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BRIDES-TO-BE, their prospective partners plus families and friends gathered at the Intercontinental Wedding Fair over the weekend to check out the latest looks for the big day.
Some ordered glamorous gowns as well as to picking up the latest tips and trends for make-up, hair and accessories.
The three-day ‘wedding of wonders’ event, staged at the Manama hotel’s Al Riffa Ballroom, featured a variety of stalls offering the latest in haute couture and Khaleeji fashion for men and women, sparkling jewellery and head-pieces alongside an array of floral bouquets.
The lively affair, organised in association with Hamm Company, acted as a one-stop-shop gathering different talents and designers in the worlds of fashion, beauty and event planning, with experts from across Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain amongst those attending.
The Saudi Arabian Dress Me retailer’s selection of sparkling dresses, starting from BD200, attracted plenty of attention. “We have styles for every party, from the traditional henna night to the wedding day,” said a spokesperson from the outlet. “We also carry engagement dresses and formal wear for special gatherings. We are particularly popular for our henna night ensembles.”
In Arab weddings, the henna night is similar to a bachelorette party where the bride’s family and friends celebrate together the night before the tying of the knot. The bride and her guests will get their hands and feet painted while others dance the night away. The fun fiesta usually attracts women in beautiful embroidered gowns and the bride tends to adorn a green ensemble, a colour representing henna, with golden accessories.
According to the Dress Me spokesperson, most women from neighbouring Saudi Arabia prefer oriental, Punjabi or Turkish style outfits for the henna night and while green is the favoured colour; some wear red instead.
One stall assistant added: “We also have bedazzled dress designs for mums and sisters of the bride and groom. They should stand out just as much as the bride on this happy occasion!”
If crystal, sequinned and pearl embroidered gowns aren’t your cup of tea, Saudi Arabian fashion house Triko featured a range of simple yet elegant gowns from designer Latifa Al Ouraini’s collection from BD70.
A Triko representative said: “Our concept is simple - dresses should be worn and not stuck in a wardrobe collecting dust! We are known for our simple and airy loose-fitted jalabiya and dresses.
“You can make them look more glamorous by using a belt to cinch around the waist, along with glittery accessories, or just add little gems for a more subtle look.
“A lot of women purchase our signature offerings for henna nights and add golden jewellery to make their appearance more stunning.”
Bahraini designers and jalabiya makers also placed a variety of outfits on show. Models took to the runway with ‘up-do’ hair styles, natural and colourful make-up and glitzy gowns.
Visitors also enjoyed a selection of vendors selling sweet scented perfumes, jewellery and accessories, as well as wedding gifts and giveaways.
Aysegul Boz Engin, owner of the Patiska Lovely Craft store in Juffair, showcased her customised gifts and giveaways. She said: “We make a variety of goods from soaps to velvet boxes full of candy and chocolates.
“We even make prayer beads and other little gifts handmade in Turkey that bride’s often give away to guests as they leave. We even put the couple’s initials on the gifts so they become a keepsake of the occasion.”
Event planners, decorators and photographers were also on hand at the event offering special packages.
Suad Khoury, 25, a teacher at Ibn Khuldoon National School, attended the fair with her mum Mona, 50, and friend Rawan Nimri, 30, who works as administration at Al Wisam School. Suad, from Manama, said: “The fair was good with lots of stalls and interactions. There were a lot of Bahraini dresses which I love.”
