Around the Rivers: Richland Resident Creates Space for 'Say Yes to the Dress' Host

Michelle Kutchko just wanted to earn a little extra income for her family. She never dreamed that her efforts would attract the attention of some of the hottest names in wedding-related show business.

Randy Fenoli of Say Yes to the Dress was recently in town for a bridal show, and Kutchko was tapped to create a space for him at the event.

"I had done several bridal shows for Wedding Clickers, and after one show the owner approached me and thanked me for always going above and beyond with my presentation at the shows and went on to say they love the trendiness and uniqueness of my work," said Kutchko, owner of Modern Silk, which makes silk floral arrangements.

"Shortly after the show I received a call from a representative with the request to create the space for Randy."

Since then, Kutchko has been asked to create spaces for David Tutera of My Fair Wedding. Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss also has shown interest in her design skills.

In spite of the sudden attention her work is garnering from people who cater to reality-show clients who often have fairly large budgets, Kutchko remains focused on her core clientele—local brides-to-be.

"I've been on both sides of the fence: I've had to pinch pennies, and I know many brides want their dream wedding but can't spend a fortune," said Kutchko.

"Just because a bride doesn't have a lot of money doesn’t mean she can't afford my services. I have dressed up every venue from the Omni William Penn to the local fire hall. I love to see their reaction and how much they appreciate what I do."

Kutchko, a Richland resident with two children in the , started modestly. For years she did silk flower arrangements and helped friends and family with party planning and coming up with  themes.

She was told so many times that she should go into business that she finally did in 2009, opening Modern Silk. She began displaying at local bridal shows and is getting a lot of attention for her innovative and unique style.

Anyone can tell Kutchko is passionate about what she does and tries to strike a balance between trendy and affordable.

She is trying to change the definition of what is trendy and what a wedding should look like. Take flowers for example. According to Kutchko, a lot of people have a stigma against silk flowers, believing that all wedding-related flowers should be live. That's nonsense and limiting, she said.

"Silk flowers are beautiful, versatile, and you can get any color any time of year," she said. "They also cost half of what real flowers cost because you can rent them."

Kutchko put her beliefs into three dimensions when she chose as the centerpiece for her space for My Fair Wedding to create a "wedding dress" made entirely from silk flowers. It was a lovely concoction that might just put silk flowers back on the map.

As for the future, Kutchko has two young daughters and plans to just keep living the life of a working mom while enjoying these "reality show" moments as they come her way.

"I just love weddings, and my goal is to make that the most special day of your life," said Kutchko. "The best way I can do that is to set everything up for the wedding party and make everything gorgeous so they don't have to worry about anything but having a perfect day."