Essay wins TV shot

Quest for best wedding gown filmed for TLC, By C.G. Moore Stockholm — Here comes the bride, all dressed in a white dress from Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City. Local bride-to-be Christy Gordon will appear in an episode of TLC’s reality show “Say Yes to the Dress” on July 24. Presumably her fiance will be forbidden from watching. She’s trying to keep her dress selection a secret from him until the wedding. The show focuses on the bridal salon, giving viewers a glimpse into its “inner workings,” according to a publicist for the program. It’s also “part fashion show, part bridal story, part family therapy...uncover(ing) the hurdles every staff member faces to make each bride completely satisfied on what may be the single most important day of their lives,” said Ashley Forbes of Discovery Communications, TLC. Gordon won her spot on the show by submitting a short essay on what makes her a unique bride-to-be. She doesn’t win anything other than the chance to see her story aired on television. Gordon’s story involved a devastating injury in her college years. An avid softball player, she was struck in the face by a line drive that threatened her life at age 19. Her struggles to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a professional ballplayer were sidelined and seemed unattainable. She recovered, and through surgery her injuries are now barely detectable. She went on to become a ball girl for the Philadelphia Phillies and accompanied them to the 2008 World Series. Now 26, Gordon is an art teacher in Sparta and is busy planning her wedding to longtime boyfriend Bryan Graham. He played for the Kansas City Royals before suffering an injury as well and now also teaches in Sparta. The baseball loving couple will surely incorporate the theme into their upcoming nuptials. Gordon hints that she’ll probably pick a baseball oriented cake topper for her wedding dessert. For the show, she visited Kleinfeld’s on two occasions and with the help of the staff, selected the ideal dress. “The show helped me choose the perfect wedding gown. I have really enjoyed planning my wedding...the dresses, the colors, everything. I think I may go into wedding planning denial when it is all over... I won’t know what to do with myself,” said the bride-to-be.