The Emirates is a winter destination: from November to March the weather is glorious, while the summer months are intensely hot and largely indoors. Choose Dubai for polish and skyline, Abu Dhabi for grand resort estates, and Ras Al Khaimah for desert and mountains within easy reach of both airports.
The UAE rewards couples who marry in its cooler half. From November to March the days are warm and dry and the desert evenings are perfect; from June to September the heat is severe and weddings move indoors or into climate-controlled marquees. Dubai offers beach resorts and skyline rooftops, Abu Dhabi leans grander and more sedate, and Ras Al Khaimah trades the cities for dunes and the Hajar mountains within an hour's drive of either airport.
The legal picture has changed recently and in couples' favour. Civil marriage is now available to non-Muslim foreigners through the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court and is recognised across the Emirates, making a legally binding wedding here far more straightforward than it once was. Requirements still apply, so confirm the current documentation early, but for many couples the UAE is now a place to marry legally as well as to celebrate.
Where to marry in the Emirates.
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