Held at the futuristic ‘Services 1’ centre, the entire ceremony was officiated using only robots…

We reported earlier today on the opening of the futuristic ‘Services 1’ centre, a joint venture between the Dubai Government and IBM to provide a one-stop-shop for residents and citizens to handle government-related tasks.

Well, it seems that little time was wasted in getting things underway there as one of the first orders of business when the centre opened on Saturday was to conduct a marriage contract ceremony between a young couple using several of the centre’s smart functions. All under the auspices of one very special guest, no less.

In a video posted to his Twitter account, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, can be seen sitting betwixt the bride and groom (who also happen to be members of Sheikh Mohammed’s work team) as a robot with a video uplink to a Dubai Courts official officiates proceedings.

Once the necessary paperwork has been signed, a second robot then arrives to deliver the marriage certificate, making for one of the most futuristic weddings we’ve ever seen.

The service offered in this instance was the Mabrook Ma Dabrat package (‘congratulations on your marriage’ in Arabic) and is one of three currently available at the Service 1 centre that bridges over 100 government services from eight departments.

It’s certainly an unconventional way to get hitched, but we reckon it trumps your second-cousin-twice-removed’s played-out beach wedding motif.

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Images: Dubai Media Office, screengrabs