Wellington Couple Makes A Splash On TLC’s FOUR WEDDINGS Reality Show Story by Deborah Welky • Photos by Anna Ansarov/ANA Creatives
Have you ever dreamed about starring in a television reality show? How about TLC’s Four Weddings? That dream came true for Samantha “Sam” Ricciardi, 26, a self-professed wedding show junkie. “I was a fan of that type of show before I was even engaged,” Ricciardi said. “Any wedding show that comes on TV, I watch — especially on TLC. So when I got engaged, I thought it would be awesome if I could get on the show.” Four Weddings is a contest between four couples to see whose wedding excels in the areas of dress, venue, food and overall experience. The judges are the brides themselves. They each attend four weddings, one of which is their own, and fill out a scorecard after each one. (Brides are not allowed to vote for
their own weddings.) When the votes are tallied, whichever event has the most points wins. So, how did Ricciardi’s wedding get chosen for the show? “I was on all of these e-mail lists because I had attended all these bridal expos, and those were the lists that the show was using, looking for brides,” she explained. “The first time they emailed, you had to be close to your wedding date, and ours wasn’t for a year and a half. The second time, our wedding was only five months out.” When Ricciardi read further, she discovered that producers were seeking couples whose weddings were going to take place in the Miami area. She started to get excited. It also looked as if the time frames were finally going to coincide. “I have to thank my husband, Mike, who gave me enough time to plan my own wedding,” Ricciardi said. “I wanted it to be totally mine. I think, because I teach dance, I have that creative side of me.” The newlyweds have known each other for years. “I’m from Wellington, and Mike is from Loxahatchee,” Ricciardi said. “We met through mutual friends years and years ago, when I was 21. A year and a half after we started dating, we decided to take a vacation to the west coast. We flew to Los Angeles, rented a car, drove to Las Vegas, and then to Mon-
(Above) Samantha and Mike Ricciardi. (Right) The bride and groom with their wedding party next to vintage car.
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october 2015 | wellington the magazine