Beautiful African American Bride Portrait on White Background
This weekend I caught a few episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress,” one of which starred Olympian Kellie Wells. Kellie, 33, was preparing to marry NFL linebacker Jasper Jerrell Brinkley who was her primary concern as she picked out a gown for the big day. Jasper apparently loves when his lady shows off her figure, so his twin brother came to Kellie’s consultation to speak on his behalf regarding his request that she wear a sexy dress on their wedding day. On the flip side were Kellie’s aunts speaking on what they said would’ve been her deceased mother’s wishes: wear something conservative.
As you can guess, team sexy and team conservative were at odds, but as Kellie leaned toward the more modest gowns her aunts picked for her, she repeatedly asked her soon-to-be brother-in-law, “Do you think Jasper would like this?”
Now don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a bride on this earth who doesn’t want to bring her groom to his knees when she walks down the aisle, but Kellie was one bride who seemed a bit more concerned than others — maybe even more concerned with her groom’s approval than her own. (It was also a little weird her brother’s twin was judging her dresses by their sexiness, but that’s another subject).
I was surprised by Kellie’s concern because, although the whole crux of the show is the struggle of brides to stay true to themselves while trying to win over the approval of the friends and family shopping with them, I always felt the groom would be the last concern. Not because his opinion doesn’t matter but because I’d assume the groom would be easiest to please. Most men aren’t exactly well versed in women’s fashion so I figure if the bride wears something she feels great in, the groom will be equally satisfied. But for Kellie, her husband-to-be couldn’t just be satisfied, he needed to have his sexy bridal dream come true.
In the end, it was the single thug tear her groom’s brother shed over a more conservative dress option that gave Kellie the okay to tone down the sexy, much to her aunts’ satisfaction. But I kept wondering, how many brides choose their wedding dresses for their grooms? Or at least how much weight does the groom’s approval hold when most brides choose their dresses?
How’d you decide on your dress for your big day?
