Weddings are joyous, momentous, and often expensive events. One thrift shopper is already saving money on their wedding before they even have plans to get married.
Taking to Reddit, the happy shopper shared the vintage wedding dress they found at "a random church thrift." The two photos show the front and back of the dress, which feature beautiful lace appliques and a cascading lace bustle down the back.
The poster said, "...found my dream wedding dress for $10. I don't even have plans to get married yet, but i couldn't pass up the deal because when the time comes i know i'd be thinking about this dress!"
Secondhand shopping is a great way to save money while being a little more eco-friendly. Swapping out half of your clothing purchases from new to used will save you close to $100 in a year. However, the savings can grow exponentially, and some people have saved thousands of dollars on just one item — a suitcase, for example.
Thrifting has been on the rise in recent years. In 2023, a report from Statista's Consumer Insights survey revealed that "as many as 60 percent of respondents say they have made at least one secondhand purchase in the past year, up from 49 percent in 2019."
According to the New York Times, wedding-specific thrifting has also increased in recent years. It reported that more and more brides are choosing vintage dresses for their affordability and unique style options. With the rising cost of weddings, it's no wonder folks are turning to the secondhand market.
In their Real Weddings study in 2023, The Knot found that "the average combined wedding ceremony and reception spend was $35,000." This is up from previous years, likely due to inflation. However, no matter the reason, weddings can be a stressful event to plan and save for.
Commenters on Reddit showered this poster with compliments.
"This looks so beautiful on you… literally like it was custom made," wrote one.
Another said: "The waterfall train is what got me. That is gorgeous and you don't see that often on wedding dresses these days. For 10 dollars I would have snagged it too!"
A third shared their similar experience with a thrifted dress, writing: "I did this. Bought a dress at a thrift store because I knew it was the one. Didn't even have a boyfriend. Wore it 8 years later when I got married."
Hopefully, the original poster will have the wedding of her dreams someday to match the dress of her dreams.
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