This Is What You Need to Do to Get Cast on TLC’s ‘Say Yes to the Dress’

The holidays are proposal season. Three of the four most popular days for popping the question are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve, according to Facebook. (The fourth is Valentine’s Day, unsurprisingly.) In other words, a lot of people are soon going to be shopping for a wedding dress.

Some of those brides-to-be are probably regular viewers of Say Yes to the Dress, the long-running TLC program that profiles brides’ search for the perfect wedding gown. But what does it take to get cast on this show? Here’s what you need to do if you want Randy’s help choosing a look for your big day.

How to apply for Say Yes to the Dress  

Sorry, you can’t just waltz into Kleinfeld’s Manhattan bridal salon and hope to end up on the show. Instead, your Say Yes to the Dress journey starts at the Kleinfeld website, where brides who hope to be on the show much fill out a lengthy application. Aside from your name, age, and contact info, you’ll also be asked to reveal your fiancé’s name, age, and occupation and whether they are coming shopping with you.

The application also asks about your dress size, including whether you’re a plus-size bride. You also need to share how your partner proposed and your wedding date.

Then there’s the budget question. As anyone knows, dresses on the show can get pretty expensive. The application offers five budget tiers, from under $2,000 to $10,000 and up. (There’s also an “I have no budget” option.) You also must share who will pay for the dress and whether you’ve already started shopping for your gown.

In addition, brides are asked to briefly describe themselves, their sense of style, and their feelings about dress shopping. There are also questions about who you’ll be bringing to the store with you (there’s a limit of three guests), who is influencing your dress decision, and the most stressful part of wedding planning.

And since this is TV, brides need to make a case why their search for a dress would make for entertaining viewing. They also want to know if you’ve been on reality TV in the past 12 months.

What happens if you get picked to be on Say Yes to the Dress?

Let’s assume you make it through the initial screening process and are invited to be on the show. Here’s what you can expect.

Once you arrive at Kleinfeld, you’ll spend five hours filming your segment, according to Buzzfeed, and will try on between 6 and 15 dresses, though they won’t all be featured on the show. You’ll need to be prepared to change in front of a producer from the show, and you won’t get to pick your consultant, according to The List.

And if you’re hoping appearing on reality TV will help offset the cost of your wedding, think again. Brides aren’t compensated for being on the show (unless they’re named Omarosa, that is). Plus, you need to be prepared to spend big on your gown. It’s not unusual to see people on the show spend more than $10,000 on a dress. (The most expensive gown ever sold at Kleinfeld had a $70,000 price tag.) The average Kleinfeld bride spent $4,500 on a dress in 2013, and we imagine that number has only gone up since then.