TV News and Reviews

The Kleinfeld bridal salon had a special Say Yes to the Dress episode this week, entitled the “Ultimate Wedding Edition”. I got the impression that they were footing the bill for these two brides, who each had a story of sacrifice along with their wedding plans.

First up on Say Yes to the Dress was April and her fiance Elijah, who had planned their wedding for this spring until they discovered they were both going to be deployed to Iraq. Military regulations allow married couples to live together, so they decided to tie the knot before their deployment. This left April five weeks to get a dress, which of course put the Kleinfeld bridal consultants into shock. Having planned a wedding in under four months myself, I dealt with a lot of resistance from bridal salons, florists, etc. for not booking two years in advance. We managed to get it all done, however, and so did April.

With the short time span, April needed an off-the-rack gown. She also wanted something with a more simple style, with no lace. This narrowed the choices down considerably. It ended up being a choice between two gowns–one she really liked, and one the majority of her entourage and the consultants liked. Contrary to usual Say Yes to the Dress convention, April went with the dress she wanted. Once she made her choice, everyone was supportive, which was also a nice change from the usual Say Yes to the Dress episodes.

I think I might have gone with a completely different dress than the two choices, but between those two, I have to say I agreed with the bride. The consultant-chosen dress was too simple, the kind that shows every wrinkle and forces you to stand perfectly straight and hold your breath for the entire night to keep it looking pristine. One drop of wine on that dress and you’d see it from 80 miles away. So I could see why she liked her final choice, with the added texture, and the cinching at the waist, and the little extra details to draw the eye.

The second bridal couple were Hope and Darren, who had saved money for a dream wedding until Hurricane Ike hit. Hope took in family members and used her wedding budget to help care for them. Darren surprised her with the rip to Kleinfeld’s to pick out her dream gown. Hope was so stunned that it was a while before she fully grasped what was going on. It was so nice to see a couple so happy together; Hope seemed even more in love with Darren after the surprise event.

With some bickering between her sister and friend, Hope had a bit of a struggle with finding the perfect gown. It was like they read my mind from last week, as they had Randy run in to save the day. He even ended up in the dressing room this time. Though honestly it looked like they were originally trying on mid-range dresses, and then Randy brought in the several-thousand-dollar dress. That’ll win over anyone.

Hope was thrilled with her chosen dress, and looked gorgeous. The scene at the Kleinfeld bridal salon was complete when they brought out her little daughter in a gorgeous flower girl dress.

We also got to see a little bit of both weddings at the end of Say Yes to the Dress, and the couples really seemed happy and the brides were glowing. I thought this episode was a nice change from the usual crop of daddy’s girls spending $30,000 on a dress and then whining about it. Here were two girls who deserved recognition and had nice husbands who loved them, and Kleinfeld helped make their wedding day that much more special. And sparkly.

Watch Say Yes to the Dress Friday nights on TLC at 10/9c, usually with a repeat at 12am/11pm central. Check your local listings!

PHOTO: Kleinfeld bridal salon gowns, c2009 Discovery Travel and Living.

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