I bought my wedding dress in a charity shop and was stunned to find a secret note inside

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 stunning white dress in the window.

Laura was then amazed, after settling on the elegant gown – priced at just £150 – to discover at the till of the British Red Cross shop in Forest Hill, London that the previous owner had left a hidden note attached to the fabric.

Speaking to Fabulous about finding the dream dress, she explained: "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."

"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."

"We were at the till about to buy it, and the man was putting it in the box, and we noticed the note at that point.

"It had the previous owner's name and her phone number and said: 'Would really love to see of 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.

Laura continued: "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.

She said: "It saved me tons of money, and it was great for the environment – I could give it another life."

Even better, the shop told her that buying the dress would fund three wheelchairs for the British Red Cross.

Fran said: “Everyone gets attached to their wedding dress! I just wanted to know who had it! But I wasn’t really 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.” 

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. "  

In other wedding news, we told you how a bride is being trolled for wanting to do her big day on a budget.

We also revealed how a man has divided opinion after proposing to the maid-of-honour at a reception.

And a mum put on her daughter's nuptials for just £500.

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