5 Newly Introduced Jobs That are Essential to Egyptian Weddings Today

Photo via EniGma Magazine

Egyptians are known to be loud, boisterous, and most importantly, party-people. Weddings have always been reason enough for grand celebrations, though the definition of grand celebrations has changed immensely over the years, especially in the last decade or less.

In the past, weddings in Egypt stuck to the simple formula consisting of a religious ceremony, a party, and a honeymoon. Fast-forward to 2022, the dawn of technology and digital visibility as well as globalized trends, a wedding day includes plenty of more fine details. Countless people are involved in preparing for the big day itself, aside from the bride and groom. With talent-based jobs, these individuals come at a hefty price—but more importantly, they did not exist in Egypt just a few years ago.

Here are some of the newest, niche roles found in Egyptian weddings today.

Wedding Planner

For Egyptians, wedding planners existed only in Hollywood movies. In Egypt, one booked a wedding hall, and everything came with it, from the buffet and the cake, to the decorations and the DJ. Today, couples tend to need to hire wedding planners to decorate and arrange their special night. This includes choosing a wedding theme, centerpieces, ceiling decorations, dancefloor type, chairs and tables, entrance style, and LED screens.

Some wedding planners ask about the venue and the number of guests before sharing a quotation, and some prefer to work at specific hotels only. Others often have a starting budget that they work with. While it is helpful to have someone dependable to make a wedding look beautiful and cinematic, it often comes with a hefty expense.

There is no specific price for wedding planners as it largely depends on what each couple includes in their hall. Although some can be affordable, a more expensive price accompanies those with a better quality and variety.

Independent Makeup Artist

In the past, brides used to head to the nearest salon to jazz up for the big day from hair and makeup to their nails, the process was often a one-stop step. Bridal makeup was usually done by an assistant or a beauty specialist at the salon. Today, makeup artists have packages for brides, and packages for evening makeup, usually for the bride’s female family relatives.

Most makeup artists are booked months in advance, and the prices of bridal makeup can start at EGP 5,000 (USD 269) and go up to EGP 15,000 (USD 806).

Veil Designer

It’s hard to imagine brides without the cherry on top: a little (or often, tall) veil trailing behind them at their weddings. For brides who wear a hijab (headscarf), their dress includes a little more that needs assistance. Veil designers are responsible for styling the hijab that the bride will wear with her dress, and fixing her bridal veil on top too. As such, veil designers are responsible for styling a veiled bride’s headscarf, including her hair and her bridal veil. This also used to be one of the bridal services at salons, before there was a specific job dedicated to it.

Their average prices depend on whether the veil designer styles hair or only does the veil styling. They are priced between EGP 1,500 (USD 81) and EGP 3,000 (USD 161).

Room Decorator

Because most of the day’s happenings are streamed on social media, through the makeup artist’s stories, the hairstylist’s posts, as well as the videographer’s Instagram stories, many brides feel the pressure of having their room look extra special on their big day. To prepare a suitable environment for the camera, there are now room decorators, solely for that function. Their job is to decorate the room with balloons, hanging photos, flowers, and the bride’s name in helium letters adorning the wall.

These usually range between EGP 850 (USD 46) and can go up to EGP 2,000 (USD 107) depending on the amount of decorations used.

Coverage Account

 

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Weddings have become an essential part of social media content. In the last few years, the idea of coverage accounts came to life in Egypt. With thousands of followers on Instagram, these accounts cover weddings through stories and posts, highlighting the bride and groom’s outfit details, venue, guests, and the entire event like a live concert.

So far, these coverage accounts are mainly associated with luxurious and lavish weddings. These accounts charge between EGP 6,000 (USD 322) to EGP 8,000 (USD 430) per wedding.