A dress to remember

Lollie and Alex Rhodes’ wedding day was made extra special because of her “dream come true” dress. Photo: Jay Drew Photography.

Despite being a regular op shopper Lollie Rhodes never expected to find her perfect wedding dress at one.

When walking past the window of the St Vincent De Paul shop in Mount Maunganui Lollie and her partner Alex spied a gorgeous dress that she knew would be the one.

Lollie and Alex were drawn to the tulle details that look like feathers, because they both love birds, which gave the dress extra meaning.

After thinking about it all night, Lollie returned the next to try it on, it was a great fit and didn't need any alterations.

She's says the dress is like new and still had a lot of love to give so she bought it.

'I just didn't see any other option for me that I would feel happy with knowing that I'd already found the perfect dress, I couldn't even consider anything else.”

The newlywed says the staff at the store are 'absolutely gorgeous people”, they helped her put the dress on and made buying it easy.

'I can't wait to go back there again and actually thank them in person for it.”

The dress cost $100, all their decorations were handmade, and they were able to do their entire wedding for $7500, leaving them money to buy a new bed and TV for their home.

Both Lollie and Alex are tertiary students so keeping costs low is also important.

The pair often go to an op shop first if they need something rather than buying it new. Most of her clothes and items in their home are from op shops.

'I'm an op shop fanatic, ever since I was a kid.”

She says charity shops are also good for people like herself who are on a budget and can't really afford to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on something.

'You can still get a lot of quality items there, that have stood the test of time.”

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