In war‑scarred Gaza, brides turn to refurbished wedding dresses

Brides and tailors try to keep a ‌fading tradition alive amid war and soaring costs

In a small sewing workshop in southern Gaza, Nisreen ​Al‑Rantisi pulls fabric from a pile and reshapes worn wedding dresses, trying to keep a ‌fading tradition alive amid war and soaring costs.

Families said they have been struggling to find new wedding dresses, and many search instead for places that refurbish gowns and other kinds of clothes for their children.

Palestinian woman looks at a wedding dress displayed outside a shop next to a pile of rubble. Photo: Reuters

Importers cite delays, high shipping costs, and ​restrictions on materials, such as the crystals encrusted into the elaborate wedding dresses, as key factors ​behind the shortages and price hikes.

A Palestinian tailor repairs and recycles wedding dresses and children’s gowns. Photo: Reuters

Many workshops have also been damaged during the ⁠conflict.

“We try to reuse the old gowns that we have, produce them by fixing them a bit, ​work on them, wash them, arrange them, shape them,” said Rantisi, adding that work initially relied on a ​bicycle-powered sewing machine due to electricity shortages.

Rantisi said she used to buy the fabric for about 120 to 150 shekels ($41 to $51) before the war, but now pays around 500 shekels ($171).

A woman and a girl walk out of a wedding dress shop. Photo: Reuters

“This has caused a big rise in the cost of bridal ​dresses and children’s gowns. We are living in a vicious circle from the war that affected us,” ​she added.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Most ‌of ⁠Gaza's more than 2 million people have been displaced, many now living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents pitched on open ground, roadsides, or atop the ruins of destroyed buildings after two years of war with Israel.

Wedding dresses are displayed at a shop, as brides in Gaza turn to reused gowns. Photo: Reuters

High Prices Beyond Reach For Most In Gaza

Despite the hardships, some couples still find ways to celebrate, ​with mass weddings held in ​Gaza offering a rare ⁠moment of joy amid the devastation.

Shop workers say the war has driven prices beyond reach.

“Before the war, prices were reasonable for everyone,” said Rawan Shalouf, an ​employee at a bridal shop.

“But now, given the circumstances we’re in, the price ​of a ⁠dress is ridiculous.”

A Palestinian tailor repairs and recycles wedding dresses and children's gowns at a workshop. Photo: Reuters

Across Gaza, brides and families are struggling to afford even basic wedding needs. Shahed Fayez, 21, is due to marry in about four days but has been searching in vain for a dress.

A Palestinian woman works at a sewing shop producing and repairing wedding dresses. Photo: Reuters

“I don’t care ⁠about its ​style, what’s important is that it's new,” she added.

“The cheapest ​dress is $1,000 or more, that's the minimum, and all we have is less than $200. The entire dowry does not cover the price ​of a dress.”