The show has lasted so long and spawned spinoffs in Atlanta, the U.K., Australia and elsewhere because of the personal stories of the brides and their families. The show focuses on finding the perfect wedding dress for each individual bride.

Some brides want to look sexy, some want to look like a princess. Others just want a traditional or simple dress in which to walk down the aisle.

Whatever they select, there is always drama as they bring their families, friends and sometimes even fiancés to shop at the famed Kleinfeld Bridal salon. This New York salon is the Disneyland of bridal gowns. If you can’t find what you want here, it probably doesn’t exist.

The show’s breakout star is Randy Fenoli, who is the main fashion consultant/director at the salon. Fenoli is also a bridal dress designer, and although his dresses are available at Kleinfeld’s, he doesn’t push them on the brides. Instead, he uses his unique ability to listen to what the bride says she wants and find something to fit her desires. But what many brides discover is that what they come in wanting is not what they end up buying.

The team at Kleinfeld’s sometimes has to play referees between the bride and her entourage. Sometimes fights do break out, but the drama in the salon is often overshadowed by the drama in the dressing rooms as the brides break down over differences between family, friends and their own desires.

The bottom line for the team at the salon is helping the bride feel comfortable with her selection. In many cases, that involves redesigning or tweaking a dress to make everyone happy.

Viewers get to see many designer bridal gowns they might only see in magazines. Watching a bride walk out in a beautiful dress that looks good on paper but doesn’t look as good in reality is part of the shopping experience.

For those brides who have already gone through the bridal dress shopping experience themselves, watching this show might bring back that memorable experience.

Who knew watching this show would be addictive? It is a fun experience to watch the brides transform from their street clothes to their beautiful wedding attire, veil and all. It’s not only the dress that makes a wedding dress complete, it is also the veil that adds that finishing touch. And often, once the veil is placed on the bride’s head, tears start to flow for both the bride and her entourage.

While “Say Yes to the Dress” is not for everyone, the fact that it has lasted 23 seasons with spinoffs in other countries says that it is an experience viewers love to watch unfold.

Whether viewers watch for the drama or to see beautiful (mostly) gowns, the show has proven there is a big audience for this shopping experience. And at the end of the show, whether a bride has tried on one or 10 dresses, she is asked, “Are you saying yes to the dress?”

Stream Season 23 and the previous seasons and enjoy the dresses and the drama.