Weddingbee Blog

…and my brush with reality TV for brides!

Where should I begin?

How about…

Who would have thought that a girl who’s tried on more than 50 dresses at more than 10 bridal salons in Northern Virginia—the girl who cried dress 1,000 times—would find “the one” after trying less than 5 gowns at Kleinfeld? I’m still shocked I didn’t try on more, but there was just no need to!

Don’t worry, I wasn’t pressured into my decision. I had the “aha” moment. The one when I knew it was “the one.” The moment that had eluded me so many times prior. It finally stuck, and when it did, there was no turning back; no more wedding dress shopping for this bride.

See, I had all these moments of reassurance when I realized the perfection of the dress and it being exactly what I wanted. Most of the day is a blur (between the cameras, interviews, lights, and cues, it’s understandable, right?), but there are a few things I remember distinctly:

• Freaking out in the dressing room as I saw my body shape into something resembling that of Malibu Barbie! A silhouette I’ve never, ever known well.
• The strut from the dressing room to my group, and standing center stage at Kleinfeld. My confidence. My smile. My joy.
• Everyone’s reaction when I walked out; they all quickly realized it was the perfect combination of everything I wanted. They were saying things like: “It’s a corset,” and “It doesn’t have a long train, she didn’t want a long train,” and “the skirt is perfect, it’s not too full.”
• The tears in my friends’ eyes. I couldn’t believe they were crying, and before I did! Our group hug, and the relief in realizing that I finally had a wedding dress!
• Being in the dressing room with my mom after officially saying yes to the dress. Swaying back and forth in the mirror hugging the material of the skirt and putting it up to my face. Turning to my mom, and saying, “this is it.”
• And last, but not least, Joan, Director of Sales walking in to take my measurements and saying, “Congratulations! You’re a Kleinfeld bride!” I was beaming with excitement. Yay!

There were quite a few other highlights, too. Though, finding my gown takes the cake, for sure. The whole day was memorable, and an experience unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced in my LIFE.

People, including those here in the hive went out of their way to make the day especially special for me, and I’m forever grateful. Here’s a look at my bridesmaids, who really surprised me by taking off work and making the trip happen.

Look at my beautiful bridal party!

In order (first photo): MOH Michelle, BM Ghadah, FSIL Amber, & BM Ghadeer

Here we are standing in front of Kleinfeld! We finally made it after a 4-hour road trip, a night out at 40/40 club, a few drinks, New York pizza, and very early morning!

It was totally embarrassing when we walked in and realized the clerk at the front desk totally saw us taking pictures in front! Haha! Oh well!

My mom was there too, of course:

*All personal photos*

And another very important person made a cameo…

BEE!

MRS. BEE!

Can I just say how tremendously awesome it was to have a Weddingbee in the house? THE Weddingbee! She didn’t sit with my group, because she didn’t want to be on camera, but she sat on a couch nearby and watched the entire thing!

She was smiling the whole time and that gave me a lot of confidence. She spoke with TLC’s Director, advocating for me, I’m sure. And at one point when I was in THE dress, I turned directly toward her and asked straight out: “What do you think?” She gave me a nod I’ll never forget! It was like, “Go for it! You look great!”

Yay!

It was so calming to have her there. A lot of the day is a blur, but I remember very vividly her support, and it was something I needed to remain calm and focused on the dress, not the whole production of the show …

Mrs. Bee also brought her camera to take a few pictures, which I’m extremely grateful for, since I didn’t take  a single one in Kleinfeld! I totally dropped the ball there. Quadruple FAIL!

Check us out:

I felt like a celebrity all day, it’s true, but standing next to Bee was icing on the cake!

HERMIT CRAB’S BOOST OF CONFIDENCE

Another bee had a prescence  at Kleinfeld too, but I didn’t see her. She stopped early in the morning about a half hour before my appointment and dropped off a note for me. When the chick at the front desk passed me the note, I was totally confused.  I don’t know anybody in New York!

When I opened the note and saw the words, “Hi Brooch!” I was blown away. I seriously almost started crying!!! We got to the store really early and had to wait for about 30 minutes; every minute we sat there, the more nervous I got. When they passed me Mrs. HC’s note, I was so overwhelmed with appreciation for this website, the camaraderie, and the awesomeness of having a friend nearby.

Obviously I talked a lot about WB to my family, and when I read the note aloud, it was like they got it; they understood why this place is just so special to me. There was a huge “Awwww,” in unison. I was truly touched. It was definitely one of the highlights of my day. It definitely got me off on the right foot!

ANTONELLA!!

My favorite line of the day: “You’re not a woman if you don’t have curves!”

I loved my associate, Antonella!

I thought I’d work with Keasha or Sarah, or one of the others I see on TV more often, but I’m so glad that I ended up with Antonella. She very matter-of-fact, like “we’re going to get you a wedding dress you love today,” and I totally needed that! She was really good at narrowing things down quickly, and that’s probably the reason we got as far as we did as fast as we did.

Antonella was really attentive to my needs, listened to what those in my group said they wanted to see me in, and really set me straight a few times, like when I was freaking about my pudgy stomach and she said, “You’re not a woman if you don’t have curves, honey!”

We had a good vibe and she seemed prepared to search all day and night if that’s what it took. It was great working with someone who I felt really wanted me to find a beautiful gown.

BEING ON REALITY TV IS INSANE

Seriously, it’s something I don’t think I can put into words. The whole thing was a lot more than I anticipated. A LOT more. Just imagine having lots of people with cameras on and around asking you the same questions over and over and over again, all the while knowing you’re being filmed for TV.

My friends and I were so relieved when we broke for lunch and were able to take the microphones off and escape the cameras for a little while. It felt good that it was just us. We talked about how easy it is to take our normal lives for granted. None of us ever aspire to being on TV, ever! I don’t know how these reality TV people deal with being filmed nonstop.

Let’s just say it felt great to come back to my little cube.

It’s really hard to deal with the finality of it all, too. There was a lot of great candid conversations between my associate and me that I don’t think the cameras caught it all. TLC kept telling us to “save it for the cameras,” but that was easier said than done. It’s also hard to believe the whole thing is over. It all happened so fast.

A FEW LETDOWNS

While there’s really nothing I could arguably complain about in terms of finding my dream dress and having the Kleinfeld/Say Yes to the Dress experience, there were one or two letdowns.

Namely, Randy wasn’t there. BIG bummer. HUGE. I’m still pretty sad that on the one day I went to the store, he wasn’t there.  He was one of the main reasons why I wanted to do the whole thing, but seriously, what can I do? Nothing. I’m still extremely grateful for the experience. Plus, I was the one who needed to pick my dress, not Randy. I still want to meet him one day, though!

The only other thing is that we don’t know when or if the show will air. They said it really just depends on how well our story meshes with other stories they have taped. If it does air, it will be sometime in the winter, maybe January, but there is absolutely no telling.

I think they tape about 30 women, and 20 or so actually make it on the air. She said it has a lot to do with the group (whether they were talkative and entertaining), and the personalities of everyone involved. Of course, I really hope they air it. Not just to be on TV, but to see how they tell our story.

OTHER RANDOMS

Source

I want to buy a Kleinfeld robe, because it’s seriously the most comfortable robe, EVER! I’m calling Joan, the Sales Director, to find out if I can! Hello, souvenir!

Speaking of Joan, she’s really, really cool and we seemed to hit it off. She kept telling me I was fabulous and she also told me I had “great measurements!” Ha ha! She probably tells everyone that.

I saw Sarah and Nicole, but didn’t talk to either one—darnit!! My maid of honor and bridesmaids did make  some small talk with Nicole in the bathroom, though. She is due in 8 ½ weeks. :) I did meet both co-owners of Kleinfeld, Mara and Ronnie. They were extremely nice, but I could hardly breathe talking to them.  Also, I saw the VAULT! While I didn’t go back into the warehouse, I did catch a peek into it! Wow! I’m so glad I didn’t go back there. I would have never been able to pick just one.

Oh, and  Kleinfeld is A LOT bigger in person than it is on TV!

That was my experience!

Have you watched Say Yes to the Dress or shopped at Kleinfeld?