Originally posted Friday, June 1, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
For five frenetic years and nine seasons, Lori Allen and Monte Durham presided over TLC's popular wedding show "Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta."
Then in 2015, TLC put the brakes on the show after it decided to cut back on wedding shows and dropped its wedding-themed Friday evenings in favor of crime shows. The last new episode of this spin-off of the original “Say Yes to the Dress” aired in February, 2016.
Now, two years and four months later, “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta” returns to TLC for ten one-hour episodes. The network decided to double the length from its original 30-minute format. Each hour will also include at least one wedding, Allen said.
“We really get into the stories more now,” Allen said. “We can learn more about why a sister of the bride is so upset or why a father of the bride doesn’t want to give away the bride.” Each episode features two brides but there is now twice as much time.
It will now air on Saturdays, with the first episode airing at 8 p.m. on June 9, paired with a new wedding-themed show "I Want THAT Wedding." And now that Discovery owns HGTV, it's also airing a special that night focused on "Property Brother" Drew Scott's wedding to Linda Phan.
Allen, who has been in the bridal business for nearly 40 years and owns Bridals by Lori in Sandy Springs where the show is largely shot, said she never received a clear explanation why TLC placed the show on hiatus but it sounded like it was more a strategic move. It had nothing to do with ratings, which always remained strong.
During the show’s time off, Allen said she missed doing the show but knew TLC hadn’t given up on it because it continued to air repeats.
Last year, TLC decided to bring it back.
“We are so excited to be filming again,” said Durham, a wedding consultant who mostly lives in Virginia but flies in to Atlanta for shoots. “Our fan base is very loyal. They’d watch us at 10:45 in the morning. They’ll DVR us or live stream us. It’s now bigger and better.”
Allen said she will face her most challenging customer yet: “You’ll know it when you see the episode.”
The timing of the show's return is auspicious since it's happening so soon after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's well-received wedding last month in London.
While Allen wasn’t gaga over the dress, she did love Markle’s veil and tiara. “I thought she looked classic and elegant but I felt like it could have been a little bit more,” she said. “I would have loved to have seen some lace and embroidery on the gown.”
Durham said brides are expecting bridal fashion to move as fast as ready to wear. “They want to see changes constantly,” he said, “But we get new deliveries only twice a year.” He said currently, there is a move away from more revealing dresses with fewer sparkle and bows. “We’re seeing softer gowns, a more romantic feel with higher necklines and scattered lace and sleeves. We’re seeing more veils.”
Fans continue to flow through Bridals by Lori every single day. Allen is dutifully patient with them and will take selfies when she isn’t busy.
Former Atlantan Ben Hanson, who moved to England two years ago, brought his 16-year-old daughter Abby Thursday to Bridals by Lori because she's a huge fan of the show, which airs in more than 150 countries. They've seen every episode. His son Josh, 13, was far less excited but, as Hanson noted, there are no comic-book-related reality shows shooting in metro Atlanta right now.
TV PREVIEW
"Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta," 8 p.m. Saturdays, beginning June 9, TLC
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