Yahoo Finance Ohio Bride's $3.75 Thrifted Wedding Dress Goes Viral on TikTok
As plenty of brides know, a wedding dress can be a large expense. But thanks to savvy shoppers and social media, thrifted dresses are becoming a big bridal trend.
Newlywed Jillian Lynch scored her wedding dress from a thrift shop for just $3.75 — and it was brand new with tags.
Lynch, who got married in May, shared her shopping journey on TikTok earlier this year, going around to various thrift stores in her area in Ohio. It was when she posted a video in April, though, showing off a Camila Coelho dress from Revolve — with the tags — that her story went viral. Lynch had stumbled upon a brand new Reyna Maxi Dress, which retails for $220 and is currently available for purchase online. It was a near perfect fit, though she wasn't initially sold on it being her wedding dress.
Courtesy Jillian Lynch
A few of her TikTok followers chimed in with advice, though, like suggesting she get it tailored to fit a little more snug. And though Lynch said in her video that she liked the high slit up her leg, one follower suggested adding a bit of lace at the top to tone the look down ever so slightly. Lynch also asked her tailor to swap out the adjustable straps for non-adjustable ones to elevate the look a bit more.
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"Brides tend to go wedding dress shopping with their mom, their bridal party, or a group of people to get feedback," Lynch told Insider.com of sharing her story on TikTok. "It felt a lot like that."
She continued, "Hearing the feedback through TikTok that it looked like it was made for me, I do think that swayed me. After making that TikTok, I fell more in love with it every time I tried it on. I felt really pretty in it."
Lynch also thrifted her Visanze Collection wedding shoes for just $8, bringing the total cost of her wedding day look to $11.75. However, if you factor in what Lynch paid for tailoring — around $100 — you get a slightly more expensive wedding outfit. Even then, this is far cheaper than what many bridal gowns go for off the rack. She also did her own hair and makeup for her Arizona wedding, again keeping budget in mind.
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All in all, the small wedding — which she told Insider she hadn't actually planned on, despite being with her partner for 13 years — was exactly what she wanted, including her thrifted dress.
"I don't think I've ever felt that great in something," she said. "That's what brides should feel on their wedding day, like they're at their peak beautiful self. That's exactly how I felt when I put [the dress] on."
