TikToker Mama Tot Offers to Give Away Designer Wedding Dress

Ophelia Nichols has 11.2 million followers on TikTok. Ophelia Nichols via TikTok.

  • TikTok star Ophelia Nichols said she found a designer wedding dress worth $4,819 in a thrift store.
  • She said she bought the dress at a bargain of $50 and plans to give it away to a fan. 
  • But after seeing Nichols try the dress on, her followers urged her to keep it for herself. 

A TikTok influencer who is known for acting as a motherly figure to her fans has told them she bought a designer wedding gown for $50 at a thrift store and hopes to donate it to a follower who is planning to get married.

Ophelia Nichols, a 41-year-old Alabama-based creator known on TikTok by the nickname “Mama Tot,” has developed a following of 11.2 million by roleplaying as a mom-like figure to her younger fans, reacting to other creators discussing difficult life experiences, and responding to requests for advice about a particular issue a follower is facing by using comforting words.

On March 5, Nichols posted a video where she could be seen holding up a white wedding gown, which she said was from the luxury bridal brand Romona Keveža. 

Media not supported by AMP.
Tap for full mobile experience.

According to Nichols, the original label on the dress said it cost $4,819. Romona Keveža wedding dresses in the current collection start at around $3,500, Brides magazine reported.  

The TikToker said she “felt so bad” about buying the dress for such a bargain that she tried to tell a worker in the store how valuable the designer dress was, but said she was happy to let her have it for $50. 

Nichols said she wanted to have the dress cleaned to give it away to one of her followers — who she calls her “tater tots” — who is planning to get married but can’t afford a designer dress. She then recalled preparing for her own wedding in the past and looking through designer magazines, wishing that she was able to afford to splurge on her gown. 

Media not supported by AMP.
Tap for full mobile experience.

“I cried when I put this dress in my truck because I would have given anything to have this years ago when I got married, and I know that it would mean something to one of you. Sure, I could get it cleaned and sell it on eBay for whatever, but no, I want somebody else to have this experience that I didn’t get a chance to have,” she said. 

The TikToker filmed herself trying on the dress, and said she would ideally like to give it to a fan who lives locally, in Alabama, so that they could try it on first to see if it fits well. 

“This is stunning. This would have been the dress I would have gotten married in. I’m speechless,” she said as she twirled around in the gown on camera. 

Media not supported by AMP.
Tap for full mobile experience.

Instead of scrambling to put their names forward to win the dress giveaway, an overwhelming majority of Nichols’ commenters said they think the creator should keep the dress, saying they thought it looked good on her, and because they felt sympathy for her after she talked about how much she loved it. A number of people suggested that she could even wear the gown to renew her vows with her husband, Derick, who she refers to online as “Papa Tot.” 

“No, no, I want someone else to enjoy this beautiful gown that may be wouldn’t have the opportunity to,” Nichols wrote in response to one commenter who suggested this. 

Nichols has yet to make another statement about when she plans to give away the dress. She did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. 

Nichols has in the past appealed to her fans for help too. Last year, she appealed for information about her 18-year-old son, Randon Lee, who was shot and killed in June 2022. Nichols asked her TikTok followers if anyone knew something that could identify Lee’s killer, and she also shared a link to a GoFundMe page at the time, which raised $280,980 to cover his funeral costs. Police arrested a man on suspicion of the murder in August, according to multiple reports. 

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider’s Digital Culture team here.