Some brides spend years planning their wedding dress; their dreams displayed as collages across scrapbooks and Pinterest moodboards. Palestinian podcast host and content creator Noor Elkhaldi, however, had just two months to conjure an outfit for her own wedding. Thankfully, her close friend is a fashion designer, who designed not one but two dreamy dresses for her special day.
When Elkhaldi first moved to New York City in 2021, one of the first people she met was Lirika Matoshi, the Kosovo-Albanian designer whose viral strawberry dress was dubbed the “dress of the summer” by Vogue back in 2020. In 2022, the duo worked together on a campaign and pop-up shop project with a tight, one-month deadline. So, when she reached out to the designer last November discuss her vision for her dream wedding gown – for a celebration due to take place in January – it didn’t seem like an impossible feat.
The resulting design was a beautiful marriage of structure and volume; grace and confidence, finished off with a lace-trimmed veil and Amina Muaddi heels. Elkhaldi wore the dramatic white ensemble as she walked down the aisle last month to marry her fiancé, photographer Mohamed Sherif (who shot Egyptian actress and singer Anoushka for Vogue Arabia in 2024). The two met while in Cairo at an event last year – Elkhaldi was invited as a content creator for a brand, while Sherif was recruited for photography – and connected instantly. Being the place where they first met, Cairo felt like a fitting wedding destination for the two creatives.
“I’ve always wanted to get married somewhere historical, and Cairo is so rich in history,” explains Elkhaldi. “We chose the historic Golden Hall at Prince Mohamed Ali’s Manial Palace, which was the first and only venue we toured – I knew immediately it was the one.” Built between 1899 and 1929, the architecture of the palace is a blend of rococo art and Islamic design, with ornately-designed interiors. “The space felt so timeless and magical, and my goal was to enhance it with thoughtful florals, lighting and other details, allowing its beauty to really shine,” the bride adds.
