Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta

So as the show finally aired Friday night, I wanted to write a quick blog about it :)  I'm going to include the original blog I wrote the day after we filmed & also share my thoughts after watching the show. :)  If you didn't get to catch the show, they put full episodes online, and they also show repeats (next Friday 8PM).

 Here is the blog that was written back in September:
"Yesterday my mom (Donna), Steve's mom (Phyllis), Steve's sister
(Rachelle), Kylie, Candice, & I all went to Bridals by Lori to start
our filming.  We were all full of nerves, high emotions, & excitement,
and really had no idea what to expect.  As we started the filming the
nerves started to go away and we started to have fun! :)  I was pretty
excited to have Robin as my bridal consultant.  When you see someone
on TV, it's hard to tell how they truly are as a person because you
may think most of it is staged.  However, Robin is as sweet & caring
as she appears on TV.  She comes in being a big ball of energy & truly
cared about our story & wanted this experience to be amazing.  All the
producers, camera crew, & directors of say yes were also amazing.
They were warm, caring, & sensitive to the story.  They truly were
touched & wanted to share some inspiration with the world!  They
really made sure they got all the details about Stephen & how amazing
of a person he is.
As we started the dress hunt, I was very specific that I have a strict
budget.  Robin was amazing & she & I began looking at the off rack
dresses, which are the dresses that are 1/2 off the total price.  She
truly listened to me & helped pull dresses that I described that I
would want.  I tried on 1 dress that I wasn't feeling & the next one
was one that I really liked, but I didn't feel 100% about.  We decided
to walk out & do the runway because I did like it...I was so excited
about that part!  As I'm on the runway & we are talking about the
dress, Lori came on the runway to introduce herself.  I was equally
surprised how truly caring & sweet she was in person.  Because it was
obvious I wasn't totally over the top about this dress, Robin & Lori
decided to have me try on another dress.  Now this dress I LOVED!
They brought it in, & I immediately am excited.  I try it on & Robin,
Lori, & I all agree that this could be the dress.  I'm even more
excited this time to go show everyone on the runway.  As I came out
"the moms" (mine & Steve's mom) were saying absolutely not & everyone
else wasn't all that impressed.  I was devastated, but Lori & Robin
quickly came to my defense & we all tried to find out what their
dissatisfaction was.  Once it was determined it was an issue with the
dress needing altered, & the team showed them it could be fix everyone
was back on my side! :)
At this time, I was thinking I'm about to say yes to the dress & was
overwhelmed with excitement.  They decided to "Jack me up" (which for
those who don't know is when they accessorize you).  After being
jacked up & all of us being wowed by the complete look, we then looked
at the price.  UH-Oh...it's not in my price range.  Robin & I weren't
necessarily looking at the prices & it was 4,800 & even with the 50%
off it's still out of my price range.  At this point I am
disappointed.  However, this only lasts for a minute (literally)!
Lori, then asks me, "Hope do you love the dress?"  & I say, "...well
yes..."  Not thinking anything of it due to the budget, and Lori then
quickly responds, "Well I am here to give you Hope, & I'm going to
give you all of this (the dress & accessories)."  I, almost fainting,
am just overwhelmed with emotions & can only hug Lori & Robin & my
crew at this point.  I had no words, I was beyond shocked!  As we all
celebrated, I looked around & realized everyone in the room was crying
(this is including camera crew, producers, directors, consultants,
friends, & family).  It was truly an amazing & touching experience!
Lori has one of the biggest hearts she didn't flinch to give me about
$6,000 dollars worth of merchandise just because of the kindness in
her heart!  It was one of the sweetest gestures & with this experience
& how wonderful everyone surrounding us has been in reminds me that
there are still a lot of great people left in the world!
So after all was said & done with filming me finding my dress, they
decided it would be even more special to film the wedding.  Because
the story is Steve & I celebrating our love together no matter what is
thrown at us.  Because they want to get the message out, that it is
important to continue to live your life the way you dreamed it even
with adversity thrown at you, filming the wedding makes perfect sense.
I am so excited to see my loves face as I walk down the aisle.  I
can't wait to marry him & celebrate our love with our closest friends
& family!"


So here are my thoughts after watching the show:
I'm just as touched by the sweetness that Robin & Lori showed me after watching the show as I am the day it happened.  I can't put into words how much this whole experience has uplifted Steve & I.  It's amazing all the positive response we have gotten, and all the support.  They edited the show & made it fantastic!  I was so pleased as was Steve.  We had some amazing friends over to watch the episode, and again there wasn't a dry eye in the house. 


I would recommend Bridals by Lori to anyone that needs a wedding dress & although Robin is my favorite :) the entire staff there are sweet amazing people.  It was truly one of the most amazing experiences and I'm so glad we did it. 

In case you missed it:
Steve & I chatted with Mike Clark with Pittsburgh Channel 4 News
Where the full episode will be shown for Bridals By Lori
Our Amazing Wedding Video by Jeff Kaplan & Taylor Graves