Don’t Tell the Bride

“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Cody & Joanna – The Dress is Everything!

by patricia on December 20, 2011

Despite the rough time financially that set Cody back into his mother’s home, Cody and Joanna were determined to make it to the alter. So when the Don’t Tell the Bride came along…it was a dream come true.

Although this is a great opportunity, Joanna can’t help but be worried and apprehensive. She can’t help but be afraid that her fiancé will dress her in his preference….like a “slut”. Could you imagine? How horrible! As she listed her favorite colors and the hope of a non-modern to the producers, Cody was already getting it wrong. I was hopeful his groomsman, Jordan, would offer him so tasteful guidance….until he mentioned making it a “goth” wedding. As much as everyone loves black, I am not sure it is the theme she is hoping for.

Let me just say – thank God for moms! Cody’s mom, Barbara, couldn’t help but overhear the lackluster details. She quickly sat down to point her son in the right direction.

However the groom went in his own direction….cake testing! With blue velvet cake as the winner, he set his focus on the venue. As Joanna toured a beautiful hidden garden, Joe checked out concrete slab sound studios. Nothing says peace, tranquility and love like concrete! Luckily the empty space was overwhelming. Finding a space is hard enough…having to decide everything that goes into it is suicidal. Instead he settled for an outdoor ceremony at the Arboretum – all outdoor.

Now check out this deleted scene of Cody creating a special wedding invite for Joanna.

The dress was by far the most important decision he had to make. Joanna made that clear. Careful to make his decision, Cody was sure to check out another dress shop before making his choice. Torn between vintage and classic, he decided to take a break and play a gig. Apparently that got his creative juices flowing because confidently he chose the dress was certain she’d like it.

With catering from a friend, it appeared he was going to pull this off…until he locked in sunflowers for the wedding. Joanna hates sunflowers. I’m thinking Cody doesn’t bring Joanna flowers often enough! Massages for the ladies and a gun range for the guys made for not-so-typical bachelor or bachelorette parties, but Cody has proven to be an –out-of-the-box kind of guy. The women loved it.

Having only $400 to spare the day before the wedding, Joanna headed to the dress shop to finally see her wedding dress. As tears began to flow, she turned and softly cried “I hate it”. Her family quickly jumped into action. As they consoled her, her friend called Cody. With only 24 hours left, Joanna was led out as Cody made his way back to the dress shop….with only $400. Suddenly he was thinking of what could be cut. Hair, makeup, limos…he was determined to make it right. Luckily he had the help of her sister and it was perfect!

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“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Joe & Cristin – A Celtic Dream Wedding Comes True

by patricia on December 19, 2011

I have always thought it was nuts to let the groom plan the wedding on their own. Not that I don’t think they are capable but that is a super stressful situation. It’s like a test to see….do you know what I like or want? However, I think this is beyond nuts – letting a sports fanatic plan the wedding. I only pray he doesn’t have people throwing baseballs as they leave the ceremony.

Being careful to choose a day for the wedding that doesn’t conflict with the Red Sox game, it is clear that this may be a wedding nightmare. Joe and his groomsmen recognized that the venue the place they needed to start. As Cristin scouts out a local church, Joe focused on a local baseball field with hints of cracker jacks and a round of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Luckily he nixed the idea and headed towards a more classic idea…a clam bake! As he and his friend checked out venues, the focus seemed to be more on setting up arcade basketball games as opposed to dance space.

My fear was the dress but I really should have worried about ALL the details, starting with his idea for a ticket as the invitation…which would be covered in basketballs with bows not to mention a catchy theme poem. It won’t exactly scream elegance…or even whisper it, but at least he remembered them! When the boys sat down with the wedding dresses, it was first time he began to sweat. However it was the first real decision he made.

Over a couple of drinks Joe and his groomsman, Nick, made the final decision on a venue….a beautiful Lucianos’ at Lake Pearl. The only problem, Cristin didn’t want an outdoor wedding. But hey – at least she isn’t standing on a dusty pitcher’s mound. Check out this deleted scene from when he was looking for a place to hold the wedding.

Rolling with the punches, the tuxedos and bridesmaids game quickly. All in Boston Celtic color schemes, it was like a leprechaun wedding. Fortunately he kept the bridesmaids in the dark so they didn’t have all that “he did what” up until the wedding. That is one secret that would be hard to hold on. It is best they didn’t know.

The most clueless area…flowers. Looking to make flowers manly, Joe inquired about making the brides bouquet into the shape of a football and adding baseballs into the arrangements. I can’t believe the flower store didn’t shake him! However a 3-point shot was made on the actual invitation to his fiancée which was written on a basketball with a sharpie and delivered by Finz, the hockey mascot. It was actually sweet and a little nerve-wrecking. Suddenly it was clear that he was going to make this a sport’s theme wedding – not at all what she had hoped for. Cristin let us in our exactly what she was thinking, “I’m screwed!”

Two days before the wedding, the bachelor and bachelorette parties were in full swing. With limos, drinks and dancing, for once the groom spent more money on the bachelorette party than his own. How refreshing! The next day was all about the wedding dress. With tears of joy flowing, Cristin couldn’t have been happier with Joe’s choice. She looked amazing.

With some extra money burning a hole in his pockets, Joe headed to an event shop to see what novelty game he could incorporate into his wedding. With everything from oversized tricycles to boot camp obstacle courses to jousting, it wasn’t clear how big he was planning on going. Luckily he kept it to a basketball game.

With everyone geared up in their Celtic leprechaun attire, it actually turned out to be very elegant. Even Joe was crying. Cristin was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude for all that Joe had done. It was a great way to start a marriage.

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“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Tedric & Alfreda – A Father’s Princess

by patricia on December 19, 2011

After losing her father recently, Tedric wanted to give Alfreda a beautiful day she could remember. As the ideas poured from Tedric about crazy locations and funky themes (all things his bride hinted to hating), one thing was certain….he wanted everything to be “sexy” and out of the box. However, Alfreda knew exactly what she wanted – a Cinderella dress with a traditional church wedding loaded with elegance and romance. I am not really sure they are on the same page.

Tedric enlisted the help of his best man and friend since childhood, Eric. Settling in with a bottle of Jack and some video games, they brainstormed the perfect wedding. The winning idea – parachuting into the ceremony! That is certainly out of the box and he was serious. Still hoping to incorporate planes into the ceremony out of respect for her father, Tedric thought about securing a plane to bring Alfreda to the wedding. I have to admit…he is going BIG and totally original, but it is far from the traditional wedding his bride is hoping for. Trying to lock in the hanger, Tedric placed the call to get both bad news…and more bad news. First – no skydiving. There wasn’t enough time to pull it off. Secondly – it was going to cost them $8,500 for the venue. Hoping to hold to around $1,500 for the venue (he is crazy!), Tedric moved on in his search.

The cake was next on the list. As he sat down to discuss it, he informed the shop that he would want to get his hands into the batter….literally. He wanted to help make it. Once they agreed to let him help, the triangular, paisley-dotted cake was finalized.

Then there was the dress. Oh my. He decided he was going to rent the dress for $800. I can’t believe it. This isn’t the place to get cheap. Luckily as he chose the wedding ring, he wasn’t so cheap and he didn’t rent it! For $8,500 his bride’s ring…and his was thrown in as an added bonus.

The bridesmaids dresses were Tedric’s next obstacle. His goal was to find dresses that were “short in the front, party in the back”. Nothing says elegance like hoochie dresses. At least he chose black…and if they dare, they can wear it again. I am beginning to think this wedding is all about what Tedric wants. Check out this great deleted scene at the flower shop.

With so much to do, the guys headed off to Las Vegas for 3 days for his bachelor party. After a long weekend of gambling, dancing, drinking, the guys headed home to finish planning the wedding. Still with no venue and only a few days until the wedding, he was starting to get desperate and his choice showed it – four walls and bad casino carpets. The venue was more Elk Lodge and less wedding. At least it only cost him $350.

With only two days to go, Alfreda headed to the dress shop to see what her fiancé picked out for her. Being a good sport, she tried the dress on and was pleasantly surprised. As the store owner informed her that her husband-to-be only rented the dress, Alfreda’s smile quickly turned. But her mood changed as soon as she read the letter Tedric left for her mentioning her father.

The night before the wedding, the girls headed out for the bachelorette party. I can’t believe him….no one parties the night before the ceremony. Who wants dark circles and baggy eyes for the pictures meant to last a lifetime?

The day of the wedding, Alfreda finally got her first look at the bridesmaid dresses which all together cost a little over $100. NOW I think it is important to note that the tuxedos cost $837, only around a $100 less than BOTH the bridesmaid dresses AND the wedding dress. This is why you can’t let some guys plan a wedding! Despite the jacked up priorities, the wedding was lovely. Take a look.

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“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Cary & Aileen – What Happened in Vegas, Didn’t Stay in Vegas

by patricia on November 18, 2011

Cary and Aileen have been waiting for this day. With finances locking them into a holding pattern for marriage, this couple chose a very untraditional method to move forward. With financial help from OWN, Cary was going to plan the entire wedding for his bride. The only problem…he was already planning to cut corners in order to accommodate his bachelor party. Luckily his best friend TJ was there to help. TJ rocked! He had a spread sheet already budgeting out the costs. However, Cary was all about the memories and didn’t want to pay too much for cake, invitations or transportation. Why is the bachelor party almost always an issue?

As they checked out the venues, reality hit. Things were going to be more than they had expected. I got especially concerned when they literally looked at house with the dining tables stretching down the driveway. I am serious…a driveway. He chose the house with a hor’dourves reception. But it gets worse! As he heads into the first dress shop, he asked if they RENT dresses there. How big is this bachelor party going to be? After picking the rental dress and making a few alterations, feeling confident he made the bridesmaid dress decisions within a few minutes….and yes, he rented those too!

Cameras pan back to Aileen as she described her perfect wedding. The one place she was comfortable cutting was with the cake. She actually didn’t even want a cake. She was perfectly fine with elegant cupcakes. Yet Cary was looking to find a cake that was decked out a fantasy castle cake. Now the invitations were something else…check out this deleted scene.

 

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“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Michelle & Ralphy – El Romintico Shows His Bride Some Husky Love

by patricia on November 13, 2011

With $25 thousand dollars and only 3 weeks, this week’s groom “El Romantico” attitude left a lot to be desired. Before it even began this used car salesman had me worried for Michelle. He was ready to step it up and make up for all un-romantic moments. Both of them had a daughter, Isabella, bought a home and haven’t had the money to pull off the wedding. Luckily his best man, Gary, had a clue. He knew the venue was the perfect place to start. Here is one of the deleted scenes from the show.

They took a break and decided to hit the dress shop. “Does she want to be a princess” the woman in the dress shop asked. He knew the dress was important and he couldn’t be cheap about it. Gary reminded him that research was the key to success. Unfortunately he got sidetracked by the auto magazines. In the end, he walked out with a stack of wedding magazines. In the meantime, Michelle was hoping for an elegant wedding.

Completely stressed out, Ralphy wasn’t sleeping and he couldn’t cook! He put the call out and his mom headed over to get a good meal into him. Feeling a bit energized he got back to business. He was ready to tackle the dress. As Michelle took family and friends into the city to look at dresses, it was clear that she was a bit picky.

He did manage to secure the venue with half-price kiddie meals. To celebrate….a little beer pong. Seriously! After a visit from his daughter, he headed straight to the store to pick out the perfect dress for Isabella. That seemed to be the easiest decision. Riding the high, he set his sights on bride’s maid dresses. He made a move that I was sure would kill him. He told each bride’s maid she was paying for half her dress. NOT good on a FULLY paid wedding. That was totally uncool. I was thinking “suck it up…no bachelor party buddy!” His sister who is in the wedding as well as her two daughters that are in the wedding was a bit pissed. She ended up storming out and it isn’t clear if she will even be in the wedding. That is so cheap! After calling in to give new numbers to the venue, he was able to squeeze out a little more money to take care of the dresses. Man he is lucky he fixed that one.

With the hard stuff behind him, tuxedos, cake and flowers were all taken care of. When the call came to ask if he was planning anything for Michelle’s bachelorette party, he made it clear that he wasn’t planning anything….but that wasn’t true. In the middle of the party thrown by her friends, the “husky love” dancer showed up to entertain the ladies. She wasn’t pleased. At the same time he was making his way around town in a party bus hitting bars and strip clubs.

All was forgiven when Michelle saw the dress. She loved it. As they got closer to the wedding, Gary tried to convince Ralphy to get a Mariachi band…which was tradition in her family. The day of the wedding, the women worked quickly to do their own hair and make-up. All dressed and ready to go they piled into their car and headed off.

Before the ceremony began, Ralphy gave her the proper proposal he never officially gave….in front of all of their friends, family and loved ones. The ceremony was sweet. I was so glad he pulled it off!

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“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Melissa & Khalel’s – Futuristic Wedding & Back Alley Dresses

by patricia on October 30, 2011

Once again OWN brought us a couple who was willing to face a challenge. Together for 3 years, Khalel and Melissa were excited about starting their lives together as husband and wife. Despite Melissa being a self-proclaimed high-maintenance gal, Khaleh was looking forward to impressing his bride by planning the entire wedding. Hoping for a traditional wedding, Melissa was in for a surprise, because Khalel wanted the theme to be “futuristic”. Forget the prince and the princess….he was thinking robots. Oh lordie…this will be interesting!

With only 3 weeks to plan the wedding of her dreams, Khalel will have his work cut out for him. Luckily he has his best friend and best man, Zaiid, there for support…and a place to stay since the show insists the couple remain separated until the wedding. So excited about the event, he began creating a schedule in hopes of managing the stress.

Melissa tours venues, looks at dresses and glows as she talks about fairytale weddings, nature and being outdoors. At the same time, her fiancé is making his list: florescent flowers, a robot liquor luge ice sculpture, and loft, bachelor-pad style venues. Loving the loft, he opted for a simpler plan. He chose the Sky Room which gave him an all-inclusive deal. BUT it cost him over 75% of his budget. Then he headed out to find a dress. Waiting for a dress to knock him out, he found it when he realized the price. With less than 2 weeks to go, they headed to a discount wedding dress store in hopes of finding the perfect dress. Finding it on the internet, he was a lucky boy! It looked beautiful and only a little over $937.

With only 10 days to the wedding, Khalel headed off to a back alley in LA. The dresses weren’t futuristic, they were hoochie! After trying on almost every club dress on, they finally found one that they all loved. 5 dresses for less than $500…he was doing great! With no cash left, everything seemed to be going off without a hitch, until the lighting. Khalel wasn’t going to be able to get the lighting he expected for his futuristic wedding. He hoped the venue would be able to find a way to make it work…and they did!

In the meantime, the bride and her friends headed off to the Bachelorette party. Dressed to the nines, the girls went to a simple dinner club, El Cid. They had a blast. BUT for once on “Don’t Tell the Bride” the groom did it right. With only $41 left in budget, he cut his Bachelor party done to the bones and actually pulled out the invitations for his friends to help him. It was great to see him putting her first.

Less than 48 before her big day, Melissa saw her dress for the first time. Brought to tears, she was the happiest bride. She felt beautiful…like Cinderella. The wedding couldn’t come soon enough.

Khalel had thought of everything…well almost everything. He forgot the hair and make-up and transportation to the wedding. He didn’t realize it wasn’t done by her friends. Oops! With no money, he made calls 90 minutes before the wedding and pulled it off. He called in a favor from Melissa’s friend who does her hair and make-up for free –as her gift. As for the transportation…they carpooled. It may not have been perfect but it was all coming together.

The bride was stunning, the bridesmaids were beautiful and the wedding was incredible. They danced the night away under futuristic lights. It was the wedding of their dreams!

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“Don’t Tell the Bride” – Joe & Paola – Iraq War Vet plans his Dream Wedding

by patricia on October 23, 2011

Excited about planning the wedding of his wife’s dreams, Joe set out to do his best. Picking his good friend and groomsman, Jorge, to help him out, they set out to plan…starting with the bachelor party! As a vet of the Iraq War, he knew it was important to plan, plan, plan. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the lists, he headed straight to get a tattoo. The first $200 was spent on a TATTOO!!! I am starting to get nervous.

Feeling empowered the next decision came far too easily. The catering will simply roll up to the reception. The choice…a food truck. Now after seeing “The Great Food Truck Race”, I know it is possible for those little trucks to pull off gourmet food BUT really? As Paola showed her friend her perfect location overlooking the ocean, Joe’s venue had a slightly different view -the county jail. Although Paola isn’t a fan of hotels, he took a risk by choosing the hotel without the prison view.

Finally things were getting done. It was now time for the dress. With so many dresses to pick from, Joe found one to be breath-taking. No it wasn’t the one that Jorge sported for fun! A much simpler dress took him back and he knew it was the one. Next stop…the cake! Realizing they needed to find a color scheme, the guys set out to find a cake that will tie it all together. The stress was getting to him and he spiraled into a mini panic attack. Not necessarily keeping the color scheme in mind, Joe headed to the flowers. Despite Jorge trying to influence him, it appeared he may not surprise Paola in a good way. [read more…]

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Don’t Tell the Bride – Deleted Scenes: Searching for Guidance

by patricia on October 20, 2011

Feeling in over their heads, Brayn and Austin head to a local book store in search of answers!

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