A Viral Wedding Dress Purchase
A New York influencer went viral for buying a wedding dress even though she won’t be walking down the aisle anytime soon – because she doesn’t even have a boyfriend.
The Purchase
The influencer’s playful post, captioned "I may be single AF right now, but when a $4,500 wedding dress is marked down to $100 at a bridal sample sale, I’ll take it home," racked up nearly 4 million views on Instagram and TikTok. The influencer was shocked by the messages of support she received.
Reaction to the Purchase
"Honestly, I expected people to think I was crazy. But I got an overwhelmingly positive response to it," said the influencer. "So many women have said that they did something similar and met their partner shortly after, which I love. And I also happened to get so many comments from men saying, ‘I respect that. I’m a guy and I would have even bought that dress.’"
Finding the Perfect Dress
The influencer first spotted the triacetate halter dress the day after Valentine’s Day when her friend walked for an Australian brand at a bridal sample sale on Bond Street in NoHo. "She invited me out several times over the course of two weeks and I kept telling her, ‘Look, girl, I love you. I want to support you, but I have nothing to do with it because I’m very single,’" she recalls.
The Decision to Buy
But her buddy finally convinced her to stop by, and that was when the influencer found her perfect partner. "I wasn’t looking for a dress. I feel like the dress found me," she gushed. "I mean, obviously price was a big factor, finding a $4,500 dress for $100… But beyond that, it just fit beautifully and I could see myself wearing it in different ways down the road."
Keeping the Purchase a Secret
At first, she wanted to keep her new purchase secret. "I thought, ‘I’m not going to tell anyone,’" she recalls, laughing. "And then when I got home I was like, ‘You know what? This is kind of funny.’"
Encouraging Others
The influencer, a lifestyle influencer who posts content about achieving her own dream goal, also thought the post might encourage her followers to do the same. "I’ve always been someone who does things at my own pace and in my own way, so in retrospect, buying the dress before meeting the man really feels very on-brand to me," she said.
A New Perspective
Trying on the dress helped her imagine getting married in a way she hadn’t before…It really brought back excitement and reminded me to stay open and optimistic. The influencer has been single for a year and a half.
A Possible New Beginning
"My DMs are definitely wild right now. I really thought guys would see that and think I was crazy, but the opposite was true. I got so many messages from men," she said. “So I think maybe this dress is just the beginning of the story.”
