TLC show to highlight Saugus bride-to-be

SAUGUS – A local bride-to-be is set to make her TV debut tonight, but don?t mistake her for a bridezilla, because Saugus resident Bonnie Poland said she?s one “laid-back chick” when it comes to finding her dream dress.Poland will be featured on the TLC show “I Found the Gown” tonight at 10. The show follows soon-to-be brides as they search for bargain-priced wedding gowns at VOWS, a designer bridal outlet outside Boston.?This is for a budget-conscious bride,” said Poland. “They?re not spending $30,000 on their dresses, but they?re getting top designer labels. You just go on and look at all these wonderful designers for dresses that could have been $10,000, but because they?re at this particular store they cost around $2,000. With me I was looking for a particular dress, an Enzoani Casablanca.”Poland said she landed her gown for $800, less than half of what it originally cost.Watch a preview for the show.?It was a huge deal,” said Poland, who works as a Project Manager for Shire Pharmaceuticals. “It was brand new, and it wasn?t crappy or worn once or anything. It really helps, especially in today?s economy.”Poland is getting married on Oct. 14 to Saugus resident Christopher Flickinger in Anna Maria, Fla. The two met when they attended the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School, where Poland graduated in 1991.Flickinger and his daughter, Mariah, and son, Austin, are also featured in the show.Poland said she?s not nervous at all for the show to air tonight and is planning to have her three older brothers over to watch it “so they can get all their digs in at once.”?No, I don?t care. I don?t have a shy bone in my body,” said Poland. “Neither does Chris. We don?t embarrass easy. It did not faze me in the least. I?m a laid-back chick. I would love to do more filming in a second. I just had a blast. I?ve been singing in rock bands since I was 16, so being a ham comes natural to me.”Poland said she first got involved with the show when she was working as a training specialist at Genzyme. A client who went through her program works at VOWS and told her she should be on the show.?She said I had the personality that would fit and to go ahead and submit my profile,” said Poland. “I said, ?OK, I?ll try it.? I submitted my profile, they contacted me and wanted me on the show.”As she waits for her small-screen debut tonight, Poland said she?s even more exciting for her wedding in October.?I?m just on top of the world and ecstatic about marrying the man of my dreams,” Poland said.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].