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She Said Yes to a Lifelong Dream

Raegan White '26 learned fashion merchandising with a Purposeful Work internship

By Bates College

August 27^th, 2025

A Dream Come True

Each year, thousands of brides-to-be and a few select interns live out their respective dreams at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City.

For the brides, it’s the chance to find their dream dresses with the help of Kleinfeld’s world-famous stylists. For the interns, it’s the opportunity to work under and learn from these coveted consultants.

This summer, Raegan White ’26 of Duxbury, Mass., was one of 18 interns at the bridal shop where hit TLC television show Say Yes to the Dress was filmed for 23 seasons, each episode chronicling the shopping adventures of brides on the hunt for their perfect gowns.

White has been watching Say Yes to the Dress since childhood, when it inspired her to draw her own versions of dresses to say yes to. But still, entering the reality of the reality show was overwhelming. “Stepping in there for the first time, it just did not feel real,” White says. “We got a tour, and going behind the scenes to see the bazillions of dresses — it was just unreal.”

The Bates Purposeful Work internship made for a whirlwind summer for White, spent learning about the bridal business, navigating life in New York City, and finding time to keep up with her summer lacrosse work-outs; White is a goalie for the Bobcats.

“I felt like I fit right in walking to work with my coffee and everyone running around,” White says.

In the Beginning

“Every weekend, I would wake up, watch Say Yes to the Dress, and then I would just get to designing and would draw pictures all day long and pretend I was a fashion designer.”

— White on her childhood passion for bridal gowns. Below, some of her juvenilia from 2013. (Photograph courtesy of White)

The Day Begins

After changing from her NYC-commuter tennis shoes to heels, White began each morning at Kleinfeld with a meeting in the large, mirrored showroom, where she would be teamed up with a Kleinfeld bridal consultant to work alongside and learn from. The interns and consultants dress in all black, making them easy to spot in a sea of bright white dresses.

When the store opens, this space quickly fills with families and friends of clients, each guest eager for their bride to emerge from the dressing rooms and model potential gowns.

It's nine o'clock on a Wednesday: Modeling New Dresses

On Wednesday and Friday mornings, interns got to play dress-up in Kleinfeld gowns, modeling best-sellers, new arrivals, and dresses of the week for the bridal consultants.

“I've never put on a dress so luxurious,” White says. “They put a veil on me too, and I was like, ‘Am I getting married tomorrow? What's going on?’ They made us feel like princesses, and it was so exciting.”

Pulling Dresses for a Very Important Bride (V.I.B.)

A typical dress appointment at Kleinfeld lasts 90 minutes, though customers can upgrade their experience for a three-hour appointment with V.I.B. (Very Important Bride) treatment. With over 2,000 dresses to choose from, a longer appointment gives consultants more time to sort through Kleinfeld’s massive catalog and brides more time to weigh their options.

Though brides often arrive at Kleinfeld with a clear vision of their dream dresses, the endless rows of couture still take customers by surprise. Pictured below, White assisted Kleinfeld stylist Caroline Roy in pulling dresses for a V.I.B. who arrived with a printed list of dress ideas. During the dress selection process, the consultant would talk White through the rationale behind pulling specific dresses.

“More often than not, a bride will walk out with a dress that she had no idea that she wanted,” White says. “It's really fun for me, creative problem solving and surprising her and seeing how excited she is.”

On a typical day, White would assist a bridal consultant with styling sessions for three to five brides-to-be. She pulled gowns and assisted the brides in getting into the dresses, all while helping them to feel relaxed on what can be a high-pressure day.

“At the end of the day, they're marrying the love of their life,” White says. “We tell them, ‘Well, your fiancé will probably love you if you wear a paper bag down the wedding aisle.’”

Narrowing the Field

The lessons of the internship extend far beyond tulle and lace. Bridal consultants learn to “read” brides, picking up on subtle cues that tell them how a client is feeling about a specific dress. It’s also important to remind clients, White says, that while family or friends waiting in the showroom might have opinions, the bride should be making the final calls.

“We do try to be as efficient as we can,” White says. If a bride doesn’t love a dress, none of her guests even need to see it. “We'll just take it right off, take the dresses out, go get three more.”

White found surprising connections between her Bates rhetoric coursework and the nuances of her internship. Wedding dress shopping can be emotional, and it’s important for Kleinfeld consultants and interns to use language that will make each bride feel comfortable, White explains. Consultants avoid giving specific compliments that assume how clients want to feel, such as telling them that they look like princesses.

“What we learned in 100 (a.k.a., “What is Rhetoric?”) is that there's no specific definition of rhetoric and that you make it your own,” White says. “Keeping that in mind and using the correct rhetoric and the correct words, it can really make or break an appointment.”

Before she led a bride out into the showroom to show a dress to friends and family, White would fluff the gown by grabbing the ends of the dress and lifting them up and down. This step is crucial to making the dress look its best and exaggerating the train, especially for gowns designed with dramatic, intricate beading and patterns.

“I'll just do a little mini toss and then make sure to flatten it out so everyone can see the detail and how it'll look on the actual day,” White says.

White has a keen appreciation for these details. During her semester abroad, she worked on the other side of the process as a wedding dress seamstress, sewing gowns for eight hours a day at Atelier Daniela De Souza in Milan, Italy.

“You can tell that a lot of love and a lot of patience went into these dresses,” White says.

Pictured below, Roy and White styled V.I.B. x Facile of El Paso, Texas. The consultant and internship duo clipped Facile's dresses for a perfect fit, fluffed the trains, and had tissues on hand for the happy-tears moments.

Saying 'Yes to the Dress'

Toward the end of an appointment, White and her mentoring consultant would ask the bride the big question: Are you going to say yes to the dress? When a client from Texas answered in the affirmative, the bride’s guests and Kleinfeld employees alike would cheer with glee.

With Roy's consultancy and White's assistance, the bride found her dress at Kleinfeld, a ballroom-style number dripping in tulle with metallic, floral embellishments. Out came the champagne! The bride celebrated with her accompanying guests, her mother and brother.

Between Brides

“The new bride every hour-and-a-half re-energized me because it's a clean slate, new bride, new story. … A lot of the consultants would say that they love their job because you'll never have the same day twice. That's really important to me, and I really love that environment.”

— White on keeping her energy levels up throughout a day at Kleinfeld

90 minutes on the Showroom Floor

Selecting a dress is only the beginning of getting a perfect wedding day fit, White explains. All of Kleinfeld’s dresses are made-to-order and created to fit a specific bride, with the exception of dresses from sample sales. During their appointments, Kleinfeld brides are trying on display dresses that may be well-loved or fit imperfectly.

“We tell them that this is the worst your dress will ever look, and it still looks amazing,” White says. “We do have to help them use their imagination a little bit to visualize what the dress will actually look like once it has all their customizations.”

Pictured below, White assisted Kleinfeld consultant Brandi Hill with styling bride-to-be Stefanie Sternberg of New York City, who brought her mother, Jodi Sternberg, and future mother-in-law Melissa Schwartz along for her appointment.

When Sternberg walked into the showroom to model a white gown patterned with floral lace for her family, big emotions ensued. A family’s reaction to their bride always made White emotional.

“I've loved being on the floor and making these memories for the brides and these special connections that they'll never forget,” White says. “I definitely prefer being out on the floor with actual clients than behind the scenes.”

Earlier in the summer, one bride even announced her pregnancy to her family and Kleinfeld staff during her bridal appointment.

“Everyone was really excited,” White says. “The whole appointment, the energy was just through the roof.”

'The Happiest Place on Earth'

People travel from around the world to experience Kleinfeld's carefully-curated magic. This summer, White worked with brides from Italy, Spain, and Poland.

“The most important thing is establishing a connection early on,” White says. “We're not just here to make a commission, and we're not here just to sell you a dress. We want to get to know you.”