While Bridezilla was a term first coined in the 1990s by Americans, we sometimes wonder if it wasn't perhaps first used here in our beloved Egypt. Every year, around wedding season, beautiful young Egyptian women are transformed from the graceful flowers that they are into stressed out tantrum-throwing bridezillas in preparation for their wedding. It's understandable though, because weddings in this part of the world are all about the extravagance and luxury (well, most of them are anyway). That being said, each culture around the world has its own set of traditions when it comes to weddings, with some cultures opting for smaller weddings ceremonies deeming the union more important and others having wedding celebrations that go on for days. One aspect all cultures can agree on, extravagant or not, is that every girl’s own vision of the perfect wedding dress is one that she’s been dreaming up since she was a little kid. To help out this wedding season, we've rounded up a list of Egyptian designers that custom make bridal dresses and we've added a few extra bonuses at the end.  

 Shay’s Couture

Shaymaa Maher of Shay’s Couture is a designer that’s all about the intricate details. Her designs have a flair of edge as she’s not afraid to explore different cuts. Her custom made dresses come in two packages. The first includes simpler designs and the second comes with more complex, royal style dresses. While both packages don't include the fabric in their pricing, Maher's atelier does provide imported material upon request (at which point the prices of the packages are subject to change).

Price range: package 1 is for EGP 30,000 and package 2 is for EGP 50,000

Duration: 2 months (the time varies if it's wedding season)

Location: El yasmin 1, 5^th settlement.

Check out her designs on Instagram. 

Malak El Ezzawy 

Having fashion practically running in her blood - with her grandmother having been in the evening wear industry - Malak El Ezzawy has been making quite some noise on Cairo’s fashion scene for a few years now. Having started back in 2008, the talented Egyptian woman also designs suits for Hoxton House and is the co-founder of Good Barbers and Wilderbeast Grooming.

Price range: EGP 35,000 – 55,000 (not including fabric costs)

Duration: 1 month

Location: Store,  24 Tharwa street branching from Batal Ahmed Abdelaziz, Mohandeseen (Ground floor)

Check them out on Instagram. 

Maison Saédi

Anne Klein once said that "clothes aren't going to change the world; the women wearing them will." And while we couldn't agree more, we'll be doing it looking fly AF in a custom-made couture wedding dress by Maison Saédi. The couturier's interest in designing started when he was 12 - while helping his mother design outfits for herself - so you know he's good. 

Price range: starting at 50,000 (including fabric costs) 

Duration: 4 months

Location: Nozha Gedeeda 

Check out his designs on Instagram. 

Nadine Makar Couture 

Establishing her atelier in 2015, German - Egyptian fashion designer Nadine Makar specializes in custom-made evening and wedding dresses. Makar's designs exude an air of  femininity with each one being unique to the client. This is one designer that handles the process from the ground up - from stitching to patterns, and she's fully involved in every stage. If you're planning on having your wedding on the beach though, we'd opt for a short dress.

Price range: EGP 50,000  (not including fabric costs)

Duration: 4 - 5 months

Location: Mohandesseen 

Check out her designs on Instagram. 

Rafik Zaki Designs

Having had his pieces showcased in fashion shows like Cairo Fashion Nights, Baroque and more, Rafik Zaki's dresses exude a subtle and sexy elegance.  While the atelier is located in Masr El Gedida, the exact location is sent once the appointment is confirmed so maybe this could be our one last adventure before the wedding! Besides, we love a little mystery every now and then and it kind of adds to the exclusivity, doesn't it?

Price range: starts at EGP 75,000 (not including fabric costs)

Duration: a minimum of 6 months prior to the wedding (if notified in less than 3 months, there’s an extra EGP 25,000 fee)

Check out his designs on Instagram.

Hisham Aboulela

Aboulela is the designer giving us our perfect fairytale dress. Not sparing any costs, his dresses ooze royalty with a slice of bad ass. Think a Mulan meets Cinderalla sort of vibe. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be royalty for a day, badass or not.

Prices range: starts at EGP 80,000 (not including fabric costs)

Duration: minimum 3 months (varies depending on design)

Location: Mohandesseen

Check out his designs on Instagram.     

Shahira Lasheen

If there's anything that we've learnt from The Devil wears Prada - other than the fact that there is nothing Meryl Streep can't do - is that elegance is everything. And Shaheera Lasheen's dresses have that elegant and regal feel to them. Designing her pieces to merge modern architectural smooth lines with Victorian fashion, this bridal tailor is not one for the faint hearted. The talented designer uses imported material for her customized master pieces.

Price range: starts from EGP 180,000 (including fabric costs)

Duration: 4 - 6 months

Location: Qasr El Nil

Check out her designs on Instagram.  

Bonus! 

Because no princess dress is complete without a tiara, here are the shops custom making the head pieces especially for the princess of the night:

HALO Headpieces by Aya Radwan

 

G O L D G A R D E N ✨

A post shared by Halo Headpieces By Aya Radwan (@halo.headpieces) on Feb 27, 2018 at 11:20am PST

Well, we’re planning on getting a few just to wear around the office (you know, to practice for the big day). Halo headpieces custom-make the headpieces to your liking and we hear they might be launching an accessory line too. Maybe a braided necklace to match your braided tiara if you’re going for a Zena the warrior princess sort of look. They’ve got a wide range of ready made tiaras as well and their pieces are seen worn on the likes by some of Egypt's celebrities, the likes of Sherine Reda.

Price range: EGP 2,000 - 4,000

Duration: 3 - 4 weeks

Check them out on Instagram. 

WaHekaya 

 

You can never go wrong with these gold and pearls side combs• #WriteYourStory

A post shared by WaHekaya (@wahekaya) on Apr 28, 2018 at 8:20am PDT

Wahekaya customizes all kinds of headpieces using different elements like emeralds and pearls. If ever there was a time to splurge ladies, this. Is It. The best part is you don't necessarily have to go for a fitting because most of the tiaras are standard size. If you're feeling iffy though, you could still go get your head measured just to be on the safe side. 

Price range: EGP 1,200 – 3,000

Duration: 10 days

Check them out on Instagram. 

Main image from Maison Saédi.