The consultant and designer is a pro at helping brides with every aspect of shopping for a wedding dress, from researching designers to dealing with overbearing entourages.
But despite his experience, he told Insider he once had to walk out of a bridal appointment because he couldn't stand to watch a mother bully her daughter.
"There was a mother that was absolutely just mocking her daughter and laughing at her and humiliating her," Fenoli said. "I had to walk out of the appointment. I was so disgusted."
The episode starred a bride named Samantha, who was having trouble committing to a wedding gown after going to over 80 bridal stores.
In the episode, Samantha's mother said she looked ugly in a sheer wedding dress she loved. She also ignored Samantha to talk to the designer Pnina Tornai about her outfit.
When Samantha got upset that her mother didn't like the dress, her mother said: "You want me to lie?" She then gave fake compliments about the gown while laughing.
Fenoli stepped away from the appointment as Samantha and her mother started arguing about the way the mother mocked the gown.
"You have somebody like myself who has never had the honor to have children and the privilege to be able to raise a child, but you have had that and this is the way you treat them," Randy told Insider, adding that the way Samantha's mother treated her was "appalling" to him.
Samantha left the appointment without finding a dress.
Fenoli told Insider he thought one of his roles as a bridal consultant was to advocate for brides and get their family and friends on board with their visions, as some people don't realize how their words can be affecting the bride.
"I have to defend the bride sometimes. I say, 'Listen, if you guys don't get on board, I'm going to kick you overboard,'" he said.
"My goal is always to help the bride choose a dress that they feel the most beautiful in, because when they feel beautiful, they wear that dress like there is no other dress on the planet," he added.
"They know they look good, and everybody feels it," Fenoli said. "It's about the confidence that you have while wearing the dress."
New episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" air Saturdays on TLC. You can catch up on last week's episode on Discovery+.
He is now an independent consultant. He has been a fashion designer since 1992. In 2007, Fenoli made his television debut on the U.S. cable channel TLC with Say Yes To The Dress, where his wit and fashion sensibilities charmed viewers.
Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo says she was fired from her first job at Kleinfeld Bridal for trying on the gowns. “When I was the stock girl, I would carry all these big wedding dresses that were really heavy,” she said on Fox Business Network.
Kleinfeld's collection of wedding gowns start at about $2,000 and increase in price depending on the intricacy of design details, particular designer, and choice of materials for each gown.
They aren't paid for their appearance. Even though brides and their families are appearing on the reality show, they receive no form of compensation on the TLC show. They have to pay for their dress. Sorry, dresses aren't free or even discounted.
The $100 booking fee required for Friday, Saturday and Sunday appointments is processed at the time of the appointment booking. If you purchase a dress at Kleinfeld during your appointment, the booking fee will be applied towards the balance of your dress purchase.
In order to provide our brides with the proper Kleinfeld experience accompanied by an expert stylist, an appointment is required. We recommend that you schedule your appointment 2-3 weeks in advance. However, please call 646-633-4300 to inquire about same-day appointment availability.
From 2007-2012 Randy worked as Fashion Director at New York's Kleinfeld Bridal Salon where he would consult with nearly 15,000 brides a year. Today as the star of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, Big Bliss, Randy Knows Best, and Randy to the Rescue, Randy is seen by millions of viewers each week.
1) Randy Fenoli does not work for Kleinfeld Bridal anymore
As you've seen on the TV show, our former Fashion Director, Randy Fenoli has launched a new line of wedding dresses that he has put his heart and soul into.
Going by the salary of other TLC hosts, it is estimated that he makes between $25,000 and $40,000 per episode. By 2019, he had appeared in 295 episodes spread across 15 seasons, making up almost $12 million is earnings from the show alone.
Responding to an inquiring fan on Twitter about his choice to call into his appointments, Randy clarified that he had not been coming to Kleinfeld's in person "because of COVID restrictions I couldn't fly to NYC, was renovating my home, and taking care of my Mom." It's unclear when the latest season of Say Yes to the ...
The bridal fashion designer, 59, proposed to his fiancé, 39, in December of 2022 at New York City's Marmara Park Avenue Hotel, where they met. They had been dating for about a year after connecting at the hotel's bar, where Kobal worked as the restaurant and bar manager — and they've been inseparable since.
The couple first connected this past January at the Marmara Park Avenue Hotel where Kobal, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, was then working as the restaurant and bar manager.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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