Bride’s Dad Thrifts $700 Wedding Dress for $20—She Has One Question – ryan
When Sonia Marquardt’s father stumbled upon a vintage dress at a charity market four years ago, neither him nor his daughter could imagine its future purpose.
In a post to Reddit, Marquardt said her father bought the Karen Serkel gown for $20, marked down from its original $700 price tag. He bought it on a whim, joking she should wear it someday. But now, with her own wedding approaching, she may have found the perfect date. Marquardt, 27, spoke to Newsweek about the dress’ origin story, and how she took to Reddit asking whether or not she should make it “the” dress.
Marquardt said her dad discovered the gown years before she was even engaged.
Sonia Marquardt
“My dad was at a charity market when he spotted the dress,” she told Newsweek. “It caught his eye, and he thought it would look great on me and at $20, he figured, why not? He’s always had an eye for quirky finds, so it was a bit of a spontaneous treasure.”
While the gesture was sweet, the dress didn’t initially win Marquardt over.
“When I first tried on the dress, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan,” she admitted. But time and her impending big day changed her perspective.
“With my wedding date approaching, I decided to try it on again and completely fell in love,” she said. “It felt like something out of Bridgerton with its vintage charm, and I love the idea of giving a beautiful old dress a second life.”
The dress now holds immense sentimental value for Marquardt, knowing her dad bought it years ago for her to wear on a special occasion. “It’s a full-circle kind of moment,” she said. “There’s something really touching about how it’s all come together.”
A Relaxed Summer Wedding
Despite falling for the dress and its story, Marquardt holds a specific concern she posed to the online community. Given her plan for a low-key wedding and a desire to keep her dress budget under $500, the $20 find seems ideal. However, she questioned its suitability for her figure.
“I know it needs some alterations, hence the awkward photo of me cinching the waist…but I’m wondering if it actually suits my athletic build,” Marquardt wrote on Reddit. “I feel like it might be better suited to a more petite frame. What do you guys think?”
Redditors were quick to reassure her. “The neckline and the back are really flattering,” one person wrote. “It has a really elegant line to it that you can only get from a really well made piece.”
“I love it!” another wrote. “And I don’t think you should take the waist in, personally—at least not that much! It feels true to the time period and the style, very Pride and Prejudice.“
The dress seems perfectly suited, at least in tone, for the wedding Marquardt envisions.
“We’re planning a relaxed summer wedding at my parents’ farm,” she said. “The landscape that time of year is all golden and dry, so the champagne tone of the dress will really complement that.” The celebration will be intimate, with about 50 guests, and the bridesmaids will be in bright, vibrant colors. She is also planning to decorate with her favorite flowers, jonquils and daffodils.
Now, though, she faces the challenge of altering her meaningful, budget-friendly find to perfectly suit her, and, if the Reddit response is any indication, it’s definitely the right choice.