I hate to admit it, but I’m a wedding junkie. I’m not quite sure how I became so obsessed with shows that revolve around the big day. Maybe it was from watching these shows with my Mom or one of my best friends in her den. Anyway, no matter where my love stems from, weddings will always be a guilty pleasure of mine.
Since wedding shows are my guilty pleasure, I thought I should share some of my favorite ones that are currently on TV, Hulu or somewhere else online. Here are my five favorites.
- Wedding Cake Championship
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While this is a fairly new show on the Food Network, it quickly became a favorite. Cake and weddings? Sign me up! The premise is wedding cake bakers in pairs are given weekly challenges from actual people getting married. The bakers are given hints on flavor and design. Most of the cakes on the show aren’t traditional, which is one of the reasons I really like watching the show. If you would like to view some of these cakes, check out the Food Network Wedding Cake Championship website.
Also, Wedding Cake Championship is a competition, so there are some star-studded judges and hosts. I highly recommend this unique twist on a baking competition and a wedding show.
- Four Weddings
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Four Weddings is also another competition. I can’t help watching the cattiness of other brides as they try to rank each other’s weddings so one couple can win a honeymoon. Okay, not all the brides are mean, and there is a scoring system that is meant to ensure brides don’t rig the competition.
While the contest is supposed to be fair, I’ve seen episodes where a bride had around $100,000 budget and another bride had like $5,000. It’s technically not fair for the brides who have less to spend, but they signed up for the show. It’s all about who puts on the best wedding overall, and not all the big-budget spenders win.
To be honest, I don’t always love the drama, but I enjoy watching all the unique ideas brides had for their weddings. There are so many wedding themes and colors across all the episodes. Who wouldn’t love to gain some inspiration for their big day?
- Say Yes to the Dress
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Some of you may remember my article about Randy Fenoli from March 2018, so this show shouldn’t come as a shock. Say Yes to the Dress is the original wedding show for me.
Since the show aired, there have been many spin-offs, including Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss, Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta (which I mention below) and more. However, there is something special about the true original show where hopeful brides visit Kleinfeld Bridal to find their dream dress.
My mom and I watch every new episode and reruns when they are on, but we both get annoyed at the family members or friends who can’t understand that the whole point of shopping for a wedding dress is for the bride to feel special. There are the “good” families though who support the bride no matter what, and these are the episodes that mean the most to us.
Seeing all of the incredible wedding dress designers like Fenoli or Pnina Tornai is also a favorite. There are so many styles of dresses from color to neckline to shape. At the risk of sounding cliché, seeing so many options does make me feel like a kid in a candy store.
Many young girls dream about their wedding dress, and I was definitely one of them. This show made that dream into a concrete example of where I will hopefully be one day. I will probably go to Kleinfeld for my dress like my mom did. This show just furthered the connection for me.
- Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta
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As I mention above, Say Yes to the Dress has many spin-off shows such as the one based in Atlanta at Bridals by Lori. I love this spin-off because there are different dress designers that are featured. After all, Georgia is a very different state from New York, so brides tend to look for something very different.
There is also a different cast. Aside from store owner Lori Allen, there is also Monte Durham, who is a staple in the show for being obsessed with Scarlett O’Hara. He kind of takes on the role that Randy does in the original show, and I appreciate his humor.
This spin-off really resonated with me, and the different dynamic makes it unique from its predecessor. It’s another show where I can get my fix of wedding dresses, so really it should make the list.
- Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids
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This is another spin-off of the original Say Yes to the Dress, and it was filmed at Bridals by Lori. While I’m sad that it was canceled, Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids was the first show that gave me a look at wedding planning other than choosing the dress. The premise was simple. Brides came to shop for their bridesmaids’ dresses.
For some reason, the drama in this show doesn’t bother me nearly as much as in the others. While the wedding is all about the bride, the wedding party has to wear these dresses, and sometimes they are just ugly. I don’t like outright defiance toward the bride, but a bride can’t expect every girl to look good in the same shape.
Honestly, the best part about this show is watching the friendships that become stronger as a result of the experience.
Overall, most of the wedding shows can end with new friendships formed and old bonds strengthened. While each of these shows are unique, they all represent the wedding planning process well. As a self-proclaimed wedding lover, these are the shows to turn to when you want to feel a range of emotions.
I hope I’ve inspired you all to get into the wedding spirit like I have!