A woman was stunned when she stumbled across a pristine vintage wedding dress at an estate sale—and picked it up for just $5.
Maddy Strayer (@maddyrs22), 28, from Columbus, Ohio, shared a video on TikTok of her unboxing the dress, which originally belonged to a woman named Lois. Although Maddy had already chosen a gown for her upcoming wedding, she was drawn to the beautiful find and couldn’t resist buying it. The clip, featuring her sister trying on the gown, has received more than 126,000 likes and over 1.5 million views on the platform.
“I’m getting married in four months and, although I already have my dress, we were thinking maybe there would be a veil or something in there that I could use as my ‘something borrowed,'” Strayer told Newsweek. “I felt that, since it was still there when I came back, I should just get it.”
Although Maddy initially tried on the dress, she quickly realized it was too small for her. She still enjoyed the moment and was amazed by how stunning the gown was. Knowing her sister was a few sizes smaller, she called her over to try it on. The woman wearing the dress in the video is her sister, and the family now plans to save the gown in case she wants to wear it at her own wedding someday.
@maddyrs22/@maddyrs22
They are currently in touch with Yale Cleaners in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to see if the dress can be restored to its original condition. “We are waiting for a response, but would love to make a final video with it cleaned and pressed,” she said.
Reflecting on the estate sale itself, Strayer said it was a treasure trove of beautiful items. “The Estate Sale was amazing!! I could tell right away that they had great taste and we were going to find some great items,” she said. Initially, she left without the dress but couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“I had my car filled with stuff I bought and didn’t actually get the dress—I thought about it and posted a TikTok asking if I should. After I went home, I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the items I decided to pass on, including the dress. I decided to go back that same day with my mom and ended up getting the dress. We were so excited to open it, we went home right away.”
The original owner, Lois, had been married for 61 years to her husband, whom she met in kindergarten.
The gown, a House of Bianchi dress from New York and Boston, is no longer in production. While Maddy couldn’t find exact pricing details, the box contained two receipts: one from a preservation company for $19.00 and another, likely from a tailor, for $50.
“I love vintage things and antiques and giving them a new life! That’s mostly what my other TikTok videos are about—it’ll be so cool to see the dress cleaned up and back to its original beauty, and I’m happy we are saving it for my sister to hopefully one day walk down the aisle in,” Maddy said.
TikTok users flooded the comments with admiration and encouragement to preserve the dress.
“Oh my stars! That is STUNNING! I just saw a TikTok where a vintage wedding dress was cleaned and preserved by a dry cleaning business I believe. They were able to get rid of all the stains and discoloration. What a find!” said Amy.
“This needs to be used again for a wedding. It is so gorgeous, omg [oh my God]. I’m begging you to not change it,” wrote Mariaval.
“Oh wow. I hate today’s wedding dresses. They’re all strapless corsets with see-through peekaboo panels and not classy. this is breathtaking!” added Giulia.
“The yellowing can be removed. Please for the love of God and country don’t chop it up,” posted one user.
“I watch a dry cleaner on here and they can fix her right up. I’ve seen them make yellow, stained, vintage wedding dresses look brand new! She’s beautiful!,” commented another.
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