I don't understand the drama in Say Yes to the Dress

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One of the shows I frequently watch on YouTube is Say Yes to the Dress, an American reality TV show that follows brides and their entourages during their appointments in a bridal shop called Kleinfeld Bridal. Mommy insists that I enjoy watching it because I didn't get to experience shopping for my own wedding dress (more on that later) and I'm living vicariously through the featured brides on the show. However, I think that I keep coming back for more episodes because— 
  • I am fascinated by how much the brides featured in the show are willing to pay splurge for a dress that they will wear only once. Obviously, irrational consumer behaviour is on display here. Not every brides has the budget for a USD 16,000 gown, of course. However, many of them tended to mention the upper ceiling of their budgets without considering the cost of alterations and accessories... and the extras can add up enough to break a wallet. And quite a few of them tried on gowns they couldn't afford. Needless to say, a lot of tears have been shed and hearts broken by these immaculate dresses.
  • I like to see how influential the entourage is to the bride. It's understandable that the parents have a voice when it comes to bridal gown shopping... if they are paying for the gown. And the show does feature a lot of hands-on parents who, in all intents and purposes, approve of the dress before the bride says yes to it. One of the budget-less brides (read: there's no price limit) said that she only needed to shed a tear to convince her father to buy a super expensive gown that didn't even suit her body type. This shows that the bride can also influence the "bank". But aside from the person paying for the dress, I get the impression that the members of the entourage are there to make snarky remarks that can possibly derail the bride's choice process. Again, this has led to tears as the bride received comments about how her dream dress isn't suited for her; or as a member of the entourage try to upstage the bride.
  • I find the women featured in the show to be brave. They talk about their body image issues and personal lives as they try on and present the gowns. And then they repeatedly get constructive and/or not-so-constructive comments from the members of their entourage. Sometimes, the critiques become too much for the brides that they start tearing up. They also talk about their fiancés and their wedding venues when the sales consultants profile them onscreen at the beginning of their appointment (I'm sure that the bride's backgrounds have been checked prior to their appointments). I kind of understand the venue question because the consultant needs to select dresses appropriate for the setting. But why do they want to know the bride and the groom's love story?!? 
  • This I don't understand: Why do most of the brides and their entourage cry when they have found the dress? 
I never experienced buying my wedding dress; the first time I set foot in a bridal shop looking for a wedding dress was when I joined Tita Babie during her search for her wedding anniversary gown. I did visit the Francis Libiran shop in Greenbelt 5 but that was when I was looking for a dress to wear to Kuya Eldie and Richelle's wedding in 2017 (but ended up with a customised Charina Sarte dress). I also have been to the Vittorio Barba shop in Glorietta to buy a formal dress for Ronchie and Digi's wedding in 2009. These designers are known for making bridal gowns but I was, then, a secondary sponsor (2017) and an emcee (2009).

When it was my turn to get married, there was no wedding dress drama (but then it's a civil ceremony). I wore a Jaspal knee-length lace shift dress with long slit-sleeves and embroidered floral details on the pockets and the cuffs. Actually, it's not even a new dress. I wore it during Orville and Lorie's wedding in 2016 and to business casual work functions. Suffice it to say that it's one of my go-to dresses that are always packed in my suitcase whenever I travel for work (just add a blazer and it's conference-appropriate, as long as I was only part of the audience). The price didn't break the bank either. If I'm not mistaken, I got it for less than USD 100 at Adora (in Greenbelt 5). 


For our church wedding, once we get around to organising it, I just might get my very own wedding gown shopping experience. Until then, I won't understand the fuss and the drama often highlighted in Say Yes to the Dress.

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