Research: Narrative and Audience of Say Yes to the Dress

This article by Huffington Post, shows an example of a fan of the show Say Yes to the Dress. Although most people may view the show to be for people getting married and gaining inspiration for their own personal dress, this article by Debbie Leon highlights the variety of audiences. In the text she highlights how she is a fan of the show despite being 'already married'. She also highlights the typical narrative of the show which normally follows in 10 steps like this:

1) A bride appears and is introduced to the camera
2) A backstory about her spouse is normally shown including pictures of the two together, possibly including personal details about the bride
3) The brides entourage is introduced to the store managers/assistants which normally consists of mother of the bride, bridesmaids, sisters, mother in law and sometimes extended family such as cousins. Occasionally the father of the bride is present.
4) The bride will then state what she is looking for and her budget (which is nearly always broken) in which the assistants take her away to find dresses
5) Most brides try on around 3 dresses, one being extremely far away to what she is looking for and that her entourage do not like
6) There is normally a dramatic scene where a family member does not like the dress but the bride does which sometimes leads to arguments and tears and is normally paired with an interview with the bride away from her entourage
7) The bride finds her perfect dress, shows her family and they love it, typically it is over budget
8) Most brides have a family member pay for their dress and normally have to ask for an extension on their budget due to most dresses being presented too expensive
9) Once agreed, the shop owner/manager/assistant will ask the bride 'are you saying yes to this dress?'
10) The bride then agrees and there is reaction shots around to the different people in the scene

Some episodes do show variety with some brides not finding their dress etc.

Leon highlights that 'The bride generally has a cathartic moment and feels something for the first time: Powerful, pretty, thin, tall, loved. The chosen dress, and the experience in choosing it miraculously solves whatever problem she came with.'