Hello Readers!
I can finally spill the beans! I have literally been holding this secret in forever. Kristine and I went on Say Yes to the Dress Canada!! It was a really interesting experience. Now for me I am out going and bubbly, I love people and I love to talk clearly. Being the center of attention is my jam! So get ready for a huge post about the day!
The day started super early like 7 am, we were a bit late so we got there at 7:15. This always happens when traveling with my parents. So the first thing that happened was make up, we were told to come ready to go on camera. So my hair and makeup was done, so was my Mom’s and Kristine’s. Yet makeup for camera is different, so the makeup artist touched up everyone and what not. Our hair was good though my hair was on point! Even their hair person said so.
Right from makeup we move onto the pre interviews, these were super hard. It was the first time I have ever been on camera and they launched right into the questions. The first questions were easy tell me about your finance, about the dress you want etc. Then they launched right into what it meant to me to be getting married. Of course I got all choked up they asked a lot about the scleroderma. Which I think is amazing actually I tried to make myself sound super educated about the disease and what it was that I go through every day. I gushed about how amazing Kristine was, how understanding, loving, and supportive. This of course led to the small out burts of random tears. I told them it was very important for me to be comfortable in my dress, since the wedding is two years away I have no idea what my mobility Is going to look like by then.
They did alot of editing for the final production. They cut out me saying the name of what I had. So I made sure to use #scleroderma every time I tweeted or when on facebook to talk about the episode.
For the interviews, they talked to me, to Kristine, to my parents. My parents also cried a little bit about the scleroderma. They were unaware that they were going to put so much focus on it, so they were a little bit off guard. Scleroderma is a big part of my story though, it is always going to be in my life no matter what.
Turns out they also cut out all of these interviews…so ya. I would love to get my hands on all that raw footage, which will never happen I know. It would have been interesting to see what everyone had to say in their interviews.
After all of that was done, we headed down to salon! It was so amazing, all the dresses. Some were huge and so beautiful, I thought oh am I really sure what I want anymore. We all sat down on the sofa meet the stylist Erica she was super nice. I did the whole usually thing, explained who I brought with me, what I was looking for, and where we were going to get married. Once that was all done we went into the changing room to do a little mini interview and for her to go and get some dresses for me to try on. Again in the final episode they cut out me introducing everyone I had brought which was odd but oh well.
I slipped into the rode, got re miced, got my makeup touched up etc, etc. Erica came back with some dresses for me to try one. The first one I put on was amazing, now it wasn’t my dress I knew that it was too plain. When I turned around and look at myself in the mirror I was in shock, I was wearing a wedding dress. I almost cried again I really did, everything I have gone through in the last few years it end up here getting married to my best friend its amazing.
I won’t go into every dress and how I looked in them you will have to watch the show to find out! Just know ever dress I put on the makeup artist came back touched me up and I walked out to show everyone. I did end up finding a dress! You will have to watch and see which one it is. When I started struggling finding a dress Tyrell came out and help picked some for me and gave me some advice.
When the appointment was over we all went back to the production office and we talked through the appointment in present tense, again some water works but at this point I was way better at it.
Then it was time for lunch and it was time for Kristine to do her appointment. The way they did it was interesting, they filmed it as if we were right after each other. So when it was her turn we changed places, the two people who were only there for me left, and the two people coming for her appointment took their place.
When she came out in her first dress she looked so beautiful, but I knew it was way to plain. After the first dress they kept bringing into alot of dresses, but she never came out. I was getting a little bit worried at this point really, I wanted to go in and check on her but then she finally came out in one. The second dress was amazing. The look on her face, oh man it was unforgettable. She looked so happy in that dress, it broke my heart that it was over budget. When she tried on a third one I knew she was stuck on the second one, as you watched in the episode she got overwhelmed and left without finding something. One thing they did do was include a really touching moment between us in the dressing room, which I thought was amazing. I was so happy to see that made it in the episode, made me tear up a little bit watching it.
After her appointment we did the same thing post interviews walking through the appointment and then it was over. We didn’t end up leaving until 7:15 it was along ass day. By the end of it by body was literally screaming at me.
Still it was amazing and I am grateful for the opportunity to be the first same sex couple on the show! Also to get to show a different face of illness, a pretty one who doesn’t look sick but who is. I think this was important for me, and important for a lot of people who struggle with getting the world in understand what they go through every day.
Head over to the W network website to watch the full episode online!
Keep checking back for all the wedding day planning to come!
7c0ada26c1745843fae10ed3688dab2c9019f98f4855ecd4ef
Princess Jessica 