The engagement is the first official step, and every family does it its own way. Customs change from one governorate to the next, and sometimes from one house to the next on the same street. This is the order many Egyptian families follow, with what helps at each step.
The first visit and the agreement
It usually starts with the groom and his family visiting the bride's home. The first meeting is mostly about getting to know each other. Then come the basics: the shabka, the mahr, the deferred dowry (the mu'akhar), the home, and a rough date for the katb el-ketab and the wedding.
Once they agree, many families read the Fatiha together. This announces that the engagement is now official between the two households. In some regions, such as Upper Egypt, the agreement is made in front of the family elders, with no papers at all.
The shabka
The shabka is the groom's gift to his bride, and it announces the engagement. Dar al-Ifta describes it as a custom, not a pillar of the marriage contract. In a 2023 fatwa it said there is no objection to a silver shabka, or anything else of value, as long as both sides agree.
As the prices of gold, furniture and appliances rose by up to 30% to 40%, campaigns such as «بلاها شبكة» ("no shabka") began encouraging lighter sets or silver instead of gold (Al-Ahram Gate, April 2026).
Work out the shabka by weight and workmanship at today's estimated price, and read the shabka price guide before you visit the jewellers.
The engagement night
- The place: a hall, a hotel or home. The guest count and the budget decide.
- The rings: the couple wear their rings on the right hand, and they move to the left on the wedding day. The custom comes down from the ancient Egyptians.
- The shabka: it is usually put on the bride at the party itself.
- The services: the venue, the photographer, the dress, the makeup, the cake and the kosha. You'll find them all in the services.
A calm order for the preparations
Once you set the engagement date, the wedding plan creates these tasks for you, and you can move any of them:
- Two months before: book the venue.
- 45 days before: book the photographer.
- 40 days before: choose the dress and book the makeup.
- Three weeks before: agree on the guest count, then design and send the invitation.
- About two weeks before: order the cake, and have the dress and makeup trial.
- 10 days before: agree the colours with the kosha decorator.
- A week before: buy the shabka, and a few days later pay the rest of the venue's bill.
If the engagement is in church
In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the engagement has its own papers and prayer: a certificate of no impediment for each of you, an engagement record signed by the two of you, your representatives and two witnesses, and the priest's prayer over the rings. The full order is in the guide to church marriage papers.
The seasons during the engagement
If the seasons matter to you, turn on the seasons reminder in our dates: Ramadan and the two Eids, or Christmas and Easter. Zaghrouta reminds the groom two weeks before each season and suggests gifts within his budget. The reminder is optional and off to begin with.
Everything the engagement needs is gathered in the engagement station, one service at a time.