After I was done with Cake Boss I felt I needed another reality show so I turned to a fellow TLC show, 'Say Yes to the Dress.' I was able to watch the first 5 seasons and I couldn't get enough of it, I just flew right through it. The good thing, although I guess it couldn't also be taken as a bad thing, is that there isn't much to these kind of shows that makes you think about the bigger problems. Really you're just watching brides find their perfect dress. It gets frustrating when moms, dads and friends take over the appointment but its rewarding when the bride starts crying over her dress. For reality television it's quite an emotional show and of course they milk it for all its worth trying to find brides with the biggest stories.
It's all about finding the perfect dress and one person to help is the consultant. Most of the consultants staid the same through the series but there were a couple of one seasoners. Starting in the second season Randy came on board as a fashion consultant and at first I didn't really like him. He was pushy and pulled dresses without talking to the consultant. I think that's what bothered me the most because he would talk to the bride directly asking the same questions that the consultant had already asked. I guess somewhat good in the sense that it would prevent miscommunication via a second hand teller but I thought stepped on too many toes. However, as the episodes progressed and the consultants got used to Randy he grew on me. I agreed with a lot of what he said, sometimes more than the consultants themselves. He added something to the show which gave it more life and depth.
I don't envy the consultant's job at all, okay maybe I gave it a moment's thought, but just a moment. Having to deal with highly strung emotional people all day would be torture and having to keep their sales up is a terrifying thought but their work is rewarding. Almost all of the brides talk about the feeling people expect to get in the dress that tells them 'this is the one' and almost all find it in a moment of tears and beaming faces. It's great to be able to see that moment of finding the perfect dress the problem I have it when that moment is ruined by money or disapproving families. It's depressing to think how little spine some people have or rather how much they would rather please other people over themselves. For example one woman was getting her vows renewed and came with her husband and their two sons. She had found a dress she liked and her sons had found another one. At first she went with the one she like the most which was more revealing and sexy and her sons were all whiny and disappointed so she then changed her mind and went with the puffy sparkly dress her sons had picked out. Those are the moments in the show which are disappointing.
There are uplifting moments as well and times where you feel good about people. Dianne had a client who had survived stage four breast cancer and she was trying to get her a good deal on her dress which was $900 over her budget. Feeling a personal connection with the client, as Dianne had lost her own mother to stage four breast cancer she asked Joan id she could pay the difference without the client knowing. It was just a moment of generosity which unfortunately isn't seen that much any more. Joan, the manager wouldn't allow her to do that but they did get the price within her budget.
The budget definitely becomes a problem for some brides and the amount of money they want to spend on a dress that they'll wear for one day shocks me. One bride in particular stands out for me. She was having a traditional Muslim ceremony and then a Christian ceremony at Disneyland. She bought a $11,000 dress on the second ceremony and then came back later for another dress for the reception. The shows justifies it through the dreams of the little girl, which tells me that the little girl hasn't grown up yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment