Carine Halabi began her career in fashion more than ten years ago when she moved to New York City to join the design team at Aeffe, the parent company of Moschino, John Paul Gaultier, and Alberta Ferretti. She later returned home to Washington, where she specialized in bridal fashion at Vera Wang, Priscilla of Boston, and Saks Fifth Avenue in Tysons Galleria. While at the salons, she continued to work with New York designers twice a year for bridal-fashion week.

Halabi developed a knack for hand-picking dresses off the New York runway that would be instant bestsellers in the Washington bridal market and decided it was time to open a store of her own. In November 2006, Carine’s Bridal Atelier (1726 Wisconsin Ave., NW; 202-965-4696) opened its doors in Georgetown, offering wedding-gown expertise and tailored bridal fashion for every body type, personality, and style. The shop’s long list of designers includes Angel Sanchez, Carolina Herrera, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, Melissa Sweet, and Monique Lhuillier.

Carine’s Bridal Atelier is the fashion sponsor of Sunday’s Washingtonian Bride & Groom: Unveiled wedding showcase, where Halabi will present mother-of-the-bride evening wear and bridal gowns by Monique Lhuillier. Want to see her hand-picked gowns but don’t have a ticket yet? Buy yours today, and don’t miss Sunday’s event with Halabi, Mindy Weiss, cuisine from Blue Duck Tavern’s chef Brian McBride, and luxury door prizes including an overnight stay in the Park Hyatt’s Park Suite and a $150 gift certificate for Blue Duck Tavern.

When it comes to getting Halabi’s expertise this week, we at The Washingtonian are twice as lucky! Not only will she be at Sunday’s spectacular show, but we’ll also have one-on-one time with her during a live Bridal Party chat on Thursday. In addition to her background in gown design, she’s a wedding expert from personal experience—she got married in September, so she knows every step of the planning process. Want the inside scoop on fashions for Sunday’s bridal event? Need tips for finding the perfect gown for your body type? Submit questions now and Halabi will answer them from 11 to noon on Thursday.

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