Before she said "I do" again, Brenda Dean said Yes to the Dress.
And her friends and family can watch her select her wedding dress on Friday (March 18) on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress episode "This is your day." (Check Telus or Shaw television listings for time and channel).
Dean, who runs In Your Court Tennis and Fitness Academy in Courtenay, is featured along with her four sisters in the episode. TLC publicist Caitlyn Flynn notes that, "After trying on several long dresses, Brenda realizes that what she really wants is a short dress - but can't seem to find something she and her four sisters can agree on."
Dean explains how she came to be on the popular show. "Vernon and I came to our 30th wedding anniversary and we thought we would love to do our vow renewal.
"Then sadly my mom died. I have four sisters and at the time of the taping we were 52 (Valerie), 53 (Carol), 54 (Brenda), 55 (Diane) and 56 (Debbie).
So what we took on was creating sister events. Since our mom passed away we just realized how important it was to do things and be together," Dean said.
"So I wrote away to Say Yes to the Dress because I thought, well if we're going to do the vow, I need a dress because I never really had a true bridal experience.
"Vernon and I lived together before we got married in the 1980s, and back then if you lived together you didn't get a big dress, you just kind of did your thing. Nowadays everyone has wedding dresses and they could be married 15 times and it doesn't matter," Dean said.
"So I wrote away and told them the story of my mom and how she raised all of us girls on her own, and said we'd love to go to New York and come and be on Kleinfeld's Say Yes to the Dress.
"Three months later I get an email then a phone call and some interviews and next thing you know we're flying to New York to be on the show," which was taped Sept. 18.
Dean says it was a fantastic day for her and her sisters. "It it was just a memory day. From the moment we got the troops organized - five women in one bathroom - to get to Kleinfeld's to do the taping…and the laughing and the tears…it was just such an eventual up, up, up day. It was very cool.
"And what a store. We walked in there and I think our jaws hit the ground. For a sister event, to create a memory, I can't believe how lucky we were that they were interested in doing a story on me and my sisters."
The sisters, who live on the Lower Mainland, accompanied Brenda and Vernon to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic when they renewed their vows on Feb. 3.
"We absolutely had a blast. It was like a musical. It was about joy and being together. Our generation is a throwaway generation and to get to 30 years nowadays is a big deal," said Dean of the special occasion.
"The Say Yes to the Dress was was just a huge bonus. Seriously, it was very exciting. Just to walk into the building, never mind the dress, and the dresses we're beautiful. Just beautiful. I was very lucky to be able to do that. Absolutely."
Dean said her sisters and friends told her they never would have thought to contact Say Yes to the Dress. "I said, why not? You go out and do whatever you want to do. Just ask, put yourself out there," she said, noting things don't happen unless you make an effort to make them happen.
"I've got to admit I'm a bit nervous about the show. But our spirits are there, our mom's with is. It's going to be wonderful."
Dean would like to be on another TLC show, Long Island Medium. "I keep writing. We bought tickets to see (Theresa Caputo) in Abbotsford. Another sister event. Why not? Long Island Medium is a great show. If we get a chance to talk to mom, I'm going for it! Even if you don't believe in that stuff, I don't care, I'm doing it," Dean said.