The iconic fashion designer dishes on who to include in your wedding dress shopping crew—and who should stay home
With over three decades of experience in the fashion industry, designer and Say Yes to the Dress star Pnina Tornai has created thousands of custom wedding dresses for brides around the world. Now, the icon is sharing her expertise on how to find the perfect dress and who to bring with you.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Tornai reflects on her role as a “trendsetter” in the world of bridal style. “It’s beautiful to see because at first, I have this inspiration and then I create it and [at the] very beginning, it doesn’t really catch [on] because it takes time for people to absorb it. And then it becomes a trend, and then it’s everywhere,” she adds.
“What’s amazing and beautiful in bridal and makes it so much fun is that the sky’s the limit,” Tornai continues. “There are no rules. There are many trends, but everything is acceptable. It depends on what kind of fantasy does a bride have, what dream does a bride have, and I’m there for it.”
One thing that Tornai is not “there for,” however, is large groups of people accompanying a bride to find her wedding dress. “The less the better,” she explains. “Because you know that every person you bring with you has their own opinion. And the more opinions, the more confusing it is.”
So, how does Tornai suggest weeding out your group? Well, she explains that it’s imperative that brides “bring the people you trust most and the people you know that love you, that really do love you and will always advise the truth to you.” The designer adds that bringing people who “just say, ‘Oh, you look great! You look beautiful!’” will not help a bride make an informed decision on a dress.
“I don’t like jealous friends, and I don’t like mean moms,” she notes of the kinds of individuals to be weary of in this circumstance. “They want their daughter to wear what their fantasy was when they got married, and they never got to wear it, so now they want their daughter to be in a ball gown full of crystals,” Tornai says.
All of this isn’t to say that wedding dress shopping should be a solo endeavor, as Tornai maintains that “Other people’s opinions, as long as they match more or less your vision of yourself,” are okay in her eyes.
“I really think brides should be open-minded,” the Say Yes to the Dress star says. “They should try as many silhouettes as they can. They shouldn’t be fixed on one certain look. Because most of the brides end up choosing a dress, falling in love with a dress that has nothing to do with the idea they came with.”
Tornai, who was was born in Israel, recently cancelled her 2024 “Utopia” couture Bridal Fashion Week runway show as a result of the war waging between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Planned for Oct. 12, Tornai has pushed the show’s date back to Nov. 2.
“My country, my people, my family and my friends are under attack,” Tornai said in an official statement. “Hamas terrorists have murdered hundreds of Israelis in cold blood, including women and children in their homes and teenagers at a peace festival.” She called the conflict “heartbreaking and incomprehensible.”
Tornai added, “Just a few weeks ago, I decided to call this collection “Utopia” because my heart hurt from the suffering, division, and hatred I saw in the world and I wanted these works of art to represent my hope for a better world in which we all love and care for one another. I could not have imagined how fitting that would be.”
Despite the delay, Tornai is intent on presenting her new garments to the world. “I will show my new couture dresses, and I will not let terror win,” she said. “I do what I do to bring beauty and love to the world, and that is more important now than ever. The light will overcome the darkness. We dream, we hope, we pray for better days.”