vendor to vendor to ensure every last detail was perfect, while Marwan's mum, Reem, 'helped with all the decision-making over the phone from Amman.' Enlisting some non-familial assistance, the couple hired Christiane and daughter Nicole from We Plan Events to ensure everything went seamlessly both before and on the day.
Knowing that she didn't want a classic ballroom event, and unable to decide on just one theme, Dodie chose several. 'There was a maximalist bar, a romantic garden room, an edgy Cala lily room, dreamy hallways with lots of candles and white peonies – my favourite flower – and a hidden photo booth that played the video of our civil marriage in Las Vegas.'
The ceremony took place outside to a backdrop of Jounieh Bay, with Dodie walking down the aisle at sunset, to the sound of Andrea Bocelli, with a Cala lily bouquet draped in pearls. While the vistas were staggering, all eyes were on the couple – and Dodie's gown by Karoline Lang. 'I wanted a timeless dress that was also modern and romantic. It took over 20 fittings to get the final look,' Dodie says, pairing it with silver Christian Louboutin Rosalie heels and a suite of diamond jewellery, a gift from her parents.
The night unfolded with a sunset saxophonist, dinner served in the courtyard – fusing 'every type of international cuisine, from a traditional kebbe naye station with Arak shots to seafood and steak' – then a grand multiple-tiered cake cutting and dancing into the early hours to a mix of Arabic and English songs.
Dodie says there's only one thing she would have done differently. 'I wish I'd arrived earlier to Lebanon to have more time to plan. I'd advise other brides to start planning as early as possible to enjoy the process and not feel rushed. Oh, and to really enjoy the moment on the big day – it goes by so fast!'
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