00:00I'm Lucy Fink. I'm a video producer at Refinery29, but every so often I like to try other people's jobs.
00:06Today I'm at Kleinfeld Bridal, where I said yes to my wedding dress.
00:09No, it is not this one.
00:11And I'm going to see if I have what it takes to be a bridal consultant.
00:15This is Lucy for Hire.
00:19Saying yes to the wedding dress.
00:22As a bride-to-be who recently said yes, right here at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City,
00:26I can tell you that finding your wedding dress can be quite the magical experience.
00:31Some brides find it on their first try.
00:34Others try on 10, 20, even 50 dresses before they find it.
00:39And whether it's a slow and steady appreciation or love at first sight, when you know, you know.
00:46If you've ever watched the TLC show, you know that Kleinfeld Bridal is the place to shop for a wedding
00:52gown.
00:53Kleinfeld boasts 30,000 square feet and is filled with the largest selection of wedding dresses in the world.
00:59Since I had already been here as a bride-to-be, I wanted to explore what life is like on
01:03the other side of the dressing room.
01:06For this episode of Lucy for Hire, I shadowed Shea, a senior bridal consultant who's worked at Kleinfeld for over
01:12three years
01:12and has been featured on multiple seasons of Say Yes to the Dress.
01:16I've worked at Kleinfeld for about three and a half years, but I've been in bridal for about 10.
01:20What it takes is a passion for her, for bridal, and a love for people and for brides in particular.
01:26I want her to feel amazing. I want her to feel beautiful. I want her to feel confident and powerful.
01:30And there's nothing more rewarding to see that happen.
01:32Consulting can make anywhere from maybe $35,000 upwards into the six figures.
01:36It just depends on the amount of traffic, what type of dresses you are selling.
01:40Really the most challenging aspect of the job is really kind of getting to know a stranger
01:45and then to find their dream dress in about an hour and a half, two hours can be quite difficult.
01:49I think Lucy's going to do pretty good.
01:52I think there's going to be lots of giggles, but a lot of fun.
01:54And I hope some bride says yes to her.
01:56With Shea by my side, I attempted to help bride Megan say yes to her wedding dress.
02:01My name's Megan. I got engaged in March and I'm getting married next fall.
02:05This is my first time looking at dresses, so I really hope that I find something I like and, I
02:09don't know, maybe I'll find the one.
02:10Okay, so Megan is my co-worker at Refinery29 who generously volunteered to take part in this video.
02:16I'm obviously not a professional at this job, so I didn't want to just jump in and crash some random
02:22bride-to-be's appointment.
02:23Megan is actually engaged though, and she is looking for a wedding dress.
02:27She brought her friend Jen along for the experience.
02:31First challenge is to consult with the bride.
02:33Shea helped walk me through the most important elements of this initial consultation.
02:38So imagine Megan is like your good girlfriend.
02:40Okay.
02:40And you're super excited. You want to know all the details.
02:43Go.
02:44Megan, congratulations.
02:46Tell me everything. How did you and your fiancé meet?
02:48What's your story? And when's your wedding?
02:50Sure.
02:50So we met in 2014 on Tinder.
02:54Tinder!
02:55She swept right!
02:57He's an attentive listener, so after just a few moments, he seemed to know everything about Megan.
03:03Megan's probably an introvert, which is important to know because Megan might not like a lot of attention on her,
03:07which informs a dress.
03:09Okay.
03:09What I'm thinking of now is a little bit cleaner, traditional, nothing overly opulent or flashy, just a classic bride.
03:18Is this describing you?
03:19Everything you just said.
03:20Ding, ding, ding. That's why they pay him the big bucks.
03:22That's why they pay him the big bucks.
03:24After we gathered as much intel as we possibly could about Megan's style.
03:28I like lace. I like beading, but I also like to be simple.
03:31Wedding details.
03:32My wedding's going to be at my parents' farmhouse in New Jersey.
03:35And budget.
03:36My budget today is between $2,000 and $4,000.
03:38We are going to put you in the best dress that's going to make you look like the most beautiful
03:42bride in the world.
03:43Ever!
03:44Oh! We're going to go.
03:45Awesome. Well done.
03:47It was time for my second challenge.
03:49Pulling dresses from inventory.
03:52So you really want to kind of get a nice array of dresses that will really spark conversation with the
03:57bride.
03:58So she can give you more information so you can find the best dress possible.
04:01So before we get started, I have a little ritual I do.
04:04I have to think.
04:06And I think by having a gummy marm.
04:09I'm visualizing her in something that's to show off her waist.
04:13So fabric like chiffon could be great or a ganso.
04:16Once we had our ideas in order, it was go time.
04:20We ran through the massive selection of gowns and pulled four or five that we thought would be a fit.
04:25Now the most important thing is what?
04:27Cinched waist.
04:28Money.
04:29Price point.
04:29Budget.
04:31Actually a really good choice for her.
04:32This has a bit of a different neckline so we can see if she likes the straps more.
04:36Very good.
04:36You see how this makes an A?
04:38Yep.
04:39A-line.
04:39Oh gosh, these are 18 million pounds each.
04:42Part of Shay's job is knowing every single designer that Kleinfeld carries.
04:47So Aileen's a designer.
04:48Waters.
04:49Waters.
04:50And Inara.
04:51So much to know.
04:52One thing that was kind of difficult for me at this stage was making sure I was pulling dresses that
04:57were a fit for Megan and not based on my personal taste.
05:00That one is beautiful.
05:01Are you sure?
05:01She did not ask for that neckline.
05:03Now you have to think like Megan.
05:05I'm thinking like Lucy.
05:08These dresses can be heavy.
05:10Here we go.
05:11And once we hauled them back to Megan's dressing room, it was time for me to share what we pulled
05:16with the bride.
05:16Got them.
05:17Okay.
05:18So now we're presenting the dresses.
05:20Okay.
05:20So you can't look like you went to a rummage sale.
05:22Okay.
05:23Okay.
05:24We're coming.
05:25Hello.
05:26All are within your price points.
05:28Shay continued to correct my terminology, reminding me not to use certain words like plain.
05:33Plain is for yogurt.
05:35You're right.
05:35Understated is for bride.
05:37You and your beautiful face will command the attention and the dress will be the chicest part of the whole
05:43night.
05:44Yes.
05:44Okay.
05:45Yes.
05:45Okay.
05:45Very good.
05:46The third challenge is helping the bride try on the dresses.
05:48So it's important to really kind of use whatever sample necessary to make sure the bride understands what dress looks
05:54like, that she feels comfortable and confident that looks good.
05:56Getting a bride into a gigantic wedding dress is no easy feat.
06:00So you want to make a donut hole for your bride on the pedestal.
06:35Okay.
06:36Yes.
06:37With my help, Megan tried on four to five gowns, giving us feedback along the way.
06:41I like how this is like dropping on me.
06:44I feel more antique around.
06:46I feel a little exposed.
06:49Might be too much crystals for one.
06:52I like this like shape.
06:54She even stepped outside of her dressing room to show each option to her friend.
06:58Oh, it's so pretty.
07:00Oh my gosh.
07:02Let me have your phone and take a photo of her.
07:05I like my hair.
07:05You move to the opposite side as your photographer.
07:07Yeah, if you need one for the wedding day, I use an iPhone 10.
07:11At this stage, it's very important to listen to what the bride is saying.
07:15These little thoughts and opinions will help inform the future dresses you pull and will also bring you one step
07:21closer to helping her find the one.
07:23It was time for my final challenge.
07:25Helping the bride say yes.
07:28If you've done one, two, and three right, four should be a piece of cake.
07:32This was Megan's first time dress shopping, though, and we were a little bit restricted time-wise because we were
07:37filming.
07:38For that reason, we got a whole lot closer to finding the style that Megan is gravitating towards, and we
07:43even found a dress that she really liked and she's considering.
07:46It's great that we discovered what style you like, and now that you know this, your second appointment at Kleinfeld
07:52can be a lot more targeted.
07:53So we've gotten so close!
07:56Yay!
07:56Yay!
07:57She said maybe!
08:00So although I didn't get my bride to say yes today, we came pretty close, and I was very proud
08:05of the work we did.
08:05This is a job.
08:07Even working with just one client was exhausting, and most Kleinfeld bridal consultants have multiple appointments a day.
08:13This job is up on your feet, fast-paced, and highly technical, so if you're interested in breaking into this
08:19industry, be sure to do your research and maybe hit the gym first for some stamina.
08:24Let me know what jobs you want to see me try next time, and we'll see you then on Lucy
08:27for Hire.
08:28Hey YouTube, thanks for watching this episode of Lucy for Hire.
08:32Comment below and let us know what else you want to see me try in this series.
08:35Click here to subscribe to Refinery29's YouTube channel, right here to watch some more videos, and right here for my
08:41personal YouTube channel.
08:43See ya!
Comments