The Most Expensive Wedding Dresses Brides Actually Bought On TLC's Say Yes To The Dress

Fashion and fantasy are delightfully blended in one of TLC's best-performing franchises, "Say Yes to the Dress," a show where brides from across the world flock to Kleinfeld, the famed New York City bridal salon, to find their dream wedding gowns. Aided by beloved cast members, such as Kleinfeld's renowned fashion director and designer, Randy Fenoli, "Say Yes to the Dress" participants experience the thrill of selecting, trying on, and potentially purchasing a gorgeous gown for their wedding day. However, all that glam can come with a hefty price tag.

Fans of the show won't be surprised to learn that Kleinfeld is the home of some incredibly expensive gowns. Designers like the frequently featured Pnina Torai offer extravagant and jaw-dropping garments that have garnered fame and awe in the "Say Yes to the Dress" community and fashion enthusiasts worldwide. In fact, most of the most expensive gowns ever purchased on the show were designed by Pnina Tornai. Whether that's because her name is now synonymous with "Say Yes to the Dress" due to her status as a Kleinfeld-exclusive designer, or because her gowns are drop-dead gorgeous, who can say?

Occasionally, brides featured on the show have the luxury of shopping without a budget, and consultants can show them the most dazzling, eye-catching gowns at their disposal. Though the most expensive option isn't always the one purchased, there have been quite a few high-dollar gowns that privileged brides have had the pleasure of saying "yes" to.

Sometimes, a great dress just needs a little tweaking to become a dream come true. Such was the case for bride Ameena Khugiani, who was looking for absolute opulence for her traditional Afghan wedding. During her segment on the show, Khugiani mentioned that her ceremony dress would be a custom green Oscar De La Renta runway piece, and she was looking for the gown she would wear for her reception. Regardless of its status as the second dress, Khugiani was looking for perfection, sparkle, and glamour, no matter the cost.

After two underwhelming first options, Pnina Tornai joined in on Khugiani's appointment to help her determine and actualize her vision for her perfect gown. With Tornai's help, the third gown was the winner. It was a satin ballgown with a sweetheart neckline with prominent crystal detailing and ruching along the bodice that gave the air of lavish glamor Khugiani and her family were looking for, but such a lavish look doesn't come cheap. Luckily for Khugiani, not a single member of her entourage even blinked at the fact that the gown cost $13,000.

Despite her instant love for the gown, it was only the base for what was to come. Tornai made suggestions to alter the dress to make it even more spectacular and personalized, such as extending the intricate beadwork to the skirt. Khugiani also requested a delicate sleeve so the gown wouldn't be strapless, and Torani provided crystal sleevelets to add a bit more coverage and sparkle.

One truth we've learned from "Say Yes to the Dress" is that there's no wrong way to have a wedding, and there's something wonderfully romantic about spontaneously eloping to Italy with the love of your life to privately exchange vows. The idea sounds even more appealing when you can throw a big state-side party with friends and family upon the return home, which is exactly what bride Lauren Walker had in mind. Being already married by the time she came to Kleinfeld, Walker was looking for a fun — and slightly edgy — dress to celebrate her recent nuptials with friends and family. However, Walker's mother showed a clear preference for the elegant and more conservative gown she saw in the photos from Walker's actual wedding.

Though there was some contentiousness between mother and daughter regarding the sex appeal of the gown, and a deeper conflict sprouting from the fact that Walker's mother regretted not being in attendance for the wedding in Italy, fashion director Randy Fenoli and consultant Antonella Bruno were able to help Walker find a gown that everyone could agree was both beautiful and appropriate for the occasion.

The $12,600 Pnina Tornai mermaid gown featured a semi-sheer corset bodice with a solid white bustier for coverage, delicate lace details crawling up the mesh panelling, crystal and pearl beadwork, and flouncy lace tiers in the skirt that added romantic movement as well as an element of uniqueness to the overall silhouette.

Kleinfeld is so popular worldwide that foreign dignitaries have made their way to New York for the purpose of shopping for their bridal attire at the iconic salon. During her private appointment with Pnina Torani at Kleinfeld, Naulila Diogo, the daughter of an Angolan cabinet member, purchased not only two separate, custom Tornai wedding gowns for herself, but also outfitted her entire bridal party in dresses from the same designer. In an episode aptly named "V.I.Pnina," high-profile clients, including Diogo, are given the chance to communicate directly with Pnina Tornai to design or select custom or semi-custom gowns for their big day.

Diogo travelled from Angola to New York City along with her bridal party members to be fitted for her two custom wedding gowns. Her first gown was a wedding license signing dress that would only be seen by her future husband and her close family members. Despite the small attendance for that part of the wedding, she dedicated $30,000 to a gorgeous, backless, silk mermaid gown complete with thousands of hand-embroidered crystals throughout the entire garment. The balconette neckline, coupled with the close-fitting silhouette, gives the gown a sleek line that couples well with the plethora of dazzling embellishments.

Her ceremony and reception dress features a two-in-one design (thrifty, right?) with another mermaid base and a romantic tulle overskirt that transforms the dress into a full ballgown. The base dress and overskirt combined cost $25,000. The two wedding gowns, with all their customizations and accessories, as well as the seven custom bridal party gowns, cost Diogo a staggering total of $200,000 which set the record for the biggest single purchase in "Say Yes to the Dress," though it technically wasn't the most expensive single gown sold. 

While there are some rules brides have to follow on "Say Yes to the Dress," there's certainly no rule against Frankenstein-ing two dresses together. Bride and Pnina Tornai fan Maria Fruci proved this theory true when she was invited to Kleinfeld for a personal appointment with Tornai herself. She wanted the enchanting beadwork of a crystal-encrusted corset top with the intrigue of a ballgown skirt with dramatic pickups.

After expressing her desires to Tornai, the designer showed her two gowns that they could combine into one makeshift, perfect dress for the sake of getting a general idea of Fruci's vision. In the dressing room, Fruci donned the first dress with the bodice she wanted. After the base gown was secured in place, the second gown with the much larger skirt was placed on top, the bodice of that dress folded down so as not to obstruct the view of the first dress' corset. Once the two gowns were stacked into one, Fruci came out to the show floor to admire the combination. Despite the difference in color and fabric, the vision was clear, and the bride enthusiastically affirmed that she wanted a custom gown that reflected what Tornai had created on the fly.

Tornai increased the harmony of the finished product by adding more sparkle to the bottom half of the gown in the form of hand-embroidered crystal roses attached to the pickup points in the skirt, with each flower running at $1200 a piece. The total custom gown costs $50,000.

While it can be easy at times to conceptualize a custom gown by a couple layering existing pieces together, there are other occasions when the new gown can be more difficult to visualize because the blend of design elements is less clear-cut. During her one-on-one VIP appointment with Pnina Tornai at Kleinfeld, bride Christina Singh thought she knew the exact dress she wanted until she tried it on. Singh's dream gown featured a sheer corset with intense crystal and lace appliques across the bust and center of the bodice. The sheer tulle of the top extended down to the hips and was eventually met with the opaque slip of the dramatic skirt that puffed out into a sea of feathers. Despite months of fantasizing about that dazzling gown, Singh's father withheld his approval due to the revealing bodice. The denial greatly disheartened Singh at first, but Tornai was determined to deliver. The bride tried on two other dresses by the designer, and each one featured a design aspect that Signh wanted implemented in her custom gown.

They decided that they would include the sparkling crystal beading details of the first gown, the lace fabric of the second, and the form-fitting, romantic silhouette of the last one (pictured above). Tornai created an entirely new garment that highlighted these three priorities, and Singh said "yes" to a one-of-a-kind gown that cost $45,000.

Amanda Namer had previously purchased a gown from Kleinfeld, but upon reflection, she decided that it didn't have enough bling and poof for her dazzling big day at the aptly named Crystal Plaza in Livingston, New Jersey. She returned to the salon originally to make significant alterations to her first dress, namely to add a plethora of extra crystals to the corset bodice and to add to the visual interest of the skirt with pickups and beading. However, after putting on her original gown and assessing its lacking qualities, her mother suggested looking at new dresses instead of trying to address all the issues with the first one.

In an attempt to find a second dress that met all of Namer's requirements, consultant Antonella Bruno pulled a Pnina Tornai gown that featured a more comprehensively beaded bodice and layered the skirt of her first dress over it so Namer could get an idea of what a mixed gown would look like. Feeling confident that they were headed in the right direction, Namer voiced her approval of the changes, but felt like the ballgown skirt was still lacking pickup detailing and sparkle. Luckily for Namer, designer Pnina Tornai was available to assist with the design and gave visual examples of the embellishments Namer wanted. Tornai agreed to make a custom gown for this bling bride, and the new gown came with a price tag of $21,615.

Though most of the time, brides come to Kleinfeld to find dresses for themselves, there are some brides who want family members to shine brightly on their wedding day as well. Bride Tabitha Moore made a gargantuan purchase at the famous bridal salon when she ordered not one, not two, but five custom Pnina Tornai gowns: one for each of her three daughters, one for her mother, and of course, one for herself. Moore stated that she wanted all of her girls to feel special on her wedding day, so each of them would be outfitted in a fabulous white gown.

The tween daughters wore similar gowns in varying lengths and necklines but similar silhouettes. Moore's mother wore a floor-length silver and white satin mermaid gown complete with crystal detailing. Even Moore's youngest daughter, who was only a year old at the time of filming, had her own custom tulle toddler dress with hand-embroidered beading.

Despite how bridal the wedding party looked in their white gowns, there was no mistaking that Moore was to be the one standing up on the altar. Her gorgeous fit-and-flare dress featured a satin bodice with ample crystal beadwork from the sweetheart neckline to the beginning of the flouncy tulle skirt, which definitely gave the princess aesthetic that she was looking for. The whole purchase totaled $70,000. The tween dresses cost $8500 each, the toddler dress costs $4,500, the mother of the bride gown costs $10,000, leaving Moore's gown at $38,500.

Some brides come to Kleinfeld with one single dress in mind and won't be satisfied until they at least get a chance to try it on. Bride Kelly Dooley came to Kleinfeld with the singular object of finding an ultra-rare, one-of-a-kind, Pnina Tornai runway sample. At the time of her appointment, she didn't realize that the dress wasn't a standard piece — she didn't even have a picture of it to show the consultant. She just recalled seeing a gorgeous silver dress that was featured on Pnina Tornai's London runway show that left such an impression on her that Dooley said, "it literally made me fall out of my chair."

With money not being an issue, the only obstacle standing between Dooley and the dress of her dreams was the availability of said dress. While asking Randy Fenoli about the whereabouts of the elusive silver finale dress, he voiced his concern that the gown might have been sent back to Pnina Tornai's factory after the very runway show Dooley was referencing. Both Fenoli and Antonella Bruno searched the stock room high and low for the gown, and after losing much hope, Fenoli was luckily able to locate it among the countless racks of dresses. The unique silver high-low dress costs a jaw-dropping $34,000. When looking at the gown up close, it's easy to see why the price is so high – it includes strands upon strands of linked crystal embroidery, intricate pleating around the bust, wispy lace details, ruffles and pleats of thick silver satin, as well as a massive puffed train.

Even brides without a set budget sometimes feel the need to exercise some restraint when it comes to selecting their perfect wedding dress. Bride Stephanie Alt, who came to Kleinfeld with the assurance that her fiancé couldn't set a budget for his future bride's ideal gown, implemented a self-imposed budget of $20,000 to keep things reasonable. During her chat with Randy Fenoli, she explained that she wanted a glitzy fit and flare dress with the longest possible train – something entirely different from the ballgown she wore for her first wedding. She wanted drama for her cathedral wedding in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The first gown had the right shape but a tulle skirt with too much volume that garnered some unflattering comparisons to birds and beloved pets, but it didn't take long for Alt to don a dress that took her breath away. The sleek fit and flare Pnina Tornai gown features a deep V neckline with illusion mesh that makes the lace applique straps seem like they are nearly floating, and matches perfectly with the mesh paneled cutouts on the side. The bodice was dotted with delicate crystal beads, and the tulle skirt was much more flowy and less poofy than the previous option.

Although the dress wasn't received with immediate warmth from her entourage, fortunately, Alt's mother stepped in with her praise. The bride had the support she needed to say 'yes' to the exquisite $13,500 gown that made her feel like a princess.

The rise in popularity of the "reception dress" stems from many brides' desire to slip into something more comfortable as they dance the night away with their friends, family, and new spouses. However, some brides use the "second dress" trend to show off an equally extravagant wedding gown later during the festivities, like bride Autumn Levine spent $24,000 on a reception dress that gave all the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. The dress featured full-length crystal beading and a fitted silhouette that fulfilled her requirements for a "sexy dress." The gown in question, a taupe Pnina Tornai with a trumpet skirt, had to be made specially in white for Levine's big day.

She didn't stop there. Though the reception dress had been decided on, there was still the matter of the ceremony dress to attend to. For that, she wanted something that still hugged her figure and offered all the high-shine glamor as before, but she wanted a fuller skirt. She ultimately landed on a Pnina Tornai fit and flare gown, swapping out the tulle skirt with a satin one and adding crystal embellishments to the seam where the bodice met the skirt. After customizations, the total for the ceremony dress came out to be about $26,000, making her total bill at Kleinfeld approximately $50,000.