When Laura Trower spotted her dream wedding dress in the window of a British Red Cross charity shop, she broke into tears of happiness at the incredible find.
The ‘perfect’ dress was the first Laura, from South London, had even tried on back in 2019, and staff told her the purchase would also fund three wheelchairs for the charity.
But the magic of the dress was only just beginning, as the now 31-year-old found a note attached from its original owner, Fran, with contact details and request that whoever bought it shared photos so she could see the dress experience its second big day.
Once Laura had said ‘I do’ she contacted Fran, and the pair shared photos and messages of both their weddings, linked by the shared love of the dress.
Fran had originally donated the dress and left the note inside
(Image: British Red Cross)
Fran on her wedding day
(Image: British Red Cross)
Fran said: “Everyone gets attached to their wedding dress, I just wanted to know who had it.
“But I wasn’t really expecting anything. I was so surprised to get the message because it was a quite a while later. But it makes me so happy knowing someone so sweet enjoyed the dress like I did.”
Laura now wants the dress to continue its journey and has taken the dress back to the same British Red Cross shop in Forest Hill, South London, in the hope of finding someone else who love it as much as they did.
She added a brown cardboard tag tied with a red string, reading: ‘I bought this dress from the Red Cross for my wedding so this dress has history with this shop!’
Laura has now left her own note for the next bride to find
(Image: British Red Cross)
Laura said: “We have pinned a similar note to the dress in the hope that whoever buys it will continue to share the history of this beautiful dress.”
Fran had originally bought the dress from a bridal store in Camden for £1,500 in 2017, and staff at British Red Cross say they remember it coming into the shop in a pristine box.
British Red Cross Regional Retail Manager, Berni Considine, said: “We remembered this particular dress so well from when it came in the first time.
“Not many of our garments come with a special note, but even without the message, this dress is beautiful – there’s just something about it that makes it stand out – the design and the cut. It’s just stunning.
“Pre-pandemic the British Red Cross in Forest Hill was well known for its wedding dress events, when we would dedicate the shop for a day to wedding dresses and bridal accessories. So, we would love to be able to pass this gown on to the next bride-to-be and to carry on being a part of the life of this unique dress and all that it symbolises.”
Any brides-to-be who love the dress might still be able to find at the Forest Hill British Red Cross, priced at £150.
