Say Yes To The Dress has been on the airwaves for 10 years. That's a whole decade of women trying on countless white (and sometimes, non-white) dresses in all shapes and sizes. From poofy ballgowns with lots of tulle to sexy mermaids with extra bling, there's something for everyone on Say Yes To The Dress.
The show originated at the Kleinfeld's bridal boutique in New York City. From there, it spawned a number of other shows such as Say Yes To The Dress Atlanta, Say Yes To The Dress Bridesmaids, Say Yes To The Dress Big Bliss, Say Yes To The Dress Canada, Say Yes To The Dress UK, and a few others. It became a cultural phenomenon and viewers couldn't get enough of it. Brides to be all around the world dreamt of the day that they could have their magical moment and say yes to their own special wedding dress.
But it's not all lace, ruffles, and beadwork. There's a dark side to the beautiful world of bridal gowns. And there are some things that the producers of Say Yes To The Dress wish we would remain in the dark about. Whoops! Here are 15 outrageous behind the scenes secrets from everyone's favorite guilty pleasure wedding show, Say Yes To The Dress.
15 The Producers Fish For Drama
When I get too far into a SYTTD marathon, I always find myself yelling at the TV. "If you didn't want your sister to say mean things about your dress, then why did you bring her? That girl was rude and awful from the minute you walked in!" I always get so upset with brides for bringing the most dramatic people along with them to their appointments. There are squabbling bridesmaids, fiancees who don't get it, and moms who won't change their minds. But then, I remember it's a TV show and that most of those people are probably normal in real life. At least, I hope they are. The bride from above who tried on bridesmaid dresses on Say Yes To The Dress Atlanta revealed that the directors and producers loved to stir up the drama.
They would take each of the girls aside for private interviews. They would ask questions, the girls would answer, and then the director would ask them to say their answer again but in a different tone. If a producer smelt even the faintest scent of a disagreement, they would encourage their directors to ask lots of questions about it until they got what they needed.
14 The Store Is A Mess
On TV, Kleinfeld always looks like such a pristine and clean place. Sure, the stock rooms look a little overwhelming, but I still assume they are clean and organized. It would be hard to sell $10,000 all-white dresses in a place with hygiene issues, right? Apparently not.
One bride revealed the gross truth about Kleinfeld. She visited the store in the middle of winter and noticed that the coat check station was unattended. So dozens of brides and their entourages were just throwing their coats in a big pile. But even worse, the bathroom was disgusting. This bride described it as, "gas station-esque." Nasty! And on top of all that mess, she still had to wait over 20 minutes to meet her consultant, despite arriving on time for her appointment. So even before she got into a dress, this bride was put off. And it's easy to see why.
13 They Push Pnina
Even if you've only seen one episode of Say Yes To The Dress, odds are you are familiar with Pnina Tornai. She is an exclusive Kleinfeld dress designer known for her revealing bodices, fairytale skirts, and outrageous price tags. Brides will come to Kleinfeld from all over the world just for the chance to try on a Pnina. And on the TV show, it seems like Pnina is always just hiding in the racks and waiting to meet one of her bridal fans. In actual truth, Pnina is in the store only a couple times a month but it often coincides with filming dates. But the bride from above who experienced the nasty bathroom was not having the beautiful Pnina moment we see on TV. Despite telling her consultant that she wasn't looking for a big flashy dress, her consultant brought her a big flashy Pnina Tornai dress as her first choice. Later, this bride was watching the TV show and noticed the exact same Pnina dress being tried on by a bride who looked nothing like her. She called a friend who had also just had an appointment at Kleinfeld's and found out that she too was forced into that exact same Pnina dress. Why are we pushing the Pnina so hard, Kleinfeld?
12 They Pair You With A Consultant Based On Your Looks
I guess this secret shouldn't be too shocking given that everything on TV is about the looks. But in my naive mind, I assumed that they paired brides and consultants based on their personalities or maybe their availability. It would make sense to me that a younger bride would get paired with a younger consultant and vice versa. But nope!
Another woman who appeared on the show revealed that her consultant was chosen for her based purely off of their looks. The consultant, Robin from SYTTD Atlanta, told the bride that they were paired together because Robin's blonde hair and southern accent contrasted nicely with the bride's brown hair and lack of an accent. Luckily for this bride, she was a fan of the show and had been hoping to get Robin as her consultant. So it's a good thing her and Robin are such opposites, or else she would have been paired with someone else.
11 One Episode Takes Eight Hours To Film
And I thought I was a slow shopper! Can someone please tell my partner that waiting 30 minutes for me to browse and try on eight things at H&M is nothing compared to what they have to go through on SYTTD?
In 2013, Courtney Wright appeared on an episode of Say Yes To The Dress: Bridesmaids. She journeyed to Bridals by Lori in Atlanta, Georgia with the rest of the bridal party for the filming. Courtney revealed that filming lasted eight hours and they only tried on four dresses. This eight hours of filming would then be condensed into one half of a 30 minute episode, minus commercials. So essentially, they filmed for eight hours to get 12 minutes of footage.
Courtney explained that each dress took an hour to film and then discuss in interviews with producers. During the interviews, producers tried to stir up some drama. Courtney said, "[The producers] 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."
10 You Can't Wear Pink, Hold A Purse, Or Use Your Phone
Want to be on Say Yes To The Dress? Then you have to be prepared to follow their rules! The SYTTD team has some strict rules that all brides and their entourages must follow. And while the rules don't sound crazy, it can be a lot to ask of a woman to part with her phone and her purse for eight hours of filming. The same bride who was paired with Robin (from above) explains how her group had to follow the rules.
They were told ahead of time not to wear pink because it would blend into the wall color of the room where interviews are done. So that's easy enough! But before filming begins, a producer comes out with waivers and confiscates everyone's purses. Say goodbye to your Michael Kors for the day, ladies! Cell phones are also a big no-no on set. One of this bride's friends, Candice, brought her phone with her on to set — what a rebel. Well, she was caught using it and the producers took it away from her. They don't want to risk any photos or videos being leaked.
9 Brides Get The Owners' Cell Phone Numbers
So, while you might not be able to keep your phone with you if you appear on the show, you will get the personal cell phone number of the owners of Kleinfeld's! The owners of the New York City bridal boutique are Mara Urshel and Ronnie Rothstein. They often appear on the show, greeting brides, attending fashion shows, speaking to the consultants, and helping to make bridal magic happen. But from the show, you'd never imagine that Mara and Ronnie are as hands on with the brides as they claim to be.
In 2016, Mara sat down with Brides.com and shared just how invested she and Ronnie are in the process. Mara said, "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." Now that's customer service!
8 There's A Sale Section We Never See
So it seems like almost everyone on SYTTD has big bucks to spend on a wedding dress. In fact, the average cost of a dress from Kleinfelds is $4500. If you're trying to stick to a budget, is there even a point in applying to be on the show? Well, maybe. Brides have revealed that there is actually a secret sale room in the store where dresses are 50% off! 50% off? Now that is a steal! We've seen episodes of SYTTD where they have sample sales or trunk sales. Brides line up outside and hunt through the racks like maniacs to find a deal. But are you trying to tell me there was a 50% off room just sitting there the entire time? Let's see more of that room please! The half price room might not be TV gold, but this bargain shopper would love to see what's in there. Sure, some of the big name designers probably wouldn't be happy to hear they ended up in the bargain bin but a good deal is a good deal.
7 You Have To Communicate Through The Mirror
If you've ever watched an episode of Say Yes To The Dress, you know the basic premise is the bride puts on a dress in the changing room with the help of the consultant, she gets brought out to the couch area, and she stands on a pedestal while her family sits behind her. I always thought it was so strange that the bride would stare at the mirror instead of at her family and friends behind her. After all, she already saw what she looked like in the dressing room. Isn't she out here to get their opinion? Well, not really. Apparently producers instruct brides to look and speak into the mirror when they get on the pedestal, so that they are facing the cameras. The family is also instructed to speak to the bride via the mirror so the cameras can catch her reaction. Only once they've captured all the shots they need and reset the cameras do they let the bride turn around and actually face the people she came shopping with.
6 Many Of Our Favorite Consultants Started As Customers
Is your dream job to work as Kleinfeld's as one of the on-screen bridal consultants? Well, it could totally happen for you. Some of our favorite consultants actually started out as customers at Kleinfeld's. Keasha, easily one of the most loved consultants, got her job at Kleinfeld when she came in as part of her cousin's entourage and helped her cousin find the dress. After leaving Kleinfeld, Keasha went on to star in her own show Keasha's Perfect Dress and has opened up her own bridal store, Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby in Detroit.
Another well-known consultant, Camille, also got her start at Kleinfeld's through a customer appointment. She came into the store looking for a dress for her son's wedding, and left with a job! During her appointment, Camille met with Ronnie, one of Kleinfeld's owners, and learned about an opening in the store. Looks like dreams really do come true at Kleinfeld!
5 The Employees Don't Have Healthcare
You would think that the most famous bridal salon in the world would be able to spring for some basic health benefits for their employees, right? Wrong! Despite the success of Say Yes To The Dress, the fact that every consultant has been on-air and that Kleinfeld's is now a New York City tourist destination, the employees still don't have health benefits. Spend all day hand-sewing beads in alterations so you need a new pair of glasses to be able to see your work? Tough, you'll be buying those on your own. While most of the employees at Kleinfeld's rave about the family atmosphere and fun work environment, their one gripe is a serious lack in benefits. It must hurt to watch brides spend tens of thousands of dollars on dresses and know that your work won't spring for your $50 pill prescription. C'mon Kleinfeld, step up your game!
4 The Narrator Doesn't Know What He's Narrating
You know that iconic voice that introduces every episode of Say Yes To The Dress? "Today at the salon, consultants gather to....blah blah blah." He's the guy who pipes in and explains what dress the brides have chosen by listing the price, the designer's name and describing the style. He almost sounds like an encyclopaedia of dresses. Well, turns out that isn't quite the case. The famous narrator, otherwise known as Roger Craig Smith, actually doesn't see the dresses. Roger gets a script sent to his home in California, far away from the bustle of Kleinfeld's in New York. He then gets a phone call from a producer who gives him a rundown of what's happening in the episode. And then Roger goes into a sound studio and records his lines. But while he's telling us all about the ruched bodice and intricate beadwork on the Hayley Paige gown, he's never even seen a picture of it. Roger never sees the gowns he's describing and would caution any future brides about coming to him for wedding dress advice.
3 They Don't Care About Your Time
We've already shared that a taping of Say Yes To The Dress can take up to eight hours for one tiny 12 minute segment. But at least that group began shooting at 8:00am and knew what was going to be happening. Apparently, producers aren't always so considerate of their bride's time or schedule.
This bride was involved in the production of Randy To The Rescue, another SYTTD spin-off where Randy travels across the country to help brides in dress distress. The bride was selected as one of four brides to appear on the San Francisco episode and was told to arrive at 3:45pm on her first day of filming. However, producers changed their minds and called her that morning to say they needed her now. The bride-to-be had to leave work early and rush off to the filming area. Of course, once she got there she was asked to sit in a holding area until they were ready to film. She ended up sitting there until way after 3:45pm, which was her original call time. Suffice to say, this bride was not impressed with how things were handled.
She didn't even end up buying a dress.
2 Randy Is Actually A Good Guy
On the show, Randy Fenoli is the fashion guru at Kleinfeld's. He always swoops in with just the right dress and sassy line to make every bride's dreams come true. He is always smiling and seems to just love bridal. So you'd think it's all an act, right? There's no way a guy who spends all his time dealing with b*tchy brides is that happy. Well, it turns out he really is. The same bride who appeared on Randy To The Rescue from above promises that Randy is actually the real deal. She says, "He was genuinely concerned with finding me a great dress that wasn't way over my budget. He was kind and spent time talking to me and my family off camera. He obviously loves his job and he is genuine."
Isn't that so nice to hear? All my years of watching reality TV must have made me cynical because I was expecting Randy to be a total diva. I assumed as soon as the cameras stopped rolling he would head to his trailer with his tiny dog and a mug of herbal tea. I'm glad to know I was wrong.
1 A Bride Sued The Show For Airing Her Episode
Just last year, the SYTTD world was rocked by a scandal when a lawsuit showed up on their front steps. A bride who had been filmed for the show was suing them for airing her episode before the date of her wedding. You can probably guess why the bride was upset.
On the episode, she said yes to the dress and modeled her soon-to-be wedding dress in front of millions of viewers. However, she didn't want all of her guests and her hubby-to-be to see the dress before the big day. So, she sued. But sadly for the bride, she lost her lawsuit. Judge Nancy Baron ruled that Alexandra Godino, the bride in question, had signed a contract before she went on the show and there was nothing in there about the air date being negotiable.
A producer for the show explained that the show doesn't promise brides a specific airing schedule. If a bride wants their episode to be held until a specific date, they aren't filmed at all.
