A new season of “Say Yes to the Dress” premieres on TLC on Saturday, and with a new season comes a brand-new set of brides trying to find the perfect dress for their wedding days.
Viewers of the series of course watch for the gowns, but the challenges brides face as they shop are always just as compelling as the dresses themselves.
Ahead of the premiere, Insider spoke to longtime Kleinfeld creative director and bridal designer Randy Fenoli about the biggest issues brides face when trying to find their wedding gowns.
Insider spoke to Randy Fenoli ahead of the 22nd season of “Say Yes to the Dress.
Fenoli told Insider many problems can come up when brides are selecting a wedding dress, such as a bride being too close-minded about what will look good on her or not thinking about the budget before she starts trying on gowns.
But most often, he finds the people a bride chooses to bring with her to a bridal appointment are most likely to create issues.
“I would say probably the bigger challenge that we have most of the time is with the entourage,” Fenoli said. “We’ve had some very overbearing sisters and friends, but I would say especially mothers seem to have this effect on brides that really want their mother’s approval.”
“I’ve dealt with some mothers that are really — I have to say just point blank — they’re just mean to their daughters, which is such a shame,” Fenoli said. “To be so blessed to be able to have children and then treat them that way, especially in a public area.”
“I’ve had to walk out of appointments before because the mothers were just so nasty to their daughters that I just couldn’t deal with it,” he added.
Randy Fenoli says brides need to set boundaries with their entourages.
Feloni said it’s a good idea to set boundaries with your entourage before you shop for a wedding dress, as well as think carefully about who you bring with you to the appointment.
“You need to let your entourage know that this is a privilege that you are inviting them to be a part of this, and not everyone gets to be a part of this,” Fenoli advised.
He also said it’s important to be clear with your loved ones about what type of dress you want and how much you’re willing to spend.
“Like, ‘I don’t want to be Cinderella, and I don’t want a big poofy ball gown, so please don’t pull a big tulle dress,’ and, ‘My budget’s $1,000, so don’t pull a $10,000 dress unless you’re going to put in the other $9,000,'” Fenoli gave as examples.
Bringing too many people to your bridal appointment is a mistake, according to Randy Fenoli.
He also said it can be a good idea to let your entourage know about anything that might make you self-conscious as you’re shopping so they don’t comment on it.
“If they would just have that conversation before they walk into the salon, I think their experience would be a lot easier and just better all around,” Fenoli said. “But with that being said, if they did, we wouldn’t have a show.”
Kleinfeld COO Marissa Rubinetti previously told Insider you also shouldn’t bring too many people with you to a bridal appointment, ideally limiting it to just three people.
“I think over three, there are just too many opinions in the room, and it really does impact the bride and it affects how she’s feeling in her dress,” Rubinetti told Insider. “If she happens to love something and then there are four different opinions circulating in the room, it’s going to distract her from what she really wants.”
“Say Yes to the Dress” premieres on TLC on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.