THEY DO!:Joyce (left) and Julie Jou (right) own the bridal salon to be featured on “Jersey Brides.”
THEY DO!: Joyce (inset, left) and Julie Jou (right) own the bridal salon to be featured on “Jersey Brides.” (Christian Johnson)
It was bound to happen.
With the success of New Jersey-centric shows like “Jersey Shore” and wedding-centric shows like “Say Yes to the Dress,” it was only a matter of time before “Jersey Brides” was born.
Filming got under way last week in Paramus, NJ, for TLC’s new two-part special, which has potential to turn into a series.
Creator Joe Livecchi was originally looking for a “Modern Family”-type docu-soap when a casting director told him about Joyce and Julie Jou, the owners of Bijou Bridal in Paramus.
“There were these two Chinese-American sisters running this bridal shop. There’s an older Irish woman who is kind of like the den mother of the place,” Livecchi told The Post. “So we thought this would make a great docu-soap about this modern family and clash of cultures.
“Then, when the brides came walking through the door, it became evident that the brides were the stars of the show.”
The Jou sisters, Jersey girls themselves, have owned Bijou for six years. Their father worked in men’s fashion and encouraged his daughters to follow in his footsteps.
Thirty-two-year-old Joyce’s love of bridal fashion was evident in her own wedding, 2 1/2 years ago.
“I was so bad,” she tells The Post. “I couldn’t pick out just one dress. I wore five!”
Younger sister Julie, 29, chimes in with a giggle, “We had a great time changing her!”
The Jou sisters and Livecchi agree that what will set “Jersey Brides” apart from the procession of wedding-dress shows out there is the large and in-charge personalities of their brides.
“Jersey brides are very loud, they’re over-the-top, they have strong personalities,” Livecchi says.
“A Jersey bride wants to walk in a room and have everyone’s jaw drop,” Joyce says. “So I think that’s what you’re going to see, that really confident, sexy bride.”
“Jersey Brides” is slated to air Nov. 8 at 10 p.m.