Alabama woman finds $6,000 wedding dress at Goodwill, gets engaged at Buckingham Palace
Emmali Osterhoudt, a nursing student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, had quite the eventful Labor Day weekend. While browsing a Goodwill store in Green Springs, Alabama, she stumbled upon a gorgeous wedding gown at the half-off section. Little did she know at the time, the dress was a designer piece from Galia Lahav and valued at a whopping $6,200.
In a stroke of serendipity, Osterhoudt’s boyfriend of three years, Nicholas Gould, popped the question during a trip to Buckingham Palace, to which she happily said yes. The engagement comes just weeks after Osterhoudt made the incredible find at Goodwill.
Osterhoudt shared her excitement about the dress on TikTok in a video that has since gone viral, garnering over 5 million views. “I’ve always really been interested in weddings and wedding dresses in fashion. And one thing that I was worried about is whenever the time came (that) I got engaged, I was scared that I wasn’t going to find a dress that I loved because my wedding budget wouldn’t be huge,” she told USA TODAY.
As for the wedding, Osterhoudt has set the date for June 6, 2025, to ensure enough time for planning and to allow her to complete her nursing degree. She also plans to keep the dress forever due to its sentimental value.
Despite the sudden attention following her TikTok video, Osterhoudt has been grateful for the outpouring of love and support from viewers. She noted, “Usually, when videos go viral, you get some nasty comments, but I have mostly received love.”
For Osterhoudt, the story of finding her dream dress at Goodwill has turned into a fairytale romance, culminating in a picture-perfect engagement at Buckingham Palace. Now, with the coveted dress in hand and a future wedding date set, Osterhoudt can look forward to the summer of 2025 when she will walk down the aisle in her stunning Goodwill find.