Next, you have to actually apply for a show. This is nothing like applying for a job or for college … or is it? Most shows will only accept applicants who have never had a criminal record or any sort of misdemeanors, restraining orders, etc. And because this is television, keep in mind that looks do count. A lot. Every show asks for a photograph of the couple in question and the story of how they met. For “I Propose,” the qualifications are even blunter. Producers specifically state they are looking for “attractive men, age 21 to 40.” Get used to sharing, because some shows even ask additional questions such as budget, what obstacles you have overcome as a couple, how you know your mate is “the one,” planner information, etc.

By the way, in case your entire motivation for being on these shows is that you don’t have any of your wedding details figured out yet, and you’re hoping to be hooked up with a professional wedding planner, be forewarned. Although not having anything picked out makes for more interesting television, sometimes applying through the network is not the way to go. Both planners and contributors have told me that, more often than not, show producers choose a planner before they choose a couple. So don’t immediately assume that just because you need a planner a month prior to your wedding, getting on a wedding show will land you a celebrity coordinator. Just as you can go to mystyle[dot]com or wetv[dot]com to apply for a show, a planner can just as easily alert the network that they have a couple that would be interesting to showcase. When I spoke with Angie (the lovely bride who was married in South Africa on the Season Two finale of “Married Away”), her immediate goal was not to be on television. Rather, she fell in love with master planner W.P. Miller’s taste and booked him to plan her wedding. It was Mr. Miller’s connections that actually got the couple on the show. So if being on television is something you really want, keep in mind that there is competition from couples just looking to work with a certain planner.

Beyond all these pesky little details, there is the small matter of legality. Just as committing to getting married is a legal act, being filmed is also a legal commitment. Get ready to refine your form completion skills: the next step in the wedding reality TV process is paperwork and preparation. I can’t imagine how brides, grooms, or others involved mentally prepare for the filming process. The paperwork should prepare anyone, but in reading over the submission guidelines, getting on a reality TV show seems scarier than taking the plunge into matrimony. For example, I perused the “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?”submission guidelines, and found that participants could potentially expect public humiliation, injury, disease, and possibly even death! (Sounds fun, doesn’t it?) Now, I don’t recall a “Whose Wedding” where a couple was subjected to the risk of death, but I guess Style has to cover all their bases. In addition, note that materials may only be submitted online for every show – and for the Style Network shows at least, it’s not just the bride and groom signing their life away, but everyone in their household.

The next part of the process is selection, which falls on network executives and producers. If waiting is typically the worst part for you, then this may make you squeamish. If you don’t receive a hunk of legal papers in your mailbox or that all-important phone call, then you may be left wondering. Networks are not in the habit of reporting whether submissions were received, and Style especially takes every precaution to warn couples of the dangers of submitting online. Their legal jargon even covers “acts of God” as acceptable reasons for why they may not have received your application materials. However, if you are indeed selected, keep in mind that the paper trail doesn’t end here, because there are also confidentiality agreements in your future.