The ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ star and fashion designer tells PEOPLE his relationship with fiancé Mete Kobal is “really beautiful”
Say Yes to the Dress star Randy Fenoli has spent decades helping other people plan their dream wedding days — and now, he gets to focus on his own.
“I have to tell you, it took me 58 years and I honestly never thought it was going to happen,” Fenoli tells PEOPLE of soon marrying fiancé Mete Kobal. “Then Mete came along, and I have to say that I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever truly felt love before.”
The bridal fashion designer, 59, proposed to his fiancé, 39, in December of 2022 at New York City’s Marmara Park Avenue Hotel, where they met. They had been dating for about a year after connecting at the hotel’s bar, where Kobal worked as the restaurant and bar manager — and they’ve been inseparable since.
“He’s just always there, and I have never had anyone that’s always been there for me. It’s really beautiful,” Fenoli shares. “Every day is just incredible. It really is, to have somebody there that you love and support and to be silly with and have fun with.”
As far as planning his big day goes, the only thing Fenoli has said yes to so far is what he and his fiancé will wear.
“I was really worried about that because we have very different styles,” Fenoli explains. “But we found something that is very classy, but so unique and so couture-looking.”
For the nuptials themselves, Fenoli and Kobal are considering hopping on a cruise ship with a stop in Italy for an intimate ceremony, aiming for a final destination of Turkey, where Kobal is from, so they can celebrate with his family and friends.
“Even with our engagement party, we only had about 50 people here, and I still didn’t feel like I had enough time to spend with everyone,” Fenoli says. “But on a ship, you can spend time because you’re together for a week, and you don’t have to babysit your guests. There’s something for them to do on the ship and you get to spend time with them so I think that’s a lot of the appeal of getting married on a ship.”
His interest in a Love Boat-inspired wedding isn’t out of the blue: Fenoli announced a new partnership with Princess Cruises on Thursday that involves him taking on the role of the “love and romance ambassador” to the cruise line and hosting a dedicated bridal fashion cruise in December.
Beyond his engagement and new brand partnership, Fenoli is also celebrating his 30-year anniversary in the wedding industry this June, recognizing his start in bridal fashion in 1993 after his graduation from N.Y.C.’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
Through those 30 years, Fenoli has experienced 22 seasons of Say Yes to the Dress, thousands of bridal consultations and plenty of weddings — making him well prepared to plan his own, and well equipped to offer advice to anyone planning theirs.
“Just make sure to enjoy it, because this is supposed to be the happiest time of your life, and if you’re not enjoying it, go elope,” Fenoli says of the planning stage. “Go to Vegas or a chapel and just elope. You’re creating a memory and that’s going to last forever. Be sure to prioritize what’s really and truly important.”