Don't tell the bride want to film in my shop!!

I was once asked if I fancied appearing in a Channel Four documentary – it was going to look at first-time feature film makers and how they got their various projects off the ground.

My three colleagues and I reached a unanimous decision more or less instantly.

And I'm so glad we said no, as the film didn't turn out quite the way we hoped (a bit of an understatement), so there was a very real possibility that it might be more famous for being part of that documentary than for any other reason!

The other reason I said no was because it was shortly after BBC2 broadcast 'The House' – and if Jeremy Isaacs, a highly distinguished television producer (The World At War) who's also run an entire channel (Channel 4) can get stitched up in a fly-on-the-wall doc, anyone can!

I haven't seen any shops/venues/service providers or whatever look bad on that programme. The bride and groom are usually more than capable of providing a certain level of numptiness without any one else having to help out ?

One of the first ones filmed in a wedding dress shop near me and they came across very well.

Hmm I'd be a bit wary of this. In DTtB from what I recall the groom picks the dress and quite a lot of emphasis is put on it. Some of the shops they featured before looked ropey enough to me - perhaps done to the way they were filmed/edited ?. If you end up saving the day by giving the bride a last minute dress because the groom picked a rogue bad one then great. If he picks a bad one though then your shop may not come across very well - unless you are seen to be very much pushing for something else but he nobbishly goes with something ill advised.

As tempting as it may be I think I'd say no as I'd be wary of how they could edit you/your shop/your stock to come across.

Hmm I'd be a bit wary of this. In DTtB from what I recall the groom picks the dress and quite a lot of emphasis is put on it. Some of the shops they featured before looked ropey enough to me - perhaps done to the way they were filmed/edited ?. If you end up saving the day by giving the bride a last minute dress because the groom picked a rogue bad one then great. If he picks a bad one though then your shop may not come across very well - unless you are seen to be very much pushing for something else but he nobbishly goes with something ill advised.

As tempting as it may be I think I'd say no as I'd be wary of how they could edit you/your shop/your stock to come across.

Yes that's my worry. My first thought was of the potentially good publicity, but in the cold light of day, I'm now thinking they could make me look stupid/bad/incompetant (I'm none of those things by the way). They've tried to get me to react in a certain way to the groom's choices and I don't want customers who might see it to think I'm going to react that way to their choices. My sensible head is now saying no.....

Yes I think you might be right. My first thought was of the potentially good publicity, but I guess they can edit it any way they like. I'm thinking no at the moment but as you say, it could make my shop look very good. Someone tell me what to do!

I'd disagree with that I think. When I've watched the ones where the groom has monumentally cocked up, I've never thought it was down to the dress shop. They don't know anything about her, it's all down to him.

But if he picks a shocking dress - hey all designers have some not so nice ones ? and the programme doesn't show the lovely ones the shop has it could put others off. Also if it doesn't show Debs' or whoever's great advice she gave him then viewers could think he was completely left to his own devises and the shop (the experts) were unhelpful.

Obviously it could be good but do they always show the name of the shop or could it show a great inside and service but new brides to be might not have a clue where on earth it is unless they've been in before.

So have they already been in and filmed it? If they've already filmed do you still get the right to veto?

(apologies if I'm reading that wrong...)

WSS

If so depending on how it went - I'd judge from that. A hitcher did one of those kind of shows before and from what I remember it was heavily edited and didn't come out as expected (I may be wrong though).

It may well be fine but I'd just be reluctant to take my sensible hat off just yet.

No they haven't filmed it yet, they want to come on Sunday to do it. The producer/director just told me on the phone what they wanted me to do. She told me something the groom was planning, I thought it sounded terrible and she wanted me to react with horror when he tells me. My worry is that future customers will think I'll react with horror to their ideas too!

What's the idea, can you say? Is it something that would make most people react with horror?

Oh god I hate all this fakeness, I want to live in a bubble and believe it is all real and off the cuff ?. If it is really awful can you react with helpful horror?

Like "Umm to be honest that is something we have never done for a bride before. Given she isn't being allowed to decide maybe you should err on the side of caution with this and think of a plan b" - then do a quick piece to camera with "we at x brides, Main Street London telephone 020...... are always here to offer friendly advice *winks*". Ok well maybe not the last bit!

Oh God I don't know if I'll get shot for saying something. Just try and imagine a theme, say Moulin Rouge, and throw into it something that completely clashes. That doesn't help much does it?

So say, Moulin Rouge meets Transformers or something? ?

If it's something that so obviously doesn't work then I don't think anyone would think bad of you or your shop for saying that. They'll all be thinking the same as they watch it anyway!

Put it this way, if they are asking you to react in a way that's uncharacteristic it is bound to come across badly. It couldn't possibly come across well. Based on what you have said so far I would give this a very wide berth.

Actually yes! That's not too far off the mark!

I think I'm going to have to decline the BBC's very nice offer. I'd just be bricking it that they'd show us in a bad light, having spent two years working like a dog, I could just throw it all away in one fell swoop. Thank you fellow hitchers - your wisdom is legendary