Eid Al-Fitr was only the start of numerous wedding bells, as more couples proceed with their wedding plans despite tough economic conditions, Al-Ahram Weekly explores some of the obstacles to marriage The white conundrum The dream of finding the perfect wedding dress is cut short by practical considerations, argues Enjy El-Naggar Some girls say the bridal dress makes or breaks a wedding. Imagine, if only for a minute, a perfect ballroom, gorgeous centre- pieces, amazing music, and a wonderful atmosphere -- only to be interrupted with the appearance of the bride wearing a hideous dress. While the guests may quickly turn back to their chit- chat, the bride would know that the memory of that instant will remain for a very long time. So critical is the dress, in fact, that many women spend months planning, if not years. For many brides in Egypt, the dress is the first thing on her to-do list. Fishing for a good tailor and choosing a unique style is followed by the long search through fabric shops. Most lower and middle-class brides start their search for their dream-dress fabric at Wekalat Al-Balah, a marketplace for used clothes and one of Cairo's most crowded locations. The Wekala's narrow alleys are lined with shops the entrances of which are clogged with female shoppers. Rami Hanna, who has been in the business of selling wedding fabrics for five years, gives a quick insight into the price range. "The price for one metre of wedding dress fabric starts at LE40 or LE50, and rises to LE1,000. The most expensive fabric is lace, especially if it's French-made. A high-class bride would go for this, no doubt," Hanna told Al-Ahram Weekly. However, some brides don't like the idea of purchasing their fabrics from the Wekala, as it is commonly known, because the word cheap springs to mind right away. Also, the thought of enduring the crowds, alongside the expectation that any visitor to the area will have to bargain, make many opt for going to the quieter shops, even though the prices are inevitably higher. Only the women who are regular buyers at the Wekala know where to head straight away, so they find it easier to buy their fabrics there in the shortest space of time. The prices of fabrics have soared at another somewhat more expensive location known for housing numerous fabric shops. In Mohandessin, an up-market Cairo district, where Egypt's crème de la crème go to buy their wedding essentials, Adel Salem, owner and manager of one of the most well-known fabric stores in the country fills the Weekly in on the deal. "The bride comes by a number of times, before she makes her choice as to what she wants. It takes the bride at least three hours in-store to choose her fabrics, especially if they're expensive," said Salem. Fabrics there, as he explained, range from LE300 to LE2,500 per metre. Having established the sheer expense of the wedding dress, the question remains as to who pays for the wedding dress, the bride or the bridegroom. It is, as a matter of fact, a controversial issue for many engaged couples. "I was about to break up with my fiancé because he refused to pay for my wedding dress," said Enjy Ahmed, aged 25, who insisted that her fiancé pay for her wedding dress. Salem told the Weekly that "our traditions dictate that the bridegroom should pay for the wedding dress. Only an upper-class bride would pay for her wedding dress." However, he added that "this has now changed, because every couple wants to pretend to belong to the upper class." Nevertheless, middle-class couples who are not bothered about appearance and class agree that the bridegroom ought to pay for his fiancée's wedding dress. Abdel-Haq Mohamed, a tailor, is unsure about who should make that payment. Note too, that it takes a long time to tailor a dress. "It takes me two or three weeks to finish a wedding dress," said Ahmed Shakra, owner of a company specialised in making wedding dresses and evening wear. Unlike Shakra, Abdel-Haq can finish his work "in one week, because most styles these days are simple, and without much embroidery." Depending on the design and how long it takes to make a dress, prices vary. "Our prices start at LE2,000 for ready-made wedding dresses, but the average is closer to LE4,000," said Shakra. At another classy store in Nasr City district, prices start at LE8,500. Famous designer dresses are even more expensive, starting at LE50,000. While prices vary, colours are also starting to change, however slowly. White used to be the signature mark for all dresses, but nowadays, off-white is starting to become a trend. "I like off-white because it's classy and modern," said Eman Ahmed, a 28-year-old bride who was busy picking out her wedding dress with her mother. Indeed, most Egyptian fashion designers agree that off-white is the most fashionable colour today. Famous stylist and fashion designer Baheeg Hussein said this year's quintessential wedding dress is made of satin and chiffon, a trend predominant in the 1960s and 1970s. According to numerous stylists, fashion these days is about the two-piece dress, or corsage, which covers the body's defects. It's little wonder, then, that the average price of a tailor's handiwork starts from LE2,500 to LE6,000, and can easily reach LE100,000, depending on the material and whether it is inlaid with expensive accessories, be they diamonds or handmade fabrics. As prices soar, many brides have to watch their budget. Many women with lower budgets give up on the idea of buying their wedding dress altogether. Instead, they rent their dress for one night only, with the aim of saving money. For a rental, a bride pays LE400 to LE800 on average. Another similar trend has also emerged, namely that a bride with a little more money pays LE1,000 to LE2,500 to a tailor for a dress made for her, but has to give it back to the store after the wedding ceremony is over. The hassle of making a wedding dress is not over yet. Make-up and hairdressing are also required payments. As the Weekly found out, many of Cairo's most popular hairdressers charge LE2,000 for hair and make-up, while charging veiled brides just half that sum. Other less expensive artists charge LE400 to LE1,000 for both hair and make-up. But the average cost for perfect hair and make-up will rise all the way up to LE6,000, an extremely high sum to add up to the rest of the couple's expenses. Surely, however, it's all worth it -- after all, it is the night of the newly-wed couple's life.
