Exclusive: Meet the Cast Behind the Next Big Wedding Series: 'Say I Do' on Netflix

What happens when Queer Eye meets weddings? Netflix's new show, Say I Do, is arguably the next big reality show to come from the streaming network. The new unscripted series stars central cast members, interior designer Jeremiah Brent, fashion designer Thai Nguyen and Chef Gabriele Bertaccini, who combine forces to help couples bring their dream weddings to life—in a week's time or less.

"It was so intense planning a wedding in under a week," Brent tells The Knot. "Our smallest wedding was 70 people, these were real weddings. The biggest lesson for me--the thing that's beautiful about Say I Do--is I think it's the first wedding show that's about love."

Each episode of the limited edition, unscripted series paints a picture of the chosen couple, their respective pasts and relationship stories, and how the wedding is brought to life from these conversations. "We started doing these big productions from start to finish," Bertaccini says. "Weddings are a love story--and I know Thai says the same. It's about the love, whatever craft we are in, it's about translating the love story through our work."

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Below are takeaways and tips from the stars of Say I Do, now streaming on Netflix.

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What Makes Weddings Special

Viewers will come to learn more about each main cast member as his respective interactions with couples come to life. "What I wasn't ready for and I experienced is how emotionally invested we all became with the love stories we were part of," Bertaccini reflects. "By doing that, we opened up about ours… If there's something now I'm going to approach with weddings ahead is being available and hearing couples' stories--and to be emotionally involved in them."

Nguyen agrees, especially given the specialized nature of his work. "The wedding gown is not just a gown, it's a symbol of their love and their story," he says. "'What have they been through?' That's why I love creating. It's my way of telling a story."

Netflix and the production company created an atelier for Nguyen, a place he now refers to as "home and my playground." The location is where he crafts custom, made-to-order pieces for his brides and other stars whether they're stepping onto the red carpet of premieres or the Oscars. He laughs, "I get to play with beautiful things like fabric, lace, beading. I feel so lucky that I get to do it everyday, and I'll do it until the day I die."

As a chef, Bertaccini is faced with challenges like a gluten-free soul food menu, being first up. "If there's one thing that comes across, I am really passionate about food and what it represents, which is love. I love feeding people, and cooking because it's an act of pure love," he muses. "And when it comes to weddings, food is an important component: it's the glue that brings people around the table together. It creates new memories that you can bring with you in the future. That's what got me in it."

Brent, one of the nation's best-known interior designers, calls wedding planning and designing a "holistic design experience," which extends beyond creating beautiful spaces. "I took it very seriously," Brent says. "With each of these weddings, I tried to weave together a tapestry of their collective experiences and their individual ones… A successful wedding is when the people standing up there feel that they're being represented and the people attending see exactly what these two people have created together was the big takeaway for me."

What to Prioritize While Wedding Planning

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Given how the three figures only had a week to plan an entire wedding, all had respective takeaways about what message exactly held true collectively by the end of the season. "For me, it's about simplicity," says Bertaccini. "The older I grow, the more I'm attracted to simple, authentic moments. Authenticity has whole different meanings, but I'm saying go back to what feels authentic to you. Keep it vulnerable and create moments that bring you joy."

With regards to his specialty as a chef, Bertaccini explains how food and weddings are especially correlated. "Don't have the food you should be having," he emphasizes. "Have food that means something to you and connects you to moments in life… The wedding is the clear snapshot of the love story."

Adds Brent, "Stories, first and foremost, are what do you want to share with the people there. Having been married, there's nothing more magical than being in front of the people who love you… and finding the way to include them into the celebration." (Indeed, the designer and his husband, Nate Berkus, recently celebrated six years of marriage.)

Another tangible focus is budgeting and sticking to that budget, where organization helps tremendously. "I like things super organized," he muses, "and in a wedding, there are so many details." Start with a wedding checklist and take pride in your steps when you manually mark each item as done.

What to Remember Amid COVID-19

Netflix

The show, while filmed in pockets across the country, did not anticipate the arrival of a global pandemic that has now impacted countless "COVID couples." Despite the uncertainty and the circumstances, the trio has found multiple silver linings even while the coronavirus has derailed weddings and projects they've been planning themselves.

"I have brides who are now like, 'With that look, can you create gloves or a mask to go with it?'" Nguyen shares. "It is the new normal. This is history, there is a pandemic. If you can create something beautiful out of it, celebrate love no matter what… This is happening to all of us and not just individuals. If anything you should watch this show--keep going with that fire in your love. Hold onto each other even tighter."

"The silver lining is the allowance for the couple to remember why they're doing what they do," muses Bertaccini. "We're going back to a simple and authentic time and I tell couples it's a win-win. You get an extra eight months to make changes, look through the guest list. If it's about the food, you can create a food and drink menu that speaks to your love story. Let's go back to the basics of marriage, which is a way to show people we have to be able to be loved and to love."

Agrees Brent: "We're getting back to basics in a lot of ways with how we connect." And with that foundation, arrives an opportunity for increased personalization. "This is the time for you to be creative. Do something that you don't think you could've done," Nguyen says. "Be creative, create a Zoom wedding, cut out pictures. Express your love. This is the time for everyone to be supportive and celebrate love."

Last, but not least: now is the time to focus on your relationship—and yourself. "Marriage requires work and I mean that in a positive way," Brent says. "It's a lot of work to grow as a person and to grow as a couple… I'm really lucky I married my best friend and I really like him, and we have such a good time doing life together. You've got to really like the person you're marrying."

"Embrace yourself and stay true to who you are," concludes Nguyen. "Learn from the past. Appreciate the present. Look forward to the future. That's how you should live life. Say I Do is about love, kindness and family. We all deserve to celebrate love and be kind to one another. We thrive to be together as a family."