Bridal Identity - UW-Parkside: Help for Personal Homepages

Bridal Identity
Caitlin Clark
COMM 310
Fall 2010
Dr. Theresa Castor

Introduction
Every year, hundreds of thousands of couples get married world-wide. Weddings are
joyous occasions that symbolize the love of two people and their lifelong commitment to each
other. A lot of time and money goes into planning a wedding, but the end result will typically
reflect the identities of those that are getting married. My love for weddings led me to start
watching Say Yes to the Dress when it first aired in 2007. While watching old episodes of the
show on Netflix this semester, I realized that there were a lot of communication and identity
patterns throughout the show between the brides and their families and friends. For this paper, I
wanted to explore these patterns more in depth and to see what Communication scholars have
said about weddings as representations of identity. Most of the research I found about weddings,
communication, and identity are about weddings as rituals and the wedding event itself. I wanted
to study an aspect of the wedding that many have not studied before, the planning process and,
more specifically, the bridal gown selection process. Weddings can show a lot about a person’s
identity and their relationships to those involved with the planning process, so it is important to
study all angles of planning and executing a wedding, not just the wedding day itself.
In this paper, I will be answering the following questions: What does the wedding dress
shopping process, as shown in The Learning Channel’s (TLC) Say Yes to the Dress, say about
the identity of a bride and her relationship with her friends and family helping her pick out the
dress? What does the planning and execution of a wedding say about a couple’s identities? I will
discuss my literary findings about weddings as indentifying rituals and how it relates to
interpersonal communication. I will also discuss my research of the participants on Say Yes to the
Dress, including the context and methods of my research and examples and an analysis of the
research.
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Literature Review
In her book, Wedding as Text: Communicating Cultural Identities Through Rituals,
Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz (2002) provides a definition of a ritual: “Ritual is an act or actions
intentionally conducted by a group of people employing one or more symbols in a repetitive,
formal, precise, highly stylized fashion” (p. 87). A symbol is a sign, or something that represents
something else. We use these symbols to create meaning. In traditional Western weddings, white
dresses are used to symbolize virginity and innocence. In China, white symbolizes death and
funerals; so instead, they use red, the color of happiness, for wedding dresses. (Leeds-Hurwitz,
2002). Every culture uses social codes—such as food, clothing, objects, language, and music—to
express different meanings, though they are not the same in every culture (Leeds-Hurwitz, 2002).
While the choices you make for each social code is a symbol of your culture, the wedding itself
is also a symbol: a symbol of two persons’ commitment to love each other and be faithful to each
other. Leeds-Hurwitz (2002) also states, “The role played by ritual in creating a sense of
community and a sense of order is usually emphasized, for rituals provide predictability and
structure to members of a group…Rituals provide a way of reaffirming social bonds within a
group, as well as a vehicle for the ‘transmission of family culture across generations’” (p. 89).
Essentially, rituals create a way to show that a person is a part of a specific group or culture, and
each type of ritual varies so that a person observing or participating in that ritual will know what
is going on. For example, a wedding and a funeral are set up very differently. If someone in
America wore white to a funeral and a black wedding dress, many people would be confused by
how “inappropriate” it is for the occasion.
Brides want to keep some of the traditional aspects of the wedding ceremony, but when it
comes to her dress, she wants it to be individualized and for it to represent who she is. (Walsh,
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2005). The traditional “white wedding” in America can be dated back to Queen Victoria’s
wedding to her German cousin Albert, and continues to evolve with new traditions such as the
bouquet toss and honeymoon (Nelson and Deshpande, 2004). With globalization, there have
been more intercultural weddings which pose several problems for couples who are planning
their weddings. They have to find a way to combine the traditions of both cultures with limited
resources of how to pull it off well (Nelson and Deshpande, 2004). However, Leeds-Hurwitz
(2002) proposes three possible solutions: only presenting one culture, presenting two or more
cultures in different ceremonies, presenting a combination of the cultures, or presenting no one’s
culture. The latter ceremonies consist of civil ceremonies—in which a Justice of the Peace
performs the ceremony, eloping, or having a mainstream American wedding—which provides a
lack of racial or religious affiliations. Whichever path the couple chooses, it usually reflects what
is important to both of them.
Both Otnes & Pleck (2003) and Herr (2005) show that mass media influences the
wedding process and ceremony itself. With magazines, websites, reality television shows, and
televised celebrity weddings, the media bombards citizens with what the “ideal” wedding really
is. Romance novels and fairy tales also play into the idea that “happily ever after” happens and
that a bride should be a princess on her wedding day (Otnes & Pleck, 2003).
The planning process also tests a person’s interpersonal communication skills. In one
study, Diana J. Mathis (2009) notes that brides negotiates relationships and identity with her
fiancé, mother, mother-in-law, and friends or bridesmaids. In most cases, the bride and groom
became closer during the planning process because they felt more comfortable talking about their
conflicts openly. When it came to mothers/mothers-in-law, they were more hesitant, but
eventually would talk about the conflict with them. With friends, many friendships ended up
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eing strained due to conflicts not being resolved openly (Mathis, 2009). This shows that having
open, interpersonal communication when planning a large event is important for relationships to
be maintained.
Research Context
The group of people studied consisted of the women and their friends, family, and/or
fiancés from the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress. The study focuses on the women clients of the
Kleinfeld bridal salon in New York City, who are shopping for their perfect wedding dress, and
the people they bring with them for support and opinions. The women’s ages range from early
20s to 50s, and their support groups are usually a mix of friends, parents, grandparents, siblings,
and even their own children or fiancés. I selected this particular group and setting to study
because I have watched the show in the past and I have been really intrigued by the relationships
between the brides and the support groups. While only each person is documented for a short
period of time, there is still a lot one can learn about identity. It is also a good example of one
aspect of the wedding planning process, which is essential for gaining perspective on
relationships throughout the course of the planning process.
Research Method
I observed 9 episodes of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress, a total of 27 brides, and took notes
on each episode. Each episode had about 3 or 4 brides who were either shopping for their dresses
or coming in for alterations. The notes have the bride’s basic information, which was provided
during on-camera interviews (their name, who they brought with them, their dress budget,
fiancé’s name, how they met, etc. However, some of this information may not have been
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provided in the interview), information about the dresses tried on, and the reactions of their
support groups when they see the dresses. It also includes information about the consultants and
happenings in the salon for more context. Observing the show allowed me to observe several
different brides in the main settings of bridal gown shopping (in the dressing rooms and at the
mirrors with their friends and family), which allowed me to learn about the bride’s thoughts and
opinions when no one else was there to influence her, as well as to see the reactions and
connections the bride has with her family and friends. The show also provided interviews with
the brides, which gave a more in-depth perception of what was happening in the appointment.
Not only did watching the show save time, but it allowed me to observe more brides than I
would have been able to in person and I was able to compare more of them to find patterns
within the research.
Results and Analysis
All of the brides came in searching for their perfect wedding dress: a dress that fit their
vision for their wedding. Most of them knew exactly what they wanted, while others had an idea
of what they wanted to look like but knew nothing about the style of dress they wanted. They
had an initial consultation with their consultants, at which time they told their consultants what
they were looking for. There were times when they were able to go into the sale room with the
consultants to pick styles they liked, and other times the consultants when in on their own.
Many of the brides brought family members and friends who were truly supportive of
whichever one she tried on that she liked the best. They were able to get honest feedback from
their support groups, but if there was one that she truly loved, most of them agreed with the
bride. While some families can have a big disagreement about the dress—such as Bride 22
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(Vicky) and her twin sister, who made sure to tell the bride what she thought—and still walk
away with the right dress, other brides aren’t so lucky.
In the case of Bride 7 (Melissa), she came into the salon with a picture of the exact dress
that she wanted. She was looking for a dress that met the style of her glamorous, Las Vegas
destination wedding. Her consultant, Dianne, was able to find the dress and also pulled a few
other dresses for her to try on, just in case the first one didn’t meet her expectations. Bride 7 tried
on the dress and completely fell in love with it. Her face lit up and she jumped up and down in
the dress, thoroughly overjoyed. However, her mother wanted her to try on more dresses. To
please her mom, she put on three more dresses, but none of them “wowed” her like the first one
had. She put the first one back on, and she had the same reaction as the first time she put it on.
Her best friend was really supportive of her and was happy she was so excited over this dress.
Her mother, on the other hand, still wasn’t satisfied. She said, “I don’t think Melissa has seen
enough dresses to make a decision.” Even though the consultants knew that this was the dress
and the bride loved the dress, she followed her mother’s cautions to ensure she was getting the
right dress and left the store without what Melissa felt was her dream dress. In this instance,
Melissa doubted her dream dress because she ultimately let her mother influence her decision.
Several families used the experience as a time to make memories. The mother of Bride
19 (Caley) got really protective over Caley while she was trying on dresses, saying “She’s not
YOUR daughter. She’s MY daughter” to Caley’s future in-laws. Bride 1 (Jennifer) is a thyroid
cancer survivor, so shopping for her dress was treated as a moment to make memories for her
and her mother. And Bride 14 (Rachelle) just has a close family and all of them wanted to be
there for the entire planning process.
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While most of the brides studied used their family and friends for support, Bride 2
(Angelina) became friends with the entire Kleinfeld alterations staff because she was there so
often. She either wanted to come in to try the dress on again to make sure everything fit or that
she had the right accessories to go with the dress. Some days she even came in just to say hi to
the staff. She relied on the staff to make her feel comfortable and satisfied in her purchase.
Discussion
Through studying these brides, I have realized that the dress is usually the most important
part of the wedding for a bride. It is the one thing that can be truly her own, the one thing in the
wedding that completely represents who she is. She knows that she wants the focus to be on her
and she wants to be the most beautiful bride anyone has ever seen. Many have certain
expectations of what they want in their dress—elegance and sophistication, “like a princess”,
sexy, glamorous, or glitzy are just some of the ways brides have described the dresses they want.
If they have more reserved, down-to-earth, and/or introverted personalities, the brides tended to
want more sophisticated and elegant dresses with simpler designs, containing more ruching or
lace and minimal amounts of beading. People with more outgoing and bubbly personalities tend
to want more beading and embroidery on the dress.
I was also a bit surprised by Bride 8’s (Christy) support group. There were 11 people who
came with her (Christy said, “Most of them invited themselves”), and consultant Audrey
mentions in her private interview that larger groups tend to be more difficult to handle because
there are usually a lot of opinions being thrown out there and it is hard to get a sense for what the
bride wants. Luckily, the first dress was the one that Christy fell in love with and everyone in her
group loved it, too. No one pressured her to go with something else or to try on another dress.
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While it worked out for Christy, other brides had a hard time making a decision on a
dress. They were constantly looking to their friends and family for opinions, which meant they
were either insecure with themselves or they really didn’t know what they were looking for. One
bride even compromised to make her family happy. Her two sons and husband came to pick out
the dress she would wear for the vow renewal ceremony. The sons picked out a dress that they
really loved, and her husband agreed with them that their pick looked better on her. She was torn
because she wanted a simple, contemporary dress and the boys had picked out a more elegant,
traditional dress. She loved both of the dresses and went with the dress the boys picked because
she wanted to see them happy. This shows that she identifies herself with her family and cares
much more about compromising and making her family happy.
It was interesting watching the people that were more insecure about their decisions and
how everyone came to the conclusion that they really needed the support of their family or
friends before making a decision. Others found something they liked and just stuck with it,
which shows that they are more determined to make a decision for themselves. After watching
all of these families, I realized that more often than not, the families wanted what made the bride
happy and were willing to compromise if it wasn’t exactly the vision they had for their family
member or friend.
Conclusion
Weddings are used as a culturally-transmitted form of identity. Today, brides and grooms
have more freedom to create a wedding that represents both of them and their new life together.
The wedding dress, in particular, is the bride’s personal way of showing her personality and
identity. There are many ways in which culture and the media influence a wedding, and there is
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definitely more freedom to change traditions and make new ones in American/Western
weddings, but the fairy tale princess idea is typically in the back of a bride’s mind.
The process of planning a wedding, especially the dress shopping experience, can be
trying for a bride, her groom, and her friends and family, but if they are able to talk about the
issues openly, the relationship has the ability to strengthen. Say Yes to the Dress has shown how
a specific dress can say everything about a particular bride, and how she responds to any
criticism or lack of enthusiasm from her support group can say a lot about her as well.
With more time analyzing the show and viewing the show over the course of its five
seasons, as well as observations or personal interviews, I believe I would be able to get a much
broader view of how this process turns out for brides. However, I feel that I have a fairly good
understanding that a wedding can be personalized to say a lot about a person’s identity and by
viewing their interactions with others during the process can teach us a lot about how having
strong conflict resolution skills can mend relationships and even bring people closer together.
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References
Herr, R. (2005). The Dream and the Reality of the American Wedding: Taste, Style, and Reality
Television. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association, 1-26. Retrieved
from EBSCOhost.
Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (2002). Wedding as text: communicating cultural identities through ritual.
Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Mathis, D. (2009). Here Comes the Bride: A Look at Wedding Planning from a Relational
Dialectics Perspective. Conference Papers -- National Communication Association, 1.
Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Nelson, M. R., & Deshpande, S. (2004) Love without borders: an examination of cross-cultural
wedding rituals. In C. C. Otnes & T. M. Lowery (Eds.), Contemporary consumption rituals: a
research anthology (pp. 125-148). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved
from Google Scholar.
Otnes, C., & Pleck, E. H. (2003). Cinderella dreams the allure of the lavish wedding. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
Walsh, K. H. (2005). “You just nod and pin and sew and let them do their thing”: An Analysis of
the Wedding Dress as an Artifact and Signifier. Ethnologies, 27 (2) , 239-259.
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Appendices
Season 2, Episode 1:
Bride Angelina Zito: is back to try on her gown with her mom and dad. Has had 15 appointments
to try on her dress.
Consultant Keasha is back to back appointments, and managers Joan and Elise pull her aside to
make sure she is prepared for time management. In Keasha’s private interview, jokingly states
“I’m good with my timing. So what if I take an extra half an hour?” The managers think that she
continually goes over
Keasha’s first appointment:
Keasha meets Jennifer Nardone, her bridesmaids, and mother in the waiting room at Kleinfeld.
Waiting room: two cream colored couches back to back, creating two sitting areas that also
include 6 high back chairs around a table in each area.
Bride 1:
Jennifer Nardone: physical education teacher
Fiancé is Salvatore Santoro.
Looking for a mermaid style dress. First experience wedding dress shopping.
Budget: $7,000
Wedding date: July 24
Crystal Nardone: mother, Spanish teacher, works at the same high school as Jennifer.
Jennifer: My mom would love to see me in a poufy, princess dress
Mom: because she is a princess
Jennifer: but I’m more into a mermaid style
$7,000, July 24
Bought her wedding dress at Kleinfeld in 1978 and offered to let Jennifer wear it, but Jennifer
says “I don’t think I’m going to wear it”
Keasha brings Jennifer & Crystal into stock room, which is against policy.
Crystal & Husband are paying for the dress and while it’s important for Jennifer to like the dress
and be happy with it, her mom also wants to be happy with it because it may be difficult for them
if they disagree on the dress.
Keasha: “When the mom is kind of disagreeing with the bride, and um, the bride is disagreeing
with the mom, it can be difficult.
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Dress #1: Jenn falls in love with it. Mermaid dress, has a scoop neck, beading all over with a
mermaid dress. “I love it. I don’t want to try on any other dress”, but mom wants to make the
most of the occasion
Jenn: “I got diagnosed two years ago with thyroid cancer.”
Mother: “It was a terrible thing to go through”
Jenn had to go through surgery to remove her thyroid, and her fiancé proposed two months later.
Mom wants the appointment to last longer so that they can make a memory of it together because
Jennifer having cancer was really hard and “it’s the memories that are most important”
Dress #2: Mom’s choice, v-neck. Jenn doesn’t like it at all.
Dress #3: Ball gown with scalloped beading. Jenn didn’t like the dress.
Despite the warnings from her managers and Joan letting Keasha borrow her watch, the
appointment is cutting into the next time slot, so Elise starts to circle her to see if it will push her
to finish up.
Dress #4: Mermaid, more beading and gold, very similar to the first one, but wasn’t “wow”
Gets back in 1 st dress, was absolutely happy in it, once veil was put on, she was transformed into
a bride.
Wouldn’t be able to get through this without her mother. Mother is overjoyed that her daughter
gets to plan for her future.
Keasha can relate to the bride because she found a lump in her breast and the doctor said it may
be cancer, but Keasha hasn’t gone back to get it checked out.
Bride 2: Angelina: it is her 15 th appointment and she falls in love with it
$4,000 Wedding: March 30 th , Marco Aguayo. Went to the same high school together, but didn’t
realize it until later. Thinks he is going to love the dress. Mother loves it more and more every
time she puts it on. “This is everything I dream of”. “Picking the gown, I feel it had to show my
personality”.
Downstairs in alterations: Angelina made a surprise visit to alterations just to say hello. Nicole
says that there is a bit of insecurity about her choices, so she keeps coming back to make sure
everything is just perfect. Angelina thinks of the girls in alterations as her friends, and Nicole
describes them as her “posse”. “We know how to tame her. We know how to make her feel
comfortable”.
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Elise has to go down to alterations because a bride kicked Vera, the alterations manager, out of
the dressing room. The bride tells Elise that Vera is evil; she doesn’t want her in the room with
her. Elise tries to calm her down, while the bride is yelling “I am like a child”. Elise expresses
that there were some serious issues being discussed in the dressing room only 2 days before the
wedding, but once the bride started talking about it, it was clear that Vera was not the problem.
Angelina came back for her last fitting to make sure everything was perfect. Was scared that the
dress would get looser before the wedding, but Nicole assured her that it would be just fine. “No
crash diets. This is not the time to do any crash diets.”
2 days later, Angelina’s wedding took place and she was incredibly happy with her choices. She
said that the best part of her day was the dress.
Season 2, Episode 2:
New staff member, fashion director Randy. Background in bridal fashion; used to be a designer
so he is called in to help brides with his opinions and to put finishing touches (such as the veil)
on the ensemble.
Consultant: Sarah
Bride 3: Dana Dibble
About the bride: Looking for dress with best friend Michelle, whose wedding is one after
Dana’s.
Looking for: plain, not too much poof
Budget: 3,000
Wedding date: Oct 18
Fiancé: Nathaniel Harrison
How they met: met in undergraduate school in Seattle
People she brought: There with friend Michelle (Bride 4) and Michelle’s friend Dana.
Dress #1: plain white, a-line dress with pleats on bust line and back. Really likes this dress, but
wants to try on more.
Dress #2: Pockets, pleats along bust line. Doesn’t like silhouette of the dress as much as the first
one.
Dress #3: One that Randy pulled. Too close to the body for her.
Consultant: Sarah
Bride 4: Michelle Lamarca
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About the bride: Looking for dress with best friend Dana, whose wedding is one month before
Michelle’s. Couldn’t wait to get engaged, even though Dana had been with her fiancé for years
while Michelle had only met hers a few months before [getting engaged]
Looking for: Lazaro, embroidery, beading, fit & flare/trumpet style
Budget: 4,000
Wedding date: Sept 19
Fiancé: Tim Ralston
How they met: met while living in Baltimore
People she brought: There with Bride 3 and friend Dana
Dress 1: Lazaro trumpet gown.
Dress 2: sherbet, floral, poof with flowers.
Friend Dana says 2 makes her look pregnant, which she agrees. Michelle decides she really
doesn’t like #2, even though she specifically came in looking for that dress.
Randy is called in to Sarah’s appointment to help pull dresses for the brides. Realizes that
Michelle, a shorter, fuller figured girl, has been trying on fit-and-flare style dresses which he
thinks are for taller girls. He says he’s going to pull some ball gown and a-line dresses for her to
try on. After he leaves, bride tells Sarah that she really loves the fit-and-flare dresses because she
thinks they make her look taller. Sarah goes to find Randy to tell him that the bride really likes
the fit-and-flare and that the first dress looked good on her. However, he still thinks he knows
what is best for the brides.
Dress #3: Doesn’t feel like it’s as dramatic as the first one. “It feels more like a prom dress than a
wedding dress”. Both brides feel that since Randy wasn’t in with the initial conversation, he
doesn’t have a good idea of what they’re actually looking for and that he’s just putting them in
what he wants to see them in.
Elise noticed Randy pulling dresses and that Sarah was over the allotted appointment time, so
she went back to check on them. Noticed that the dresses Sarah had pulled in the room were still
in the room and were the ones to work with, told Randy to stop bringing in Both girls put dress
#1 back on and while Dana still needed time to think it over, Michelle knew that it was the dress
she wanted.
Randy: “I think when [Michelle] came in, she knew exactly what she wanted. I have to let it go. I
have to realize that it is not my wedding”
Consultant: Keasha
Bride 5: Lyerly Spongberg
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About the bride: second marriage for the both her and her fiancé. They want to consider it as a
wedding for the 8 of them, not just for two people.
Looking for: nothing with much of a train
Budget: no firm budget
Type of wedding: wedding on the beach
People she brought: two biological daughters, two future stepdaughters. There are also two boys
that aren’t with them at the appointment.
Fun for bride to see the daughters get so excited to go dress shopping. Keasha pulled the two
dresses the bride had an eye for. Bride wants to please everyone, but Keasha tries to remind her
that it is her day
Wore each dress out to the pedestal and mirror right outside of fitting rooms where her party was
waiting.
Dress #1: likes the layers and there were a lot of fabric balls sewn across it. The girls thought it
was too fussy.
Dress #2: similar style, feminine, girls don’t like the flowers.
Dress #3: tassels with lace.
Dress #4: Halter with tattered look.
Dress #5: All of them love it. Silk dress, thin straps, V-neck with crystals in between the bust.
Bride hadn’t given Keasha a price point to work with, but then realizes at the end of the
appointment that it was too much money and that she’d have to think about it. She didn’t come
back for the dress.
Consultant: Leah
Bride 6: Lynn Huang
Looking for: something off the rack that can be altered in a week.
Wedding date: Saturday, exactly 1 week away
Fiancé: Christopher Luo
Why she is at Kleinfeld: had dress made in Beijing, where they got engaged, but the dress got
dry cleaned without her knowledge and it shrunk. Took it to a tailor and it ended up becoming a
big mess. At Kleinfeld to find a dress that can be purchased and altered within a week.
People she brought: Fiancé Chris. He had been seeing the dress the entire time. Mother joined
them for the final fitting.
Found a dress she loved, rushed down to alterations to make sure it was ready in time.
Fiancé very supportive during the whole experience. Thinks she is absolutely beautiful and
happy that she found something she was happy with. Both looking forward to spending their
lives together.
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Season 2, Episode 3:
Consultant: Dianne
Bride 7: Melissa Rodriguez
Looking for: looking ‘for something that screams “Las Vegas destination wedding’” and is all
“glammed up”
Budget: $5,000 tops
Wedding date: April 25th
Fiancé: Alex Alfonzo
Type of wedding: Las Vegas
People she brought: Man of Honor, Fabian, Mother, Maritza, another friend (unnamed)
Wore each dress out to the pedestal and mirror right outside of fitting rooms where her party was
waiting.
Dress #1: tries on the dress that she brought in pictures of (Dropped waist with beading down the
center and at the waist). Loves it and cries when she sees it. Feels like a bride. Mother scowls
and crosses her arms. Demands to see more dresses.
Dress #2: Tries on another one with ruching and lace, same shape, but doesn’t like it as much.
Dress #3: Hates the dress and won’t even come out in it
Dress #4: Mermaid style. Thinks it’s “nice” but isn’t wow-ed. Asks to try on dress #1 again.
Puts dress #1 back on. Mom is not impressed. “I don’t think Melissa has seen enough dresses to
make a decision”. Fabian is really supportive because he knows it’s the dress she wants, but
mom thinks she needs more time to pick a dress and needs to try on more. Elise gave her a sale
price, but because her mother was telling her to think about it, she second-guessed herself and
walked away from the dress.
Consultant: Audrey
Bride 8: Christy Daniels
About the bride: wants to feel a sense of completeness when putting on her wedding dress
Looking for: doesn’t want a traditional dress
Budget: $5,000
Wedding date: August 24th
Fiancé: Raheem Watson
How they met: American University, bumped into each other in the hall
People she brought: Large group; 11 guests, many of whom invited them on.
Audrey’s concerned that a large group will be difficult to handle. The more people there are, the
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harder it is to manage the appointment and to get a sense of what the bride is thinking. There are
usually too many opinions for the bride to make her own decision.
Dress #1: One strap, off the shoulder. Pleated, no beading. Immediately loves it in the dressing
room. “Runway” feeling
-Brings it out to the main floor where her friends and family were waiting. Almost brought mom
to tears. No one demanded anything or pressured her. Didn’t try on any other dresses.
Keasha talked to Joan and Elise about the lump she found in her breast and went to the doctor
with their encouragement. She is cancer free.
Consultant: Sarah
Bride 9: Leslie Saunders
Budget: $2,500
Wedding date: May 24th
Fiancé: Michael Simmons
People she brought: future mother-in-law, bridal party (her two best friends and another friend)
Wore each dress out to the pedestal and mirror right outside of fitting rooms where her party was
waiting.
Dress #1: All of her friends really like it. It’s form-fitting on the top, which is something her
fiancé wanted. Best friend Na says it’s “not my personal favorite”.
Dress #2: Had fan piece on the top, Sarah called the frills a crumb catcher. Nikki’s favorite, says
it flatters her figure. Na likes it but it isn’t her favorite. Everyone agrees #1 is out.
Dress #3: Form-fitting trumpet style with ruching and sweetheart neckline. This is Na’s favorite,
but Nikki doesn’t like it as much.
Between #2 and #3, and it’s really difficult for her to choose, so she put both dresses on for her
mom on webcam. She still can’t decide. Nikki keeps asking, “Which one do YOU like?” and she
keeps saying, “I don’t know, I can’t decide”. Ended up picking dress #2, says “it makes me feel
like a bride”. Nikki is happy that Leslie liked the one that she “absolutely loved”, too.
Season 2, Episode 4:
Consultant: Keasha
Bride 10: Barbara Michaels
About the bride: renewing vows to husband of 16 years
Looking for: sophisticated, contemporary
Budget: unlimited
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Vow renewal: September 26th
Husband: Paul
Type of wedding:
People she brought: Paul, sons Alex and Brandon
Boys wait in dressing area while Paul, Barbara, and Keasha go to pick a dress.
Dress #1: trumpet style, beading on the top and ruching around the middle. Barbara thinks it’s
stunning.
-Ronnie, store owner, wants the boys to love/help pick the dress.
-Keasha goes back to look for more dresses
Dress #2: halter, flowy fabric, and bow at bust line. No one really likes the dress.
Mara, other store owner, brings the boys to the floor to help pick out a dress that they like.
Dress #3: full beading, more traditional. Nothing like what she wanted, but is considering getting
it because the boys picked it and like it.
Puts dress #1 back on. Barbara thinks Dress #1 is the better dress, but once she puts the other
dress on, the boys and her husband think Dress #3 is better. Keasha suggests sitting in the room
with the dresses on the hanger side by side to think it over.
Barbara loves the first one, but decides to go with the #3 because she truly loves the dress and
knows it will make her boys happy.
Consultant: Debbie
Bride 11: Kerri Lawrence
About the bride: 29 years old
Looking for: doesn’t want strapless, v-neck front and back, little bit of beading.
Budget: $2,500-$3,000
Wedding date: May 31
Fiancé: Chris Lesiak
How they met:
Type of wedding: Caribbean, at sunset. Having full reception for about 200 people back in the
States.
People she brought: mother, Claire
Dress #1: v-neck front and back, beading on waistline.
-Kerri knows her mom loves the dress by the look on her face, but thinks her mom is holding
back to avoid telling her outright to buy the dress.
Dress #2: Scoop neck; has a lot of beading and detail on the dress. Mom thinks it’s “lovely” and
says “so far…I like this one a lot.” Kerri isn’t certain about it because of the midsection, so she
goes to try on another one.
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Dress #3: Debbie convinces her to put on a strapless dress. Simple, figure flattering dress with
beading at the neckline. Suggests getting more of the beading to add a strap to the dress. Mom
thinks that if it has to be altered too much, then it’s not the dress for her.
Tries on dress #1 again and realizes it’s her dress.
Kerri comes back for her fitting and brings her mother and best friend Steve with her when she
tries it on. Steve thinks it looks beautiful and says, “Chris is going to die!”
Consultant: Camille
Bride 12: Sandra Colon
About the bride:
Looking for: 2 gowns, one more traditional for the ceremony, and a party dress for the reception
Budget: $8,000
Wedding date: September 19
Fiancé: Ricardo Rivera
People she brought: Fiancé Ricky (who won’t actually be seeing the dresses, just waiting in the
lobby. While he wasn’t allowed to see the dress, it was important to both of them that he was
there for support. Her brother Axel, who is in a wheel chair, future mother-in-law, Marisol, and
other friends were also there.
Sandra: Axel is “my personal stylist. He won’t let me walk out of the house if I don’t look like a
supermodel”.
Dress #1: seems to be a hit in the dressing room. Sandra says, “I love it. I want to keep it. I think
we may have a winner” and gives the camera a thumbs up. Beaded, scalloped sweetheart
neckline.
Dress #2: slinky, v-neck, backless. Everyone loves the dress.
Axel wants her to try on a mermaid style dress, so she tries one on for him.
Dress #3: mermaid dress, Axel loves it, but it isn’t what Sandra wants. Tries on #1 again, and
Axel “retired the mermaid”.
Season 2, Episode 5:
Consultant: Camille
Bride 13: Ashlee Coutant
About the bride:
Looking for: basic and comfortable, a little looser.
Budget: $2500
Wedding date: August 22nd
Fiancé: Aaron Bates
How they met: met when both were freshmen in high school
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Type of wedding: in town where they grew up.
Why she is at Kleinfeld:
People she brought: her mom April, sister Abby, and two friends
Camille meets bride in the main part of the salon and takes her back to pull dresses. Ashlee is
immediately drawn to a dress, but since Camille forgot to ask for a budget, Ashlee pulls a dress
that is out of her price range. Sister describes Ashlee’s style as “hippy chic”.
Dress #1: A-line, flowy fabrics with large, flower-like detailing at the bottom. Everyone loves
the dress, but mom says she did not expect her to have picked it.
Dress #2: narrower silhouette, non-matching fabrics on top and bottom confuses the bride and
her party. They all like the first one better.
While in the stock room, Ashlee finds out that Camille is showing her dresses out of her price
range. Both seek to find new dresses that compare, but it is not boding well.
Looking for cheaper options.
Dress #3: simple, Grecian dress.
Everyone disappointed because nothing is comparing to the first dress.
Dress #4: Roses along the bust but the plain bottom made it feel top-heavy.
Camille asked Elise for the sample sale price, which brought the price down but it still wasn’t in
her budget so she walked away from the dress.
Consultant:
Bride 14: Rachelle Cohen
About the bride: Came from California to look at wedding dresses. Really close family
Looking for: strapless, sweetheart neckline, “tight where it shows the figure, but not so tight that
it doesn’t fit”
Budget: $7500
Wedding date: July 11th
Fiancé: Collin Ozar
Why she is at Kleinfeld:
People she brought: Whole family (dad, two brothers, mom, sister)
Dress #1: Ruched dress w/ single strap.
Everyone is giving their opinion. Do not like the first dress
Dress #2: Similar style with bow on bust line and on waist.
Brother asks “Is that the same dress you just had on?”
Dad says he doesn’t like the dress
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Dress #3: Corset back, can make it a sweetheart neckline. Rachelle loves everything about it and
hopes for the approval of her dad and brothers. Everyone saw it and knew it was the dress for
her.
In dad’s private interview, he talks about how even though Rachelle and her fiancé Collin had
been dating for 8 years prior to getting engaged, he still felt ill the first two weeks because his
daughter was getting married.
Consultant: Keasha
Bride 15: Rachel Lutzker
About the bride: from Hartford, Connecticut. Traffic reporter for the local news.
Looking for: “not a pretty pretty princess”. “Elegance, but myself”.
Budget: $7,000
Wedding date: April 4th
Fiancé: David Jorgensen, works in finance
Type of wedding: location in New York City.
People she brought: Mom, man of honor OJ.
Rachel: “OJ will be brutally honest. And my mom will point out the flaws”
Rachel’s dad passed away when she was 13. After her engagement, her mom told her that her
dad set away money for her wedding. She described herself as “a daddy’s girl”, so it meant a lot
to her that he had contributed money toward her wedding.
Dress #1: beading on the straps, under the bust. Loves the dress and OJ even exclaims “that’s
hot!” Mom thinks it looks beautiful, but they decide to try on more dresses.
Dress #2: mermaid style dress. Doesn’t fit and is very uncomfortable to move around in. They
don’t like it.
Dress #3: A-line type dress with pleats across the bodice of the dress. Bow at the hip.
OJ feels that she’s been coming out in dresses that are more “princess-y” and they don’t look as
good on her.
Rachel asks Keasha to pick a dress to put her in as if she hadn’t come in with any preconceived
ideas about what dress she wanted.
Dress #4: A strapless dress with beading under the bust and at the hips. Rachel still feels too
princess-y, but realizes she likes not having straps. Elise brings out the first dress, holds it up to
her without the straps, and she absolutely loved it more. Mom thinks it looks even better without
the straps. Tries it on again without the straps, and everyone loves it. She feels great about it
because it’s her “own”.
OJ: “I think she feels as she says ‘brides-y’. I think she feels glamorous. I think she feels like
she’s going to get married”.
Season 2, Episode 6:
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Quarterly Blowout Sale:
Starts at 3:00 PM, but people line up outside all morning, the earliest one shown was 9:30 AM.
Consultants also meet with normal appointments before the blowout sale:
Consultant: Audrey
Bride 16: Elizabeth Roach
Looking for: something that accentuates the waist. Non-ball gown
Budget: $3,000
Wedding date: October 18th
Fiancé: Eric Breidinger
People she brought: sister Michelle, also Maid of Honor; friend, Jackie.
Dress #1: sweetheart neckline, pleats all across the dress.
Elizabeth is worried she’s going to like all of the dresses because she liked the first one she tried
on. When she comes out to the main floor to show Michelle and Jackie, they had “stone-cold,
dead faced” expressions. She wanted more of a reaction.
Dress #2: V-neck front and back, all-over lace dress. Still not getting much of a reaction out of
her sister & friend.
Audrey brings in Elise to get a read on what the bride wants.
Dress #3: very plain, long train, almost Marilyn Monroe-esque style. Michelle says “It’s a very
nice dress; I just don’t think it’s the one.”
In private interview, Michelle says, “I don’t think she really knows what she wants.”
Elise admits that she thinks the bride won’t buy a dress unless she gets the reaction she wants
from her sister.
Dress #4: V-neck, lace and beading. There’s still no reaction once again from Michelle, and
Michelle asks “what?” when she sees that Elizabeth is frustrated. Elizabeth says she wants
Michelle “to be ‘oh my god!’” when she sees an amazing dress.
Dress #5: similar to the first dress, but Michelle wants to see the first one again to make a
decision.
Puts dress #1 back on, but her sister still didn’t give her the “I love it” reaction she wanted.
Michelle was actually shocked that Elizabeth was choosing and buying a dress that day because
she didn’t think Elizabeth could make a decision and that she didn’t know what she wanted.
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Elizabeth bought Dress #1 even though her sister and friend didn’t give her the reaction she was
looking for.
Consultant: Debbie
Bride 17: Gabriella Voight
Budget: $10,000
Wedding date: June 29th
Fiancé: Salvatore Cinquemani
Type of wedding: large, 50’s Hollywood glamour theme
People she brought: Stacy London, one of her bridesmaids and fashion guru, and her future
sister-in-law [Vallice].
Dress #1: beautiful, but Stacy thinks it’s too yellow. Not a good fit for her shape.
Dress #2: A lot of tulle, which she isn’t a fan of. Gabby says “I didn’t want to be a princess when
I was 4, so I don’t want to be a princess now.”
Dress #3: Gabby feels beautiful, but they ask to take the tulle out from underneath.
Season 2, Episode 9:
Consultant: Sarah
Bride 18: Jennifer Osorio
About the bride: worried about having plus size samples.
Looking for: open to anything but poufy dresses. Wants whatever is going to look good.
Budget: $2,000
Wedding date: May 3rd
Fiancé: AJ Ramos
How they met:
Type of wedding:
People she brought: Fiancé for support, Jennifer’s mom, Jennifer’s maid of honor, Chrissy
AJ: Her weight comes into play whenever she goes shopping. She has a hard time shopping
without getting frustrated and walking out.
Sarah takes Jennifer and Chrissy into the stock room to pick out some dresses.
AJ: a little worried about how the dress is going to fit and if Kleinfeld is going to have a dress
that is in her size. He also is a little worried for the consultant because Jennifer gets frustrated
easily and might “break her neck”
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Sarah’s going to put her into some strapless dresses even though Jennifer is worried about being
too busty for them. Sarah also thinks it’s cute that AJ is so supportive of Jennifer and is
genuinely excited to see Jennifer try on some dresses.
Dress #1: AJ loves the cleavage of the dress. Ivory, strapless, embroidery along the bust and a
gathered skirt. Everyone was blown away by the first one.
Dress #2: AJ thought it was too gaudy, too much detailing. Everyone agreed the first one was
better.
Dress #3: Jennifer picked it out, but didn’t like it as much when it was on. Beading and ruching
on the bust line, but plain everywhere else.
AJ: “The dress just didn’t flow right”.
Jennifer goes back to the stock room to pull more dresses.
Dress #4: Thinks she looks like a cake
Dress #5: Thinks she looks like a table cloth
Put dress #1 back on.
AJ: “When she came back out in that first dress, my heart just stopped.”
Consultant: Dianne
Bride 19: Caley Coyle
About the bride: Admits she is a bit of a follower and doesn’t stick up for herself. “I don’t wanna
walk out with the wrong dress”.
Looking for: did a lot of research for the type of dress she wants. ball gown, white, strapless,
prefers beading but not too much. Fiancé doesn’t like too much sparkle, but Caley loves sparkle.
Budget: $7,000
Wedding date: TBA
Fiancé: Eric Svenson
People she brought: mother, 3 future in-laws.
Caley says she and mom are really close. “She always wants the best for me.” Mom brings
pictures of a dress Caley was looking at back to Dianne in the stock room.
Caley wants to keep the dresses a surprise, so she has everyone stay out by the pedestal while she
puts on her first dress. Mom is stressing out and emotional that she couldn’t talk to Caley and be
in the room with her while she’s trying on her dress. Caley is sad about it, but also wants her
mom to have an element of surprise for her mom. Caley admits that her mom can get possessive
of her at times. Mom is outside telling the in-laws “This is my daughter. She is not YOUR
daughter, she is MY daughter. This is what we do together all the time.” Her in-laws are shifting
around, feeling a little alienated by her mom.
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Dress #1: Caley thinks this one is the most visually appealing. She asks for her family’s opinions
and all of them say it’s beautiful and that they love it. She asks, “Is this too much? Is the beading
too heavy here?” “Eric doesn’t like beading”. Mom says, “Caley, forget about Eric.”
Mom: “She wants it to be the best day for her. She should get the dress that she wants.”
Dress #2: Mother-in-law says, “It had too much detail, too much beading”.
Dress #3: Bride says it makes her look longer and doesn’t have the sweetheart neckline that she
wants.
Goes back to put on Dress #1 again. Brings mom into the room with her when she puts it back on
to help her decide. Caley says she “trusts her [mom’s] opinion the most.” Mom was thrilled to be
able to be in the room when Caley made the decision to go with the first dress.
Bride 20: Danielle Paciello
Bought a dress, custom made veil and custom train for $11,000. Fiancé cancelled the wedding 2
months ago. She was in complete shock when it happened.
Went back to a room with Joan, bridal manager, to discuss the options
Dress is in production, which means there is no refund for the dress. She can take the dress, or if
she leaves it she would forfeit the $6,000 deposit. She and her family opt to pay the remaining
balance on the dress and take the dress when it is ready.
Very strong woman, and knows that she has the perfect dress and is now just waiting for the
perfect man.
Bride 21: Gina Masela
About the bride: Coming in for first fitting. Needs to make sure the dress fits with her new breast
enhancements.
Brings grandmother, sister, and mother with to the fitting. Gina shares her grandmother’s love
for rhinestones and glitter. Pnina Tornai, the dress designer, came in to assist in the alterations of
the dress and to ensure that the bride was happy.
Season 2, Episode 12:
Consultant: Debbie
Bride 22: Vicky Guttman
Why she is at Kleinfeld: Picked a dress, but doesn’t like it anymore so they want to get a new
dress. She loves the front of the dress, but she doesn’t like the back.
People she brought: twin sister Audrey Guttman, mother
Debbie is going to start her in the original dress, then pull other dresses. Mom and sister think
she’s going to end up picking the same dress, she just needs some reassurance. Debbie thinks
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that her friends were the ones influencing her decisions because problems didn’t arise until after
she started showing them pictures.
Debbie and Audrey work together to rearrange the back of the dress to make it look better. Vicky
thinks the bustles in the back make it look like a down comforter. Debbie tells her that alterations
will have to be brought in to figure out how the back could be changed, and in the meantime
goes to put her in more dresses.
Dress # 1: original dress
Dress #2: Audrey hated the dress, described it as a “Halloween costume”. Vicky is getting
frustrated because her sister is telling her exactly what her friends are going to think. Debbie
takes Audrey with to the stock room to help pick out a dress. Audrey says that the friends were
the reason she started doubting her choice.
Dress # 3: Too plain for Vicky. No one likes it.
Vicky realizes the first dress is the right dress, as long as the back can be fixed. Debbie calls in
Elise and they pull down some of the lace and show how it would look with one layer removed.
She loves the dress much more without the extra layer.
Consultant: Dianne
Bride 23: Rozlynn Silvaggio
About the bride: wants to look hot. No
Looking for: lace, will probably be jumping into the ocean with it.
Budget: $5,000
Wedding date: April 25th
Fiancé: Keith Bauman
How they met: in San Francisco
Type of wedding: on the beach in Mexico
Why she is at Kleinfeld:
People she brought: 3 friends, Kelly, Jeanie, Jenn
Dress #1: All ruching. Friends say it “has the ‘marshmallow’ effect that you didn’t want.”
Dress #2: pleating. Friend says “it reminds me of a paper Mache project.”
Hard for her to make a decision because her friends are giving their opinions and Rozlynn isn’t
making up her own.
Dress #3, ruching and pleats all the way down. All of her requisites were in this one dress.
Friends give her a “perfect score” of all 10s.
Consultant: Audrey
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Bride 24: Laura Domholt
About the bride:
Looking for: a Lazaro gown
Budget: $2,500
Wedding date: 2011
Fiancé: Scott Pauly
Type of wedding: in St. Paul, MN
Why she is at Kleinfeld: came for the Lazaro trunk show
People she brought: gay friend Tom Courtney
Audrey is concerned that Tom, a fashion designer, is going to be calling the shots. Also doesn’t
know when the bride is getting married. Introduces Laura to Lazaro.
Dress #1: not Tom’s favorite.
Dress #2: Ivory, shows off waist. V-neck with straps, ruffled, tiered train. Both think it’s
beautiful, but Tom wants to see some sparkle.
Dress #3: Audrey pulls another dress similar to #2, but with sparkles.
Dress #4: Chantilly-lace, beautiful dress but not for her.
Audrey thinks that Tom has been showing just the dress, not how beautiful she is in the dress.
Dress #5: tries on a Kenneth Pool ball gown, with beading along the bust line and waist.
Everyone loved it.
In the end, she wasn’t ready to purchase a dress.
Bride 25: Kathryn Meyer
Budget: $6,000
Wedding date: July 18th
Fiancé: Kevin Toolan
How they met: sister introduced them
Why she is at Kleinfeld: getting fitted in her dress and her mom is getting fitted for her dress too.
People she brought: Mom, sister (matron of honor), and future mother in law.
Mother and sister both gushed over Kathryn’s dress and her sister is crying over how beautiful
both her mom and Kathryn look.
Season 3, Episode 1:
Consultant: Debbie
Bride 26: Beth Maier
About the bride: from Las Vegas
Looking for: wear at the Las Vegas wedding, not traditional, wants to break rules a little bit.
Budget: $2,000
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Wedding date: July 4th
Fiancé: Ryan Carrier
How they met: Through mutual friends in Las Vegas. After sister’s funeral, she and fiancé
realized that they couldn’t be apart.
Type of wedding:
Why she is at Kleinfeld:
People she brought: Dad, mom, sister Gloria, her best friend Rosemary
Debbie and Randy pull dresses for Beth.
“Part of my inspiration for having this wedding, because originally I just thought to elope and
run with my fiancé to the nearest wedding chapel, was my little sister. She passed away last year
and basically we were only a year apart. We were raised like twins.”
“I realized that, when my fiancé proposed, that I needed to have a celebration, not just for me but
for her”.
Family feels like there is a big void. While Beth describes herself as more of a conservative
person, wants to capture her sister’s free-spirit in the dress.
All of the dresses she tries on definitely fit her sister’s personality, but nothing that fit her own
personality. The occasion is too overwhelming for her and she ends up going back to Las Vegas
to get a dress.
Consultant: Keasha
Bride 27: Stacey
About the bride: Describes herself as having “expensive taste”, but with a limited budget.
Looking for: Not entirely sure what she wants.
Budget: $3,000
Wedding date: October 31st
Fiancé: Brian Reed
Type of wedding: Halloween day “It’s dramatic, romantic in a way”
Why she is at Kleinfeld: put a deposit down on a custom-made dress, but is having her doubts
People she brought:
“I love color. I just think it’s so elegant. I would love to do black or red or something like that”
Keasha is having problems finding a dress.
Finds her a dress with black lace trim, which she falls in love with and is perfect for her.
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