Traditional Kabylie dresses:

Oh I'd love that one without the headpiece and minus most of the jewlery!

I think if you could incorporate a giant plastic belt that would be amazing.

that would look stupid.

with giant plastic gemstones? or just plain?

I'm thinking gemstones. You know what I'm talking about I know you do!

Crowns and headpieces are very popular in NA.

When I was a little girl I always wanted a "princess" tiara with diamonds. I can't imagine where on earth I could wear such a thing to now though.

No it is actually Amazigh This particular dress I think (it looks like) that all the decoration is just a pattern on the dress, not actually jewelry.




Well you could wear one to your wedding (not sure if you are married yet) Or just around the house for your husband

Hmmm... guess I could wear it around the house!

Ye divas do housework with glitz and bling anyway

Some Morrocan dresses:









I just love this one !




More Algerien:

I like all the jewellry that is the real stuff . . . not just the decorations on the dress, LOL!!! I've collected a bit of antique jewellry from the ME and I just love this kind of stuff.

This one above is great too!

Wow. I found one or two I like but honestly I can't believe women wear some of these dresses! I guess there must be a totally different sense of "fashion" over there.


* These aren't all wedding dresses though right, just general dresses?

I was thinking that some of them might look better as tablecloths!

Even as tablecloths they would be a tad too um... "bright" for me.

you might be right! Even a wall hanging . . . right now, they seem to be mobile art!

Actually yes, other then the traditional white dresses, they change into several other dresses too... caftans, takchitas and traditional oriental robes. ANd I agree with you, their sense of fashion is TOTALYY different, esp when it comes to weddings.
Here is some more examples:
This is one looks similar to mine, but this one has a longer train and more pastel colours and a scoop neck.

Well if any one is seeing the food network right now....they are talking about wedings discussing foods and all that. The program "ACE of Cakes" just started and these chefs are all competing to make the best wedding cake in a certain ammount of time. This is sort of like Iorn chef but instead of cooking food its all about wedding cakes! Tune of now it just started. =0)

Some examples of Parures (the bling):


Most if not all of these dresses cost about a half month's salary for the average worker.They usually have 7 or more dresses, plus the parures, the throne the bride sits on, the caftan the bride wears then she gets her henna done with her female relatives,shoes, hair and make-up....not to mention the other wedding costs.

Well, for my wedding it was just in the courthouse so I wore pants and a shirt and my coat because we didn't even expect we would have our papers done for that day! We couldn't afford a party, so we didn't have one. But! When he gets here, I can wear my wedding dresses. I already have them! With matching shoes, and there is a mantilla too for the Vera Wang dress.



I asked him about wearing this dress and he said "sure" but I think he's already forgotten it's strapless LOL! My wedding here will be just family and a few close friends, so maybe he'll relent, we'll see This green silk dress is so cute in person (as in not in my closet) and I found the exact color in matching silk shoes! By chance!





We took photos in a dress and suit, but it's not my dress!




I also have 2 antique and fancy abayas I'll probably wear then too:

red:




Blue:





He has a 3rd one in his family, a black one and he is trying to buy that for me, I like them because they are OLDDDDDD and also they have real gold thread hand-embroidered in the velvet.

WOw those are beautiful. I have a whole collection of traditional Algerien abayas, caftans and takchitas my husband gave me over the years. I feel very regal and important wearing them. Of course, I donnot wear them here, people would laugh... but in Algerie when I got new ones, I wore them when guests came over. Quite the chic thing to do Sorry I guess I got a little girly girl in me after all!

Gotta love those giant belts... NOT!

Ok I have thousand more I could post, but I won't torture anyone anymore
But am curious for those who got married in MENA, did anyone have an annoying negafa?

i enjoy seeing them, keep posting.

Awwwww thanks

Henia-- it's not annoying! I love dresses!



LOL! I have a lot of surprising girly girl in me. Most people are surprised by the opposite-- that I love (and pick up) bugs and dirt, work with dead people, etc. My husband laughed at how clean and girly I was after he saw me for our first date-- because we were working together on the same excavation, and I was always head first into the tombs and totally non-phased by the dirt and remains. Somehow he is like magic, and never gets dirty or smelly on excavations. *jealous.*

Anyway, thanks! I am hoping I will get a good opportunity to wear these. I wear my regular abays from him out in public but not these! I wore them out in Jordan, evento the most inappropriate places (like buying schwarma from a street vendor LOL) just because I knew I wouldn't be wearing them here!

I love this thread. Its so itresting to see all the diversity in bridal gowns. Keep posting them ladies.

Awwww you said the magic words, I have a ton more to post

This one looks Pakistani or Indian


Good example of MENA bride with her henna in he throne

Example of the bride parades around in her dresses.

Woooooooohoooooooo I think I am addicted to these dressses, plus they are boosting my post count!

My hair is already curly!! Maybe you could straighten it for me..

Wow! I really love these looks! These are totally my style. I wish I could get away with wearing them around here.

Henia- I was soooo sure I wanted a traditional American style dress and now you have me convinced to go with something more MENA in style. Back to the design board!

me too, jenn..... i'd love to wear these alot!

tsk, tsk, Sarah and MBP.

Actually, I like all the colorful ones . . . some of the white ones are beautiful but I'll go with the jewel toned colors any day . . . there was an absolutely gorgeous maroony colored one a few pages back that I just loooooooooooooooooooved! I wonder if I can find a tailer in Cairo to make me something, lol!!! And . . .NO, NOURA, it won't be for dancing in . . . I've got a few of those already that I had made in Cairo, hehe!!

henia very nice pic love the dresses ... keep them coming

LOLOL, the lady or the dres??? It's sometimes how I feel about myself getting ready for work in the morning!

I mean you could. I get away with wearing many of my dresses. People get intrigued, never tell I look weird at all.




And not to mention they are way cheaper then the dresses here(in dollars) you can get more bling for your money




me too








OK, I will keep them coming I love dresses!

I see everyone wants this thread to die

I searched for Egyptian wedding gowns but came up with nothing. The egyptian wedding sites just have the normal gowns that you'd see here in the US, and actually now that I think of it the bridal parties that we saw on the bridge on New Year's all wore american style gowns too. It's a shame if they really don't have their own culture like dresses there since these Moroccon/Algerian ones are so rich and vibrant.