Our A Day in the Life series allows you to step into the shoes of a UAE resident to experience a typical 24 hours in their work and home life
For most of us, a wedding proposal happens once in a lifetime. But for Caroline Ralston, it's just another day at the office.
The founder and chief executive of Dubai's Proposal Boutique has organised more than 400 extravagant proposals at venues including Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Aura Skypool and Al Ain Zoo – and has a 100 per cent success rate.
The former Emirates cabin crew member from Cheshire, England, was inspired to set up her proposal business in 2014 after her husband surprised her with a five-day marriage proposal in New York.
Today, she welcomes nervous grooms-to-be from around the world looking to arrange lavish set-ups, involving everything from flash mobs and private helicopters to takeovers of the Emirates Airline Rugby Sevens stadium.
Here, The National follows Ms Ralston through a typical day juggling prop preparation and flower arrangements with undercover operations and last-minute nerves.
5am: Prepping the day
"On an event day, I'll be up bright and early to make sure everything is in place for the proposal, since there's a lot to organise," Ms Ralston said.
"We're extremely busy now, with most proposals costing anything from Dh40,000 ($10,890) to Dh800,000 ($217,000)."
Ms Ralston said one of her most recent proposals took a full day.
"The guy whisked his girlfriend off on a yacht before enjoying a gourmet dinner on the beach, drinks in a secluded courtyard and a stroll through a private garden. When they reached the centre, there was a huge gift box waiting for her on the helipad containing a brand-new Range Rover Sport and a Dh250,000 engagement ring.
"Pulling off something like that takes months of planning, but seeing it all come together is the best feeling in the world."
8.30am: Getting creative
"I usually arrive at the office early to answer all the proposal requests that have come in the night before," Ms Ralston said.
"This is always an exciting part of the day and my inbox could hold anything from a rooftop proposal at the Burj Khalifa to a Disney-themed takeover involving princesses, magicians and hundreds of stuffed toys."
Then Ms Ralston heads over to a creative staff meeting where her team of six will come up with new ideas for "out-of-this-world proposals".
"This is supposed to last only 20 minutes, but can often get out of hand with talk of infinity pools, desert escapes and novel ways to hide engagement rings," she said.
9am: Calming nerves
The rest of the morning, she said, is dedicated to consultation and "calm-my-nerves" calls, where she reassures her fretting clients by taking them through the plans.
"People are typically most nervous the week before the proposal itself when we're taking them through the itinerary and coming up with a believable cover story to get the couple to the venue," Ms Ralston said.
"We once had a guy call us 90 minutes before the proposal wanting to change his giant message on the Rugby Sevens pitch from 'Marry Me' to 'Be My Valentine'".
Luckily, Ms Ralston said, he pulled himself together once he arrived at the venue and got down on one knee as planned.
12pm: Sourcing supplies
After a quick lunch, Ms Ralston runs errands and gets organised.
"Usually, I'll head to florists to discuss elaborate displays and flower arches, before auditioning musicians and picking up any props and craft supplies we need," Ms Ralston said.
Then, she'll drive to her warehouse in Al Quoz to paint the props or put together lighting displays or heart boards with a private message. "It's a treasure trove in there," she said.
4pm: Undercover work
In the afternoon, Ms Ralston and the team will head to the venue, whether it's a rooftop, beach, desert or garden.
She said setting up can take anything from three to eight hours depending on how many aspects there are.
Ms Ralston said one client from Taiwan managed three proposals in one day – to the same woman.
"The first was during a private helicopter ride, then they were driven by Rolls-Royce to a private garden where the groom joined a flash mob to get down on one knee and propose for a second time," she said.
"After that, they were taken to Burj Al Arab in a limo where deep divers presented a "MARRY ME" sign in an underwater restaurant. He got down on one knee and proposed again with a third ring."
Ms Ralston said that she sometimes goes undercover at the venue as part of the hotel concierge team or as a waitress in a restaurant to ensure everything goes to plan.
"It's all very slick and once we've perfected the room set-up, we'll get into position with our job sheet and schedule.
"There are plenty of times I've hidden behind palm trees or beach umbrellas to make sure everything is running smoothly," she said.
11pm: A job well done
Ms Ralston said that so far she's had a 100 per cent success rate, and reactions range from stunned silence to hysterical screaming and crying.
"We had one lady recently who couldn't say anything except 'shut up', at least 100 times," she said.
Once everything has died down, Ms Ralston and her team escort the happy couple to a car and will pack everything down and race to their hotel room to redecorate.
"It's a hectic job and some days last well over 18 hours, but when you see a couple sharing that magical moment, it makes it all worthwhile," she said.
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
