By Barb Oates
If there’s one thing fashion designer and host of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress Randy Fenoli can offer during these more uncertain times, it’s his inspiration and upbeat outlook that finds the beauty in every person he encounters.
While wedding season looks a lot different this year, Say Yes to the Dress (Saturdays) shot the new season prior to shutdowns so there’s plenty of much-missed drama to fill your time. Here, Fenoli discusses his favorite episode of the show this season, what it’s like meeting fans, and offers a glimpse of his life off-camera.
This season, Fenoli shares, “There are a couple of moments that were the most exciting for me personally. One was when they called me downstairs for a fitting, which is kind of rare. I usually don’t go into fittings. I walked in and the bride is standing in my dress, but it’s the first style I ever put down the runway, Style 101, that I designed back in 1993. Her mother bought the dress from me at a trunk show that I did at Kleinfeld back in 1993 and wore the dress on her wedding day. And now her daughter was wearing it for [her] ceremony. I walked in and saw her in the dress, it was one of the most unbelievable feelings of my life, just to see one of my original designs being used again by a bride. It was really touching.”
As far as fan encounters go, “they become more and more crazy. I have to tell you, it’s hard to leave the house anymore. Even with my mask on, they still recognize me. I have a home down in Florida, and literally one day … a couple years ago, I was driving through the drive-thru at Wendy’s [short on time as he prepped for a hurricane] and placed my order, got up to the window, and there were six people hanging out the window. She goes, “I told you, I could tell by his voice.”
Despite a hectic travel schedule, Fenoli does find time to enjoy some favorite movies, sharing that his list of favorites includes “… probably a dozen. I am a movie fanatic. Honestly, when I say there’s at least a dozen, I mean it. I love Moulin Rouge! … The Hunger Games … The Matrix … 9 to 5. Comedies. Steel Magnolias. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Anything with Jennifer Lawrence. Passengers. I could watch anything. I love movies.”
As for television, Fenoli adds, “I watch shows that I can get in and out of, because I travel so much and my lifestyle is so crazy. But basically anything on the Food Network I love. From Chopped to Beat Bobby Flay to Guy’s Grocery Games. If I don’t have the news on all day long, I usually have the Food Network on all day long because I love to cook — I used to be a personal chef.”
