AFP PHOTO / NELSON ALMEIDA
By Salma Hamed
Have you recently come across a wedding album title with lots of hearts and smiley faces? If yes then you must be wondering if this is the season for getting hitched. Well, people marry all the time but as with everything, there are seasons where your social media timelines explode with wedding pictures and “Just Married” statuses.
Usually weddings take place in the summer, right before and after Ramadan, up until November. The “big day” has to be perfect – at least for the bride and groom. We are not referring to those people for whom every wedding must-have at least one of this-or-the-other people, who keep checking out every little detail and making jealous/sarcastic/completely pointless remarks about absolutely everything. We are talking about the new couple who wants their dream wedding to come true.
The wedding industry in Egypt, contrary to popular belief, is booming. Hollywood movies inspired Egyptians to start using wedding planners, expensive but reliable organisations or individuals who take care of all the wedding details.
From picking the place and the decorations, to the guest placement and even the music, wedding planners work on turning the bride and grooms’ wishes, (well, usually the bride’s only), into a reality. We wanted to explore the newest wedding trends and give all those brides to-be out there a glimpse of what is hot for 2013.
Colours: Mint green and peach! Those lovely pastels in all their shades will be the most popular colours for 2013 weddings. Even the bridesmaids’ dresses are moving away from off-white and pink to mint green. These are not colours which suit everyone, so a bride can rest assured that she will be the belle of the ball.
Wedding cake: The traditional wedding cake, whose whereabouts after the wedding remain a mystery, we have seldom seen anyone actually eat it, has been replaced by a giant cupcake or dozens of small cupcake towers. The old tradition of sleeping with a slice of wedding cake under your pillow to dream of your future husband has become a lumpy affair.
Decorations: Lanterns! Coloured paper lanterns will be a hit in 2013 weddings. Whether above the guests’ seats, behind the couple, or at the entrance, they will definitely give your wedding a cheerful feel.
Places: More and more people are resorting to open air weddings. The traditional hotel wedding is still big, but might not be easily obtainable for couples on a budget. There are a myriad of open-air venues in all styles, suiting everyone’s financial ability.
These venues are not very practical for winter weddings, but Ahmed Hassan, the wedding planner of Orabi’s Plein Air says there are ways around this; it should not be an obstacle. March and April are considered ideal for open air ceremonies.
Hassan said there are no standard weddings in Egypt. The styles differ; there are those who want a traditional wedding, with little hoopla and keeping it simple. Others like to add a different flavour to their wedding; choosing to have an Asian buffet corner, an ice cream station, customised decorations and so on.
The trends do not influence the style of the weddings; people’s ideas create the trends. Wedding planners usually only help translate these ideas into reality, they do not invent entire weddings with all the details from scratch.
So brides, keep it original and who knows, you could be setting a trend.
