A Chit Chat With Diala Abu Issa of Bridal Showroom

The Bridal Showroom in Dubai is the perfect shopping experience for brides-to-be from across the Middle East, with the dreamiest line up of timeless hand-picked gowns, personalized experience and an all-star bridal consultant team, The Bridal Showroom continues to be one of Dubai’s most loved bridal boutiques.

Behind this thriving business is the charming Diala Abu Issa who travels the world meeting with bridal designers, attending bridal shows, fashion shows and trunk shows to carefully select these wedding dresses that will be dressed by hundreds of brides on their most memorable day of their lives.

Diala opened the store in 2012,  born in Doha, Diala grew up in a fashion retail family and her love for dressing up brides began very young. She pursued a higher education in management in London to gain the knowledge of running the business side of bridal fashion. Today Diala spearheads both retail and fashion for The Bridal Showroom add to that a full time mom to Alya and Talal.

As a Bridal Buyer, it is important that I keep our brides in mind, their different styles and what they desire.

We asked Diala, ahead of her visit to Milan, to shed some light on her bridal boutique business, the latest bridal trends and her future plans. Here's what she had to say: 

What factors do you take into consideration when selecting the next season’s collections of wedding dresses?

As a Bridal Buyer, it is important that I keep our brides in mind, their different styles and what they desire.

Of course, we always want the shop’s selection of gowns to reflect current and upcoming trends but always keeping what is the best for my brides first. So I usually mix it up between timeless looks and trendy designs.

You have recently been to Barcelona Bridal Week, what did you notice about the new 2018 bridal trends? Which fashion show impressed you most?

At Barcelona Bridal Week, I was really impressed by the variations fabrics, detailing, silhouettes, and sleeves from designer to designer, however we did have some major trends across the shows like the cape which almost every designer brought into the collection, I love the full length cape because it gives the princess look many brides want to have. Most noticeable was what I call the SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker) touch, the color black. I wasn’t a big fan of the all black look because of its likelihood to cause wedding dress regret or the black skirts, but I really enjoyed seeing the black ribbon belts on some of the ball gowns.

This season, it seems like designers are breaking up with blush and bringing in a new color shade, the pale-blue dress, I also noticed that nude is taking reign over ivory. OTT bows, off shoulder and low backs are back again this season, and I am certain we will have a few designs featuring this trend.

My advice will always be to stay true to your style.

I also love that designers are thinking of the modern ball gown, something I have been asking for season after season!

The princess silhouette is now young, fresh, edgy and so forward, I get so excited just thinking of the ball gowns we are bringing to Dubai for the 2018 bride.

most importantly, remember to enjoy the dress selection process and keep creating amazing memories

Why have you decided to visit Si Sposaitalia (Milan) and what are your expectations from this bridal show?

I have been wanting to go to Sposaitalia for 2 years now, but I had my second baby so it was very hard for me to attend but the wait is over and I am looking forward to it this year.

I've heard great things about the show and I am really excited to meet Italian Designers and see what is out there. I attended the Barcelona show in April and jumping to New York in October for bridal week, Milan will be just the right event to add to my list for 2018.

What is the best advice you'd give a bride-to- be when selecting her wedding dress? 

My advice will always be to stay true to your style, if it’s your first fitting, be open to try on several silhouettes, you might love a dress you didn’t think of or be totally disappointed in a dress you thought was perfect for you.

Bring along people whose taste you trust and want you to look the most beautiful. Always remember that dresses can be altered to a certain extent, ask our consultant to guide you in the hemming, resizing, adding sleeves, lace, bead work and much more. And most importantly, remember to enjoy the dress selection process and keep creating amazing memories.

What are your future plans for The Bridal Showroom? 

We took a strategic decision to only focus on Bridal wear. We believe that obsessing over wedding gowns will allow us to give our brides a broader selection and bring in more bridal designers on board! We are on the lookout for more designers, so keep following us on Instagram to see what we are up to!