Wedding Essentials 2 0 1 4 |
71
What do get when you mix a couple that looks as if they
stepped right out of a movie poster, exotic attire, a desert
location complete with camels and a super-creative
designer/photographer with an eye for the dramatic?
...Kylene Ganigan and Ronald Batin's engagement
shoot--what Ronald refers to as their prenup photos, taken
by well-known Filipino fashion designer Dandilo Delima,
who happens to have a photographic background.
The couple, who later married in the Ontario Muskokas,
work in Dubai. Earlier in their romance they had taken a
desert safari tour to an "oasis" where they enjoyed camel
rides, belly dancing and an Arabic dinner buffet. Their Plan
A was to recreate that experience for their engagement
shoot but they learned it was not possible to use the camels
for an extended period of time.
Plan B was to visit a desert hotel that offered camel rides,
but again, the allotted time for them to be with the camels
was too short.
Plan C, "Plan Camel", worked! Ronald found a local
Emirati who owned camels. He invited them to lunch with
him and when he learned what the couple planned, offered
the camels as a gift for the day. Kylene and Ronald were
delighted, but not wanting to "abuse his kindness, insisted
on paying". The owner gave the money to the camel
shepherd who accompanied them on the entire shoot.
Here's Ronald's first-hand account of the fabulous
photographic session:
"It was January but the temperature can still get hot in
the afternoon so we started off at 5 a.m. and drove out from
Abu Dhabi into the desert where we rode the camels to a
couple of locations including the "oasis" at the Bab Al
Shams Desert Hotel and Resort and then further into the
desert. Dan was happy to see all the accessories we had
gathered--the Indian jewellery, Persian umbrella, sherwani
and Arabic shoes and of course the saree! He joined the saree
fabric together, making a long Persian-influenced gown for
Kylene, using pins only, so the material could be used later
for the bridesmaids' gowns.
"The wind was so strong we could hardly open our eyes;
we kept them shut until Dan said we could open them, just
long enough to take a photo. The sun was very strong when
we finished. It is so bright when the rays hit the sand...it
sparkles as it is very shiny and fine sand.
"Kylene was very professional on the shoot, being a
former model in the Philippines and also in Dubai....she's
had lots of covers in magazines in Dubai, China and the
Philippines and a billboard in the Philippines. I was stiff
and uncomfortable as it was my first time doing this and
also my first time watching Kylene doing a photoshoot."
Ronald and Kylene, thank you for giving us a glimpse into an
experience that is so very, very special. Hearing your story and
seeing these photos transports us far away, into a modern,
true-life romantic fairytale.
ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS: Dandilo Delima, Abu Dhabi | +971 50 7807 826