A Woman Found a Brand New $1,350 Wedding Dress for Just $100 at Goodwill

If you’re planning your nuptials, you’ve likely purchased (or are in the process of shopping for) a wedding dress, which will arguably be the most expensive thing you will ever wear. Though we can honestly say the gown you truly, deeply love is worth the money—there’s nothing like stepping into a luxurious frock that feels just right for both you and your overarching big-day vision—scoring a dream dress at a steep discount is always a thrill. A bride-to-be over on Reddit experienced this excitement first hand, after she scored a stunning lace garment while shopping secondhand at her local Goodwill.

Her brand new all-over lace wedding dress, complete with a scoop neckline and buttons down the back, still had the tags on and was a total steal: The woman, who goes by EvolvedLurkermon on the platform, scored the gown—which originally retailed for $1,350—for just $100. “I can finally share my wedding dress,” the woman of the hour headlined her post. “Pricier for a Goodwill, but still a steal!” 

She also shared several photos of her lucky find, including a shot of the garment after it had been altered with some help from her “amazing” mother-in-law. Though she didn’t need to adjust the dress for the fit—it worked perfect for her straight off the rack—she decided to personalize the simple straps, which gave the decidedly classic frock a more modern, bohemian flair. “[The] only update made before the big day was adding the beaded cap sleeves,” she wrote. Several users called out the sparkly addition in the comment section: “The beaded cap sleeves [...] are such a lovely touch,” one person wrote.

Other commenters shouted out the bride’s good fortune; one even said her find was the “thrift store score of the Reddit year.” Another user, who has experience with thrifted gowns, offered a helpful tip for other brides who might be on the hunt for a secondhand wedding dress: “I will add, since I once volunteered in a thrift store, ours had a basement,” the user wrote. “Donated wedding gowns were stored down there. They came upstairs in late April or early May, but they could be seen by appointment at other times. It's worth calling thrift stores to learn what's available.”

You should consider heeding this advice, especially since Goodwill wedding dress finds have been on the rise. Emmali Osterhoudt was just as lucky when she decided to browse the thrift store chain’s Birmingham, Alabama, location; she walked away with a Galia Lahav wedding dress for just $25. When she searched for the gown online, she saw that the still-available number retails for $6,200. “I’m making this video because today, I found my wedding dress at Goodwill for $25 dollars,” she said in a video she posted on TikTok. “And it fits me like a glove. It wouldn’t need any sort of alterations if I really didn’t want to. But it’s gorgeous.”