The story of the wedding dress: why Jordanian princess Reem Al Ali has been wearing clothes made in Russia for twenty years

Princess Alia, the third wife of the late King Hussein ibn Talal of Jordan, was adored by her husband and people but tragically died very young. Alia’s children, babies Haya and Ali, were left motherless. Hussein kept the memory of Aliya all his life and passed it on to his children.

Aliya came from an Adyghe family: Both Ali and Khaya, passionate horse lovers, are sure that this passion was genetically passed on to them from their mother. From adolescence, Ali was interested in the history of Adyghe, he learned to understand cultural customs and national clothes.

In 2004, the prince decided to marry Rhea Brahimi, a CNN journalist and the daughter of an Afghan diplomat. This union was made in heaven – the couple was united by a beautiful romance, they sincerely fell in love with each other. And to please her husband and fulfill his dream, Rome decided to go to the altar in an unusual dress.

She approached Nalchik fashion designer Madina Saralp and undertook to remotely create a wedding dress for Rome based on an old sketch of an Adyghe fashche, an ethnic women’s dress.

Saralp’s professionalism did not disappoint: the dress fit perfectly, although there was not a single fit. Madina herself believed that she was the ideal figure of Rome – with a height of 175 cm, her waist circumference was only 64 cm.

Wrought ironwork and jewelry completed the outfit, including a small dagger sheathed on a sash, which was also ordered in Russia: this part was the work of Asya Eutykh, a Maykop woman. Prince Ali had already collaborated with an excellent gunsmith and jeweler before the wedding: Asya created armor and ceremonial weapons for the Circassian guards who traditionally guard the Jordanian royal family. In fact, it was Eutychus who advised the bride to turn to Madina. Both artisans were invited to the wedding, but Saralp could not fly because of the young child.

The outfit made an indelible impression on both the groom and the guests – many even shed a tear when they saw the transformation of the girl in the traditional Adyghe dress. Reem’s father, diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, even asked his daughter to go out dressed the next day after the wedding, which she did with pleasure, allowing everyone to admire again.

Strangely enough, the unusual outfit did not lie in the depths of the undoubtedly extensive princess wardrobe and did not migrate to a museum. Rome still wears it to this day – can you imagine, 20 years later and two children later, her waist is still only 64cm!

Prince Ali’s wife turned the scarf into a cape and that’s the only change. It is symbolic that she wore an Adyghe fascinator to the wedding of her nephew, Crown Prince Hussein. The Jordanian royal family values ​​its internal ties very much, and Rome emphasized their depth, reminding everyone of both Queen Alia and her husband’s beloved sister, Princess Haya, who cannot be with loved ones for security reasons after her scandalous divorce from Sheikh Maktoum.