Praise be to Allah.
It is permissible to charge a known fee for sewing a dress or fixing a hairdo that is agreed upon by both parties, and there is no differentiation in that regard between brides and others. However charging a higher price for brides, that is above the regular fee, without doing extra work comes under the heading of taking advantage of people’s need and consuming their wealth unlawfully.
Therefore there is nothing wrong with you concealing the fact that you are a bride and agreeing with the seamstress or hairdresser on a known price in return for known work.
You can use a double entendre in answering her question, or you can say: “I am not a bride,” because the marriage has not been consummated yet. That is because, according to Ibn al-Atheer in an-Nihaayah (3/206), the Arabic word ‘aroos (bride) refers to the newly-wed woman whose marriage has been consummated.
For more information, please see the answer to question no. 11446 .
And Allah knows best.
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