25 Things Brides Aren't Allowed To Do On Say Yes To The Dress, Updated 2024

Choosing a wedding dress is a pivotal life moment for many people, so why not share it with the world? Now in its 17th season, Say Yes to the Dress remains one of TLC’s biggest reality show hits. The series premiered in 2007 and has since spawned not one, but seven, spinoff shows, not to mention transformed the New York bridal salon where it takes place into a popular tourist destination. For many brides, getting a dress at Kleinfeld is as much about status and making a statement as it is about having a memorable experience that will last a lifetime. Many, of course, hope to appear on the iconic reality show itself.

But like all reality shows, this one isn’t necessarily a true representation of real life. Instead, it comes with its own set of rules meant to help with the production of the show and give audiences what they want to see. And because this show takes place inside a real-life bridal salon, the featured participants are also customers who are expected to adhere to the store’s own set of rules.

This is 25 Things Brides Aren’t Allowed To Do On Say Yes to the Dress.

25 Have A Purse Out

Ever notice how a lot of people on reality TV shows don’t tend to carry around purses or the other regular everyday personal items that the rest of us lug with us wherever we go? More specifically, ever notice how neither the bride nor her friends and family members on the salon couch seem to have purses with them? Brides are notoriously not allowed to carry purses on the show, as this could interfere with filming and most likely just creates unnecessary clutter in an already crowded space. According to Diply, brides on the show and their entourage actually have to give up their purses pretty much upon arrival.

24 Have A Cell Phone Out

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

23 Show Up Late

22 Miss Or Postpone The Appointment

21 Wear Pink

20 Request A Specific Consultant

Ever notice how the main consultant featured on each episode tends to contrast either physically or in personality with the bride? This is apparently done on purpose. According to The List, the show selects which consultant will appear on the episode depending on how they will compare with the bride. For example, taller brides receive shorter consultants, brides with no accent get consultants with accents, brunettes pair with blondes, etc. It is also worth noting that there is no option to request a specific consultant on either the Kleinfeld appointment booking page or the Say Yes to the Dress show application.

19 Request When The Episode Will Air

Sorry, brides-to-be, but there is no guarantee that your appearance on Say Yes to the Dress will be delayed until after your wedding. While the application for the show does ask for the bride’s wedding date, this appears to be more for shopping factors rather than having anything to do with when the episode will air. The show even faced legal trouble when a bride found out her episode would air before her wedding date. Not wanting her fiancé or her wedding guests to see the gown before the big day, she attempted to sue TLC in 2016 when they refused to change the air date. She lost the case.

18 Have Total Say Over Their Entourage

17 Ask For Total Privacy in the Dressing Room

Most people don’t like changing in front of people they don’t know, but imagine doing so in front of not just one stranger but multiple strangers in addition to bulky camera equipment. According to multiple sources, a female production crew member is in the dressing room with the bride at all times, and the consultant is usually there to ensure the dress goes on and off properly. One bride even managed to sneak a photo of the camera equipment, as seen above. We suppose that the brides who appear on this show aren’t allowed to be claustrophobic or shy either!

16 Ask For Other Dress Shoppers To Not Be Around

15 Choose Which Dresses They Try On

14 Choose Which Dresses Appear On The Show

It’s one thing not being able to choose exactly which dresses to try on, but brides also aren’t able to pick out which of these make the final cut of the show. The truth is that brides usually try on a lot more than the dresses that are featured on the episode. The post-production crew then edits out the dresses that don’t get a strong reaction (good or bad, meaning a bad reaction dress is far more likely to appear than a more neutral one), and the brides do not get to have a say in how the episode turns out.

13 Go Into The Storeroom

While we’ve seen the storeroom many times on the show, it’s an open fact that this is a place that’s meant for consultants only. The sheer size of it and the amount of dresses makes it easy to see why – customers would just get in the way and seriously risk messing up the organization. Brides expecting to go looking through the giant room of dresses themselves are out of luck (remember how we just said they don’t get to pick out the dresses anyway?) That said, this isn’t a hard rule as we’ve definitely seen some brides here on the show find their way in there as their visibly uncomfortable consultants looked on.

12 Bring In Outside Food Or Beverages

Hey, it’s a room packed full of white wedding dresses, so we definitely understand this rule! The salon’s website states that only water is allowed to be taken inside the main showroom area (and it just so happens that Kleinfeld provides their own signature bottled water), and this just doesn’t seem like the type of show where a big craft services table is readily available just around the corner. Seeing as filming a single bride’s appearance can take around five hours or even longer, we’re willing to bet that the bride and her entourage are more than ready to go eat once they’re done.