Say Yes to the Dress, but say no to the entourage

09/11/2009

In the first episode, the day begins with a bit of drama due to the overbooking of brides at the Kleinfeld bridal salon. Hmm, that can’t be good -- tight scheduling AND anxious brides-to-be looking for the perfect gown?

The first bride-to-be we meet is Bre, a former beauty pageant contestant who has looked at 3,000 dresses online and tried on 80! As much as I love fashion, I don’t think I have that much patience or time on my hands, but mazel tov if she has it. I almost fall off the couch laughing when Randy, the fashion director, empathizes with her dilemma by recounting the time he was voted Ms. Gay America 1990. “It can make a girl jaded if she wears hundreds of evening and pageant gowns her whole life,” he says in reference to Bre’s hunt for the perfect wedding dress.

With a price point of $4,000, Audrey, the consultant, starts pulling gowns for Bre. The first two gowns leave her underwhelmed, although her friends and mother love them. I have to agree with Bre’s assessment, especially about the first dress. It was OK, but it wasn’t stunning.

Meanwhile Jennifer, 25, has brought an entourage with her consisting of her mother, twin sister, fiancée’s two sisters and his mother. Jennifer really wants a slim bottom-cut dress, otherwise known as a mermaid dress. Her mother wants her, in Jennifer’s words, “in a big, cumbersome dress.” Her twin sister, Melanie, doesn’t want to be there at all and seems intent on offering criticism and not much else.

When Jennifer walks out in her first gown, there is so much cattiness I feel like throwing catnip at the screen. One of her future sister-in-laws isn’t sure if the dress has straps or if those are Jennifer’s her tan lines. Once she’s told they are in fact tan lines, she responds with, “That’s pretty hideous.” Melanie’s assessment? “I don’t like the shape. Those look like fish scales at the bottom.” She then proceeds to make fish faces just in case anyone didn’t get her point. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Jennifer JUST say, she loved the dress and couldn’t stop smiling once she put it on? More importantly, isn’t it about the bride’s happiness?

Meanwhile, in the fitting rooms below, Susan is back for her first fitting since picking out her wedding dress. When she has the gown on, she spies a big seam across the front that she hadn’t noticed before. Randy is called in to offer reassurance that the dress is in fact perfect for her and that it can be fixed.

Audrey pulls a dress for Bre that is taupe and costs $2,000 more than her budget.  On the other hand, it was reduced from $17,000 to $7,000 and looks completely stunning on her. Bre is worried that the gown is too pageantry and that she looks too much like a beauty queen. She finally realizes that a traditional white dress is not her style. I’m sure that reducing the price to $5,990 doesn’t hurt either. Her friends and family are happy that Bre is finally saying yes to the dress, especially when it looks so gorgeous on her.

After vociferously voicing their opinions and vetoing every dress Jennifer has tried on, her entourage is bored and ready to go. Melanie decides to hurry things along by demanding that Jennifer only try on one more dress. She then proceeds to tear down Jennifer’s self-esteem by saying she looks like she has a “muffin top.” Jennifer has no choice but to leave dress-less.

Did Melanie just whine that SHE was traumatized and that she hopes it’s a month or two before she has to go through that experience again? I must remember to thank my parents for making me an only child.

In the end, two brides are happy. Susan’s big day is finally here and her wedding dress is perfect. She is thrilled beyond belief as she starts her new married life.

In episode 2, we meet Tiffany, 23, who has strong ideas of what she wants in her gown.  What she doesn’t want is anything white or traditional, regardless of what her mother thinks. Tiffany is thinking more Sweet 16 with leopard and pink. Apparently Sweet 16s have changed a lot since I had mine, or is it just bad taste?

Working with a $5,000 budget, and keeping the pink and leopard-print theme in mind, Audrey doesn’t have many options when it comes to finding dresses. Although Tiffany likes the first dress she tries on and it’s unusual, I can’t help thinking she looks like a frothy-pink hot mess in it.

Erin is 28 and wants a big ball gown to go with her ceremony in the basilica in Philadelphia. Any wedding gown conversation that starts with, “I’ve left my mom out of the wedding plans … she only knows bits and pieces, because I don’t want her opinion,” can’t be a sign of a good relationship.

I get a chuckle out of the tension between Tiffany’s mother, Debbie, and her future mother-in-law, Joann, regarding Tiffany’s wedding gown choices.  Debbie is distraught at the idea of Tiffany walking down that aisle in anything but a white gown. Joann has more of a live-and-let-live attitude about the whole thing.

Tiffany’s second gown is an embroidered, elaborately beaded light pink dress that is absolutely stunning. It’s not a traditional wedding gown, but it looks great on her and definitely fits Tiffany’s criteria. Everyone loves it, except her mother, who says it reminds her of Tiffany’s first bedspread.

I’m personally appalled when Tiffany finally puts on a white gown but wraps a leopard-print piece of fabric around the waist. Her idea is to also have the bottom of the gown dyed pink. Thank goodness for Randy, the fashion director, who gently vetoes the mix of color palettes. He says what everyone is thinking, which is that the second gown she tried on was amazing.

Meanwhile, across the store, Erin really likes the third dress she tries on, as it has more of a fairy-tale feel to it. Her mother doesn’t like it, since she really wants her daughter in more of an elegant, classic gown and prefers the first dress. Erin finally picks the first gown. I’m just happy that mother and daughter could reach a compromise.

Second-time bride Holly comes in for her first gown fitting. She is as thrilled with her dress during the fitting as she was when she picked it out. The dress looks lovely on her, and her kids who are seeing it for the first time clearly agree.

A week later, Erin returns to the store to try on the two dresses again, since she can’t stop thinking whether she made the right choice or not. After Randy shows her how the most stunning part of the dress, the bustle, will have to be gathered most of the time, she realizes that her mother was right after all. 

Comments

[Jill in AZ]

THANK YOU for the assessment about Melanie. She needed to go. Growing up with her must have been a BLAST. :-( I wouldn't last being a bridal consultant. I would stuff girls like Melanie in a storage closet and casually walk away, whistling and make sure the bride has the dress SHE wants. More comments on this disaster of the egg splitting in the womb can be seen here: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2879235

[Angie]

I loved this episode- loved ALL the dresses featured. Melanie was disgusting-a totally miserable human being- but other than that- great show!

[Gumby]

Melanie, jealous, self-absorbed evil twin. And why wasn't the Mom running interference for her inexcusable behavior? Love all the consultants....especially surprised and pleased to see Randy's pageant photo!

[Dressless1000]

It's called strategic editing - They obviously edited hours of footage to make some people look like the good guys and some look like the bad guys. I work in TV production, and that is how it is on reality shows!

[Gail Glogowski]

I have never seen such a miserable, self-absorbed, selfish witch of a sister in my life as Melanie. I am sure her behavior stemmed from jealousy, but truly, she was obnoxious. Her poor sister's day was ruined. Jennifer was so sweet and did not deserve to be treated so cruelly by the evil sister. I hope she left her out on her next gown outing.

[Michelle]

I agree with the comments about Melanie. If my sister had walked into my dressing room to tell me to hurry up because she had to be somewhere else then there would have been a fight. Jennifer, if you're reading this, leave your sister at home and just take along your mom.

[Charlotte]

Melanie is such a witch. Indeed a miserable and self absorbed person. I hope she reads these comments.

[Diane]

Tiffany looks like a French Poodle in that light pink feathery dress, but the white with pink flowers was really pretty. We think she should buy that one.

[Diane]

O my goodness!!! Tiffany looks so beautiful in that gown. We don't even know her and we're about to cry.

[Ciarrai]

I think it was actually Melanie who told her that her tan lines looked hideous and asked if those were straps, not one of her future sisters-in-law.

[janaepae]

I love the first dress Bre tried on! So beautiful... Does anyone know the designer and or name of the dress?
Thanks bunches :o)

[Jill in AZ]

As for Tiffany, I loved how she wanted to be different, and I get that her mom didn't have the same taste, but the mom seemed to still have a hard time accepting who Tiffany was. The MIL seemed to get it, and didn't know Tiffany as long as her own mother did. I liked the dress Tiffany chose. I think she still could have chosen a white dress that was "different" though, but the one she ended up with was really pretty.

[candace]

i am also interested in the first dress Bre tried on!!!!! i will not rest til i find it, it was IN.CRED.IBLE.

[Joy]

Do anyone know the name of the designer of Bre's dress she tryed on?

The taupe one?

[Allison]

Yes, Melanie was unbelievable - just hateful and perhaps jealous (??). She acted like a 2 year old. I hope Jennifer found her perfect dress without the "help" of her sister. I don't even think that the editing could have helped this situation. If you're a meanie, it shows.

And I LOVED the picture of Randy!! He looked spectacular and is totally adorable - as a man or woman!

[Bre]

Hi- it's Bre from the episode!

The first dress I tried on was by:
Michelle Roth
Price: $4,000

Happy Dress Shopping!

[Jen]

Bre. You looked great in all the dresses. Who designed the dress you picked at the end?

[Boop]

Jennifer's sister needs to unclench her jealousness and realize that this has nothing to do with her and all about Jennifer. Her sister is so selfish!

[pete]

I loved melanie. Would never have watched a show like this but couldn't turn the channel on her. If she is single - hook me up! billmajors21@hotmail

[Kristi]

she needs to leave the self absorbed evil twin at home for her next visit what a treat it must have been to grow up with her. That 1st dress she tried on was just beautiful on her and who cares what her twin thinks it is not her day.

[Jane]

What was the taupe dress that Bre ended up with. Who was the designer?? It was beautiful and I would love to know!

[tanea]

where is the taupe dress from????????????

[Joedy]

I really liked the dress that jennifer tried on with the pockets. It is the one pictured above. Anyone have any info on it... price, designer, etc????

[grew.up.with.melanie]

Melanie actually grew up with me in Boca. She really IS that awful, and more. Not sure how much they allow written on this blog but she has been called by many down here as an "unpaid prostitute". She is a laughing stock in Florida and just made her self a laughing stock to everyone that watched this show. Very dirty, easy, nasty girl.

[Laura]

Bre, I loved the dress you picked at the end and I tried desperately to find out it's designer, without luck. Its so unique and stunning! Could you tell us who its by? I can see many others want to know also. Thanks!