I found a $6,200 wedding dress for $25 at Goodwill — it was ‘God’s plan’

This Alabama belle said yes to a drastically discounted dress — and she’s not even engaged. 

Emmali Osterhoudt, 21, landed herself a luxury label wedding gown after rifling through a thrift store in Birmingham.

The student was searching for second-hand photo frames at her local Goodwill when she stumbled upon the deal of a lifetime — a $6,200 Galia Lahav wedding dress on sale for $24.99.

Now all she needs is a partner to put a ring on it. 

“I found my wedding dress at Goodwill for $25,” Osterhoudt, enthused in a trending TikTok testimonial, in which she modeled the radiant white regalia. 

“It fits me like a glove,” the blushing brunette further bragged. “It’s gorgeous.”

Osterhoudt, a nursing student, went on to reveal that she’d researched the mermaid dress, made of embroidered hand-beaded lace with translucent sides.

She found that the finery — made by the upscale Israeli fashion house — boasted a price tag of over $6,000 and is almost impossible to buy anywhere in Alabama. 


A selfie of Emmali Osterhoudt, 21, from Birmingham, Alabama.
Osterhoudt came across the breathtaking bridal gown while shopping for thrifted picture frames.
TikTok/emmalifaith

Emmali Osterhoudt, 21, from Birmingham, Alabama, modeling the Galia Lahav dress on TikTok.
Osterhoudt was surprised to find that the gown fit her “like a glove.”
TikTok/emmalifaith

She was also shocked to learn her posh Goodwill find placed her in good company. 

“Paris Hilton — her most recent wedding dress was from this brand,” Osterhoudt explained.

“Beyoncé has worn this brand before,” she continued prior to offering viewers an up-close look at the shimmering frock’s flawless details — made complete with pearls and rhinestone. “It’s just stunning.”

Stunned social media spectators agreed. 

“You had me at $25 for a Designer wedding dress. A $6,175 save. To add it looks stunning on you — like it was made for you,” penned an impressed commentator. 

“TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS?!?!?!?!?!,” exclaimed an equally stupefied viewer. 

“At Goodwill!? Girl that was meant for you! Gorgeous!,” cheered another. 


Emmali Osterhoudt, 21, from Birmingham, Alabama, modeling the Galia Lahav dress on TikTok.
The brunette was pleased to see that the pristine ensemble didn’t need any alterations.
TikTok/emmalifaith

Osterhoudt’s opportune find is similar to that of a bride-to-be named Olivia who snagged a $3,000 wedding dress for a cool $20 while patronizing a thrift shop in June.

Meanwhile, a pink-obsessed Houston woman got her hands on a $4,000 Barbie-style, four-piece sectional sofa with fine tufting and clear Lucite legs that she purchased from Goodwill for a measly $129 earlier this month, proving it pays to shop like a penny-pincher.

In a subsequent clip, Osterhoudt explained that she happened upon the dress while shopping around for secondhand picture frames. 


Emmali Osterhoudt, 21, from Birmingham, Alabama, showing the $25 Goodwill price tag on the $6,200 Galia Lahav dress.
Osterhoudt said she felt compelled to purchase the eye-catching number even though she’s not engaged.
TikTok/emmalifaith

Emmali Osterhoudt, 21, from Birmingham, Alabama, showing the Galia Lahav tag.
The lucky shopper believes a higher power caused her to find the frock.
TikTok/emmalifaith

“Boom, it was just beautiful and it was there,” she said of her discovery — noting that the prized piece was too perfect to leave on the rack even though she has no plans to tie the knot. 

“Even if I never plan on getting married, I probably would have still bought that dress just because of the value,” Osterhoudt insisted. 

“I do plan on wearing it on my wedding day, whenever that time comes” she added, shutting down the many inquires she’s received from folks who want to buy the dress or are urging her to re-sell it for a profit. “Hopefully I’ll still be able to fit in it by then.”

And in response to questions about how she planned on ridding the trashed treasure of the “bad juju” that may have caused its previous owner to give it away, Osterhoudt said she’s not too worried about jinxes. 

“I don’t really believe in superstitions like that,” said the belle. “I think that beautiful things can come from bad situations.”

In fact, she said the immaculate garment was positively heaven-sent. 

“This dress might have actually been God’s plan,” said Osterhoudt. “It’s pretty much fate.”