Say Yes to the Dress, a show that is broadcast on TLC, is a wonderful show. It combines fashion and human drama to create a unique television experience. There are two different shows that fall under the "Say Yes to the Dress" title. One "Say Yes to the Dress" show takes place at the bridal store Kleinfeld located in New York City.
On TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, soon-to-be brides visit a store in hopes of finding their dream wedding gown (and that it'll be within budget). In the original SYTTD (as opposed to the many spinoffs (like Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, Say Yes to the Dress: UK), brides visit the iconic Manhattan bridal salon, Kleinfeld. There, they drape themselves in tulle, run into designers, and beg their bridal consultants for more "bling." More than a decade after SYTTD's premiere in 2007, the reality show has become an empire, with brides and non-brides alike addicted to the drama of the dress-shopping experience. But SYTTD isn't just about trying on dresses. There are family dynamics to watch, tear-jerking stories of brides who've endured massive struggles before their special day, and even a few celebrity brides. It's easy to get emotionally invested in a bride and her family, and wonder when the episode is over, "Hey, what ever happened to them? Did that bride get the surgery she needed? Did that young bride-to-be get the wedding of her dreams? Is that one kooky couple still together?" Here's what SYTTD's most memorable brides are up to now. The "Bionic Bride" started a family TLC Season 17 bride-to-be Rebekah Marine walked into her Kleinfeld appointment with an amazing accessory: a hyper-advanced prosthetic arm. Known publicly as the "Bionic Model," Marine was born without a right forearm. In her SYTTD episode, she explained that, while she once struggled with her disability, she now uses it as a platform. Two years prior to her bridal appointment, she received a sophisticated prosthetic arm (complete with moving metal fingers) and she started modeling with it. Soon her career took off and she started modeling for top designers and even became a motivational speaker. She shared, "My whole message is about living with uniqueness and celebrating that." Marine chose a tulle and lace mermaid gown, one of Randy Fenoli's designs, for her big day, and her gorgeous wedding (complete with a new gold wedding prosthetic) was featured at the end of the episode. But what happened after the vows? Well, Marine is still thriving. According to her website, she continues to model and tour as a motivational speaker. She's also going strong with her husband, and the couple welcomed a baby boy, Jackson, in March 2019. This bride is lucky her husband fired her When bride-to-be Emily began her appointment, she gushed about her fiancé, David Gotterup. She mentioned that he worked in the mortgage industry and that they met when she was working for him. "He fired me so he could date me," she shared, as reported by Forbes. The appointment got stressful, though, when Emily had a hard time sticking to her $5,000 budget. Eventually, she settled on a $6,500 Pnina Tornai. It was over budget — but she was willing to splurge for her beach wedding. After their wedding, however, it seems the couple only ran into more financial problems. In 2015, Gotterup was charged on an 11-count indictment for scamming homeowners through a mortgage loan modification scheme, reportedly conning a total of $ million out of homeowners in a five-year period (via Forbes). In 2017, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. While hard time can't be good for a marriage, at least fans can appreciate how lucky Emily was to get out of the scamming mortgage company while she could. The Boston Marathon bride amputated her leg and ended her marriage Hulu Season 12 bride Rebekah Gregory came into Kleinfeld with just a month to find her dream dress — but that short time frame wasn't her biggest challenge. Gregory walked into the salon on crutches, recovering from injuries sustained from the 2013 Boston marathon bombing. When Gregory came to Kleinfeld, she'd already endured more than 15 surgeries, as noted by the New York Post. While Gregory got a dream dress from Kleinfeld (and a fairytale wedding), after the show, she and husband Pete DiMartino didn't get the "happily ever after" they'd hoped for. After just ten months of marriage, the pair separated. A few months earlier, she'd been forced to make the difficult decision to have her leg amputated. Soon, however, things started looking up. Gregory wrote a book — the aptly named, Taking My Life Back. Then in 2015, she remarried, and, in 2016, they welcomed a daughter, Ryleigh. "I've learned that you enjoy every part of the ride when you experience it with your best friend," Gregory said in an Instagram post celebrating her and her husband's two-year wedding anniversary. "What we have built together, I wouldn't even trade for two real legs." This twin now works in both comedy and law Attorney Amy Pokora and her twin sister, Emily Wilfinger, are practically SYTTD regulars. Between dress shopping and fittings, the two have been on a total of four episodes of SYTTD (plus the spinoff series Say Yes to the Dress: Randy Knows Best). But when Pokora first stepped into the store in Season 10, she was simply shopping for her wedding dress. While Pokora insisted on a sexy gown, her sister tried to convince her to get a less revealing dress. When Pokora found a fitted gown with a sheer panel at the waist, her sister asked, "Would you want your attorney to wear a see-through dress?" Pokora then tried a panel over the sheer dress, but in a Season 11 episode, she went in for a fitting and had it taken out. These days, this Kleinfeld bride is still an attorney, and she and her husband have their own law practice, Lewis and Pokora. While law may pay the bills, it seems she's found her true passion: standup comedy. According to her website, she's focusing on her comedy career now, booking shows in her home state of Arizona and even New York City. Every little Cheetah Girl's dream Former Disney Channel star Sabrina Bryan is known for her part in Disney Channel's The Cheetah Girls. But in her Season 17 SYTTD episode, Bryan was looking to be more of a princess than a pop star. From the beginning, she knew she wanted a Hayley Paige dress but didn't know what style gown she wanted. "I'm coming to Kleinfeld with a very specific knowledge of my designer," she said. "I just don't know what my silhouette is." Eventually, Hayley Paige built a custom look, and Bryan went away with both a ballgown and a second fitted dress. Since Bryan's October 2018 wedding, she's been busy giving a voice to newlyweds everywhere. In an interview with KTLA 5 Morning News, she pointed out that, while there's so much advice out there for couples planning weddings and those expecting babies, there's not much to help enrich married life before kids. So, she she's working on a blog and podcast to give advice about enjoying being a newlywed. "Eventually we will have kids and that will be another amazing journey," she shared, "but I'm really excited to see what being just a newlywed means." Sutton Foster headed back to Broadway Hulu When, in Season 12, actress Sutton Foster went searching for a gown at Kleinfeld, her bridal consultant Lisa recognized early on that this bride would need something different. When the bride-to-be tried on a $6,800 Pnina Tornai gown, she loved it instantly, telling Lisa and Randy, "I've never worn anything like this." Since her SYTTD episode aired, Sutton made some big changes. Soon after her wedding, Sutton took a break from performing on Broadway and took the starring role in TVLand's Younger — and the series was a hit. In the years since, her acting career has stayed strong. In June 2019, she posted a picture at an event for Season 6 of Younger, saying, "I really am the luckiest." In March 2019, Foster announced her return to Broadway, starring opposite Hugh Jackman in The Music Man. But it's not just her career that's grown — her family has too. Three years after her wedding, Sutton and her husband adopted a daughter, Emily. In an interview with People, she said, "It was a really beautiful and amazing journey to find her." The caped bride filed for divorce In Season 15, bride Jasmine Solaperto went into Kleinfeld (with her fiancé, Brian Sullivan) knowing she wanted a sexy and unique dress. Sullivan told consultant Lisa, "Dude, there's no budget. We brought the Amex." So, of course, it was an appointment to remember. The bride-to-be ended up with a sexy romper with detachable skirt, plus a $5,000 dramatic cape. Five weeks later, in November 2016, the couple wed at the Grand Canyon. However, the marriage was short-lived. In February 2018, Solaperto announced in a YouTube video that she and Sullivan were filing for divorce. In the video, Solaperto explained, "I fell into a health coaching program which literally like changed my f**king life." Apparently, this coaching helped her realize that her marriage wasn't working. She said, "Looking back, in retrospect, I know that there were so many red flags and I just ignored them." These days, Solaperto seems to be healing. In one Instagram post from June 2019, she said, "When I remove the emotions and stories AND show the f**k up for myself in the way I know I desire to, ABUNDANCE becomes my new normal." This bride split from her country singer beau In Season 8 of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, bride Morgan Petek had a hard time choosing a dress. Petek was marrying country music star Jerrod Niemann, and she wanted the dress to be perfect for her high-profile wedding. She tried some gowns and loved one of them, but, as soon as it seemed like she'd found the one, Petek had other ideas. "As soon as it really sunk in that this is the dress that I'm gonna get married in, it just did not feel like the right dress," Petek confessed. Still, Petek decided on a custom Lazaro gown, and the pair married in October 2014. In February 2019, however, the two filed for divorce after just four years of marriage, making that last-minute dress hesitation seem prophetic. The couple said in a statement, "We have learned and grown into the people we are today. We wish each other all the best in the future." These days, Niemann is still performing and Petek is passionate about her job as a nurse practitioner. In a post from May 2019, Petek announced she would be moving to New York to start her "dream job." The "Girl With No Job" was fired Theo Wargo/Getty Images Claudia Oshry is known for her popular Instagram account Girl With No Job, but, in Season 15 of SYTTD, she was known for her fast-talking sassiness. Her quick wit and take-no-crap attitude helped her cut down dresses faster than consultant Lisa could get them off the hanger. "This is the first time I might be afraid of my bride," Lisa said. Luckily, Oshry found her dress and wore it to her 2017 wedding. Months after Oshry's wedding, however, news broke that right-wing and anti-Islam commentator Pamela Geller was Oshry's mother. Soon, racist tweets made by Oshry resurfaced, and, in March 2018, Verizon's Oath canceled her social media talk show, The Morning Breath. Oshry quickly issued an apology on social media. She said, in a tearful video (via People), "I need to just come right out and say how sorry I am. It's not cool, it's not funny." Later, Oshry started a new show called The Morning Toast, and it seems many of their fans accepted her apology. Oshry's Girl With No Job account is still going strong and she even tours. Corbin Bleu and Sasha Clements are a Disney fairytale In Season 14, Corbin Bleu (of Disney's High School Musical) and fiancée Sasha Clements came into Kleinfeld's floating on a cloud of love. Young, beautiful, and totally smitten, they shopped for a dress together in preparation for their July 2016 wedding. After trying some dresses, Clements found a perfect fit in a custom Pnina Tornai gown, which Pnina announced she would now call "The Sasha." But how are Bleu and Clements doing now? This sweet couple seems to be going strong — plus, Bleu is doing well with his post-Disney career. While Bleu isn't exactly at High School Musical co-star Zac Efron's movie-star level, he's still acting and dancing. He's working on Broadway and is even getting nominated for awards for his role in Kiss Me Kate and Anything Goes. Here's a child Disney star who did right. In January 2019, Sasha posted a picture of them snuggling on the couch, writing in the caption, "Sparks joy." Too cute! This Olympic bride found herself in a scandal When Olympic runner Dawn Harper appeared in Season 10, consultant Allison immediately asked if she had her Olympic medals with her — and, of course, she did. When they moved on to dress shopping, Harper said she wanted a ball gown. "On the track, I'm halfway naked all the time," she said, "so I would like to, you know, just wear something that makes me feel like a woman." In the end, she left with a strapless, princess ball gown. Then, in 2017, her name made headlines again. However, she hadn't won another medal. Instead, she was in the middle of a doping scandal, as reported by NBC Sports. She served a three-month ban from the track after taking a prescribed blood pressure medication, failing to recognize that it contained a banned substance. Still, things started looking up when, in April 2019, Harper and her husband welcomed a baby girl. And it didn't take long for Harper to get back on the track post-baby, as proved in an Instagram video of her running in June 2019. When it comes to her marriage, she and her husband are doing well, having celebrated their six-year anniversary in March 2019. Omarosa tried to take photos at the White House Omarosa Manigault is known for her time on The Apprentice and for working on Trump's White House staff, but, in 2016, she was just another bride in Kleinfeld. And there, Manigault found the rosy dress of her dreams in a $6,400 ballgown by Ysa Makino. But there was drama after Manigault left the store. She got married at the Trump Hotel in Washington, and, after the reception, she and her 39-person bridal party showed up unannounced to the White House and tried to take photos. That same year, in December 2017, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that Manigault (now Manigault-Newman) had handed in her resignation. However, Fortune reported that Manigault didn't quit — she was fired. And the firing reportedly "didn't go well." Yikes. By 2018, Omarosa authored a No. 1 New York Times bestseller — Unhinged: An Insiders Account of the Trump White House. These days, it appears things have slowed down. She's still married, and she's been promoting her book and making occasional TV appearances. This country singer has stayed strong When Whitney Duncan was on a 2014 episode of SYTTD, she introduced herself as a country music singer, but viewers might know her best from her time on reality shows. She was on Season 5 of Nashville Star in 2007, she was on Survivor: South Pacific (which is where she met her future husband Keith Tollefson) in 2011, and she and Tollefson teamed up for The Amazing Race Season 25 (via People). While at Kleinfeld, Duncan found a fitted lace gown for her wedding. These days, she seems to have given up the reality show life. She's a fitness trainer and, even though her singing career may be taking a backseat, she hasn't given up on her dreams. In November 2018, she posted a #WaybackWednesday of herself at the CMAs in 2009. She wrote, "This girl didn't know that she (& many many other talented females) would still be struggling to be heard almost a decade later." Still, she's not losing hope, as she said, "This ole girl ain't giving up yet." She and Tollefson are still together. On Valentine's Day 2019, she posted on Instagram to celebrate six years since their engagement. So, it looks like some of her dreams came true after all. This paralyzed groom and his wife fostered children In Season 17 of Say Yes to the Dress, Emily Summers and fiancé Chris Norton came in looking for a dress that wasn't too wide at the bottom. This was important because Norton, who is in a wheelchair, planned on walking with Summers back down the aisle at the end of their ceremony. Consultant Debbie found Summers a form-fitted gown, and, by the end of the episode, viewers saw Summers assist Norton out of his wheelchair at their wedding and walk back down the aisle together. Since their 2018 wedding, the two have been busy, as they raised a family of six foster children. Summers (now Emily Norton) gushes over her foster kids on Instagram. In one post from May 2019, she described one of her foster daughters as having "the biggest heart" and saying, "I am so proud I get to be her mom." Summers and Norton also authored a book, The Seven Longest Yards, and celebrated their first year of marriage in April 2019. It seems nothing can stop them.Brutally honest Bride Madi allows her bridesmaids to pick out their own dresses while young Bride Chasity struggles to stick up to her opinionated family. An alterations appointment goes south when Bride Sarah's custom train is nowhere to be found. 3 Y'All Are Trying to Please 11 Women. 4/4/20.
I was on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" and a few things about the wedding-centered show surprised me. The show isn't scripted and I still receive fan mail years later. I thought Randy Fenoli was nice and caring and I liked that we share a Louisiana connection. Loading Something is loading. In 2016, I was on a special episode of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," (season 15, episode six).I planned to get married earlier that year, but when my Louisiana home flooded and my gown was destroyed, it looked like my dream wedding was ruined. As my fiancé and I considered pushing the date back, "Say Yes to the Dress" posted an online request for brides-to-be who were affected by the friend nominated me and I was selected to be on the show. Here are five surprising things I learned from my "Say Yes to the Dress" may be the only bride who received a free dress on the show I selected a Mark Zunino gown and Kleinfield's own collection of jewelry. TLC Normally, the "Say Yes to the Dress" team starts by breaking down your budget, but because my original wedding gown was destroyed, I received a free dress. My episode highlighted the tragedy of the flood that took most of my belongings and I was offered the best care by bridal designer Randy Fenoli and his team. "Say Yes" flew my husband and me to New York, where we stayed in a lavish hotel right by Times family lost everything in the flood, so it was a huge contrast to go from watching all of our stuff wash away to wearing a Mark Zunino gown, Jimmy Choo shoes, and Kleinfield's own collection of really is an angel and we even shared a personal connection Randy Fenoli helped me feel confident and cared for on my wedding day. TLC As we filmed, I could feel Fenoli had a strong bond with the people who he worked with to tell my story. I'm still so grateful to have been chosen to share my experience about planning a wedding that felt as if it would never happen and I cannot thank that team enough for helping me feel the most beautiful and cared the process, I learned that Fenoli actually grew up in Louisiana and he's also dealt with natural disaster. He was trapped in a two-story apartment in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I think my experience touched him because it was a story that was so close to still talk to Fenoli to this day and he featured my story in a special season-17 episode where he discussed his most memorable show is not scriptedThe crew captured my genuine if I said something funny, cute, or cool, I quickly learned to expect to see that footage over and over again. I didn't get any of the footage of my own wedding I was surprised to learn that I wouldn't get any footage from my episode. TLC I was so excited to have such an enormous film crew and producers record my wedding because I thought I would receive some of the footage. I also didn't hire my own videographer to capture the details of my entire wedding, so sadly, I don't have the day's events on film. Still, the "Say Yes" production team gave me five minutes of absolute is 20/20, but I still wish I would've known the footage wouldn't be available to me because I definitely would've hired a this day, I still receive fan mail about our episodePeople may not know that my husband and I have split up since our episode aired. Still, every time fans contact me, I don't really know what to say other than, "Thank you."
The reality series Say Yes to the Dress takes place in Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City, and follows sales associates as they attempt to find the perfect wedding dresses for brides to be. The team is led by Kleinfeld owners Marsha Urshel and Ronald Rothstein and Kleinfeld's fashion director, Randy Fenoli. Dresses sold on the show range from
1. Plan: nadrobić zaległości w kategorii nieanglojęzyczni kandydaci do Oscara. Realizacja: "Say Yes to the Dress" TYLKO DOPÓKI JEDZENIE SIĘ NIE PODGRZEJE 2. Kto jest gorszy? Marudne druhny krytykujące każdy wybór panny młodej... 3. ... czy panny młode mówiące o tym, jak bardzo są szczęśliwe wychodząc za mąż za swojego najlepszego przyjaciela? 4. Randy Fenoli >> Galeria (10 zdjęć)Fri, Aug 16, 2013 30 mins. In the Season 10 premiere, actor Kristin Chenoweth helps her assistant, Julie Trussell, find a glamorous gown for her upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, twin sisters disagree Say Yes to the Dress is more than just a television show. A fixture in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood since 1941 for hip, stylish, and wealthy brides-to-be, Mara Urshel and Ronald Rothstein moved their bridal salon, Kleinfeld, to larger Manhattan digs in 2005. Two years later, the owners said "I do" to a proposal from TLC to create a reality show built around Kleinfeld shoppers finding the perfect wedding gown with the assistance of the store's consultants and fitters. Say Yes to the Dress was born, but here's what the show — and store — are really like. The application process is no joke The Kleinfeld application for Say Yes To The Dress and Say Yes To The Dress Big Bliss requires brides to already know a lot about their weddings, and be cool with telling the show things like what their fiancé does for a living. Although there have been brides on the show who didn't yet have a date for their wedding, it looks like TLC is interested in getting a sense of what information you do and don't ahead of time, probably to plumb it for potential drama. If you ever decide to apply, you must be prepared to describe yourself and your personal style in three words, talk about your wedding budget, any important family traditions, and why you want to be on TV, among other things. The application to be on the Atlanta show is essentially the same, but it also asks if you've ever been convicted of a crime, and if so, to please explain. What a surprise, it's a Pnina Tornai! Ever notice how most brides on Say Yes to the Dress end up in a gown designed by Pnina Tornai? That's because the show, and Kleinfeld, are set up to move as many of the Israeli dressmaker's gowns as possible. Tornai approached Kleinfeld pre-Say Yes to the Dress about carrying her line, but they turned down several of her designs before finally saying yes to a dress. Pnina Tornai is now one of Kleinfeld's primary vendors, but the only one with an in-store boutique. Today, a Pnina Tornai is one of the first (if not the first) gowns offered up on Say Yes. TV magic makes the salon look huge Say Yes to the Dress really is taped inside Kleinfeld's Manhattan storefront, but it's not very big. Creative camerawork and editing make the charming boutique look much larger than it really is. There's evidently exactly enough space for a bride, a giant gown, her entourage, the cast of the show, and a small production crew. In real life, the place is packed A visit to Kleinfeld for a bride not participating in Say Yes, or when the show isn't taping, is much different than one for a bride on the show. Gone is the entire staff paying attention to just one woman who gets the run of the store to herself. The success of the show has turned the store into a madhouse. Prepare to contend with 20 or so other brides crowding for dresses, as well as access to mirrors and platforms. Even brides with an appointment only get 90 minutes to decide on a dress before they have to leave. Kleinfeld is a tourist attraction because of the show Fans of the show come from all over to check out the store and try on dresses, whether they have an appointment or not. Some may not even be brides — they're just there for an experience (or possibly, to buy a "Just Say Yes" Say Yes to the Dress-branded T-shirt from a kiosk in the lobby). The dressing room situation is weird Brides who appear on Say Yes to the Dress really do have to strip down in a fitting room in front of their consultant — and a camera operator. However, the show does try to use a female camera operator to cut down on the awkwardness, and any images of a woman in her underwear aren't going to appear on the air. How the consultants are picked Consultants on Say Yes to the Dress aren't assigned at random to brides. According to one woman, Valerie Bowman, who appeared on the show's Atlanta iteration, she was paired with blond-haired Southern belle Robin because she herself was a brunette with no Southern accent. The contrast apparently makes for more compelling television, like The Odd Couple, but with much less arguing. Kleinfeld is here for all your modesty needs Most wedding dresses are strapless, which means if you're required by religion to have a dress with sleeves, it's going to cost you some serious cash to add them. In addition, there's the work of having to explain the fact that your religious standards aren't optional, so you really do need a dress of a certain length and style. Kleinfeld's consultant, Rochel Leah Katz, was hired specifically to work with brides with modesty requirements, such as Orthodox Jews and Mormons. Katz knows it's not only hard to find a dress with sleeves, but also, that not all designers allow their dresses to be modified. She understands that it's not simply a matter of finding a dress, and sending it to get altered — for modesty's sake, it's often a matter of changing the structure of the dress, so the alteration process is often more complex. Katz has been with Kleinfeld's for over a decade, and it's no wonder. Chana Schwartz wrote in "It likely is the underrated traditional great service, which Rochel Leah gives to each bride, that makes her so sought after — even in London, from where she procured three appointments a short while ago." Every bride gets the owners' cell phone number You've probably seen the owners of Kleinfeld, Mara Urshel and Ronnie Rothstein on Say Yes to the Dress, Rothstein talking about how much he loves his job and every bride who comes in, and Urshel traveling to various fashion shows to suss out the latest trends. These two are serious about customer service, on a new level. In an interview with Brides in 2016, Urshel told Jacqueline Weppner that each bride gets both hers and Rothstein's personal cell phone numbers. "At Kleinfeld, the staff works diligently to ensure that the customer feels that she is the only bride in the store. Every step of the way, the bride receives personal one-on-one attention, from a personal bridal consultant, to her fitter who she will work with for the next few weeks until the gown fits perfectly! Ronnie and I give our cell phone numbers so brides feel they can reach us at any time, day and night." Some Kleinfeld consultants started out as customers Kleinfeld consultants and Say Yes to the Dress favorites Camille and Keasha first showed up at Kleinfeld looking for dresses for other people's weddings — Camille was in search for a dress to wear to her son's wedding, and Keasha came to help her cousin find a wedding dress. Having been in the right place at the right time paid off — literally, for Camille, who met owner Ronnie Rothstein on her visit and learned there was a job opening. There are dresses in the ceiling Kleinfeld sells 10,000 dresses in a year, but where do you even keep all those? Like anyone who lives in New York City, Kleinfeld has had to get creative about space, so dresses that are waiting to be picked up are kept in the ceiling and rotate via a machine. They came up with a few solutions to help get sell stock quickly. The store's sample sales bring in hundreds of brides-to-be at a time, who all impatiently wait outside for the Kleinfeld doors to open. They also opened a Sample Studio located across the street from the main store, where brides on a budget and in a time-crunch can pick from over 200 dresses, without the pressure of a 90 minute appointment. Say Yes to the Dress saw its first transgender bride Gabrielle Gibson is the first transgender bride to appear on the original Say Yes to the Dress, although not the first on the franchise — that was Precious Davis, who was on Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta in 2016. Gibson, who chose her dress on the episode that aired in March 2017, brought her mom and friends to the appointment. She told People, "I just wanted to have an experience, and to show that we as trans people can love, and be loved, in a normal setting, and do things that are not out of the norm." You can't look at most of the dresses At Kleinfeld, most dresses are kept in the stockroom, where consultants are often seen searching for gowns during Say Yes to the Dress. You can look at samples on the floor, but that's only some of the dresses in the store, which is why consultants go to the back to pull more looks for brides. One customer review of the store in New York Magazine expressed frustration with not being able to see more dresses: "Kleinfeld...told me I could try just FOUR dresses (big inventory, but you'll never see it)." Beads are so important that they get their own room On Say Yes to the Dress, there's as much drama in the Kleinfeld alterations department as in the process of actually finding a dress, and sometimes more. (See: the episode in which a mother punched alterations manager Vera.) Brides return between two and four times for fittings, and things get more complicated if you're making serious changes to the dress. Brides can add "bling" to their gowns to make them more unique, and it's so vital to make sure a dress looks perfect that there's a whole room devoted to adding beading to a dress. Kleinfeld now has a Canadian location Say Yes to the Dress is already a franchise — in addition to the original show based at Kleinfeld, there's Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids, Say Yes to the Dress: UK, and on TLC Australia, a 6 part series called Say Yes to the Dress: Australia. A Canadian version of the show, Say Yes to the Dress: Canada, films at the exclusive Toronto bridal boutique Amanda-Lina's, but now there's another upscale bridal salon in town. In May 2014, Kleinfeld Hudson's Bay opened in Toronto. It's basically a wedding wonderland, over 20,000 square feet of dresses, jewelry, shoes, and everything you could want for the big day. According to Kleinfeld Hudson's Bay publicist Jessica Mulroney, this store is meant to be "more inspiration than a copy of the New York store." As of now, there are no plans to film SYTTD at Hudson's Bay, but regardless of whether or not the store's Canadian brides end up on TV, they're guaranteed to have the "Kleinfeld experience." Filming an episode is intense What's it really like to be in front of the Say Yes to the Dress cameras? In 2013, Courtney Wright went with her engaged friend to choose dresses for her bridesmaids (including Wright), and ended up in an episode of Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids, filmed at Bridals by Lori in Atlanta, Georgia, where Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta also takes place. Wright described her experience of filming the show in an interview for 417 Bride in 2013. The group tried on four dresses (but didn't purchase any of them), and although an episode is 30 minutes long, recording took eight hours. Why so long? Each dress took an hour to discuss and film, followed by post interviews. "I wasn't expecting all the questions," said Wright. "I thought it was just like, "Alright, go." The questions exist for a reason, of course, it's how the producers create a show worth watching. Wright said, "They want you to act as natural as possible, but you can tell that they want to stir up some drama. If someone says something that could potentially cause a disagreement, the director asks you questions about it." Randy has a bridal line He's been dubbed a "bridal gown whisperer" by Kleinfeld customers, and now Say Yes to the Dress star Randy Fenoli has stepped into the world of bridal design with his own collection, Randy Fenoli for Kleinfeld. Fenoli showed his Spring 2018 collection, made up of twenty five dresses, at this year's Bridal Fashion Week. He told US Weekly that the line "captures the diverse tastes of today's brides, whether she wants to look romantic, chic, bohemian, sexy, ethereal, traditional, fashion forward or become a fairy-tale princess on her wedding day. This collection offers something for every bride looking for her perfect dress." Even better news: while you can easily drop ten thousand dollars or more on a gown at Kleinfeld (as of 2015, the most expensive Pnina Tornai in the store was priced at $37,000), Fenoli's collection is reasonably priced as wedding dresses go: between $1,500 and $3,000. The show, and the store, have had some legal troubles In 2013, Kleinfeld brought a lawsuit against designer Mark Zunino claiming that Zunino violated an agreement he had with the store to "not engage in any design activities that would conflict or compete" with Kleinfeld. The store alleged that Zunino broke his contract by designing bridal gowns for Nolan Miller Inc. Zunino's line, Mark Zunino for Kleinfeld, showed at Bridal Fashion Week in 2016, but Zunino is not included as a designer on the store's website. The legal tables turned in 2016, when Alexandra Godino, a bride who appeared on Say Yes to the Dress, sued the show when she learned TLC planned to air her episode before her May wedding. Godino lost her legal battle, and the show aired as scheduled, after New York Judge Nancy Baron reminded her that she signed a contract when she agreed to go on the show, which mentioned nothing about the dates of the airing being negotiable. Jim Hollis, attorney for SYTTD's production company, clarified that there was never a promise made by the show to hold the episode, and if brides ask for their episode to be held back, they aren't filmed. Also in 2016, Randi Siegel-Friedman claimed Kleinfeld gave her the wrong size gown, and then refused to refund her the cost of the dress, more than $12,000. In the end, she wore a sample dress purchased elsewhere. According to TMZ, in December 2016, Kleinfeld had yet to review the suit and declined to comment. The show is actually really into non-traditional brides Most brides featured on Say Yes to the Dress leave with long white dresses, and while eyebrows definitely get raised when brides come in searching for particularly unique dresses, the producers of the show appreciate folks who are looking to break the mold. In a piece for the Offbeat Bride, a reader and forum contributor named Stacey described her experience on the SYTTD spin-off Randy to the Rescue. Stacey was clear that she wanted a silver dress, and was concerned that she'd be forced to try on "fluffy white princess dresses," but Randy delivered, and she ended up choosing a gold dress that was only slightly out of her budget. The show also didn't try to mainstream Stacey when it came to make-up. It was then that she learned that the team was were super into her non-traditional requests: "They were tired of the TV brides who all want a white princess dress, beach curls with a low bun, and natural make-up," she wrote. "One of the camera women kept telling me, 'We did a steampunk bride last year and it was so cool. I wish we could film more brides with theme weddings, or like a goth wedding or something.' Even the makeup artist and the hair stylist were excited to do something new." Being a consultant is tougher than it looks Have you ever found yourself watching the consultants on Say Yes to the Dress and thinking, "I could definitely do this job?" Watch the episode in which Kelly Ripa spends a day as a consultant and you'll change your mind. Being a bridal consultant is super hard — you likely work on commission, there are entourages to contend with, not to mention the bride, who's the person you're actually aiming to please. And then there's the matter of salary and health benefits. Even at an upscale salon like Kleinfeld, current and former employees, including folks who work in shipping, operations, as well as customer service, report health care being "too expensive". Pros of working at the store reportedly include travel, an exciting work environment, and enthusiastic co-workers. The show's announcer doesn't know what he's narrating Ever wonder about the identity of the voice guiding us through all the action on Say Yes to the Dress? It's Roger Craig Smith, who's been describing gowns, and more, on the show since 2007. If his voice sounds familiar, it's because he's done voice-over for an assortment of cartoons and video games, including Resident Evil. Smith doesn't actually see any of the scenes he's narrating before he narrates them. He gets the script sent to his home in California, and then speaks with the producer who tells him what's happening, a process that Smith says helps him better connect to the material. He's spent the last ten years getting a crash course in wedding dresses — but doesn't advise brides come to him for dress advice. "The first thing I would say is run for the hills — you would wind up in a burlap sack." They can say no to the dress The bride's budget is discussed ahead of time, and the consultants do try to stick to that figure, although they almost always show the brides dresses far out of that price range — it helps cement the show's "fairy tale" feel. One participant says that dresses she couldn't afford were all moved to different closets and stockrooms — the doors stayed closed and taping didn't happen in there. According to Valerie Bowman, the bride is under no obligation to buy any of the dresses shown to her during her episode of Say Yes to the Dress, and can instead say yes to savings. bxbB.
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