Say Yes To The Dress - General Discussion

[Panders]

On 4/2/2023 at 4:12 PM, magemaud said:

I rewatched and the daughter's name was Marie-Therese Rizzuto and her mother was Theresa DePascale. The episode was filmed a year and a half ago. Marie is on FB and reports her mother is doing well and undergoing some promising new treatment. Also, Marie met the "love of her life" just weeks after filming and they're engaged, so maybe her mother will live long enough to see her walk down the aisle in her dress. https://www.facebook.com/mimi.theresa.7

It also appears they are getting married in Scotland, I wonder if her mom can travel for that? I wouldn't be surprised if she actually purchases a new dress now that she is actually getting married. She can always wear her mom's dress for just the ceremony or pictures or something

[Me from ME]

I thought the three brides featured in this episode was to showcase how accommodating the  consultants are. Several dresses for Jessica and she chose none of them,  difficult and demanding dance mom, and, non-bride daughter choosing her Mom's gown. I thought that was the most manipulative.  The Mom could have told the truth to her daughter and let her try it on before putting the Kleinfeld staff to all the trouble of pulling gowns and steaming the Mom's. Daughter immediately recognized it, what else could she have done than to try it on? I did not like this at all.

[magemaud]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:17 PM, Panders said:

She can always wear her mom's dress for just the ceremony or pictures or something

That IS the trend nowadays, so maybe she’ll wear her mother’s gown for the ceremony and get something new and more contemporary for the reception 

[rur]

11 minutes ago, Me from ME said:

  The Mom could have told the truth to her daughter and let her try it on before putting the Kleinfeld staff to all the trouble of pulling gowns and steaming the Mom's. Daughter immediately recognized it, what else could she have done than to try it on? I did not like this at all.

It wouldn't be too improbable to suspect that the producers might have suggested the "trying on the mother's gown" twist when making the arrangements for them to appear on the show.

[Me from ME]

Quote

It wouldn't be too improbable to suspect that the producers might have suggested the "trying on the mother's gown" twist when making the arrangements for them to appear on the show.

I thought of that as well. Now I am wondering if the bridal consultants who appear on the show are paid. If that were the case then it wouldn't be a waste of their time. I thought it was Kleinfelds who were paid for use of the facilities and also got free advertising.

Until Bridget, Holly and Kendra negotiated for compensation for their appearances on GND they were not paid. Source: Girls Next Level podcast.

[magemaud]

On 4/2/2023 at 10:54 PM, slasherboy said:

But I have a question. If the Mother hadn't sent her dress to be added to the rotation, was the daughter going to actually buy a dress or were they just trying them on then leaving.

I think the whole idea was for the shared mother/daughter experience without planning to buy anything. We've seen brides in the past who appeared to just want to try on gowns and leave empty-handed but they didn't have a heart-warming story about why they were shopping. 

[Me from ME]

Maybe some of you can remember better than I, but in some cases when brides and their friends went to an appointment without intending to buy, but just for the experience, didn't Randy or one of the consultants comment on it. (They were gentle and subtle but they did mention it.)

[magemaud]

1 hour ago, Me from ME said:

Maybe some of you can remember better than I, but in some cases when brides and their friends went to an appointment without intending to buy, but just for the experience, didn't Randy or one of the consultants comment on it. (They were gentle and subtle but they did mention it.)

I don’t remember if anyone ever said anything directly to a bride-to-be or her entourage, but I do recall Randy or the consultants saying privately on camera that a group was just there to “play dress-up” 

[Me from ME]

That's what I was trying to remember. Thanks.

I totally recognize the difference between them and the non-bride and her Mom. Randy and the consultants have shown themselves to be generally kind and sentimental with some of the clients. Especially those with whom they feel a connection due to similar life events.

[amarante]

I have no inside line on the production of the show but from what I have read shooting each bride takes many many hours - much longer than an appointment. This is true of any show because they need hours of footage to edit - and probably reshoot certain stuff.

I would imagine any of the consultants are going to be paid for what is essentially a full day of work to shoot an episode even if it is not a large amount. It does seem that in the early years of the show, the same consultants were used over and over again but in the past few seasons there seems to be more rotation so maybe it is more of a fun thing to do for a day.

[Irlandesa]

I should really watch earlier seasons but I think they used to do more brides per episode and definitely did more episodes per season.

This was interesting because it was a Part II to a reunion episode they did a year or two years ago?  Some fun behind-the-scenes stuff.  I do wonder how many brides are now divorced.

 

[Cocoa Puff]

Are the consultants paid for being on the show on top of their commission for working at kleinfeld? 

I thought someone had found an article multiple pages back that said that the consultants were not getting paid by the show maybe that's changed now.

[amarante]

31 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I should really watch earlier seasons but I think they used to do more brides per episode and definitely did more episodes per season.

This was interesting because it was a Part II to a reunion episode they did a year or two years ago?  Some fun behind-the-scenes stuff.  I do wonder how many brides are now divorced.

 

Ever since the pandemic, the seasons seem to have gotten shorter.

However they generally had the same number of brides - two brides buying and one doing alterations. What seems to have changed slightly is the alterations segments seemed to be longer and often there was some kind of *crisis* that Vera had to fix.

[Chit Chat]

I'm not a fan of recap shows like we got last night.  It was a waste of time.  

1 hour ago, amarante said:

What seems to have changed slightly is the alterations segments seemed to be longer and often there was some kind of *crisis* that Vera had to fix.

How long has it been seen we've seen Vera?  She has the patience of Job in order to put up with some of the nonsense she had to deal with from brides and their entourages. 

[amarante]

1 minute ago, ChitChat said:

I'm not a fan of recap shows like we got last night.  It was a waste of time.  

How long has it been seen we've seen Vera?  She has the patience of Job in order to put up with some of the nonsense she had to deal with from brides and their entourages. 

She took a new job in 2017 at a place called Bridal Reflections so at least since then. 🤷‍♀️

I wonder what they offered her to get her to move from Kleinfelds

[Chit Chat]

1 minute ago, amarante said:

She took a new job in 2017 at a place called Bridal Reflections so at least since then.

Wow!  I didn't realize she has been gone that long!  Thanks for the info!  Kleinfeld's is probably very stressful given the volume of dresses they sell and alter.  Maybe it's a little calmer where she went to! 

[amarante]

3 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Wow!  I didn't realize she has been gone that long!  Thanks for the info!  Kleinfeld's is probably very stressful given the volume of dresses they sell and alter.  Maybe it's a little calmer where she went to! 

It seems as though the alterations segment has been minimized since Vera left. There used to be some kind of story equivalent to buying the dress on every episode. Now it is essentially a bride comes in and tries on the dress and then there is a cut to the wedding. 

[rur]

8 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I'm not a fan of recap shows like we got last night.  It was a waste of time.  

 

It was a bit of a disappointment. I didn't particularly care about seeing the celebrity visits again, and I was very surprised they included the military veteran who had pretty much falsified her entire backstory (and got her gown free).

Is the the end of the season? If so, that's another disappointment. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by rur

[gingerella]

57 minutes ago, rur said:

I didn't particularly care about seeing the celebrity visits again, and I was very surprised they included the military veteran who had pretty much falsified her entire backstory (and got her gown free).

Wait, what?!?

I loathe the 'celebrity' brides, they're usually Z-List anyway, and annoying AF. There was one lady years back, who was marrying someone I think on the NY Yankees maybe? Anyway, she was like, "I'm marrying a very prominent professional athlete and we're having a bazillion people at our wedding so EVERYONE will be LOOKING at ME..." Girl please. I hate those brides.

[Baltimore Betty]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

She took a new job in 2017 at a place called Bridal Reflections so at least since then. 🤷‍♀️

I wonder what they offered her to get her to move from Kleinfelds

Probably normal brides and mothers that won't push or smack her, remember that episode!

[maggiegil]

Since Covid they seem to do the filmed appointments when the store is closed to other brides. You used to see lots of other brides in the background trying on dresses.

Its probably a lot easier for sound etc but I miss seeing other dresses and consultants working in the background.

I would say as well thats why there are so few eps a season, that theres a limited time to film them.

I'm kind of bored of the SYTTD aesthetic, Kleinfeld for having so many dresses, shows the brides an awful lot of the same aesthetic.
I wish TLC would bring back I found the gown or Say yes to the dress Atlanta

[Chit Chat]

13 hours ago, maggiegil said:

Its probably a lot easier for sound etc but I miss seeing other dresses and consultants working in the background.

If I were a regular customer, I wouldn't want to have my appointment on a day they were filming.  I think it would be too chaotic with the camera crew and everything else that goes on behind the scenes there.  Like you though, I miss seeing what everybody else is trying on.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

16 hours ago, maggiegil said:

Since Covid they seem to do the filmed appointments when the store is closed to other brides. You used to see lots of other brides in the background trying on dresses.

Its probably a lot easier for sound etc but I miss seeing other dresses and consultants working in the background.

I would say as well thats why there are so few eps a season, that theres a limited time to film them.

I'm kind of bored of the SYTTD aesthetic, Kleinfeld for having so many dresses, shows the brides an awful lot of the same aesthetic.
I wish TLC would bring back I found the gown or Say yes to the dress Atlanta

At least it's not 95% Pninas, the way some episodes used to be.  

[Grizzly]

Looks like that was the end of the season. SYTTD is not in the listings for Saturday. 

[roughing it]

Well, I've missed this entire season.  Switched to a new provider and never set up my DVR.  From everyone's comments, I didn't miss much.  And if that was the season finale, I wouldn't be surprised if SYTTD gets cancelled.  

It was fun like from season 2 as the show was getting into its groove, until they started featuring the famewhores and the wacky entourages and the neverending Pnina.  That's when it started going downhill.  Too bad, it started out as a fun little show.

[BAForever]

Five episodes and a retrospective? No reason to continue making episodes. I'll miss it, but time to stop.

 

[CAM]

I just watched and noticed that they kept saying "20 seasons" and everything just reminded me of the retrospective that aired in Aug 2022. So, it got me wondering if maybe this season was technically part of last year's season which was also super short with just 6 episodes. 

[readheaded]

11 hours ago, CAM said:

I just watched and noticed that they kept saying "20 seasons" and everything just reminded me of the retrospective that aired in Aug 2022. So, it got me wondering if maybe this season was technically part of last year's season which was also super short with just 6 episodes. 

 

I wondered the same thing and kept checking to see if it was a repeat. It also felt like it could be a series finale.

[rur]

I never saw last year's retrospective, but I got the feeling that what we saw this year was taped at the same time last year's was. 

I certainly hope it wasn't the end of the show -- 20+ seasons deserves better than that. 

[CAM]

Yeah I also hope it's not the end. While it isn't as fun as the older seasons, it is still is a good and easy show to watch on a Saturday. And after 20 plus seasons it deserves to get a better wrap up than 6 episodes...something 2 hours long that shows behind the scenes/bloopers/check in on some of the older brides from earlier seasons/un-aired footage and less of just re-showing the same footage/brides that always seem to show up on these clip episodes.

[quirkygal]

4 hours ago, rur said:

never saw last year's retrospective, but I got the feeling that what we saw this year was taped at the same time last year's was. 

The dance mom's bride with the annoying mother - they showed the wedding invitation or announcement and it was dated 10/9/21.  Looked to me like we're seeing the backend of last year's super short season. 

[Vermicious Knid]

And it was rolled out a month later than they had originally advertised, with no explanation. 

[seacliffsal]

I was very disappointed in this clip show.  Yes, we get it, they like their celebrities.  But, like noted above, the celebrities aren't super famous and are annoying (I could not stand the entire Kristen Chenowith episode as it was all "look at meeeeeee").  I was shocked they featured the proven liar (non)military bride who scammed them out of a dress (and made a second appearance in another season).  Do you think they know she was a scammer?  I know because of the amazing detective skills of other posters.  I couldn't believe they showed her after all her nonsense came out.  I miss some of the consultants from the earlier seasons.  Also, they consistently feature two brides, but the show originally started as a half-hour show, so the stories weren't as bloated and we didn't have to sit through as many sob-stories.

I had no idea Vera left, and even in the clip show they featured employees who had left Kleinfeld's (i.e. Nicole).  

[BAForever]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

 I was shocked they featured the proven liar (non)military bride who scammed them out of a dress (and made a second appearance in another season).  Do you think they know she was a scammer?  I know because of the amazing detective skills of other posters. 

I enjoy these forums, but can never remember much of what I read, and I remember the big time army veteran scammer. Why on earth did she show up on the show? Bad decision by the producers. 

[Baltimore Betty]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I could not stand the entire Kristen Chenowith episode as it was all "look at meeeeeee

I know, she was awful and I felt so bad for the bride, KC really could not stand to let her assistant have all the spotlight. There should be a Kleinfeld rule about non brides trying on wedding dresses and stealing the spotlight from the bride.

 

 

[Ciarrai]

Awkward to see Cat Cora and her wife on that clip show and the consultants saying they were so in love, since they are now divorced.

In addition, Boston bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory is divorced from the man she is talking about marrying on the show, and is re-married.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Ciarrai

[Chit Chat]

13 hours ago, Ciarrai said:

Awkward to see Cat Cora and her wife on that clip show and the consultants saying they were so in love, since they are now divorced.

Is the statistic still 50% of marriages end in divorce?  That's sad when you look at a show like this and realize that many of these brides' "happily ever after" isn't going to last.  Of course, maybe for some of them they go on to find someone better.  

[Vermicious Knid]

Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, Holocaust survivor and bridal empire builder, dies at 99

Quote

 

Before “Say Yes to the Dress” brought Kleinfeld Bridal to the attention of more than 1.5 million households across America every week, a Holocaust survivor named Hedda Kleinfeld revolutionized the bridal industry, bringing it to life with European designer gowns.

The iconic bridal store, which today boasts about 200 employees, began as an offshoot of Kleinfeld’s father Isidor’s Viennese fur business. Starting in the late 1960s and for the next several decades, Hedda ran Kleinfeld Bridal with her husband Jack Schachter, a talented fur cutter employed by her father...

Beginning in the 1990s, the Kleinfeld company changed hands a few times, according to a company history, and in 2004 construction began on a 35,000-square-foot store on West 20th St. That’s the location frequently featured in the popular TLC show “Say Yes to the Dress” — in which experts help brides find their perfect gown. The show brought the store’s name into millions of homes. But one home that it never made its way into was that of Hedda Kleinfeld.

“She never saw one episode,” Schachter recalled while laughing. “She had no interest. But she wasn’t bothered by it.”

 

 

[junejunehannah]

On 4/12/2023 at 11:31 PM, Ciarrai said:

Awkward to see Cat Cora and her wife on that clip show and the consultants saying they were so in love, since they are now divorced.

In addition, Boston bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory is divorced from the man she is talking about marrying on the show, and is re-married.

And the ones that got married on the mountain top - they are divorced as well! They featured so many divorced couples. 

[roughing it]

3 hours ago, junejunehannah said:

And the ones that got married on the mountain top - they are divorced as well!

Was that the Las Vegas helicopter bride?  The one who wore a wedding romper with T&A barely covered?  (see pg 20 of this thread near the bottom of the page)

[rur]

3 hours ago, roughing it said:

Was that the Las Vegas helicopter bride?  The one who wore a wedding romper with T&A barely covered?  (see pg 20 of this thread near the bottom of the page)

Yes

[amarante]

Some charming articles on Kleinfield's history and founder

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/13/garden/here-comes-the-bride-but-wait-here-comes-another-one.html

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kleinfeld's with a party of aging Kleinfeld brides (and their grooms)

Her wedding gown from 1941 was $199.00 which is about $4000 adjusted for inflation. That was a MASSIVE amount as the wages for a worker at that time might be $40 a week.  

The move from Brooklyn to Manhattan - likened to Brooklyn losing the Dodgers

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/nyregion/front page/storied-bridal-shop-moves-on-jilting-brooklyn-for.html

[Cocoa Puff]

Of topic ish question does anyone know if there is a royal forum or topic because I tried searching but was unsuccessful and I wanna talk about the royal wedding today. 

Thanks in advance 

[CAM]

3 hours ago, Cocoa Puff said:

Of topic ish question does anyone know if there is a royal forum or topic because I tried searching but was unsuccessful and I wanna talk about the royal wedding today. 

Thanks in advance 

Yes there is...here is the link: https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/5084-the-royals/

[Cocoa Puff]

1 minute ago, CAM said:

Yes there is...here is the link: https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/5084-the-royals/

Thank you so much 🥰

[CAM]

Looks like the new season will be coming in April.

[TwirlyGirly]

Has anyone heard/read anything about Season 23 recently?

Several reliable publications — such as WWD (Women's Wear Daily), Warner Bros. Discovery, Good Housekeeping , etc., — all published articles in December 2023 announcing SYTTD Season 23 would  premiere Saturday, April 6, at 8:00pm EDT on TLC. But clearly that didn't happen and there have been no updates online from any sources. 

That's weird, isn't it? 

[TwirlyGirly]

Do you guys remember April Levine? She was on SYTTD in season 7, with her fiancé Sonny Mukhopadhyay (he was the guy who referred to himself in the third person).

TLC subsequently did a 1-hour episode about their over-the-top wedding.

I was looking to see if they were still married, and discovered Autumn passed away on Dec. 17, 2023, at home.

There is no info online I could find regarding her cause of death. 

She left behind her husband and their two small children.

[jcbrown]

I wish this show and the British version would come back.

[Vermicious Knid]

The news is...there is no news. RealityBlurred's Andy Dehnart actually went right to the source:

Quote

 

I asked TLC, and heard from a spokesperson. Alas, there’s no news now of a premiere date, nor anything they could share on the record of when the show might return.

They did say that “hopefully” there would be news of a new premiere date—but again, no idea when that might be.

 

The season was filmed, but I wonder if this is them low key cancelling it.