THIS CAN HAPPEN ONLY HERE AND NOW…
…or wedding in Dubai and flight to Bangladesh. On one completely normal Thursday in 2020. In Dubai.
Tuesday
Usual Tuesday. I went for a run in the morning, then I’ve been doing the activities which were keeping me sane: studying Spanish, cleaning my place, editing pictures, and reading books.
My phone is ringing. Slovak friend. I answer, listen, ask about a few details, and agree. She has a wedding on Thursday. Well, the ceremony in the church. Only 5 people can be in the church in the current situation (pandemic) – the groom with the bride, 2 witnesses and a priest. They have been left with only one witness, the second one is sick. My friend asks if I can come. If I can sign as a witness of a person, I have never seen before. No problem. I’m here for my friends.
She asked if I could make their wedding photos. I have never made wedding pictures before. So I need to do some research and find poses and inspiration. Ceremony, lunch and then photoshoot in the desert. Deal.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, I am trying to find some dresses suitable for the wedding in my wardrobe. Nothing. Never mind, the dress I wore for the family celebration has to be enough. Plus one extra set of clothes to change to while I will be doing a photoshoot.
I’m looking for the poses, saving them to my phone. Reading books about photoshoots. I open the app, where we receive our flight schedules. I haven’t been at work for 2 weeks (reminding you that it was in 2020). I was supposed to go three times last week, but it was canceled. All three flights. But wait…
SURPRISE! Turnaround to Bangladesh, I have to be at the airport just before midnight on Thursday. 4 and half hour long flight on the way there and 5 and a half on the way back. Almost full flight both ways. We should land in Dubai the next day at 13:30.
Getting ready for Thursday
So what’s the plan for tomorrow? We should be there at 12:30. I don’t know where is there! In the morning, I will have 7 kilometers walk to the supermarket to buy fresh flowers. Instead of running or gym. Then I have to get the stuff ready for the flight. And stuff for the photoshoot. The groom will pick me up. I don’t even know what he looks like, I have only his phone number.
We don’t know if I can take pictures during the ceremony because I’m a witness. The priest wants us all to pray. In English. Good joke. Not even the bride knows the prayer. Actually, nobody of us, we are all Slovaks/Czech and we don’t know prayers in English. So the priest will have to pray alone.
Then the lunch, photoshoot on the beach next to the restaurant. Hopefully, nobody will tell us off because it is a public place. And then dessert. Fortunately, that desert is about 20 minutes drive from my place, so I could be at home pretty quickly after we finish the photoshoot. I guess I will sleep for 2 hours. Then jump into the uniform, go to the airport, and 15 hours later, I’m at home. It will be maybe 30 hours without sleep. Maybe more? I survived before, I will survive tomorrow as well.
Summary
To summarize. Wedding in Dubai, without guests, I am going to be a witness for a person I have never seen before, I am going to wear a completely random dress. Lunch and photoshoot in the desert. Night turnaround to Bangladesh.
Epilogue
The wedding ceremony was beautiful and simple, there was magic in the empty church. The lunch was great, I enjoyed time with my friend and the photoshoot was the cherry on the top. And the flight? Well, I survived, with help of coffee and sugar.
Would you like to see the wedding pictures from this wedding? Check my PORTFOLIO.
