A woman has revealed the incredible moment she discovered a secret note attached to the wedding dress she had just chosen for her big day.
Laura Trower, who got married in 2019, was delighted to find that the first bridal gown she tried on was “the one” and “fitted like a glove”.
The 31-year-old, from Bromley in south London, visited a charity shop a year before she was due to walk down the aisle, after her mum and friend both spotted a white dress in the window, The Sun reports.
She settled on the gown from the British Red Cross shop which cost just $270 and was amazed to discover the previous owner had left a hidden note attached to the fabric.
“I saw it and loved it, but thought there was no way I would fit into it. However, it actually fit perfectly — it was crazy,” Laura said.
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“It needed 2cm taken off the hem, but the rest of it fit like a glove. It was the first red dress I had tried on.”
Laura said she was at the till when the staffer was putting it in a box that she noticed the letter.
“It had the previous owner’s name and her phone number and said: ‘Would really love to see photos of the next owner’s wedding.’”
The sweet message had been penned by the previous owner of the dress, Fran, who was also from south London.
She had noted down her contact details in the hope that the next bride who wore the dress would be able to share pictures from her special day.
“It was really cute. It was so nice having the note on it — that made it for me.
“I messaged Fran straight away, I was so excited. I said: ‘I can’t believe you donated this incredible dress’.
“She sent a few photos of her wearing it, and then a year later — when I got married — I sent her pictures from my wedding.”
The dress received overwhelming praise on her big day. She recalled: “Nobody could believe I got it in a charity shop — it was so nice to be able to share that story.”
Laura, who had her heart set on a second-hand dress for her wedding, said she would highly recommend other brides-to-be try out charity shops.
“It saved me tons of money, and it was great for the environment — I could give it another life,” Laura said.
Even better, the shop told her that buying the dress would fund three wheelchairs for the British Red Cross.
Fran, he previous owner of the dress, told The Sun she just wanted to know who had it, but wasn’t 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,” Fran said.
She had originally bought it at a bridal store in Camden in 2017, and decided to donate it after she got married.
The dress is now back at the same shop — and the women hope that they will be able to be put in touch with the third lucky recipient.
Fran 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.”
Berni Considine, the regional retail manager of the British Red Cross, 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.”
She added: “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. “
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
