Wedding planner's mission in Abu Dhabi to deliver joy

The Life: Mona Al Darmaki is a wedding planner who organises marriage ceremonies that can cost between Dh30,000 and more than Dh10 million.

The wedding planner: Mona Al Darmaki has organised weddings that cost more than Dh10 million. Silvia Razgova / The National

Mona Al Darmaki is a wedding planner at Al Maa'red Weddings, a consultancy that organises marriage ceremonies at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), which hosted 89 weddings last year and 44 just in the first quarter of this year. Ms Al Darmaki discusses what a day is like as she helps to organise weddings that can cost between Dh30,000 (US$8,167) and more than Dh10 million.

7am

I wake up. Every day I have to drink a healthy juice to give me energy for the day. It's mixed with parsley, kiwi, cucumber, ginger. I say goodbye to my kids and go to work.

8.30

I start work. I check my emails. I try to finish all the emails in the morning.

10am

I'll start on paperwork and filing and I'll also start to welcome guests. Some guests just want to see the halls. This year, it's strange; the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be come and see the halls. Last year, it was mostly the parents. I think it's become more open now and it's nice to find that both the bride and groom are preparing for the weddings, because, as you know, in our society it is a little strict about the groom going out with the bride before the wedding. They want to choose the details and make sure that no one will spoil their big day … It takes a minimum of one month to plan a wedding. But people normally book one year before.

Lunch

I don't have lunch. I'm diabetic and I try to avoid junk food. I try to eat a lot of fruits. During the day, I have an apple, then a couple of hours later I'll have a small snack like a sandwich, then later I'll have a herbal tea or something.

Midday

We're trying to market the hall. Some people don't know about our facilities, our halls. I also do my own marketing. I take pictures of the hall and share this information with my friends, and they have their own friends, so it's a big network. Most of my friends now have married in this hall.

4pm

I finish work. But sometimes it takes us until 6 o'clock to meet all the clients. If somebody calls you and tells you "I'm coming from Al Ain or from Dubai", you cannot tell them "my work finishes at 4 o'clock; I cannot see you".

5pm

I spend some time at home with my kids. I have three boys and one girl. I like to communicate with my kids - I try to be friends with them.

7pm

I don't have dinner. My kids eat a meal and I sit with them and chat. By 8 o'clock they're in bed.

8pm

Sometimes I go to the movies with my husband.

10pm

I use the internet for about half an hour or an hour. Then I go to sleep.

* Rebecca Bundhun

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