Right off the bat, we’re looking at an episode with sisterly conflict. Sisters Jackie (28, consultant Carmel) and Jill (26, consultant Debbie) are getting married three months apart and have come to Kleinfeld’s for a joint appointment.
I love my sister but holy shit this is a terrible idea. Imagine. You just want this day to be about you. But no!!
The sister’s mom is paying $3,000 for each of their dresses. I assumed that Jackie was planning to cover the remaining $2,000 of her dress budget, but no.
The sisters are also here with their mom and their unnamed oldest sister. For those keeping track at home, that makes Jackie the middle child and Jill the baby of the family. The mom describes all three sisters as growing up “like triplets.” All of this, to me, does not bode well.
Debbie immediately grabs Randy for help with this appointment (in Debbie’s words, she will never refuse help from anyone) and Carmel – per usual – prefers to work alone.
These dresses do not impress the sisters.
These also don’t impress the sisters. Jackie likes the straight neckline, and Jillian is feeling very lost in her sea of terrible lace. Having the attention split between the sisters honestly seems like it’s making them both distracted from what they’re trying to do here, which is overspend on a dress.
Here is where this appointment flies off the rails. Jackie falls in love with this gown… when it’s suddenly revealed that her budget is NOT $5,000, as she told Carmel, but $3,000. Jackie’s mom immediately shoots this down, when Jill has an objectively insane idea: what if they just share the dress?
Every single person in the salon thinks this idea is insane except for this family. What if the dress is ripped, or stained, or otherwise ruined at wedding #1 (which is Jill’s wedding!!)
Debbie and Carmel leave the family alone to think it over. When they come back, they strongly suggest that the sisters go home and really think about this. To absolutely no one’s surprise, the sisters decide not to go through with this, and leave empty handed.
Elsewhere in the salon, Dianne is having a much better day that Debbie and Carmel.
Barbie is here with her parents, her fiancé (who is banished to the lobby for this appointment), her brother, and her brother’s fiancé. Importantly, her brother’s wedding is six months after Barbie’s wedding.
Barbie wants a trumpet dress with a long train and heavy beading. She’s a big fan of the first dress she tries, but she isn’t totally sold.
You know who was sold on the dress? Her brother’s fiancé Vanessa, who says that if Barbie doesn’t buy that dress, she will. What a funny thing to say!!
On the way back to the dressing room, Barbie spies another dress on a rack and asks to try it on.
She’s glowing and she’s in love with this dress. You know what that means…
Oh yes. It’s Vanessa’s turn. The fiancés trade places, and the brides trade dresses.
Vanessa says yes and Dianne gets two sales in a single appointment slot, like the immaculate queen that she is.
Finally, we have an alterations bride!
You may recognize Roz from a previous episode. She’s back for her first fitting. Roz has lost about twenty pounds since she initially bought the dress, so it’s Vera to the rescue to make sure everything fits.
I truly hate this style of dress. I don’t understand the appeal of looking like someone has wrapped 5 yards of duchesse satin around you.
This right here is why I don’t work in bridal.
Final Score:
- Entourage of 5+ people: +3 points
- Bride has a “bridal moment”: +5 for Barbie +5 for Vanessa
- Bride starts with a very specific vision and picks something completely different: +8 points
- Bride has appeared on this show before: +10 points
- Manager Intervention: +5 points
Total: 36/100
Bye beautiful! See you next time!
