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Say Yes to the Dress season 24, episode 6, which aired on May 10, 2025, featured a special appearance from Western New York native Natalie Barnhard-Castrogiovanni. In the episode, Natalie visited the iconic Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City, where bridal consultant Randy Fenoli helped her find the perfect dress for her 2023 wedding.
The visit initially took place in 2022, a year before her marriage to Steve Castrogiovanni. Natalie, who has been using a wheelchair since a severe spinal cord injury in 2004, hoped to celebrate her moment like any other bride. Speaking to WKBW in an article published on May 11, 2025, she shared her emotions about the experience and how it felt to participate in the TLC series.
“It was a really awesome experience. I just truly felt like a beautiful bride,” she shared.
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Natalie now runs Motion Project NY, a nonprofit rehab centre for people with neurological injuries, and continues to inspire through her journey. She and Steve watched the episode with loved ones at a local bar in Depew, New York.
“I was worried I would never walk down an aisle” — Say Yes to the Dress star Natalie opens up about her journey
Say Yes to the Dress star Natalie Barnhard-Castrogiovanni shared that following her spinal cord injury, she carried fears about whether she would ever have a typical wedding experience,
“I was worried I would never walk down an aisle and never feel like a bride,” she told.
But during her visit to Kleinfeld, those fears slowly faded as she was given the attention and respect any bride would receive. With Randy’s guidance, she found a dress that made her feel seen and celebrated. Natalie reflected on how important it was to feel included:
“I felt like anybody else getting married. I got to go down the aisle,” she said.
She credited the show and the Kleinfeld staff for making her feel completely embraced in the process. The moment wasn’t just about choosing a dress—it symbolised reclaiming joy and hope after years of uncertainty.
Her now-husband Steve also expressed how proud he was. “It still chokes me up,” he shared. Stever further added that she looked like "royalty."
Natalie explains her gown choice in Say Yes to the Dress
In a clip from the May 10 episode of Say Yes to the Dress, Natalie was shown trying on a $5,200 Martina Liana Luxe gown at Kleinfeld Bridal. While the dress received compliments from her family, Natalie shared her honest thoughts. “I like the dress,” she said, “but I’m not really sure yet.” Her sister Melissa appreciated how it flared in the front, but Natalie responded that she didn't want the dress to "hide" her chair.
“I am in a chair. I don’t need to cover it up with a huge ball gown,” she shared in a confessional.
Randy Fenoli gently addressed her concerns, showing how the underlayers that created the volume could be removed. Still, Natalie chose not to go with the dress,
"I'm kind of feeling a little sad at the moment because there was so much material. You couldn't see the whole front of my chair at all. I want to see me in the chair. So I want something more sleek and classy and sexy,” she later shared.
Her mother expressed to producers that Natalie might have been trying to please everyone else.
Watch the latest episode of Say Yes to the Dress on the TLC GO website.
