The Chemistry of the "Say I Do" Hosts Is What Makes the New Netflix Show So Special

From Oprah Magazine

• Jeremiah Brent, Thai Nguyen, and Gabriele Bertaccini are the hosts of Netflix's new reality series, Say I Do.

• In the tear-jerker of a show, the trio helps couples plan spontaneous weddings.

• While speaking to OprahMag.com, the hosts of Say I Do opened up about the show, their bond, and where they are now.

Just like there would be no Queer Eye without the Fab Five, there would be no Say I Do without the charming hosts at its center. In the eight-episode reality series, created by Queer Eye's David Collins, co-hosts Jeremiah Brent, Thai Nguyen, and Gabriele Bertaccini help couples plan their dream weddings.

"It was literally love at first sight," Nguyen tells OprahMag.com, upon meeting his co-hosts for the first time. "They're like my brothers."

In the show, Nguyen, Brent, and Bertaccini lend their expertise to help couples plan spontaneous weddings. Nguyen, a celebrity designer, creates custom gowns and suits. Brent, an interior designer, completely transforms spaces into wedding venues. And with his elaborate meals, chef Bertaccini makes sure the wedding guests have the energy to party all night.

The hosts bring their different skill sets—and their different dispositions, too. "Jeremiah is intelligent and calm. He makes me calm. For Gabe, it's all about passion. They describe me as joy. I'm the fun one," Nguyen says. However, for all their charm, Bertaccini insists that the hosts should not be the focus of the show. "The show is not about us. It's about the love stories," he says.

Inevitably, though—this being a tear-jerker of a Netflix reality show—the hosts open up about their own lives, also. In a stand-out moment from the first episode, Bertaccini reveals his HIV-positive diagnosis to the groom.

"It was a moment I did not plan. That really underlines the whole show—we have to be willing to make the first step," Bertaccini says, adding that many of his loved ones watching Say I Do will be surprised by the news. "My hope is that the stigma of what HIV looks like will go down. "

Similarly, Brent and Nguyen have their own on-camera moments of vulnerability, both in terms of what they share about their lives—and the tears they spill. "Jeremiah is the pretty crier," Nguyen says, laughing. Here's what you need to know about the hosts, and where they are now.

Jeremiah Brent

Interior designer Jeremiah Brent is no stranger to TV. Chances are, you recognize Brent from The Rachel Zoe Show, the TLC series Nate and Jeremiah By Design, or by his time as the resident interior designer on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Brent founded his own design firm at the age of 24.

In 2014, Brent married interior designer Nate Berkus, cementing their status as the ultimate design power couple. They are busy building empires and raising two children (Poppy, 5, and Oskar, 2) in their New York town house.

Referring to Say I Do as his "third baby," Brent says he connected with the show's premise instantly. "I liked the idea of a wedding show not being about the wedding, but the couples' journey to get to the decision to get married. There was never any uncertainty with these couples," Brent says.

While filming Say I Do, Brent often reflected on his own wedding to Berkus, which took place at the New York Public Library and was officiated by then-president of OWN, Sheri Salata. The ceremony even brought Oprah to tears.

"I've heard from our friends at our wedding that it was intimate, which is the biggest compliment you can give. We tried to make sure that the people there knew that we wouldn't have been there had they not helped us in some way," Brent says.

Finally, he shared his simple relationship advice: "You just have to like the person you're married to. Nate is my favorite person in the world."

Thai Nguyen

Say I Do was Thai Nguyen's kind of challenge. A designer who specializes in custom gowns, Nguyen is a pro at working with brides. "A bridal gown is not just any gown. It's a symbol of their love. It's a symbol of the life story," Nguyen says.

Nguyen, who was born and raised in Vietnam, found his calling right at home. "I learned to sew when I was nine. My parents had this private sewing school in Vietnam, so I've always been around sewing and creating," he says. He immigrated to the United States in 1993, where he studied Fashion Design at FIDM and worked for BCBG Max Azria, before starting his own line. He's been on TV before, as a finalist on Bravo's fashion competition series, Launch My Line.

Now based in California, Nguyen has a couture atelier in Orange County and a cadre of celebrities clients, like Jennifer Lopez, Cindy Crawford, Kristen Bell, Leona Lewis, Laverne Cox, Kate Beckinsale, Samira Wiley, LaLa Anthony, and Katy Perry, per his alma mater's website.

Though he designs for red carpets, weddings are always on his mind. Eventually, Nguyen hopes to marry his fiancé, and partner of over a decade. But as he woefully revealed in the show's final episode, he's not sure if that day will come. Nguyen is waiting until his parents accept his decision to marry a man. "We wanted to have this celebration three years ago, but I'm willing to give my parents time. I will always want them to be there for me, especially on my special day," Nguyen says.

On July 1, when the show comes out, Nguyen plans to translate the episode for his parents into Vietnamese. "Maybe they haven't been exposed to that kind of love and that kind of beauty. It's my job to give them time and let them see this," he says.

For now, he will continue to work with brides and grooms for their special days. "There's the saying, 'If you can't do you teach.' So if I can't wed, I'll make wedding dresses. I don't know if I will ever have that day. So I put myself in their situation. I celebrate myself," Nguyen says. "It's an outlet for me to live life, be optimistic, and hopeful. I dream through these brides."

Gabriele Bertaccini

Born and raised in Florence, Italy, Bertaccini is a self-described "crazy Italian chef" with a sleeve of tattoos, and an army of four Australian shepherds. (If you're curious, their names are Perla, Mieli, Summit, and Bernard.)

Currently, the 35-year-old chef is based in Los Angeles. He's the founder of Il Tocco Food, a catering company. But his most famous venture, Culinary Mischief, has no store front—it's an "underground dining series" held in shifting locations around the world. "It was important to create an experience that was so unique that it couldn’t be replicated," Bertaccini said of the venture while speaking to BB Publications. In his free time, Bertaccini is a spinning instructor at Flywheel.

While filming Say I Do, Bertaccini found himself in the middle of his own love story. "I actually met [my boyfriend] right before I left to film the show," Bertaccini says. "He's an amazing man."

Finally, Bertaccini knows that comparisons to Antoni Porowski, the chef of Queer Eye (also created by Say I Do's David Collins), may be coming his way—and he's ready. "Antoni is such a sweetheart. There is a lot that we have in common: The passion for food and what food represents. It brings people together. It's the glue," Bertaccini says.

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