Say Yes to the Dress: America has found its perfect New York state representative in LoAles Cruz. Cruz, who hails from the Bronx, is an immigrant who went through the foster care system at an early age until she eventually went to live with her grandmother. After putting in years of hard work, paying her own way through nursing school, she is now a nurse at a hospital right around the corner from where she was raised.
In an exclusive sneak peek clip of an upcoming episode of Say Yes to the Dress: America, Cruz’s fiancé, Jordan Mercado, joins host Randy Fenoli to surprise Cruz with the exciting news just outside her work at the hospital. Mercado anxiously texts Cruz, ostensibly so the two of them can grab a quick lunch together, but when Cruz bounds down the steps to meet him, she instead comes face to face with Fenoli and freaks out.
“Oh my god!” she exclaims, instantly tearing up at the sight of the familiar face. The pair embrace, and then Cruz hugs Mercado, before she can even find the right words to express her emotions.
“Do you need anything? Should I call a paramedic?” Fenoli jokes as Cruz finally takes a seat on the stone steps to catch her breath. The ecstatic bride-to-be just shakes her head and smiles.
“I had no clue!” she later tells cameras. “I just thought [Mercado] was, like, really hungry or something.” Mercado jokes, “Even with the 5,000 texts I gave you this morning?”
LoAles Cruz and fiancé are hugging. (Credit: TLC)
Once Cruz finally collects herself, Fenoli excitedly tells her, “You’ve been selected to represent the state of New York for Say Yes to the Dress: America—this means we’re bringing you to Kleinfeld to pick the dress of your dreams from a special curated selection of wedding gowns.”
Cruz’s response? More squeals.
Later in the episode, Fenoli sweetly refers to Cruz as not just the representative for New York state, but “the bride to represent America.”
Randy, LoAles Cruz, and fiancé in New York. (Credit: TLC)
“She describes herself as a flower that has grown up through the gray cracks of the sidewalks of New York and has blossomed,” Fenoli told Parade magazine earlier this year. “It’s such a beautiful story. You realize that she’s the perfect person to represent New York. Every state I went to, they just had such state pride and it was just amazing.”
“Everybody’s just so different and unique,” he added. “When you get to see their real lives, it’s so much more informative and personal than just them coming in and talking about [their lives]. I’ve bonded so closely with these brides that we still keep in touch and we’re still on a group chat together.”
Other states that Fenoli has been to recently include Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Nevada, and Indiana, among others.
In total, the show will tap 52 brides (one from every state, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) to take part in a mass wedding ceremony held in Central Park in New York City. Each bride is gifted a wedding gown and an exclusive shopping experience at Kleinfeld Bridal.