New heartwarming Netflix series ‘Say I Do’ features Dayton business in every episode

Netflix has released a heartwarming and tear-jerking new series called "Say I Do" where deserving couples get the wedding of their dreams. The coolest part is that the eight-episode series features Dayton business Prime Time Party Rental and owner Bart Nye in every episode.

The series is created by Scout Productions, the makers of "Queer Eye" and other popular unscripted television shows. Each episode features three wedding experts: interior designer Jeremiah Brent, fashion designer Thai Nguyen and chef Gabriele Bertaccini, who work with the groom to ensure his bride's dreams come true.

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The show features couples who have overcome hardships and have wanted to get married, but have not been able to make their special day a reality. The most amazing part is that the groom and experts plan the surprise proposal and wedding in just one week.

Netflix decided to film the first season of the show in the Cincinnati and the northern Kentucky area. When I spoke with Nye about why they would choose this region for the show, he explained that it’s because it’s one of the largest markets in the country for weddings.

“Cincinnati is the mecca of weddings. It has to do with its proximity to so many different cities,” Nye explained. “Plus people like to party here!”

With locations holding a vast supply of wedding decor in Cincinnati, Columbus, and its largest warehouse in Dayton, Prime Time was an easy pick for the producers. They were excited to work with Nye and his crew, who are used to big workloads.Before COVID-19, Nye told us the company produces about 300 events a weekend during their busy season.

Credit: Jim Witmer

Credit: Jim Witmer

In each episode, every detail of the wedding setting, from the china to the chandeliers, was handled by the Prime Time team. They were put to the test because many of the dream details Jeremiah Brent came up with Nye had never done before — and they only had four days to execute it all.

Brent would deliver his design concept for the over-the-top wedding to Nye via a stick-figure drawing and typically some ideas from Pinterest. Then the team here in Dayton had to use their imagination and some very late nights to make it happen.

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In each episode, you can see the Prime Time signature blue trucks pulling up, the team diligently working in the background, and usually some shots of Nye and his big smile. He told us repeatedly how much fun the process was, even on a tight timeline.

“So much was going on in those few days. We just kept going and going and going. Some nights we work ‘til three or four in the morning and we get back up and have to be back there at seven,” he told us.

“It sounds kind of terrible when you say we were working ‘til the wee hours of the morning, but then when you look back on it, it was great.” he continued. “We had so much fun and all the guys were wonderful to work with. We were non-stop laughing through it all.”

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Some of the sets Brent dreamed up were a true feat to pull off. In episode 3, he wanted a solid gold dance floor, which the expert designer admitted he didn’t know how to do “Well that makes two of us!” Nye told him, but assured him he’d figure it out.

Nye stayed up all night watching YouTube videos for instructions, and had supplies shipped overnight. “We got the materials delivered the day of the wedding. When we laid the first piece down it went perfectly, everybody was high fiving, even the cameramen.”

Experimentation was the name of the game in all eight episodes, where the lush decors simply dazzled on screen. From a big tent circus setting to the ultimate neon lit dance party, every detail was attended to by the Dayton team.

“We were just figuring it out as we went,” Nye explained. “It was trial and error. We wasted so much material, but we just kept trying because we wanted it to be perfect. It’s all about the family and couple getting married.”

In the first episode, Brent wanted a huge ballroom covered in white carpet. “They told me three days beforehand, and asked if we could get it done. I was in the building industry before I was in the party business, so I called some of my carpet friends and found white carpet. We re-carpeted the whole thing within 48 hours.”

Nye shared that the producers and crew were very thankful for all the extra effort the Prime Time Team put in. “They told me, ‘We could not have done this without you. Nobody else in California or New York would have done what you did on the notice that we had, as quickly as you did without fighting us.’ Whatever they asked, we just said ‘sure, we’ll do it.”

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Nye credits Daytonians’ overall ‘can do’ attitude and work ethic. “Dayton seems like this sleepy little town, but we take care of business. That's what we do here, we just say ‘yeah, we'll figure it out.’ They said there's no way we could have done this at any major city.”

Watching the show now, it almost feels like a period piece with everyone freely hugging and in each other’s personal space. After COVID-19 hit and canceled so many events, Nye shared that business has been down 90 percent, but feels confident he’ll make it through this crisis.

Nye is also confident that the show will film a second season, however they will probably shift to a different region of the country. He is still hopeful that they’ll use Prime Time again.

“Jeremiah and I became really good friends actually, and hopefully we’ll collaborate with him again,” Nye shared with us. “That would be great.”

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