Star of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress, Randy Fenoli, shares his own love story and wedding plans.
A buzz hums through the air at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan, with the occasional scream of “YES!” piercing through the air. The salon is setting for TLC's famous Say Yes to the Dress reality show, which has followed thousands of soonlyweds during their dress-shopping experience over the show's 15-year run.
And bopping around this hive of tulle and lace is Randy Fenoli, whom I have dubbed the bridal whisperer. “I can just look at a bride, and say, ‘I have your dress,'” he explains, before launching into multiple jaw-dropping stories of pulling dream dresses off the rack without so much as a measurement. And while Fenoli clearly has a knack for selecting the winning outfit, it's because he's perfected this skill over the years. Thirty years, to be exact.
“And you know why I love it so much? I love it because it hasn't changed,” he says of his three-decades-long career in bridal, which also includes designing his own collection. “You have someone coming into the salon who has never done this before, and there's so much pressure to find the most beautiful garment they're ever going to wear. The most photographed garment they're ever going to wear. And it's a lot of pressure.”
“And when they put it on … you can just see this feeling go over them. Their whole body changes. You can see the relaxation and happiness, and the confidence. And, it brings me joy. Because I know [even with] all of that stress and pressure, they're going to walk away feeling beautiful and confident. And that's what I'm always trying to make sure that I give.”
But the tables have turned, and Fenoli is now the one on the planning side. “It only took me 58 years,” he laughs as he shows me his ring, which him and his fiancé Mete Kopal designed together with a jeweler friend in Miami.
Kopal managed a restaurant at the hotel Fenoli frequently stayed at while filming. “I'd seen him many times and, one day I was there with some of my friends and I said, ‘You see that guy there? ‘That's my type.'” At the encouragement of his entourage, he went over to talk to him. “We sat down and talked for four hours straight.”
By the second date—Valentine's Day—they were already discussing marriage and Kopal was spending one-on-one time with Fenoli's beloved mother in Florida. “He stayed at my house while I was at Chicago [Bridal] Market. And my mother called him up one day, and said, ‘Why don't you come on over and have lunch with me?' So he went over, brought her an orchid, had lunch with her, fixed her scooter.”
“And he was playing Scrabble with her, which—first of all, English is his second language, because he's Turkish—and my mother doesn't lose,” he laughs. “But it was just so cute. Every relationship I've ever been in, I've never had anyone go and spend time with my mom.”
“And after she passed, one of her friends came to me and said, ‘Your mom and I talked about you and Mete, and how happy she was that you had found somebody. She really loved him so much, and was just so happy that you two are together.' So that was nice to hear, after her passing.”
That following December, Fenoli proposed in a beautifully orchestrated surprise with 50 guests in attendance, complete with flowers, food, music … essentially, a wedding. When asked about how the actual wedding planning was going, he pauses. “I have to tell you, planning the engagement was such a challenge,” he laughs. “We're definitely thinking 2024, but I'll be honest with you, we can't figure it out.”
One option that is in the lead? A cruise. Fitting, as Fenoli recently joined forces with Princess Cruise Lines this year as their Love and Romance Ambassador (“How cool of a title is that?!”). “To cruise out of Manhattan with our Manhattan friends, and spend a few days on the ship, and do a little reception there. And then maybe do some kind of reception party in Istanbul.”
And though the wedding plans may still be up-in-the-air, the outfits are not. “I don't think I've ever been so excited to wear anything in my life,” he exclaims, explaining that it's a delicate balance between classic and “I've never seen it like that before.” But knowing Randy Fenoli, we know he has something fabulous up his sleeve to scream “YES!” to.
Photography by Kim-Trang Photography | This feature originally appeared in Love Inc. Volume #9. Buy a copy of the issue here.
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