Dressing up the bride

Wow! This is the feeling and expression on every to be bride's face when they enter 'The Bridal Studio'. The studio run by Sybil Rasheed that started in the year 2015 is certainly a token of happiness for every bride. An ambience that is exceptional and a store designed with pleasant interiors cannot still take your eyes away from the beautiful bridal wear and accessories that are available for the bride.

Sybil narrates the story of 'The Bridal Studio'. "This is something that I always wanted to do, especially knowing that there is no other store in Hyderabad like this. Our family is into wedding planning; we do everything related to a wedding, but a good and economical wedding dress designer was missing.

Even when I got married, the option of having such beautiful dresses made was not here in the city, which is when I and my husband thought we would start making quality dresses for brides in addition to everything else that they would need for their trousseau. When they walk in, they just have to get two rings and everything else is sorted; right from the dress, tiara, veil, shoes, gloves, jewellery…"

The dresses for the studio are sourced from wedding shows across the world, and the store is redesigned every three months. Another specialty that Sybil introduced is that the white wedding dresses can later be changed to any other colour, "We have a shade card, which has approximately 700 different colours. Once these gowns are worn during the wedding, they can be changed into any other colour with just a little additional cost."

Experiences as a young bride and a married woman have gone into creating unique solutions at her store. The whole process of transforming the wedding dress, for example, is done with tradition intact, she explains, "Each of the gowns have their specific fabric dye as they are made of high-end material.

Most of the gowns are traditional ball gowns, and when we transform them, we cut the additional base of the long train and make it into a robe. When the young bride becomes a mother, the robe from her wedding gown can be used for the child."

Brides tend to put on weight after they get married and so there is a dilemma in the bride's head about the fitting, and Bridal Studio has a solution for that too. "Each dress has an in- built corset, there are bones in every dress so when a bride wears it, her waist gets tucked in making the bride looks slim. And even if a person puts on weight post-marriage, it is just the matter of extending the corset and wearing it again."

"We also try and customise to make it according to a bride's preference. For example, if somebody likes a dress and says - I love the pattern and box pleats, but I want sleeves - we do it." The studio also has exquisite choices of veils. including one of latest trends inspired from Priyanka Chopra's wedding. "She had an extraordinary veil, and this material looks so transparent that it gives a different look to the gown. You can customise the veil according to the gown that you have taken," shares Sybil.

The studio also has lovely dresses for the bride's maid, and for flower girls, and for all occasions that go beyond a Chritian wedding. Sybil does not beleive in resting on her syuccess. Soon the studio would also be working on sarees as well. "We will ask the bride to get thesaree and then we will be working on the blouse and the saree."

As a person dealing with brides day in and out, Sybil has a piece of advice, "The best for very bride is to have an open mind; there are different body types and sometimes what they think of wearing might not suit them, in which case they need to have an open mind. They must come to shop along with positive people whom make them feel comfortable."