Thread: Egyptian Wedding - White costume

Does anybody know if it is okay to where a white costume at an Egyptian wedding? My dance partner and I are dancing together and the only costumes we have that match are white.

Just ask. I've seen footage of Dina in white at a wedding, but it's always best just to ask the bride what she wants.

Personally...the only two colors I would avoid wearing to a wedding are black and white...white is always reserved for the bride...

I've seen a few footages from weddings in Egypt where the dancers wore both black and white costumes. I would imagine that most of the dancers I've seen have enough costumes to have a choice whether to wear a white costume or not and if they choose to, then maybe it's not a big deal in Egyptian culture.
I 've worn a white costume to a few weddings and in one case the bride herself chose it. So definitely ask the bride or the person who is organizing the wedding. I think it should be fine.

White wouldn't be something I'd wear for a wedding performance, personally. Even if the bride doesn't care - odds are, the other guests will.

I'd wear black though - in fact, I plan to wear a black dress for a wedding this weekend. It's completely loaded with silver beadwork and is very elegant. Paired with a grey-tone purple veil, I think it'll be lovely.

How about red? Isn't that a bridal color in the East?

I always ask if the bride/groom would like me to match their colors with my costume, if I can, I will. For a wedding I danced at in the summer I wore a black labyrinth, which although it's black, is covered in gold and silver and holographic sequins and used a turquoise and teal veil which were they're wedding colors.

Originally Posted by bonnywhiteford

How about red? Isn't that a bridal color in the East?

Red signifies blood in some places and might not be a good choice...I was admonished for wearing it to my cousin's wedding. According to Sahra Kent, green is a lucky color for a dancer to wear to an Egyptian wedding. Blue and pink are also good, positive colors. She didn't mention white.

I'd discuss it with the bride also.

Originally Posted by bonnywhiteford

How about red? Isn't that a bridal color in the East?

point. i never wear red to indian weddings because it is usually reserved for the bride. white is out for most u.s. weddings, imo, cause its the bridal color here...

ita you should ask the bride

cultural event driven color coding can be a bit tricky.

If I had a white costume (which I don't), I'd just come out and tell the bride that I have a stunning white costume -- would she prefer I wear a different color?

Actually, I'd probably ask if there is/are a color/colors she'd prefer I avoid.

I don't allow the bride (or any client) to choose a color -- what if I don't have a costume that color! .w.:

Deborah

If the bride is anything like most brides round here, she will ask you to wear a costume that doesn't really fit all that well and is in a colour that doesn't flatter your skin tone, as is the norm with bridesmaids' frocks, so she looks prettier than anyone else. (I am *convinced* that seamstresses must be required to ensure bridesmaids' dresses don't fit properly for this reason, because it's the only thing that accounts for why so many of them don't when they've been made to measure and had fittings.)

From what I understand, in Egypt if the dancer wears white its fine. But if this is a more Westernized wedding taking place in America then the tradition of stearing clear of white unless you are the bride is the way to go. These American traditions sneak in. Like everyone else said, ask the bride.

I usually give them a choice of 3 colors. This way they can't turn all Bridezilla on you and demand a salmon colored costume to match the bridesmaids. My approach to life in general is to give people a few options, all of which I am ok with. This way they still get a choice but I don't feel pushed around. They feel empowered and I am comfortable that I made the right choice.

PS Another wedding trick is to let the bride and groom choose a song for my set. I tell them if they mail me the cd ahead of time I will work it into the show. This way they get EXACTLY the song they want and I don't have to stress over whether or not I am picking the right song for audience participation. It is so so important to pick the right music for Egyptian parties and this ensures that at least one of the songs will be right on track. It also lets the couple feel as if you are customizing the show for their big day.

Green is actually the color for prosperity and happiness in an Arabic wedding. I've always been told to wear green when possible.

My rule of thumb is to talk to the bride or the organizer. I allso find out what the colours for the wedding are and see if I can work something in to compliment the wedding party. Also so that I don't clash horribly!

Green, blue, turquoise, gold all good colours. If you and your partner only have one outfit which matches, do you have anything which compliments one another?

{{{HUGS}}

Hi Shivaun,

you've totally got options! are your white costumes bedlah? It can somtimes be possible to "override" a bedlah color with skirt, veil etc. especialy if you combine several otehr colors. Maybe you could do turqouoise/lavender/green tones to drift the effect more towards a multi-pastel effect, for instance.

I have done this with my own white bra/belt set, and it give a very "light" refreshing effect, rather than reading as OMG WHITE!!!!! Or if you're feeling crafty, swapping out the fringe could make a big difference. Although I myself would probably not be that motivated.

Alternatively, if you have a light metallic silver skirt/sleeve set, the white will usually get subsumed into that and the audience will read it as 'the dancer wore silver'.

I don't know if these suggestions would work for you though, without pix. If you're talking about 2 white dreses, that is a whole other bag of tricks. Have you any photos of the costumes you're talking about? You know how everyone loves costume porn, lol!!! ..l;,

Originally Posted by Gia al Qamar

Personally...the only two colors I would avoid wearing to a wedding are black and white...white is always reserved for the bride...

I second Gia... I would avoid black and white too.