Photo: tlc
When it comes to shopping for a wedding dress, the consultants atKleinfeld Bridalcertainly know their stuff.
The retail pros, who star alongside hostRandy FenolionSay Yes to the Dresshave helped thousands of brides find the perfect wedding gown on TLC’s long-runningreality series, which just wrapped up it’s 22nd season.
Kleinfeld, which initially began as a fur salon in Brooklyn in 1941, is now the largest luxury bridal store in the world, selling over a thousand different designer gowns. The retailer also recently collaborated with Zales for theirKleinfeld x Zalescollection, a selection of 15 lab-created diamond engagement rings and eight bands for brides, including sparkles with round, oval, marquise, pear, princess and emerald diamond shapes.
Below, some of Kleinfeld’s past and present consultants share what it’s like to work at the iconic store, which sees over 19,000 brides annually and sells over 10,000 gowns a year.
courtesy Kleinfeld’s
Amber Gaskins
Years at Kleinfeld: 3
After applying to a local bridal shop that same day, Gaskins got hired and her career in bridal began. “I spent years working at smaller boutiques, and I knew I wanted to be amongst the best in the industry,” she says, adding, “Which led me to N.Y. and Kleinfeld. I was a consultant at Kleinfeld for three years. I’m now a director of sales. It’s a pleasure to help women feel so confident during a time in their lives where they are so happy. It’s one of the reasons why I wake up in the morning. That will never get old!”
“First, remember to speak positively about your body during your shopping experience. This is your time to feel the most confident and beautiful and being hard on your body can make the process harder. Let your consultant know your favorite parts of your body so she can help you focus on highlighting those areas,” she says.
“Secondly, always choose the gown that feels like the most elevated version of you. You are allowed to look good in more than one gown, but this is not the time to ‘dye your hair blue.’ The dress you choose, the gown that is your wedding gown is the one that feels like you.”
Lisa Fuhrman
Years at Kleinfeld: 14
Fuhrman, who is often featured on the hit TLC show, was previously pursuing a career in “corporate America” before she decided to make a big change in 2009. “It’s the best. thing I ever did!” she says.
Throughout her career with Kleinfeld, Fuhrman has experienced many memorable moments with her brides, but nothing tops the time she went to a wedding on Coney Island where the bride insisted that she and Fenoli ride on the famous Slingshot ride. “I was absolutely terrified but survived! I cannot believe I actually did,” she says.
When it comes to choosing a favorite dress designer, Furhman adds she can’t single out just one, but that she loves particular dresses from a few different designers.
Her biggest tip for brides is simple: “Come shopping with an open mind because quite often the dress you purchase is not what you expected it to be.”
Debbie Asprea
Years at Kleinfeld: 30
Asprea, 66, comes from a stylish family, with her dressmaker dad and “fashionista” mom. So it was a natural choice when her sister-in-law showed her an ad in the newspaper for a bridal consultant position at Kleinfeld. At the time, she was a stay-at-home mom raising her two daughters.
After 30 years at Kleinfeld, Asprea says she has so many amazing memories from her time. “I have always and will always treat every bride as if they were my own family.”
That sentiment came full circle when she got the opportunity to style her two daughters for their big day. “Of all the brides I have had the honor and pleasure to help I would have to say that dressing my own two daughters was something beyond. I dressed them when they were born and when they wed. It’s a very special feeling.”
Asprea adds that “the sale comes naturally” when you create a “connection” with the bride and have that “passion” for styling.
The mom of two has appeared on the TLC series since its inception in 2007. “I have been a cast member ofSay Yessince it was born and yet I can’t get used to the fact that I get recognized in many places,” she says. “In restaurants, on vacation, in the doctor’s office (awkward) and even in a mask during COVID! I once had a person walk up to me and say, ‘You know you look just like that woman onSay Yes to the Dress. My husband laughs and says, ‘That’s because it is her!'”
Dorothy Silver
Years at Kleinfeld: 32
Silver, 66, has been in the retail business for a long time, having worked as a manager at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bonwit Teller before joining Kleinfeld as a merchandise director.
“I never dreamed of working in bridal, let alone working in Brooklyn back in the day, but I was hooked once I walked through the doors at Kleinfeld,” she says. At the time Kleinfeld owner Mara Urshel asked her to join the team.
“I always said that when it comes to bridal, you’re either in it for a minute or a lifetime. For me it’s my life. The emotionality of the business is what hooked me. I found it extremely rewarding to be part of someone’s most important time in their life.”
Last year, Silver “got engaged to the boy next door” and is planning her own wedding. “I already have two wedding gowns and who knows there might be a third on the way!”
When it comes to finding the perfect dress, her advice for brides is to “relax and enjoy the process.”
“Don’t bring an entourage,” Silver says. “Only bring the people that you trust with their opinion. Also trust the stylist you will be working with. They are trained to know exactly what will work for you and what won’t.”
Krissy Ross
Years at Kleinfeld: 4
Ross, 33, started her bridal career as a teenager.
“I was scouted out to work for a bridal boutique at the young age of 15,” she explains. “I was working a summer job at a hair salon as a receptionist and the client, Linda, would always compliment me. She asked me to come to work for her after the summer ended and it was full speed ahead. She taught me everything from bridesmaids dresses, dyeing shoes, buying accessories and clothing to bridal gowns. I’ll forever be grateful for her seeing that spark in me that I was meant to be in fashion!”
Years later, Ross who is a singer, songwriter and actress moved to New York City “on a whim” to pursue a career in entertainment.
Ross adds that what viewers see on the show is very true to life. “We are always faced with new challenges we have to overcome to make our amazing bride’s dreams come true. People are always surprised to see us in the store. We do not just help brides on the show. We are on our feet all day running around the store hunting for dresses for our brides!”
And when it comes to dresses, Ross said she’s partial to Pnina Tornai.
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Zoey Scheer
Years at Kleinfeld: 8
Before Scheer, 31, landed her job at Kleinfeld, she was also a fan of the reality series.
“I was watching aSay Yesmarathon with my mom and thought ‘Why not apply? That looks like a good time!’ I love styling clothes and I could help a bride style the most important day of her life.”
In the last eight years, Scheer has helped many brides, but one of her favorites is still her “gorgeous bride with pink and purple and hair covered in tattoos,” Heather Reicher, who came in ahead of her wedding to WWE’s Mick Foley.
“The minute I saw her and Mick, I knew it was going to be a very fun and memorable appointment,” she recalls. “She had a very short wear date, so immediately I needed to check what dresses we could sell out of stock. My bride was on the edgier side, so I wanted her to look badass on her wedding day. I picked a few samples to start that I thought fit the vibe. We had this amazing pink and purple Hayley Paige dress that had such an ethereal look mixed with Heather’s tattoos and hair, chef’s kiss, loved it! We had a lot in common behind the scenes, lots of laughs and still keep in touch today.”
Scheer adds that there are so many moving parts to keeping Kleinfeld the well oiled bridal machine that it is.
source: people.com
