- 16 minutes ago
Lucie spends the day with a professional bridal consultant and Kleinfeld and helps a bride-to-be find her dream dress.
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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, and I'm going to see if I have what it takes to be a
00:13bridal 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, others 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
01:13and has been featured on multiple seasons of Say Yes to the Dress.
01:16I have worked at Kleinfeld for about three and a half years, but I've been in bridal for about 10.
01:21What it takes is a passion for it, 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.
01:32A consultant 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.
01:40I believe 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.
01:50I think Lucy's going to do pretty good.
01:52I think there's 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 Meghan say yes to her wedding dress.
02:01My name's Meghan, 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,
02:08and I don't know, maybe I'll find the one.
02:10Okay, so Meghan is my coworker 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.
02:23Meghan is actually engaged though, and she is looking for a wedding dress.
02:27She brought her friend Jen along for the experience.
02:31The first challenge is to consult with the bride.
02:33Shea helped walk me through the most important elements of this initial consultation.
02:37So imagine Meghan is like your good girlfriend.
02:40Okay.
02:40And you're super excited.
02:41You want to know all the details.
02:43Go!
02:43Meghan, congratulations.
02:46Tell me everything.
02:47How did you and your fiance meet?
02:48What's your story?
02:50And when's your wedding?
02:50Sure.
02:51So 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 Meghan.
03:02Meghan is probably an introvert, which is important to know because Meghan might not like a lot of attention on
03:07her, which informs the 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.
03:21Ding, ding, ding!
03:21That's why they're paying the big bucks!
03:22That's why they're paying the big bucks!
03:23After we gathered as much intel as we possibly could about Meghan's style.
03:28I like lace, I like eating, but I also like to be simple.
03:32Wedding 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.
03:39We 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!
03:44We're gonna go!
03:45Woo!
03:45Awesome!
03:46Well done!
03:47It was time for my second challenge, pulling 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.
04:05I have a think.
04:06And I think by having a gummy one.
04:09I'm visualizing her in something that's going 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.
04:19Ah!
04:19We 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.
05:06That 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 em.
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.
05:44Yes.
05:44Okay.
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,
05:54that she feels comfortable and confident that it looks good.
05:57Getting 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.
06:07These are clips.
06:08Okay.
06:08So there's an art of clipping that we'll walk through.
06:10These gowns have layers and layers and can be uncharacteristically heavy.
06:15So it's actually easier to step in and pull it up than it is to throw it over the top
06:19of your head.
06:20And then the cameras stepped out of the room while I helped Megan step into her first dress.
06:25Once in, it's time for all the zipping and clipping.
06:28And the goal here is to make sure the bride gets a sense of what the dress will actually feel
06:32like when it's in her exact size.
06:34Wow.
06:35Wow.
06:35How glamorous.
06:37With my help, Megan tried on four to five gowns, giving us feedback along the way.
06:41I like how this is, like, driving on me.
06:44I feel more antique around.
06:46I feel a little exposed.
06:49Might be too much crystals for me.
06:52I like this, like, shape.
06:54She even stepped outside of her dressing room to show each option to her friend.
06:58Ooh, it's so pretty.
07:00Oh my gosh.
07:02Let me have your phone and take a photo of her.
07:05Lucy often hires 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
07:19and will also bring you one step closer to helping her find the one.
07:23It was time for my final challenge, helping 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
07:37because we were filming.
07:38For that reason, we got a whole lot closer to finding the style that Megan is gravitating towards,
07:43and we even 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,
07:51your second appointment at Kleinfeld can be a lot more targeted.
07:54So 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,
08:04and I was very proud of the work we did.
08:06This is a job!
08:07Even working with just one client was exhausting,
08:10and most Kleinfeld bridal consultants have multiple appointments a day.
08:13This job is up on your feet, fast-paced, and highly technical,
08:17so if you're interested in breaking into this industry, be sure to do your research
08:21and maybe hit the gym first for some stamina.
08:24Let me know what jobs you want to see me try next time,
08:26and we'll see you then on Lucy for Hire.