21 "Say Yes To The Dress" Secrets You Never Knew

    Seeing the stockroom in person is kind of amazing.

    Terri Pous
    by Terri Pous

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Say Yes to the Dress, the iconic TLC wedding dress–buying show everyone loves to binge, begins its 10th (!) year on air on Mar. 4.

    I visited Kleinfeld, the legendary New York City bridal salon where the show takes place to see the dresses, the consultants, and yes, Randy himself, up close and personal — and to learn some behind-the-scenes scoops from the show's 14 seasons. Here's what I learned:

    1. For starters, you can't just stroll into Kleinfeld and hope to get on the show.

    Kleinfeld

    You have to apply online to be featured on TV; the application includes questions like: "Describe yourself in three words"; "Please list the people shopping with you and tell us a bit about their personalities"; "Who is paying for your dress?"; "Who is influencing your gown decision?"; and "Have you filmed or appeared on another reality show in the last 12 months? If yes, please explain."

    2. But if you're a bride who made an appointment the old-fashioned way, you still might end up on TV.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    The show tapes four times a week over the span of 2 to 3 months, all while normal appointments are going on, so regular brides can still be seen in the background (unless they specifically request not to be).

    3. If you're on the show, you may end up spending five (!) hours in Kleinfeld taping your segment.

    Jaclyn Santos / Via jaclynsantos.com

    A non-TV appointment is around 90 minutes. Exit interviews and confessionals take up a lot of time, guys.

    4. Brides try on an average of 6 to 15 dresses during an appointment, but producers edit out dresses that don't get a big reaction.

    Kleinfeld

    So if someone's mom doesn't cry or tell her daughter she hates her dream dress, you probably won't see it on TV.

    5. The main area is way smaller than it looks on TV.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    I always thought there were, like, eight brides out there with huge entourages all at once, but in reality, there are only four (pretty small) areas for brides to show off their dresses.

    6. But there are 28 dressing rooms — which is good, because cameras and lights end up taking up a few of them when filming is going on.

    Jaclyn Santos / Via jaclynsantos.com

    Plus, a female producer has to stand in the dressing room with the bride to make sure they're getting all the shots they need. Talk about claustrophobia.

    7. The stockroom you see on the show is just one of three in the store, and it's just as overwhelming as it seems.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    The one you see most often is the largest of the three, and it's huge. Pictures definitely don't do it justice, and it makes a lot of sense why consultants HATE when friends and family go back there to find dresses on their own.

    8. The dresses are arranged by silhouette, and then alphabetically by designer within each category.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    The consultants end up getting used to the layout pretty fast, thanks to the 17,000 people that visit annually. Still, all the dresses look the same inside the garment bags!

    9. There are also dresses on the ceiling (!) that move around with the help of a custom Raylex system.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    Like the kind you see at a dry cleaner. The dresses on the ceiling are ones that have already been purchased and altered and are ready for pickup. I could've stood there and watched them move around for hours.

    10. Brides have more than 1,000 dresses made by more than 60 designers to choose from.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    11. In a surprise to no one who watches the show, Pnina Tornai is the most popular designer out of all of them.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    She's Kleinfeld's best-selling designer.

    12. And no, Tornai doesn't actually live inside Kleinfeld. She stops by the store monthly to host trunk shows and meet with brides-to-be, and those visits usually coincide with taping dates.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    13. The most expensive dress in stock right now is this $21,200 gown.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    And yup, it's a Pnina Tornai.

    14. And the most expensive ever sold at Kleinfeld cost $70,000. 👀

    TLC / Via youtube.com

    The custom beaded Pnina Tornai was sold five years ago, but sadly, the bride never shared pictures of the finished product with Kleinfeld.

    15. But the average dress sale is a comparatively reasonable $4,500.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    Still crazy expensive, TBH — the average amount spent on a wedding dress nationwide is $1,357.

    16. Something you never see on the show? The alterations department, which is downstairs and where all the dresses get custom-fitted.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    I was shocked to see this huge part of Kleinfeld that's literally never on TV. It's the largest custom sewing workroom in the tristate area, and it accommodates more than 90 seamstresses, beaders, pressers, and fitters.

    17. There's also a room dedicated to just sewing beads onto dresses next to it.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    Seamstresses add custom beading and work on tricky alterations on beaded dresses in there.

    18. Producers will put pretty much every bride they tape on the show, even if their wedding gets canceled.

    Kleinfeld

    Over the past 10 years, 725 brides have been featured on the more than 251 episodes.

    19. Thanks to the show, people bring many more guests to appointments than they used to, and they travel from farther away — like New Zealand, Japan, Angola, Dubai, and more — to get their dream dress.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    Before the show started, brides would bring 2 to 3 people (the amount Kleinfeld recommends), but recently, someone brought in 15 guests!

    20. All of Kleinfeld's 24 bridal consultants — and Randy, of course — have appeared on the show at some point.

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

    But some, like fan favorites Diane and Camille, appear more often than others.

    21. And consultants were asking, "Are you saying yes to the dress?" long before the show ever started.

    Kleinfeld

    A consultant started saying it more than 10 years ago, and said it so often that Halfyard, the production company, noticed and based the show's name on it. Even brides who aren't on the show are asked if they're saying yes to the dress.