A Spectacular Wedding Overlooking The Dead Sea

Having known each other for a really long time, a proposal wasn’t exactly a surprise to Canadian couple Aya and Hadi. They simply reached the same conclusion that they were both ready to get married, and that was that. However, Hadi still wanted to propose to Aya, so he had a little surprise up his sleeve.

“Without me knowing, he picked up the ring once it was ready, and then hung up fairy lights in a spot in the park where we’ve been meeting up ever since we were friends. I don’t usually like surprises, but it was lovely, and I love that I have that moment to keep just for us.”

Although the couple both live in Toronto, Aya was born in Jordan and didn’t leave until she was 13. With Hadi being Pakistani, culture was an important value in both of their lives and they knew it would play a huge role in their wedding.

“We automatically knew that we wanted the wedding to be in Jordan because having my grandparents, who are too old to travel, at the wedding was a priority. So we had our henna night themed around Pakistani traditions and the wedding around Jordanian traditions.”

After privately sharing short vows with each other on a high point overlooking the Dead Sea, the couple walked into their reception to a band chanting well wishes.

“We wanted the wedding to feel like a gathering, something that is laid back and organic. We had a lot of our closest friends visiting Jordan for the first time and it was essential that they felt nothing but welcomed.”

”We incorporated olive tree branches into the centrepieces and on the napkins for each guest in honour of my heritage. The rustic theme naturally followed that idea. We had wooden tails and fairy lights and added a clear tent as a precaution, which only added to the intimacy. During dinner, we had a musician playing the Oud, which is an instrument special to Middle Eastern history.”

The couple also made sure to keep their wedding very personalised. During the henna night, Hadi wore his father’s shoes while Aya wore jewellery passed down from her soon-to-be husband’s late grandmother. For the wedding, Aya wore the headpiece her mother wore on her wedding day and bracelets that her dad had gifted her mother at the beginning of their marriage.

With a thoughtful and touching speech by Hadi’s mum, who had everyone in tears, and a wedding crasher who danced with the bride and groom, the night was certainly a mix of emotions, but one that is sure to be cherished for a very long time.

Congratulations to this gorgeous couple!

Photographer: Eric Ronald