
Zein Qutami Marries Celio Saab in Glam Lebanese Wedding
The wedding weekend was split across two dreamy events. The pre-wedding bash, held on July 17 with sweeping mountain views and a towering 10-tier cake, set the tone. But it was the July 19 ceremony at Lebanon's historic Bkerki Church that stole the spotlight. The guest list? Only 1,000+ big names like Nancy Ajram, Karen Wazen, and Balqees Fathi.
Meet Zein Qutami
Raised in Abu Dhabi, Zein is known for her soft-glam aesthetic and warm social media presence. She's a lifestyle influencer with roots in both Palestine and Jordan. Her love story with Celio began in Dubai in 2021 and reached its dreamy peak with a custom-designed engagement ring and now, an unforgettable wedding.
The Fashion Moment (Times Two)
Naturally, the gowns were the talk of the town. Elie Saab designed two custom masterpieces for his daughter-in-law.
For the ceremony, Zein wore a long-sleeved, silver-embroidered gown with a cathedral train and a matching veil and headpiece. The caption on Instagram read:
"Five sketches, three prototypes, and 780 hours later... We take you behind the scenes of Zein's custom creation by Maison Elie Saab."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jamalouki Magazine (@jamaloukimag)
The second gown, worn during the candlelit reception, was pure drama: a champagne-toned mermaid silhouette with a plunging neckline, a 4.5-meter overskirt, and intricate crystal and sequin embroidery.
In her Harper's Bazaar Arabia interview, Zein described the look as 'something radiant and unapologetically glamorous.' She added, 'The look was designed to embody boldness and femininity in perfect balance; powerful, yet graceful.'
A Love Story Worth the Hype
The Qutami-Saab wedding wasn't just a celeb-studded fashion fantasy—it was a celebration of heritage, style, and modern Arab romance.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
an hour ago
- The National
Timeframe: When Anderson Silva got booed in Abu Dhabi at first UFC event in the Middle East
UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for Fight Night on Saturday - 15 years ago after the Mixed Martial Arts promotion came to the Middle East for the first time. UFC 112 was held as an outdoor event at Ferrari World on Yas Island, with middleweight champion Anderson Silva headlining as he defended his title against Demian Maia after the original opponent, Vitor Belfort, withdrew because of an injury. Yet it was the other fights that got much more traction. BJ Penn, the celebrated lightweight champion, took on No 1-ranked challenger Frankie Edgar. It was quite the coup for Abu Dhabi as Silva and Penn were two of the strongest pound-for-pound MMA fighters at the time. The event was staged at the 12,000-seat outdoor concert arena at Ferrari World. In a rarity for the sport back then, UFC 112 would feature not one, but two title fights. 'Abu Dhabi is our first outdoor event and we are very happy we could deliver what fans around the world will recognise as a stacked card featuring the sport's biggest stars,' UFC chief executive Dana White said at the time. Down the card, Renzo Gracie, a renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu pioneer, made his UFC debut, going up against Matt Hughes, a former two-time welterweight champion. Excitement built throughout the week in the lead-up to fight night. Several activities along the Corniche climaxed with the official weigh-in at Marina Mall the day before the fighters took to the octagon. It drew a large turnout. As for the action itself, Mark Munoz's second-round victory against Kendall Grove – by technical knockout – won 'fight of the night' on the 10-bout card. DaMarques Johnson claimed 'knockout of the night' by dispatching Brad Blackburn brutally in the third. In the evening's fourth and final fight, Rafael dos Anjos earned 'submission of the night' as his armbar in the second round caused Terry Etim to submit. Each fighter took home $75,000 (Dh275,000) in bonuses. In the major bouts, Gracie succumbed to Hughes in the third, while Penn suffered a surprise loss to Edgar, relinquishing his lightweight belt on a unanimous decision. A tightly contested bout, it was Penn's first defeat in that division in eight years. Much to everyone's frustration, the headline act failed to live up to its billing. Undefeated in his previous 10 UFC outings, Silva ran out a unanimous winner on points, only the second time in 11 fights that he needed the judges' scorecards. However, Silva's performance left those in attendance frustrated. Seeking a UFC record of six title defences, he rarely engaged with Maia, taunting his opponent through the opening rounds. Soon, the Abu Dhabi crowd switched their support to the underdog. As Maia looked to take the fight to the ground, Silva's defence staved off his challenge, but did little to capture the fans' attention. At one point in the fifth, the referee ordered Silva to take the fight to Maia. Speaking afterwards in his native Portuguese, the victorious champion attempted to apologise above a crescendo of boos. 'I'm sorry,' Silva said. 'I wasn't as humble as I should have been. I will be better next time.' By that stage, White had already left. Disappointed with what he was witnessing, he departed the arena during the fourth round, foregoing his usual post-fight routine of presenting the champion their belt. In the press conference afterwards, White fumed: 'It was a disgrace. To end this night the way we did was embarrassing. I apologise to everyone who came to the fight.'


The National
an hour ago
- The National
Yallah: Arabic word for 'let's go' is a call to action and an encouragement
In Arabic, yallah is used to move things along. It is a call to action, an expression of urgency, encouragement or even impatience. It can be translated to 'let's go', but its meaning is shaped entirely by context. You might hear it when someone wants you to hurry up, when a group is ready to leave, or when a conversation has gone on too long. It can be warm, firm, supportive or exasperated. Yallah is a fusion of two words: ya, which is a vocative particle similar to 'oh' or 'hey' in English, and Allah, the Arabic word for God. It is a contraction of ya Allah, meaning oh God. Over time, it became secularised in daily speech. Its religious weight is not as overt any more, but the word retains the energy of its plea. If you are running late and you would like a friend to hurry up, you could say: yallah taakharna. If you're waiting for them downstairs and want to hurry up and make a move: yallah, ana taht. You could even use it to wrap up a conversation: yallah, binhki baadein – or yallah, we'll talk later. To encourage someone, you could say: yallah, feek taamilha – yallah, you can do it. You could even use it to cheer your favourite sports team, simply by shouting yallah, yallah. Yallah is one of those words that has outgrown its origins, perhaps due to its flexibility. This is most evident by its prevalence in pop culture and music. Nancy Ajram, Cheb Khaled and Ragheb Alama all have songs with yallah in their title, but non-Arab singers have also adopted the word. Romanian singer Inna has a 2015 dance hit named Yalla. Iranian-Swedish singer Arash also has a song with US rapper T-Pain called Yalla.


The National
an hour ago
- The National
Mr Chow review: London's famous Chinese restaurant serves up classics in Dubai
One of London's most famous Chinese restaurants has finally landed in Dubai. After its first restaurant took the UK dining scene by storm in 1968, the brand now has venues in New York, Miami, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas in the US, as well as an outpost in Riyadh. Its Dubai outpost opened in June, promising to bring its combination of classic dishes served in an elegant setting while embracing the nuances of the region. The restaurant's location is an immediate removal from the hustle and bustle of its older London sibling, swapping Knightsbridge for the second floor of a commercial tower in Dubai's financial district. Like Alice through the looking glass, you are transported into another universe when walking into Mr Chow – one that's a lavish space of high ceilings, low lighting and spectacular scenery. Where to sit and what to expect There is something charmingly classical about Mr Chow's aesthetic, with dark walls, dark furniture and minimalist white tablecloths. In a word, Mr Chow is polished. Whether that's the silver cutlery or the servers decked out in high-quality tuxedos, it's a restaurant that brings a touch of 1970s Britain to the modernity of DIFC. There's an array of seating options, with tables lining the floor-to-wall windows and a magnificent central bar area. My dining partner and I choose one of the central tables, which has a high-backed sofa seat offering up spectacular views of the cityscape around us. It's here that our server, Nick, explains the basics of the menu and we settle down for the dinner awaiting us. The menu To start with, we share a serving of chicken satay (Dh92) and glazed prawns with walnuts (Dh164). Consistent with Mr Chow's general feel, the two dishes are deliberately simple and classical. With both the chicken and the prawns, the core flavour blends wonderfully with the traditional tastes brought out in the marinade for the chicken and the walnut sauce with the prawns. They are excellent starters as they set the tone for the quality of the food that's to come, while also not being too heavy to rule out further dishes. Ma mignon (Dh297) is our main course of choice, served alongside the Gamblers duck (Dh295) with rice and vegetables (Dh75) on the side. Similar to our starters, they are two very different dishes that we choose to share, but they illustrate what Mr Chow is all about. A recipe since 1975, the ma mignon is a Mr Chow staple and serves up tender filet mignon with asparagus and a rich gravy. It's as delicious as it sounds. The Gamblers duck, meanwhile, is essentially a more sophisticated take on the archetypal Chinese takeaway order; crispy duck and pancakes. This, though, is an elevated experience and one that offers beautifully cooked meat – carved at your table on a silver plate – with pancakes, vegetables and plum sauce. For dessert, we go for the mango ice bowl (Dh95), which is arguably the piece de resistance and a wonderful way to end a fine meal. Its presentation is spectacular, with the ice elegantly surrounding the fruit. It's also very light and refreshing, meaning you have plenty of room to tuck in despite having dined on the heavier starters and mains. Just make sure you finish your dessert quickly, as it will melt before your eyes. Save or splurge A three-course meal at Mr Chow can cost between Dh230 and Dh581. On the high end of the price spectrum lie the vermicelli with lobster (Dh169), fresh live lobster (Dh317) and mango ice bowl (Dh95). The three most reasonable dishes across starters, mains and desserts are the crab claw (Dh92), mapo tofu (Dh90), and sorbet selection (Dh48). A chat with the chef The man behind the dishes at Mr Chow is head chef Zhang Yu Jun. Originally from Jiangsu, China, he has worked with the brand for almost three years before fronting the Dubai project. He particular enjoys cooking with seafood and beef. 'These ingredients allow for endless creativity and refinement,' he says. 'You'll find them featured throughout our menu, from delicate seafood dim sum to our signature meat dishes, always with a focus on freshness, precision, and innovation.' Chef Zhang describes his cooking style as one that is deeply respectful of the ingredients he works with. 'I draw inspiration from traditional Chinese cuisine while incorporating modern touches,' he says. 'My goal is always to balance authenticity, artistry and seasonal ingredients. 'For me, cooking is an artistic expression. I believe in respecting the ingredients, embracing seasonality and constantly improving my skills.' For vegetarian or vegan diners, he recommends the vegetarian squab with lettuce, for meat lovers his top tip is the Beijing chicken with walnuts, and for seafood aficionados, the live lobster gets the nod. His go-to starter is the satay chicken skewers, while he suggests the restaurant's selection of steamed seafood dishes all amount to good options for those looking for a healthier plate. Contact information Mr Chow is in Precinct Building 3 in the Dubai International Financial Centre. It is open daily from noon to midnight. Reservations can be made by calling 04 834 2013.