A Chit Chat with Arabia Weddings: Olivier Dolz
Olivier Dolz is a renowned French wedding and party planner who is based in Dubai.
Olivier is known as a leader and trendsetter in the events industry, he creates the most innovative ideas with a memorable scenario that can last an eternity.
He is always adamant about providing the highest quality standards and services to his prestigious clientele in the Gulf.
We had the chance to ask Olivier Dolz a few questions and here is what he had to say:
- What made you choose Dubai or mainly the Gulf region to start your wedding planning and party business?
Being French, and having travelled extensively, I have always had an eye and interest for design.
When it comes to weddings, most of the European countries tend to have more minimalistic events and prefer to invest in other things such as food and wines, “Grands Crus” in particular.
What actually encouraged me to start up my business in the Gulf region is the fact that the brides in the Gulf want their weddings to be a wow factor so they tend to give lots of space for creativity!
It didn’t take me too long to realize the region was the perfect playground for me to express myself and see my ideas transform into reality. I feel very lucky that my work is my passion and that my clients trust me enough to go on an adventure every time.
Brides in the Gulf want their weddings to be a wow factor so they tend to give lots of space for creativity!
- Weddings have different traditions from one Arab country to the other, but when it comes to wedding planning, do you find any difference in planning a wedding in the Gulf region or in any other Arab country?
Contrary to what everybody thinks, not all Gulf countries share the same traditions, I have been in the market long enough to have the chance to learn many of those traditions which, of course, affect dramatically the wedding planning process: The flow of the event in terms of design and layout of the rooms, preparation, production and on site planning. Even the entrance of the bride varies from one bride to the other, whether people are going to dance or not… etc. Diversity is one more reason for me to love and appreciate what I do.
Low budget weddings can be just as special and beautiful as high budget ones
- What are the latest trends and wedding themes or colors for this season?
I believe that there is no such thing as “trend” in weddings, it all depends on the bride’s taste and character like I previously mentioned. I like to work on concepts with a story behind them, rather than just follow trends. Some like to keep it minimalistic, demure and chic, while others like extravagant weddings where the sky is the limit.
I am here to give the bride whatever style she decides to go with and enhance her personality’s main features throughout the décor and experience of the wedding.
- How can a couple have a beautiful wedding on a low budget?
Low budget weddings can be just as special and beautiful as high budget ones. My tip would be to use a lot of candles; candles are a very convenient way to do eye-catching features at a reasonable cost and they give the wedding a phenomenal touch of drama. It’s all about how well you play with it.
- What is the most outrageous thing a couple has asked you to do for their wedding?
Throughout my career I have had a good share of outrageous requests from clients. I like to think of these requests as little crazy touches. I can’t easily be outraged to be honest. I love going beyond what people expect and search for innovative ideas that the market isn’t offering yet.
One time I was on the set up of an Indian event and the client came up with the idea of having all waitresses serving drinks from the ceiling. Of course, since we are problem solvers, we created a way for the waitresses to be hung on the ceiling and serving people from up there. Unusual and unexpected but lots of fun and 100% true!
