The Most Controversial Brides To Ever Appear On TLC's Say Yes To The Dress

Shopping for a wedding dress is a major milestone for future brides, and TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" gives those interested in reality TV stardom a chance to live out that experience in front of a audience. The show is full of both touching and hilarious moments; fans enjoy watching women from all walks of life hunt for their perfect dress while crying tears of joy, fielding family squabbles, and having spectacular meltdowns. However, although there have been many memorable episodes over the years, the most controversial brides to ever appear in the series have gained notoriety for far more than just their gowns. 

Whereas most of the show's guests go on to live relatively normal married lives, some brides find themselves embroiled in problematic situations that live rent-free in our minds. From lawsuits to racist tweets, these women's stories make your average bridezilla's journey to the big day look completely tame. Here's how these brides' happily ever afters were derailed by unexpected drama after the cameras stopped rolling. 

Anyone who has watched "Real Housewives of Atlanta" likely knows Apollo Nida's face, but one woman was particularly starstruck: Sherien Almufti. According to Daily Mail, Nida proposed to Almufti while serving time for a felony fraud charge, and she surprisingly said yes. Even with four years standing between her and her wedding date, Almufti shopped for her ideal gown on her episode of "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta" and seemed thoroughly overjoyed with the whole experience. 

Almufti may have been all smiles during her appearance, but it seems that the couple has faced an uphill battle since the episode aired. In 2019, Page Six reported that Nida went back to prison just a few days after his release, which undoubtedly put a damper on any sort of celebrations the couple may have had planned. Sadly, the couple faced more legal woes in 2024 when Nida was once again arrested. According to In Touch, Almufti contacted law enforcement after an argument between them turned physical. Nida was subsequently charged with assault. Although the honeymoon phase appears to be over for these two, Almufti explained to In Touch that there was a silver lining to this incident: "It was a huge blow out between a married couple that has brought us much closer since then. We have worked through our issues and have been going to couple's therapy."

Track and field Olympian Dawn Harper-Nelson and her husband are one of the most memorable "Say Yes to the Dress" couples from the early seasons. However, it hasn't been all happily ever after for the bride who told her bridal stylist: "I want to have a princess look." Her wedding went off without a hitch in 2013, but she found herself in hot water with the US Anti-Doping Agency in 2017. According to NBC Sports, the athlete tested positive for a banned substance, which led to a three-month doping ban. As the article notes, the substance in question was an diuretic ingredient found in a blood pressure medication Harper-Nelson was prescribed. 

For her part, Harper-Nelson was very open and apologetic about the incident. According to USA Today, Harper-Nelson issued a since-deleted statement on X, formerly Twitter, describing the circumstances that led to her violation: "I never hid my use of this required medication, but did fail to fully understand how it's administration was governed by current doping protocols." Luckily, this situation has a storybook ending: after serving her three-month suspension, Harper-Nelson went on to win a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships. 

For bride-to-be Alexandra Godino, appearing on "Say Yes to the Dress" got her more than she bargained for: a premature reveal of her dream dress on national television. Unfortunately for Godino, her episode was scheduled to air before her nuptials, meaning that her fiance (and everyone else) would be able to see her in her wedding attire ahead of time. In an attempt to mitigate this situation, Godino filed a lawsuit against TLC. As she told the New York Post: "If I for one second, for one second, thought they would air this before my wedding I would never have done it — ever, ever, ever."

Ultimately, Godino lost her battle against the network and her episode did indeed air before her wedding. As New York Daily News reported, the presiding judge understood Godino's frustrations but asserted that she knowingly took the risk by signing a contract with the series: "She could have said no and turned them down and they would have moved onto the next bride." Although Godino was the first to sue TLC over this issue, she reportedly isn't the only bride to have their dress debut on-screen before tying the knot. But, while "Say Yes To The Dress" has many rules that its brides have to follow, the show unsurprisingly gives itself a lot of leeway when it comes to air dates.

Many of us have done things in our past that we regret now, but it's a different story when those regrets become viral internet news. Social media personality Claudia Oshry had an entertaining appearance on "Say Yes to the Dress," but the controversy she soon faced was far less lovable. The "Girl with No Job" seemingly had it all: a great fiance, a social media show called "The Morning Breath," and thanks to her appearance in the series, her dream wedding dress. 

Unfortunately, a 2018 article by The Daily Beast brought some dark secrets to light that threatened Oshry's career. According to the article, Oshry and her three sisters hid a significant fact from their followers: their mother is Pamela Geller, who is known for spewing Islamophobic hate speech. As the article explains: "None of the girls have spoken out or denounced their mother's extremist views. In fact, the Oshry sisters have gone to great lengths to conceal their connection to their mother." However, the drama didn't stop there; as People explains, racist tweets that Oshry had posted as a teen also resurfaced, prompting the cancellation of "The Morning Breath." Oshry quickly took to social media to issue an apology:

As Oshry explains in the Instagram post: "I was a dumb kid, I was 16, I thought I was being funny and cool on Twitter, and [I was] not." Oshry and her sisters also gave a statement to The Daily Beast, which partially read: "We want to be clear to our audience and fans that our political and cultural beliefs are not anti-Muslim or anti-anyone."

When Emily Gotterup explained that her then-fiance fired her so they could be together, it sounded like a cute anecdote to share in a wedding toast. Unfortunately, David Gotterup's decision to fire his future wife likely had a darker motivation behind it. According to Forbes, the Gotterups' wedded bliss was interrupted by an 11-count indictment against David and his business partner in 2015. The indictment was the result of a massive mortgage fraud scheme David and his business partner concocted, scamming multiple victims out of thousands of dollars. 

However, the icing on the wedding cake is how David allegedly paid for some of Emily and his wedding expenses. As FBI.gov explains, David fraudulently applied for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and successfully obtained a $113,900 Small Business Administration loan (which might seem like a lot, but would be barely enough to cover the most expensive dress ever sold on "Say Yes To The Dress"). The article also notes: "Instead of using the funds to repair property damaged in the disaster, Gotterup used the money to pay for personal expenses, including wedding-related expenses in Cancun, Mexico." It doesn't get much worse than misappropriating funds intended for real disaster victims, and a Brooklyn, New York judge agreed: David received a 15-year prison sentence for his crimes.