I thought I’d just write a few pointers about what to do and dont in Dubai now that I’ve been there.  Some of the photos are from my own camera:
* I’d recommend the Big Bus Tour. Its the bus thats burgendy and yellow and we have them in London as well. They operate in Dubai and it cost around 130 DHRs (I think thats about 20 UK pounds) for a 48 hour ticket. I think the full rate is 160 but we used the coupon from the inflight magazine which …

In the last few days, I had my VISA approved, tickets booked and Hyatt reservations confirmed. We’re off to Dubai tonight and be back after 4 nights. I’m sooo excited! My future sister in law wrote me an email to say “Bring home that diamond!”
I’m really happy about two benefits from this trip: One, as we applied for a joint bank account with HSBC, we opted for the HSBC Plus account which has free travel insurance. We pay about 12 pound a month together, and the fee makes up for …

I thought I’d write about my own experiences of applying for VISA for Dubai as an Indian national and applying for Indian VISA for my fiance’s family who are all British. I couldnt find much information on official embassy websites so I had to figure my own way out. I found other people’s posts on discussions boards really useful and hopefully this information can help someone one day.
VISAs for Dubai:

Dont call up the UAE embassy on their premium number where you have to pay per minute and I only got …

This afternoon, I had a lunch with some of my fiance’s friend. One of whom is getting married in 2 months time. Invariably, all the conversations ended up being about weddings and engagements. I felt sorry for the two other men at lunch who had their girlfriends nearby putting more pressure on popping the question.
I asked a lot of questions about my fiance’s friend’s wedding which will be held at a private club.
Corkage Fees:
She said that one of the costs to watch out for was the corkage fee which is …

24 hours later, I have finally reconciled with the bill. My fiance says money is only money and is there to be spent. 
I put in a query for flights from London-Dubai-Bangalore with a 3 night stop over in Dubai. STA Travel, which usually does student travel, called back with quotes. First, they said the cheapest flight is £656 to fly London to Dubai with a stop over at Bahrain (that would be 5 hours long) I inquired about a direct flight and he told me it would be £683…. hmm… …

This morning, I had breakfast with 2 sets of family friends at the Hilton Hotel to share news of our engagement. One family was so polite and insisted that I did not have to treat them to breakfast as they realise Im a student at the moment.  After much persuasion, they agreed to have breakfast with us and even then at breakfast, they ordered as little as possible so they wouldnt seem overbearing. They are so posh and have just the best manners and social skills. The other family with two …

I’ve received another email from my friend’s sister in Mumbai who trades diamonds. She said it takes upto 10 days to make a diamond ring and I would actually have to pick the diamond myself as it is such an important piece of jewelry. She didnt want to make the decision herself. I agree, as I need to see the diamond and gage if it suits me. The 10 day wait has discouraged me already
My fiance’s work colleague suggested he buy a diamond in Thailand as she had …

So I’ve been corresponding with Kiran from Cara Jewellers in Dubai and my friend’s sister in Mumbai about diamonds. I’ve decided to offer all the options to my fiance and let him decide if he still wants to put the order in for the Tiffany Novo ring or to design one on our own. 
Kiran has been really helpful, even sent me a picture of two diamonds he could keep aside for me – a 1.03 carat and a 1.07 carat diamond. Since they are sealed by the International Gemological Institute …

I had lunch with my friends today. This was our first time out with our friends since the announcement of my engagement so I got lots of hugs and kisses. Everyone wanted to see my ring, which I didnt have, so I mumbled on about how it takes 2 months to make the ring for me as my finger sizes is too small. Secretly, I wished I had my ring to dazzle into everyones eyes. I compared my finger to other girls and just realised that some girls have even …

This morning, my fiance’s best friend, Ray, called. I picked up the call and we proceeded to have a lengthy conversation about weddings. Everything has become so confusing because there are so many choices and I dont know where to start. Ray had a wedding two years ago in Richmond Park and it was an lovely ceremony and day. 
Ray said that I should first think about a venue: abroad/in the UK. He said outside London, there are some amazing places which are substantially cheaper than in London. He said he …