- Bride Simone Crouch could not find the dress she had fallen in love with for five years, so she found a bride who had worn the dress for her wedding.
- Emily Heath from the US was not willing to sell the dress to Simone but said she would 'loan' it to her.
- Simone says this act of kindness from a stranger on the Internet has warmed her heart and changed how she views life.
- Emily and her husband even attended Simone's wedding.
Finding the perfect wedding dress is no small feat, especially when you know exactly what dress you want to walk down the aisle wearing.
Bride Simone Crouch could not find the dress she had fallen in love with five years earlier.
Simone, 25, tells us she fell in love with everything about it, "from the detail on the dress to the simplicity but beauty of it". Her heart was set on this beautiful gown that she imagined Daniel, the love of her life, seeing her wearing on their wedding day.
She could not forget about it, but visits to the bridal stores proved disappointing. The dress she wanted was too pricey.
So, she went hunting for a bride who walked down the aisle in her dream dress.
"I was looking for a pre-loved dress, but even this was out of my budget. I contacted a few brides on Instagram using the #ruedeseine [Modern Bohemian Bridal], hoping someone would be willing to sell their gown at a fraction of the price," she says.
Her quest took a surprise twist when a stranger from the United States, Emily Heath, responded to a message Simone had desperately penned, requesting her to sell her dress to her.
"I asked if she was willing to sell her dress, which was a no, but then I took a huge chance and asked her to lend it to me. I thought the worst she could say was no, and that is where the magic began, all because a stranger took a leap of faith in me."
@emilyheathbar216 Sisterhood of the traveling wedding dress. @simmmmmone @Daniel Crouch @irljeffrey #wedding #ruedeseine #ruedeseinebridal #southafrica #wanderlust #weddingdress #fyp #capetown #johannesburg ? Paper Birds (2 min) - Jordan Halpern Schwartz
In a TikTok Emily shared that has been viewed by more than 3 million people worldwide, Emily said that not only had she agreed to loan the dress to Simone, but she had also attended Simone and Daniel's wedding with her husband, Jeff, on 3 December in Johannesburg.
"Sisterhood of the travelling wedding dress," Emily said in the video. Simone says the love she received from Emily taught her that kindness and humanity still exist.
"The trust she instilled in me, a stranger, has overwhelmed me in all the best ways. The internet can be a dark and scary place, but in my case, it brought me a lifetime of memories and happiness. My message would be that good people still exist. Don't be scared to go after what you want; you never know ... and you could make lifelong friends on the other side of the globe."