Say "No" to the dress

[mayachel]

I''ve been watching "Say Yes..." and I have to say, I don''t really get it. Sure I''m up for wedding ****, but the women who run Kleinfeld''s are not portrayed as the warm happy glowy people I''d want to spend my engagement with. To me they come across as rude to their employees and patronizing to their clients. The big business and low customer care. Why are they "always right"? What a weird show.

 

[shertz1981]

Hmm. I love Say Yes to the Dress, and I agree and disagree -- it totally depends on the consultant, IMO. Some of them are great, some ... not

 

[110203]

Agree.

I always thought about going there just for the experience. After seeing the show, I''d rather not!

 

[honey22]

What''s this show you speak of? We don''t get it Down Under

 

[jstarfireb]

Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!! And anyone who wants something different from the norm is ridiculed with silly music and snarky comments (I think someone was looking for a dress with black trim on one episode for example).

People bash David''s Bridal all the time for similar reasons (pushy consultants, big-business mindset, etc.). I don''t see how Kleinfeld''s is any better, if IRL it''s anything like the show.

 

[Munchkin]

I haven't watched the show often because I didn't love the appointment I had there. I was definitely pushed to make a decision to buy a dress that day. It was an almost uncomfortable experience, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. When I first saw the commercials I said to DH "they're making a show about the wedding dress factory I told you about." (ETA I always referred to it as a factory because it seemed like I was just a product being assembled.)

The few episodes I've seen, the consultants ran the gamut of sincerity in their interest in the bride's happiness. Some seem to genuinely care (and they tend to be the ones who have supervisors cutting into the appointments) and some are obviously just out for a sale.

It's funny you commented on the show today, though, as I actually watched a full episode last night. The main players were: an older woman who waited 20 years to marry her partner, a twin and a beauty queen. As I watched I hoped there was a pscoper out there watching the same episode. The twin of the bride was a beast. A total beast. I said to DH, "she's kind of a b---h." He replied "if you dropped two words it would be more accurate." I truly hope she regretted her behavior once she saw the episode. The consultant for the twin seemed to truly care about making it all about the bride. It was the brides family that ruined it.

 

[mayachel]

Honey, I bet you could find it online to watch at hulu dot com. It''s called "Say Yes to the Dress". It is done at a famous nyc bridal dress store. Basically, they have tons of dresses, tons of consultants and brides to be. The viewers get to hear a bit about the back story of the bride and her fiance and what she''s looking for, and then they feature the employees running around trying to find the perfect dress or complain about their customer (whom they also make a hefty commission off of.)

 

[HollyS]

Date: 11/12/2009 6:58:15 PM
Author:mayachel
I''ve been watching ''Say Yes...'' and I have to say, I don''t really get it. Sure I''m up for wedding ****, but the women who run Kleinfeld''s are not portrayed as the warm happy glowy people I''d want to spend my engagement with. To me they come across as rude to their employees and patronizing to their clients. The big business and low customer care. Why are they ''always right''? What a weird show.

Rude, sometimes. Unclassy and tasteless, often. And for some reason, not able to handle a difficult mother-of-the-bride at all!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Honey,

It looks like there are video clips here on the program''s official site: Say Yes to the Dress

 

[E B]

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.

I still watch it though.

 

[Miya03]

Munchkin--I watched that this morning! Oh my goodness, I can''t even imagine what that poor girl was going through--what a curse to have someone who looks EXACTLY like you be such a horrible person! I felt so bad for the poor bride who was trying to appease all of those awful people. That sister was one of the worst I''ve ever seen.

I''ve got to say, this show is one of my guilty pleasures, but not the experience I''d want to have personally, since I know that I need a little time to think about decisions and am not great at making them on the spot. I had a GREAT experience at my wedding dress shop (Maison de Mode in Houston if anyone is interested) because they let me come in twice, stay for as long as I wanted, and were unfailingly nice about putting me in and out of dresses about 20 times. I can''t imagine being hustled in and out the way they do at Kleinfelds, but obviously it seems to work for them.

 

[shertz1981]

I probably shouldn''t admit this, but I''m going a week from Sunday and I''m super excited.

 

[caribqueen]

One positive for me though, is that because I was so unfamiliar with wedding dresses before my engagement, "Say Yes to the Dress" allowed me to see what different wedding dress styles looked like on real people (different cultures, colors, sizes) versus the models in the magazines.

 

[iheartscience]

I don't know, I think it depends on the sales associate. I kind of love that show!

And yeah, that twin was MEAN! And I know the beauty queen who was on that episode in real life-I LOVED the dress she ended up with!

 

[shertz1981]

Date: 11/12/2009 8:08:54 PM
Author: thing2of2
I don''t know, I think it depends on the sales associate. I kind of love that show!


And yeah, that twin was MEAN! And I know the beauty queen who was on that show! I LOVED the dress she ended up with!

You know ... I never would have picked out that dress for myself, but I *loved* it on her. It was perfection.

I also loved how insane one of the consultants was for the woman who had had lymphoma. She was bound and determined to find her a dress she loved (backstory was that the woman was an athlete, but became very differently shaped from her cancer treatments and was feeling absolutely terrible about herself).

 

[Miya03]

I do agree that some of the sales consultants seem like they try really hard to please their brides (I love Keasha).

 

[purrfectpear]

Date: 11/12/2009 7:55:03 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.

I still watch it though.

Going to Kleinfelds with a $2K budget and whining is like showing up at Neimans with $20 and wanting a suit.

They cater to a certain demographic and there''s nothing wrong with that IMO.

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 11/12/2009 8:44:58 PM
Author: purrfectpear

Date: 11/12/2009 7:55:03 PM

Author: EBree

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM

Author: jstarfireb

Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.


I still watch it though.

Going to Kleinfelds with a $2K budget and whining is like showing up at Neimans with $20 and wanting a suit.

They cater to a certain demographic and there''s nothing wrong with that IMO.

Fair enough, given that they carry a lot of high-end designer lines and even have their own designer (Pnina Whatshername). But I just think they shouldn''t be so condescending to brides with more strict budgets, because I''m sure they have more dresses at lower price points than they let on.

 

[katamari]

Date: 11/12/2009 8:44:58 PM
Author: purrfectpear

Date: 11/12/2009 7:55:03 PM

Author: EBree

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM

Author: jstarfireb

Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.


I still watch it though.

Going to Kleinfelds with a $2K budget and whining is like showing up at Neimans with $20 and wanting a suit.

They cater to a certain demographic and there''s nothing wrong with that IMO.

I certainly agree about it being okay to have a niche market, pp, but for me, the issue with Kleinfeld is that about 1/3 of their dresses are listed on the site as being between $1,500 and $3,000 At least based on my quick websearch of their site. I have never actually been). Neimans does not advertise or carry $20 suits. Women going in who really can afford at least a third of their stock--probably more like half once you consider how many samples they have--and who are spending $2000 on a dress (and item of clothing that they will wear once for only a couple hours, no less) are framed as being cheap or presenting them with an impossible challenge. That does leave a sour taste to me.

I also hate how they will often play with the bride''s budget by knowing the budget but showing her that one dress that is like the one she wants but half the price. Seems kinda manipulative.

 

[sonnyjane]

Date: 11/12/2009 7:55:03 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM

Author: jstarfireb

Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.

I still watch it though.

I agree, that''s my biggest issue with the show as well. On the whole, with some exceptions of course, I find they are quite kind and sensitive with most of the brides, and only resort to the rudeness when the bride (or someone in her party) is being really difficult. I don''t think they are rude to everyone with a small budget, just those that have a small budget, but are expecting to walk away with a $20,000 gown, and get upset when it doesn''t happen.

 

[sba771]

That is why I went to Mark Ingram instead in NYC. Much classier IMHO and the ladies were so nice to work with. I didn''t feel pressure at all and my consultant answers any and all of my emails. I am a NY bride and I never had any desire to go to Kleinfeld''s due to that show. Also when you are in NY you can go to many of the designers flagship stores directly!

 

[honey22]

Thanks guys! I will have to check those out, I love shows like that

 

[cleokizzy]

i remember there''s one PSer who was at this show!!! i''m pretty sure i''m not hallucinating on this, but with her, the show said she had bought the gown from them EVEN if in actuality did not! (i''d have to find that thread... and get back to you)

i''m ashamed to say this but i actually got an offer to be on the show for my appointment! they told me my appointment time fell on the same date & time that they have filming scheduled so they asked me if i would be interested in being featured... i *SERIOUSLY* couldn''t sleep for a whole week because of that! i was trying to decide whether or not i want to be televised but i

chickened

out so i declined the offer. i had a great experience with them though! they were friendly and accommodating not unlike the recent episodes that they''ve shown (or even with the rerun eps).

 

[princesss]

Having never been there, I do want to give them the benefit of the doubt. TV shows need characters, they need drama, they need some kind of plot. Without the secondary characters (the sales staff), it''s just the same story over and over. They need subplots, and they will edit the footage to fit whatever plot they''ve hatched up.

 

[happydreams]

Date: 11/13/2009 1:47:31 PM
Author: princesss
Having never been there, I do want to give them the benefit of the doubt. TV shows need characters, they need drama, they need some kind of plot. Without the secondary characters (the sales staff), it''s just the same story over and over. They need subplots, and they will edit the footage to fit whatever plot they''ve hatched up.

I agree. I''ve been to about 5-6 bridal salons around NYC and I didn''t find Kleinfeld''s salespeople are any pushier than the other places I''ve been to. It''s all for the show, and perhaps things they say "behind" the bride''s back, but this propbably happens in every bridal salon. I did end up buying my dress at Kleinfelds, and the sales lady was not pushy at all. It was just the right dress at the right time.

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 11/13/2009 1:34:35 PM
Author: cleokizzy
i remember there''s one PSer who was at this show!!! i''m pretty sure i''m not hallucinating on this, but with her, the show said she had bought the gown from them EVEN if in actuality did not! (i''d have to find that thread... and get back to you)

i''m ashamed to say this but i actually got an offer to be on the show for my appointment! they told me my appointment time fell on the same date & time that they have filming scheduled so they asked me if i would be interested in being featured... i *SERIOUSLY* couldn''t sleep for a whole week because of that! i was trying to decide whether or not i want to be televised but i

chickened

out so i declined the offer. i had a great experience with them though! they were friendly and accommodating not unlike the recent episodes that they''ve shown (or even with the rerun eps).

The PSer was Sparkalicious. BlissfulBride was on the show as well and DID get her gown there.

I visited Kleinfeld''s Bridal last winter, right after I got engaged. I''ll admit I was just going there to take advantage of their huge selection and had no real intention of buying anything from them though I did fall in love with several of their gowns. It was a fun experience but I got a weird consultant (the one with the super dark lip liner).

I agree with Holly as well- they do seem to have a really hard time wrangling unruly and rude MOBs on the show.

 

[hisdiamondgirl]

I don''t really watch the show that much (have only seen it a few times) but I have an appointment there the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I am a little nervous because I am pretty sure I am not going to be buying the dress on the same day since I am a bit undecisive at times and like to sleep on things! Hopefully, I won''t get somebody who is too pushy and understands that it is my first time trying on dresses!!!!!

 

[KatM]

Date: 11/12/2009 8:29:37 PM
Author: Miya03
I do agree that some of the sales consultants seem like they try really hard to please their brides (I love Keasha).

+1. She''s awesome.

 

[Bia]

Date: 11/12/2009 7:55:03 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM

Author: jstarfireb

Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.


I still watch it though.

I''m watching it now and I was thinking the same thing. A $2000 budget is like the bare minimum! How is that possible with the inventory they carry?

 

[cleokizzy]

Date: 11/13/2009 9:10:30 PM
Author: Bia

Date: 11/12/2009 7:55:03 PM

Author: EBree

Date: 11/12/2009 7:06:08 PM


Author: jstarfireb


Yup, I especially don''t like how patronizing they are when it comes to budget issues. Her budget is ONLY $2000? God forbid!!!

This is my biggest issue with the show. They act like it''s a huge inconvenience to find what a bride wants because there are so few dresses under $2,000, which is ridiculous if they TRULY carry as many dresses as they say they do.



I still watch it though.

I''m watching it now and I was thinking the same thing. A $2000 budget is like the bare minimum! How is that possible with the inventory they carry?

have you seen that episode earlier of the bleached-blonde hair girl with a budget of $5k??? and the consultant said it''s going to be difficult in finding a "blingy" gown for that price! $5k?!? there''s a TON of options for that price point.