Eva Hachem, founder of Dress Come True.

Manjula Ramakrishnan

A picture-perfect wedding is all about nailing the right dream dress. But quite often this exercise turns out to be stressful and expensive. Dubai based start-up www.DressComeTrue.com is an online marketplace that connects brides-to-be with other newly-weds who are looking to pass on their glamorous outfits to make another bride look her best on her wedding day.

Founded by Lebanese Swiss expatriate couple Eva Hachem and Andy Werner, after Eva experienced her own struggles in finding her dream wedding gown, Dress Come True is her effort to help other brides enjoy their special day as much as she loved hers.

How did Dress Come True come into existence?

We got married in Dubai in 2016 and I found it a huge struggle finding my dream dress, despite visiting several boutiques across the country. Prices too were unreasonable; even renting a dress proved to be prohibitively expensive. Clearly the indication was that I had to either compromise on the style or the price. After the wedding, I tried to sell the dress, talking to boutiques, brides and industry leaders to find out how to go about this. With very little information available, I realised there was a need for a dedicated marketplace for pre-loved wedding dresses.

And so we thought of an online marketplace that will help brides-to-be get their dream dress at a reasonable price and for brides who are finished with the wedding to sell their dress. We gathered that nowhere in the Middle East do we have such a facility. Dress Come True fills this gap and we tailored our business model to connect buyers and sellers of wedding dresses across the world.

How did you turn this concept into reality?

From the beginning we wanted to connect both sellers and buyers while tailoring our services to the Middle East. Brides can easily list their dress for a small one-time fee and choose a service level that meets their needs, ensuring ease and security from start to finish. With this connect established, not only will they enjoy a stress-free selling experience, but also help a new bride-to-be create her own magical memories.

What services are offered by you?

Dress Come True is an online marketplace where buyers and sellers of new, sample and pre-loved wedding dresses, evening wear and wedding accessories can connect with one another. We also offer a Concierge Service for sellers of wedding dress, whereby we handle everything on their behalf, offering convenience and saving time. We also take responsibility for international shipment.

How early does the planning start for choosing a wedding dress?

Some brides start thinking and looking for their dream dress months in advance, while others leave it to the last month. It is important that the last fitting / the trial of the dress must take place as close to the wedding day as possible, taking into consideration any weight fluctuations of the bride as well as adjusting the height of the dress to the shoes she would have selected by then.

What are the common criteria that women adopt in choosing a dress?

The factors every woman considers are the silhouette, designer, fabric, colour and price, to mention the most important. Some dream of a fairy tale ball gown dress, while others prefer a more fitted silhouette. We have created a guide to familiarise brides with the most common silhouettes. Some have a certain designer in mind; many others are limited by a certain budget and look within that price range.

How do you work with your clients in choosing the right one for them?

When designing our website, we created it in a way that the most important information about the dress is available. Brides can then filter for designer, price, size, silhouette, location and similar. We encourage the brides to get in touch with the seller directly to get complete information. Our designs feature different fabrics and also have wedding accessories such as shoes, veils and tiaras for further embellishments, hence the sheer variety helps our clients choose right.

How has the response been and what is your future plan?

Brides are happy to know there is such a dedicated marketplace. Dress Come True features dresses that are chosen by the most stylish brides in the region, which are very likely to be chosen and cherished again. After launching our business in the UAE, we plan to connect brides across the Middle East and soon plan to expand into evening gowns.