This Rue de Seine Lace Wedding Dress Turned Two Strangers Into Friends

Choosing a wedding dress to wear down the aisle on your big day is a decision that carried a lot of weight. Since your wedding day is one of the most important (and photographed!) moments of your life, you’re probably on the hunt to find attire that speaks to your personality, style, relationship, and wedding aesthetic; you're also likely seeking out attire that makes you look and feel your best. There’s a lot of pressure to find a gown that checks all of the boxes. Simone Crouch experienced the struggle of finding “the one” first-hand. “I tried on about 10 wedding dresses,” she tells Good Morning America. “They put me in the wrong sizes, and it wasn’t the right fit, and it wasn’t the right cut, and none of them made me feel good.”

After attending several bridal salon appointments without finding something she loved, the South Africa resident was feeling down. Then, she says she spotted her dream gown on Instagram: a long-sleeve lace wedding dress with sheer detailing by Rue de Seine. “I tried to get the dress, and it didn’t work,” she explains. Crouch noticed that another woman named Emily Heath of California had worn the dress on her wedding day three years beforehand, so instead of throwing in the towel, Crouch decided to send Heath a message. “I reached out to Emily, and she responded to me, and I got a glimpse of hope,” Crouch tells the outlet.

After exchanging a few messages, Crouch and Heath developed a fast friendship. “It felt like we were meeting up with old friends that we’ve known forever to be honest,” Heath recalls. Then, Crouch asked Heath whether she could buy the wedding dress from her, which she had purchased from Lovely Bride. The California resident was hesitant at first, but she decided to compromise with Crouch: Crouch could borrow the dress as long as she returned it. After Crouch agreed to the terms, Heath shipped the dress to Crouch’s mother in the United Kingdom, who transported it to Johannesburg, South Africa, for her daughter. Once Crouch tried on the dress, she knew it was the one she had been searching for. “To my surprise, it fit like a glove,” she reminisces. “It just fit like a dream, so I cried, and I was so excited that it was going to be a reality for me.”

Crouch was so touched by Heath’s kindness that she decided to invite the California native to her wedding in December of 2022. Heath gladly accepted the invitation and said she was thrilled to help make the bride’s day even more special. “Just the feeling that I got to add that piece to her wedding day made me feel really good, and it made me feel like I had done the right thing, sending my dress down there,” Heath shares. When she said “I do” to Daniel Crouch, the bride paired her dress with minimal jewelry—a pair of studs. She also carried a greenery bouquet, wore her hair up in a half-up hairstyle, and rocked glamorous makeup. 

In December, Heath shared the story of her wedding dress on TikTok, and it’s already received over four million views, over 823,000 likes, over 15,000 comments, and 10,000 shares. Both women are touched the story of the traveling wedding dress has been so well received. “I’m really glad that the piece of it resonated with people because it’s definitely something that was a big leap of faith,” Heath expresses. Crouch agrees, noting that the tale is about more than just a wedding dress. “I think the story of this is the kindness of two people and how it’s brought along a friendship,” she says.