For four days last week, the normally austere Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre was transformed into a haven of all things crystal and pink. Thousands of crystals sparkled - from the bodices of gloriously over-the-top gowns, on Masai-style necklaces, from floral arrangements, and even from the tufts of faux Louis XIV chairs. Every booth bore a pink sign, hawking anything from laser hair removal (zap!) to glam shot-style oversized portraits.
Welcome to the Bride Show - Abu Dhabi. The world of the bride is a heady one - literally. Rich smells of various incenses battle it out, each vying to be noticed in the condensed airspace. Jewellery, hair ornaments and tiaras reflect the exhibition hall's fluorescent light, shining as if they had fallen to earth on the back of a shooting star. Since before Cinderella slid her toes into the glass (or was it crystal? pink crystal?) slipper, little girls have been dreaming of their big day, refining their plans year after year until it arrives. The Bride Show knows its turf, and somehow manages to produce a vision of the "perfect wedding" that is even sparklier and more dramatic than something the most princess-y of brides could imagine on their own.
Wandering from booth to booth, browsers considered: miniature wicker gazebos for guest tables; completely sheer mesh wedding bodices (plus strategically placed crystals); gilded-covered homewares for newlyweds; and bright, silky caftans for mothers of the bride. Dark sunglasses helped some endure the shiny glitz of the show; some social halls, like the Baynuna Hospitality Centre, even installed roving disco lights above their displays.
Bridal magazines in Arabic and English were scattered throughout the space, and runway bridal fashion shows helped get people in the mood to spend. Abaya designers also showed up to sell post-wedding cover ups. Honeymoon locales from Mauritius to South Korea (appropriate for newlyweds who are either eccentric or have literally been everywhere else in the world) were also well-represented. With the global credit crunch in full effect, were people still willing to shell out for the dream? Unclear. There were few people wandering around the show; and brides-to-be were outnumbered by married women with their husbands and children, older ladies with their married daughters and little girls too young to concentrate on any one sparkling both for very long.
A videographer wearing an outfit and hairdo straight out of Saturday Night Fever said that business had slowed since last year, and the owners of a high-end Mumbai jewellery outlet complained about the low attendance - even though it was their first outing at the show. On my way out, I spotted a bride and her mother poring over a display. "Did you check that dress out?" the mother called to her tall and willowy daughter. The women giggled and fingered the fabric of the frock, their good cheer somehow reminding everyone what the Bride Show and weddings in general can be about: happiness and family, not frills and flounces. After all, weddings cannot be made from tulle and crystals alone.
* Sarah Wolff
