Fustany Team 
Deana Shaaban is one of our favorite Egyptian fashion designers, and when we knew that she got married, wearing a wedding dress that she has personally designed, we couldn't help but reach out to her.
When did you start your bridal gown shopping journey?
I didn’t really have a wedding dress shopping journey. I always just knew that when the time came to it, I would be the one designing my own wedding dress. I had that in the back of my mind, so it never even occurred to me to look anywhere. Little did I know, that it would prove to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.
How many wedding gowns have you tried on before finding 'The One'?
I didn’t really try on other wedding dresses, I just tried different versions and takes on the dress I had originally designed for myself. The wedding dress I designed had started out as something, and ended up being something entirely different than what I had originally envisioned.
You knew you found 'The One' when...
The day before the wedding, when the dress I had been trying to design for myself for months finally came to life. I had such trouble designing for myself, I didn’t realize how hard it would be. Everything I tried to do didn’t feel quite like me, and then for some reason I couldn’t quite figure out what it was that was bothering.
It was a long process of trial and error, research and experimentation to finally come to the final result. When I started adding the layers at the end, and using different fabrics and then adding a cross back to the dress, my heart skipped a beat and then I knew that this was it.
Tell us all about your wedding day look.
My wedding day look was playful and bohemian chic. I am all about comfort before all else, especially in a wedding dress. I wanted something that I could dance in for hours, walk around and hug people comfortably in.
I had my hair up in loose curls which Kriss designed for me, I didn’t even bother to ask him what he would do. I just knew he’d figure it out.
My heels were rose satin open-toe heels with ribbon lace-ups. Of course that didn’t last too long, I eventually put on some Airwalk crochet sneakers. No matter how great the heels look, if you can’t dance in them, then it’s not worth it.
My dress was made of layers of cream lace with small pearl beading and soft layers of tulle. The top of the dress was composed of a lace cross back, which was literally added in 2 days prior to the wedding. It kind of just came to me.
Your all time favorite celebrity bride is ... , were you inspired by her?
I don’t think that I really have one to be honest. The only bride that I can remember is Kate Middleton, and I’m not really a fan of her wedding dress.
Did you always know how you wanted to look on your wedding day?
I honestly had never really thought about what my wedding dress would look like until about 1 month prior to my wedding. I knew I’d figure it out some how, I wasn’t sure how, but I felt like it would somehow come together.
Looking back at your wedding photos, is there anything you would have done differently?
I actually wouldn’t have changed a single thing! There are things that I had planned that didn’t work out, but now looking back, I’m really happy they didn’t. Everything was exactly as it should be. If it worked out that way, then it was meant to be that way, and I’m happy with how it all came together.
Share your tips for brides-to-be shopping for wedding gowns.
- Find a designer that you are comfortable with to make your dress. Be sure it’s someone who will listen to you, who takes the time to get to know you, and who is accommodating and flexible with the whole design process.
- Some designs start a specific way and end up an entirely different way, and become usually much more incredible than what you had originally planned.
- Also, if you have the luxury of time, don’t buy a wedding dress off the rack, take the time to design something that speaks entirely to you.
- Finally, don’t listen to anyone else but yourself. Block out the noise from family, mother’s, fiances and the world around you and follow your heart when deciding what design you want to wear on your wedding day. Your heart already knows what you want.
