• When I was on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," I was surprised by a few things.
• The show isn't scripted, and I still receive fan mail years later. 
• I thought Randy Fenoli was nice and caring and I liked that we share a Louisiana connection.

Back in 2016, I was on a special episode of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" (season 15, episode six).

I planned to get married earlier that year, but when my Louisiana home flooded and my gown was destroyed, it looked like my dream wedding was ruined. As my fiancé and I considered pushing the date back, "Say Yes to the Dress" posted an online request for brides-to-be who were affected by the flood.

A friend nominated me and I was selected to be on the show. Here are five surprising things I learned from my "Say Yes to the Dress" episode.

I'm one of few people — if not the only bride — who received a free dress on 'Say Yes to the Dress'

Normally, the "Say Yes to the Dress" team starts by breaking down your budget, but because my original wedding gown was destroyed, I received a free dress.

My episode highlighted the tragedy of the flood that took most of my belongings and I was offered the best care by bridal designer Randy Fenoli and his team. "Say Yes" flew my husband and me to New York, where we stayed in a lavish hotel right by Times Square.

My family lost everything in the flood, so it was a huge contrast to go from watching all of our stuff wash away to wearing a Mark Zunino gown, Jimmy Choo shoes, and Kleinfield's own collection of jewelry.

Fenoli was so kind, and we even shared a personal connection

As we filmed, I could feel Fenoli had a strong bond with the people who he worked with to tell my story. I'm still so grateful to have been chosen to share my experience about planning a wedding that felt as if it would never happen, and I cannot thank that team enough for helping me feel the most beautiful and cared for.

During the process, I learned that Fenoli actually grew up in Louisiana, and he's also dealt with natural disasters. He was trapped in a two-story apartment in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

I think my experience touched him because it was a story that was so close to home.

I still talk to Fenoli to this day, and he featured my story in a special season-17 episode where he discussed his most memorable brides.

The show isn't scripted

The crew captured my genuine reactions.

And if I said something funny, cute, or cool, I quickly learned to expect to see that footage over and over again.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any of the footage of my own wedding

I was so excited to have such an enormous film crew and producers record my wedding because I thought I would receive some of the footage. I also didn't hire my own videographer to capture the details of my entire wedding, so sadly, I don't have the day's events on film. 

Still, the "Say Yes" production team gave me five minutes of absolute fabulousness.

Hindsight is 20/20, but I still wish I would've known the footage wouldn't be available to me because I definitely would've hired a videographer.

I still receive fan mail about our episode every so often

People may not know that my husband and I have split up since our episode aired.

Still, every time fans contact me, I don't really know what to say other than, "Thank you."

This story was originally published on July 14, 2022, and most recently updated on December 20, 2024.