- I was on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" and a few things about the wedding-centered show surprised me.
- The show isn't scripted and I still receive fan mail years later.
In 2016, I was on a special episode of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," (season 15, episode six).
I planned to get married earlier that year, but when my Louisiana home flooded and my gown was destroyed, it looked like my dream wedding was ruined. As my fiancé and I considered pushing the date back, "Say Yes to the Dress" posted an online request for brides-to-be who were affected by the flood.
A friend nominated me and I was selected to be on the show. Here are five surprising things I learned from my "Say Yes to the Dress" episode.
I may be the only bride who received a free dress on the show
Normally, the "Say Yes to the Dress" team starts by breaking down your budget, but because my original wedding gown was destroyed, I received a free dress.
My episode highlighted the tragedy of the flood that took most of my belongings and I was offered the best care by bridal designer Randy Fenoli and his team. "Say Yes" flew my husband and me to New York, where we stayed in a lavish hotel right by Times Square.
My family lost everything in the flood, so it was a huge contrast to go from watching all of our stuff wash away to wearing a Mark Zunino gown, Jimmy Choo shoes, and Kleinfield's own collection of jewelry.
Fenoli really is an angel and we even shared a personal connection
As we filmed, I could feel Fenoli had a strong bond with the people who he worked with to tell my story. I'm still so grateful to have been chosen to share my experience about planning a wedding that felt as if it would never happen and I cannot thank that team enough for helping me feel the most beautiful and cared for.
During the process, I learned that Fenoli actually grew up in Louisiana and he's also dealt with natural disaster. He was trapped in a two-story apartment in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
I think my experience touched him because it was a story that was so close to home.
I still talk to Fenoli to this day and he featured my story in a special season-17 episode where he discussed his most memorable brides.
The show is not scripted
The crew captured my genuine reactions.
And if I said something funny, cute, or cool, I quickly learned to expect to see that footage over and over again.
I didn't get any of the footage of my own wedding
I was so excited to have such an enormous film crew and producers record my wedding because I thought I would receive some of the footage. I also didn't hire my own videographer to capture the details of my entire wedding, so sadly, I don't have the day's events on film.
Still, the "Say Yes" production team gave me five minutes of absolute fabulousness.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I still wish I would've known the footage wouldn't be available to me because I definitely would've hired a videographer.
To this day, I still receive fan mail about our episode
People may not know that my husband and I have split up since our episode aired.
Still, every time fans contact me, I don't really know what to say other than, "Thank you."