Modern Brides Take on Family Traditions (and Opinions)

11/20/2009

During the pre-appointment staff meeting, sales directors Joan and Nicole remind the consultants to support the brides in their gown selections while simultaneously trying to get their families onboard with their decisions. As the show goes on, I realize how useful this advice will be.

Susan is breaking with family tradition by not wearing her great-grandmother’s wedding dress. The dress has been worn by more than six people in her family and is 40 years old. However, she knows it doesn’t fit her modern style.

When her family heard the news, her mother Lou, aunt Sue and sister Jey flew from Georgia to New York City for an intervention. (Hmm, aren’t interventions usually saved for extremely inappropriate or illegal behavior?)

Susan tells Keasha she wants to look sexy, elegant, chic and fashion forward … and stay under $4,000. She’s getting married in Mexico, which is another family shocker, since all the other girls have wed in Nashville, Tenn.

Across the floor, Dianne is meeting bride Tiffany, who’s shown up with six people,including her mother, two sisters, two future sister-in-laws and future mother-in-law. Tiffany’s mother, Nancy, really wanted the wedding gown shopping experience to be between the two of them, but it’s not to be, much to her chagrin. I may need popcorn to see how this drama plays out.

Tiffany wanted everyone included, because she’s looking for a diversity of opinions. I’m not sure if she realizes that a) she’s not sending troops off to war and b) too many opinions is like having too many ants. It’s annoying and spoils the picnic.

Tiffany wants a dress with a sweetheart neckline and off-the-shoulder sleeves, since she feels her shoulders are too broad. Her mother, Nancy, envisions chiffon cascading down, while her sister Jennifer wants form-fitting and tight. Her other sister, Lori, would like “bling” in her veil or even a tiara. 2004 called -- they’d like the word bling back. Regardless of everyone’s wants, Tiffany’s budget is $2,500.

Keasha calls on fashion director Randy to help her find the perfect dress to reconcile the bride’s contemporary tastes with her family’s more conservative sensibilities. The first dress Susan tries on looks stunning on her. She is clearly excited and says she doesn’t want to take it off. When she walks out to show her family, I can hear the crickets chirping. LOL

Her mother, Lou, is surprised by Susan’s reaction to the gown. “I’ve never seen her look not only happy, but she glowed,” she says. However, she still wants Susan to wear a more traditional wedding gown. (I learn that in the South, when you don’t like something, you say, “How lovely.” How polite.) Dress No. 1 is labeled “lovely” by the family and Susan returns to the dressing room to try on yet another dress.

When Tiffany comes out in the first gown, the groom’s sister, Dianna, cuts Nancy off to offer her opinion. Apparently she’s not “wowed.” The group continues to offer their collective opinions while her mother looks miserable. “It would’ve been nice if Tiff had turned around and looked at me first and asked me what I thought. But she’s marrying into a family and she’s going to look to everyone,” says Nancy. Huh? What does that mean?

The second dress Susan tries on is more traditional and conventional. “She did not carry herself as well as she did with the first dress,” concedes her mother. Susan thinks the gown is “lovely” and “too sweet.” Randy asks if she wants to be sexier; when Susan says yes, the look on her mother’s face is priceless. I laugh as Randy says, “I saw women fainting on the couches behind me. I thought I was going to need my smelling salts.” According to Lou, “The way we were brought up, you didn’t put the word “sexy” along with a wedding dress.”  A certain part of me wishes more people were like Lou, with a strong sense of what constitutes inappropriate behavior, but I digress.

Downstairs, Suzanne is in for her first fitting along with her mother, grandmother and future mother-in-law. She’s only met Joyce twice before, so she’s trying to get to know her. While they wait for Suzanne to come out, Joyce thanks the family for including her.

While Tiffany tries on the second gown, consultant Dianne notices that Nancy is taking notes like a stenographer. Tiffany is irritated by her mother’s note-taking and wants her to engage in the process more. Nancy explains that she’s taking notes so that when Tiffany asks her opinion later, she has extensive notes to show her. HUH?!

The third gown Susan tries on mixes traditional and modern elements and has a long, flowing chiffon bottom. She says it makes her think of Ginger Rogers, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing in her eyes. Her mom agrees that it is too “ballgowny” for a wedding.

Susan asks to try on the first dress again. “I can’t stop smiling when I have it on,” she says. Apparently, her family needed to convince them that this was THE dress to see Susan with an updo and a veil.

Downstairs Suzanne is revealing her gown to her future mother-in-law for the first time. Joyce thinks the gown and Suzanne look beautiful. Alterations manager Vera checks in to make sure everything is OK and asks Suzanne what jewelry she’ll wear. Suzanne doesn’t want to wear any, but Joyce takes matters into her own hands and goes to find her a necklace. After trying the pearl necklace on, Suzanne realizes it looks great and isn’t “too much with the dress.” Joyce asks if she will accept it as a gift, which leaves Suzanne surprised and touched by the kind gesture.

Tiffany is trying on dress No. 3 and wondering why her mother has been uncharacteristically quiet. Dianne attempts to engage Nancy by soliciting her opinion, but Nancy wants no parts of it. While Tiffany and the rest of the group love the third dress, Nancy is decidedly not feeling it.

I have no idea what family dynamics are playing out, but I do find it inappropriate when sister-in-law Dianna openly discounts Nancy’s opinion as not counting. Despite her mother being against her getting the gown Tiffany decides to say yes to the dress.

On her wedding day, Suzanne looks radiant.

 

 

 

Comments

[Lana]

If I was buying a dress in this store, I would NOT want Dianne any where near my shopping exsperience. I was really disgusted with her showing a 6500 dress to a bride who said she had a 4000 budget. I understand wanting to sell, sell, sell, but have some consideration for your customer.

[Brooke]

I would love to find out the name of the dress Susan tries on that reminds her of Ginger Rogers, I thought it was just stunning. Though she didn't find it an obvious quality to resemble Ginger, I sure do!

[Joy]

I would not want Dianne to help me at all. She always shows the bride a dress above their price limit.

I would love for keasha to help me. She always tried hard to find the right dress for the bride.

[carly tenney]

I feel the same about Dianne! Keisha, on the other hand, works hard to find the right dress in the bride's budget. And I am glad the bride put her foot down with her mother that she would NOT be wearing that "hand-me-down" dress. It was so out of date! She would have looked ridiculous in it. It is not a style that has aged well at all. The "ginger rogers" dress was beautiful. Timeless and classic. I loved it!

[carly tenney]

Just want to add that Tiffany's mother looked ridiculous with her note pad. Talk about a major sulking! I'm glad that Tiffany did not let her mother's attitude ruin her dress buying day.

[Jenn]

who is the designer of the first dress Susan tried on?

[Meredith]

Great recap but you didn't mention the name of the designer that Susan Perryman bought. Please tell us!

[maryrose]

As I asked in an earlier episode, where is Elise? Does anyone know? Joan and Nicole seem to be the Directors of Sales and no more Elise. I miss her. She was special.

[Meagan]

Has anyone found out which dress Susan bought? It's the picture dress!! I need to know.

[Jill B]

Speaking of updo's- why is it that all these "brides" go to try on designer bridal dresses in one of the most exclusive bridal shops in the world on national television with the stringiest hair I've ever seen?? They can't even seem to brush it much less pull it back in a ponytail to simulate an updo on their wedding day. We want to see the dressess not those stringy tresses falling from their heads. It has gotten AWFUL lately. The Thanksgiving Day Marathon seemed to spell it out as bride after bride had their awful hair hanging down in their faces and covering up the bodices of the dresses. It's one thing on their wedding day when their hairdressers have done the brides hair to the 9's but in the store, these women just look horrible. PUT YOUR HAIR UP!! GIVE THESE WOMEN SOME PONYTAIL HOLDERS!!