The 10 best wedding venues in Sharjah

No. Sharjah prohibits alcohol across the emirate, and that applies to hotels, resorts and private halls without exception, so none of the venues here can serve it or allow it to be brought in. Couples who want a bar usually hold the reception in Dubai and keep Sharjah for a dry celebration, or build the evening around coffee, juice and a late dinner. Say so on the invitation, because the prohibition applies to guests as well as to the venue.

Muslim couples marry through the Sharia courts, which in Sharjah means documentation and, in most cases, residency or a local sponsor. Non-Muslim couples, visitors included, generally use the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court, which performs civil marriages and issues a certificate recognised across the UAE — that is a separate appointment in a different emirate, not something a Sharjah venue arranges for you. If your own country will not recognise it, complete the civil formalities at home first and treat the Sharjah event purely as the celebration.

Plan on holding a large Corniche ballroom close to a year ahead for the October-to-April window; the crunch is worst around National Day in early December and in the weeks either side of Eid. Ramadan takes roughly a month out of the calendar altogether and shifts about eleven days earlier each year, so check exactly which dates it covers for your year before committing to anything. A small courtyard wedding at somewhere like The Chedi Al Bait is usually workable on six months.

Sharjah International Airport is served mainly by Air Arabia and regional carriers, so most long-haul guests will land at Dubai International, around 30 km away, and drive in. Sharjah's hotel stock clusters on Al Buhaira Corniche and along the city beaches, which means a guest list normally splits across two or three properties within a few minutes of one another. If you are marrying at Khor Fakkan, budget an extra hour and a half of driving in each direction and book rooms on site rather than in the city.