by Nishaka Proctor

I spent a couple hours at a Bridal Fitting for one of my Brides and her Bridesmaids. We actually had a really good time with one another. The Bride, Four of the Bridesmaids, one Jr. Bridesmaid, Three Friends, plus the Wedding Planner were present for the fitting. A big group right. If you watch “Say Yes to the Dress”, one of my favorite shows, the Consultants are always concerned about the number of family and friends in attendance along with how they will respond every time the Bride presents each dress. Normally I do too! Amazingly, we had a great time and everything went smoothly. It made me think, why? How did 10 women enjoy the experience with each other? Here is what I assessed regarding the experience. Whether you are the Bride, Bridesmaids, Mother of the Bride, or friends of the Bride, you may find this helpful.

1. The Bride carefully selected her Bridesmaids. She selected women who she has a strong bond and relationship with. Women who really wanted to be apart of the journey with her.

2. The Bride also selected very close friends to attend who have the capability to be honest, but honest in a loving way. Each one watched her facial expression and asked the Bride “How do you feel in it?” before they gave their opinions.

3. The Bride already knew the style of the dress she was looking for. Everyone in attendance understood her style was HER style and they saw the dress from the Bride’s Eye and not their own.

4. The energy of the ladies was up lifting and excitable. I could tell that everyone was happy for the Bride and wanted to see her happy.

5. The Wedding Planner – I’ve heard several times on “Say Yes to the Dress” how annoyed the Consultants are with the Wedding Planner trying to take over. I’ve seen how over bearing they can be on the show. My purpose for attending was to help assist where ever needed, take notes, and make the Consultants life easier. Prior to the fitting, the Bride selected a series of dresses for her self and the her Bridesmaids. I copied and paste the pictures in a Word Document along with the item numbers and presented the document to the Consultant. She was grateful that we knew what we were looking for and had everything organized! We also welcomed her opinions and ideas in the appointment.

Overall, we had a great experience and the Bride did say “Yes the Dress”!