Rachel Lindsay Of ‘The Bachelorette’ Wore A 25-Pound Dress On Premiere Night

There’s a ritual that happens every premiere episode of The Bachelorette. The season’s lead stands outside the show mansion and her cadre of suitors drive up, one by one, in a limo and greet her before indulging in quite a bit of alcohol at a cocktail party. It’s a classy event — television classy — with men in suits (or, this being The Bachelorette, a weird costume or, in the case of this season’s premiere, a ventriloquist’s dummy) and the lead in stunning evening wear. This year, Rachel Lindsay wore a gown that weighed 25 pounds, according to Essence. Although she doesn’t get to keep it, the designer says he’s basically put it aside for her should she want to dress up again in the future.

It took designer Randi Rahm about 150 hours to make the gown, with her team hand-sewing crystals and beads onto sheer fabric. Rahm has a long history with the Bachelorette franchise, having designed the gowns for many of the show’s leads. She designed the wedding gown of Ashley (Hebert) Rosenbaum as well as her dress for the show’s finale. At one point during the debut of Lindsay’s Bachelorette season, one of her suitors literally swept her off her feet by picking her up, heavy dress and all.

Whether that gentleman is the person whom Lindsay ultimately chooses she won’t reveal, although she did tell People that she’s definitely engaged; at least so far, the Bachelorette process for her has worked.

“I absolutely fell in love! I definitely did, I’m very, very happy. I can’t wait for you to see how it plays out, cause I’m definitely engaged! I want to scream it, every time I say it. I’m like trying to be composed.”

“I really do think I found my forever love. No, I don’t think, I know. He knows too.”

Rachel Lindsay started the season with more potential love interests than any past lead in Bachelorette history: 31. As is the show’s format, she has to send men home on a regular basis, something show host Chris Harrison revealed on his blog for Yahoo might have been difficult for her because “she hated hurting anyone’s feelings.”

Apparently, Lindsay likes bold gestures; she told Marie Claire she was not put off by contestant Bryan giving her an unexpected kiss on premiere night. The magazine noted that when Rachel was one of the women vying for Nick Viall’s affections on The Bachelor, she did the same thing.

“I was completely taken a back by Bryan kissing me. I didn’t think any of the guys would kiss me on the first night and none of them did except for Bryan. Again, the same way that Dean was very bold and saying ‘I’m ready to go black and never go back,’ I love how bold Bryan was in just going with what he felt. I like a bold guy.”

When Rachel was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the premiere last week, the affable host predicted her final three men. He did not tap Bryan, who’d made a strong impression with his bold act, as the recipient of Rachel’s final rose — although Kimmel predicted he would come second. According to Entertainment Weekly, Kimmel said her final pick would be Peter, who offered her chocolate the first night — which she refused.

“You gave him a look when he got out of the limo, the kind of look women get on their face when they see a pair of shoes they absolutely love and want to have.”

Kimmel also noted that both Peter and Rachel have a gap in their teeth.

The Bachelorette airs Monday nights on ABC.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]