SOMETHING PAISLEY

I never thought I would be able to stand for so many hours in a row, ever. I'm getting really good at it, too! Today turned out to be a really awesome day! I woke up at 6 o'clock to get ready and meet a "new friend," Alyssa, at Penn Station. Our parents are friends and my Dad mentioned that she would love the chance to visit Kleinfeld one day... so the chance I gave! After finding and meeting each other, Alyssa and I started walking towards work on 20th Street in search for breakfast. We played it safe with Panera, and I ordered the trusty four cheese egg soufflé with a yogurt parfait. Over breakfast, Alyssa and I chatted about our lives and she was awesome! I'm so glad to have made a new friend. I introduced her to David's Tea, too, and I think she's as in love as I am. Anyway, we made it to Kleinfeld by 10, ready for a day of filming the opening of "Say Yes To the Dress," as well as other fluff for the next season that will air around Sprin...

Holy cow.... What a day! Saturday and Sunday mornings are early mornings at the store, so I woke up early and began my trek into work. I was so looking forward to getting tea from David's Tea, (which is like a Teavana, but better) but they don't open until 10 on weekends so that was no longer an option. I was placed to work with Renee today, who I haven't been with before, and it was a fine but busy day! Four out of our five brides said "yes," however, so it was successful! Our first bride brought along her mom and dad, and the three of them were so super sweet. The bride, who we'll call Deb, came in wanting to try on a mermaid style Hayley Paige gown with a satin top and tulle/organza type bottom. I've seen the gown on a few brides before, and it's surprisingly flattering! She tried the Hayley Paige on first, and, although she was pretty sure it was the one, wanted to try on more gowns. After a few, Renee put her in a Rivini gown that was very simil...

Happy Friday! Friday's are one of my favorite days at the store, because it's shorter, and there are only four appointments as opposed to the usual five. During the fifth appointment, everyone's usually extremely exhausted and burnt out, so Friday's are a bit of a break. Anyway, before we opened, there was a "20 year club" celebration. As if it isn't obvious, the celebration is for honoring all of the Kleinfeld employees that have been with the store for 20 years or more. There was a ton of fruit, pastries, and other breakfast foods for all of the Kleinfeld staff, and they were too delicious! After we were all called upstairs, Ronnie, one of the owners of Kleinfeld, brought the interns back downstairs for a short meeting. He gave us a brief pep talk about how much of an impact the interns have on each appointment, and gave us a few guidelines he wants us to keep in mind during everyday. Ronnie also mentioned that him and Mara, the other owner, will be ...

This morning, I woke up extra early to get ready for the day and be to work by 9:45. Our Directors were holding a project knowledge meeting for the Consultants, where they have some of us model the new gowns. I was placed in an Angel Sanchez A-line gown priced at $8,300. It was fun to dress up! Anyway, after that the day went by pretty quickly! I worked with Allison, and our first bride said "yes" to her dress. She was a very fit and petite bride, who came up from North Carolina to get a dress at Kleinfeld. Her wedding will be in Canada, because when she was watching The Bachelor during Sean's season, she saw a location that she knew she wanted to get married! Hah! For all of you Bachelor fans, it's where Sean and the girls did the polar plunge and Tierra had some hypothermia issue or whatever. Back to the bride, she ended up choosing a fit and flare lace gown that really complimented her figure. Because it took the bride a few minutes to make her decision, and th...

Today was the perfect day off! I slept in, and after working out and making breakfast, it was around 12 o'clock. Whoops. I enjoyed the most delicious, self-made breakfast burrito for lunch and chatted with Camelia for a while. She was telling me about her family (she is one of 11) and mentioned her Grandmother, who had 19 children. 19?! I can't even... Speaking of children, Cynthia had her baby today! Madison was born at 7 pounds on the dot and 21 inches long. I can't wait to meet the little peanut! Anyway, after writing my research paper proposal that is part of the requirement for the NYC program, I headed over to Modern to do some much needed food shopping. While I was there, I found the cutest gourds and mini pumpkins that were only $1.79 a pound! Needless to say, I purchased way more than necessary, but I couldn't help myself. They were all so adorable and fun, and my room is now happily decorated for fall. On my way back from Modern, I stopped at Tino's fo...

Despite my complete exhaustion from getting no sleep the night before, I met up with my cousin, Jack, yesterday at Penn Station and went out for lunch! It was so nice to see him! I spoke to a bunch of the interns at work about interesting places to eat in the city, and SMAC was among the places highly recommended. SMAC (www.smacnyc.com) is such a yummy macaroni and cheese place. It's done Panera style, where you order at the counter and seat yourself (although they bring the food over). The menu was really fun and filled with so many different macaroni and cheese mixes as well as the option to build your own. Jack got the buffalo chicken mac & cheese while I built my own with grilled chicken, scallions, and roasted tomatoes. They also offer delivery, and the delivery boys use bicycles. Couldn't help loving that! Anyway, I definitely would recommend it. The chocolate chip cookies were tasty too... Today was a fine day at work, although I wouldn't consider it one of the...

Let me just "brag" about this quick... I've finally made it through an entire work day in heels! Usually I end up changing into flats before the day is over, since we really don't ever get a chance to sit, but I did it today! A round of applause is welcome (and encouraged). Moving past that, today, after a LONG commute in, I was placed to work with Ellie, who I've been dying to work with! She has seemed super sweet and fun, so I was excited this morning when Nicole told me I would be with her for the day. And what a day it was...! Our first bride was very nice and brought along one of her friends. Both women are originally from Brazil but are living in the US for 6 months for business. They will be heading back next month. Because the wedding is in November, Ellie and I looked through the stock dresses. The bride found one she really liked, but left empty handed. Our second appointment is really slipping from my mind, I can't remember a thing about it! On ...

I think I'm about ready to retire. Working full time is totally exhausting! Today, I was paired with Alison again, who I have worked with before (she's a lot of fun). While Friday is a short day, it seemed so long! We were super busy, and our lunch break was shortened because of an appointment that ran late. After lunch, I ran into Alison on my way to her room. She grabbed my hand and told me "we have a situation..." Okay... When we received our sheet for the next appointment, we were told that the bride, who we'll call Melanie, is coming up from alterations. She was on her third and final fitting, her wedding being next Saturday, and realized that she hated the dress. Melanie is a bigger woman with size H boobs (yes, H) and the dress was just not fitting her right. For brides that have such large breasts, the cups on the dress need to be opened when it is made by the designer since the cups are cut around size B. However, Maggie Sottero, the designer that mak...

After three days off in a row, I set my alarm for way too early this morning and headed into Manhattan for another day at Kleinfeld Bridal. Joan paired me with Katie again, and since I enjoyed her so much the last time we were paired, I didn't bother to speak up and let her know that I have worked with Katie before. The most memorable bride of the day was from Egypt, and I'll refer to her as Maggie. Maggie brought along her mom and another woman, whose relation I'm not sure of (I missed the first five minutes of the appointment). Anyway, Maggie was looking for a lace gown that would be in before her December wedding. As I've mentioned before, it takes about 5-7 months for dresses to come in and they arrive to Kleinfeld two months before the wedding for alterations. Therefore, any dress Maggie wanted would need to be rushed, and not all designers are able to rush their dresses so soon. When Katie asked Maggie what her budget was, her mom replied something along the l...

"Without change, there'd be no butterflies." If one thing is for certain, it is that change is inevitable. So many things in our lives become a habit: snuggling your dogs in the morning, calling your mom when you're confused, texting your best friend when all you want to do is scream... These habits give us comfort in our lives and encourage us to live by what we know. The past month or so has really helped me to understand this. As much as we may pretend, no one feels confident stepping out of their comfort zones to make a change or to try something new. Sometimes we don't have a choice, like when the life of a loved one is taken or when a friendship slowly drifts apart. And there are other times when the decision is in our hands when we realize the time has come where something needs to change. I wish I could say that all changes are wanted, but I don't think that would be possible, even in a perfect world. Regardless, the quote I learned yesterday point...

Last night, I was laying in bed and was actually super bummed that I didn't have time to blog about my day! When I was almost back at the house, I saw Jackie, Grace, and her boyfriend Adam walking towards me to head to Union Square. I changed out of my all black attire and went in with them to grab a late dinner. It was such a nice night, I'm so glad I caught them! Anyway, work yesterday was one odd day. I mean... really odd. I'll just chat about two of our brides. First of all, I was placed with Camille, who you would all know from SYTTD (she has a very distinctive look).. During one of our appointments, with a bride we'll call Sam, the communication in the room was really struggling. Sam didn't provide any information as to what she was interested in, and after quietly responding with "yes" to every question we asked, she gave us with a budget between $2,000 and $3,000. So, with no limitations besides price, Camille and I went into the stock room to ...

Yesterday I was not in the mood to write at all. Another young life was lost way too soon, and it really made me step back and look at my life. Hug everyone extra close and don't take anything for granted... Rest in peace, Carly. Bridal wise, yesterday was a nice day. I was placed with Allison who is so super fun! She has such an enjoyable, contagious personality which creates a great vibe for every appointment. To be honest, I really don't remember any appointment except one with a girl who we'll call Jennifer. Jennifer came in with her mother, sister-in-law, and a mission to find a sexy dress. She had a very young look and realized from previous wedding dress searches that the "cute" and "sweet" dresses made her look like a little girl. After showing us some pictures, Allison pulled a few dresses, and Jennifer was sold on the first one she put on! The dress was a very subtle and classy sexy with a low back and slit up the middle. She looked stunning ...

Before I get all sentimental, I have to chat about my interesting, thrilling night last night. After I finished my blog post, Jackie came home and the three of us went upstairs to wind down and prepare for the next day. While I'm finishing brushing my teeth, the doorbell rings, and we decide to all go down to see who it is. Jackie looked through the peephole but didn't see anyone. Well, thanks to miscommunication, I opened the door, thinking Grace said it was Cynthia, and was staring right into the eyes of a highly intoxicated kid that was probably about our age (maybe a little older). For a second, I was really confused, but then quickly went to shut the door while the kid stuck his hand out and was telling me to "wait." Nope. I slammed and locked the door... Grace, Jackie, and I left the doorway, only to have the kid hold our doorbell down for a solid three minutes straight. While the guy didn't seem particularly threatening, he would not leave the stoop or st...

Tuesday is a weird day.... I have off Monday and Wednesday, so going into work today and having off tomorrow feels pretty odd! Anyway, I once again arrived too early this morning, so I stopped at Starbucks and had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte. I have to admit, it did make me excited for fall... We had our morning meeting out on the main floor today. Nicole and Kim (two Directors) showed off the new Augusta Jones dresses which were really pretty! I also met a consultant who has been on vacation. After the meeting, Joan paired me with Rita, a consultant who has been with Kleinfeld for over 20 years. She is from Italy and there is a slight language barrier, but she was so funny and nice and kept me laughing the entire time! While there were over 70 appointments today, Rita and I only had two brides! The day was so slow for us, and therefore boring at times. I really did enjoy working with Rita, though. Because she has been with Kleinfeld for so long, she knows everything, and freely s...

What I thought was going to be a boring, lonely day turned out to be one of the most exciting yet! I slept in a little this morning, because I could, chatted with our housekeeper Camelia over breakfast, and decided to head into Bryant Park, since I have yet to explore that area. I knew Bryant Park wasn't huge, but after realizing there wasn't really much to do in the park alone, I walked over to 5th Ave. A girl with a clear agenda should never be allowed to wander down 5th. Luckily, I only bought clothes from one store called Joe Fresh. Everything in there was super cute and really reasonably priced! Tomorrow night I'm making it my mission to call the two other Joe Fresh stores in the city, because I saw a perfect skirt but they were sold out of my size... Anyway, after shopping and trying to keep my wallet closed, I walked back to 42nd street and was lucky enough to find a Hale and Hearty (they have the best salad bar and oatmeal raisin cookies)! I sat in Bryant Park f...

Phew! Today was crazy, crazy busy! After making my morning commute, I was way early (as usual), so I stopped in the nearby Starbucks and had a drink while waiting for an appropriate time to head in. Michelle Roth spoke at our morning meeting again, since it is the last day of the trunk show, and to be honest, I can't really remember what it was about! Today, Joan paired me with a consultant named Judith who has been working at Kleinfeld for 28 years; she's a riot! Obviously, with that many years of experience, she knows all of the tricks and has dealt with so many different experiences and personalities. Because of that, it was really fun and interesting working with Judith. She gave me some hints on understanding the brides which I'm sure I'll find to be very useful. Anyway, our first appointment was with a girl we'll call Christine. Her and her mother have been to 5 bridal stores in the past 2 days and were looking to beat a simple, lace dress they had seen du...

Day 2 was a busier and more exciting day than yesterday! When I got in this morning, Joan Roberts (Director of Sales/ Intern Mom) spoke with me and the other two new interns about a few store procedures and gave us the brief introduction that we didn't get yesterday. Joan is such a sweet woman and really cares SO much about her staff and brides. Anyway, after our meeting, Joan paired us with our consultants for the day. I was paired with Debbie, which I'm sure many of you know from the show (she's always on). Because of our meeting, I started mid-appointment. We'll call the girl Natalie, and she was a 23 year old bride from North Carolina. Along with her came her sisters, cousins, mom, aunt, and a few other women whose relationship I'm not sure of. The group dynamics were actually fantastic; they were all very supportive and really wanted the best for Natalie. She was interested in mostly A-line gowns and was awestruck by one all lace A-line from the Michelle Roth...

With a huge blister on my heel and my day two outfit chosen and ready, I'm sitting down after my first day of my internship, eager to write about that happened! So... Even though my commute into work is only about an hour, I decided to leave an hour and a half early this morning, and I'm glad I did! I had the wrong bus time so I missed the first bus, stood at the wrong track and therefore missed a train (it comes to a different track during rush hours apparently), and then was held for about five minutes in station when I got onto the transfer train. After all of that, I was still somehow about 15 minutes early, so I wandered around Trader Joe's and borrowed their bathroom. I arrived to Kleinfeld around 9:55 (I was asked to be there at 10), and then waited around until 10:30 when the other two interns that were starting today showed up. I guess I got the wrong memo! I didn't mind waiting though, I let my eyes wander around what I could see of the dresses on the floo...

I slept in this morning, despite my plans of waking up early and taking a trip into the city around the time I will be going in tomorrow for work, and I have not a single regret about doing so! After waking up, working out, and making myself a tasty breakfast, I got ready for the day and headed out of my house JUST in time to catch the bus pulling up. I made my trial-run work commute with no problems, and it took about an hour (which is good to know for tomorrow). The weather today was absolutely WONDERFUL so I decided to walk around my work site to kill sometime. After passing Crumbs Cupcake Shop and doing everything in my power to stop myself from trying their cupcake of the month, caramel apple, I went into "Hale and Hearty," a salad, soups, and sandwich place right near work. This was my favorite part of the day... After selecting the ingredients for my salad and picking up an oatmeal raisin cookie, I snatched myself a seat in the exact spot Mom sat in when she br...

Let me start off by saying: If anyone is looking for a boyfriend in NYC, hit me up. I have the contact information to Dylan Phillips, he told me to "drop him a line," but I'm not interested... I got back last night from my impromptu trip home and I was feeling SO under the weather! I'm feeling a little better today, but spent the morning relaxing just in case. I left here around 3 o'clock and headed into Manhattan to meet up with Uncle Jimmy (Dad's best friend since the diaper years). His apartment is on W 56th Street right near Columbus Circle, and after heading in the wrong direction for two blocks, I found it just fine! The view from the rooftop was amazing! I could see myself living in the city for a while after graduation. Anyway, after touring his apartment and drooling over the rooftop view, Uncle Jim and I headed down 9th Ave in search of dinner. We ate at one of his favorite places, the Pita Grill (www.pitagrill.com); it was tasty! We snagged a ta...

Hello! Yesterday wasn't full of too much excitement, so I figured I would combine those adventures with today's post. Yesterday, Jackie's brother, who is a freshman at the University of New Haven, came for a visit. Despite the muggy, muggy, muggy heat, we headed into the city, this time choosing Central Park. We made a pit stop at the Sony building, where Jackie will be interning starting tomorrow (GOOD LUCK!) and then wandered around in the wrong direction for a minute until heading to Central Park. It was such a pretty environment! There were so many puppies, which made me happier than most people would understand, and the people there all seemed very relaxed and laid back. The park kind of takes you out of the city environment. After my blisters got too painful to handle, we wandered up to the Chess and Checkers House, and the ladies working there were nice enough to hand me some band-aids. The "house" was really cute! There were a few tables of... I'll...