There's not a lot of women who would want to part ways with their wedding dress, in fact, traditionally most women keep their wedding dress for years to come in case their "future children" could use it one day. But Rachel Smith, from Byron, Minnesota, is doing something different and creating a tradition all on her own that will certainly keep this story going for generations to come.

Photography by Studio KH
Photography by Studio KH/ Rachel Smith
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She's looking for a very special bride-to-be to "pay forward" her wedding dress because kindness was shown to her when her best friend gifted the stunning dress to her in her time of need.

I contacted Rachel after seeing her generously kind Facebook post searching for the perfect bride and not just a perfect one - the right one. Here's the story behind the wedding dress and her search for the special bride-to-be who will be bestowed with the ultimate act of kindness in the form of a wedding dress:

Photography by Studio KH
Photography by Studio KH/ Rachel Smith
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A very good friend of mine, the kindest person I know, gifted it to me as soon as she heard of my engagement. Things fell through with her engagement many years ago (for the better) and she was going to sell it for what she paid as it had never been worn before. She had me try it on so she could take pictures to put on Craigslist and she thought it fit me so perfectly. She never posted it and I ended up getting engaged about 6 months later. I remember calling her the night of my engagement to tell her the news and the first thing she said was that she wanted me to have that dress. She wouldn't take a single penny from me. It was the nicest thing a friend has ever done for me.

Her Facebook post (see below) seeks a bride-to be. I asked her if there had been any potential brides coming forward with compelling stories, she said:

I have only had a couple people inquire about the dress so far. But I really want to keep this open ended and find the perfect recipient. I understand that weddings can be expensive and that people struggle to come up with the finances for it but I want to find an undeniably deserving bride.

I asked her what the criteria is for paying forward this stunning wedding dress?

When my friend gave me the dress, there was a lot going on in our lives. It seemed like right after we got engaged and booked our venue, everything was so chaotic with family, finances, etc. We felt like we couldn't catch a break. Between the engagement and our wedding, we took in our teen nephew and then later took in our niece. Life was just crazy already and then we had to plan this wedding. The stressors in our lives made it less exciting to plan the wedding and having that dress given to me changed that. I would love if I could find a bride-to-be that is going through a tough time but still takes care of others and manages to keep a smile on her face. Any nominators can send me a private message with the date of the wedding, where the wedding venue is booked and a detailed explanation of why they think that person is deserving of receiving the dress. I obviously can't control what the next person does with the dress but it is my hope that the recipient of the dress does not try to sell it for profit and continues to pay it forward onto another bride-to-be after their wedding.

 

 

Photography by Studio KH
Photography by Studio KH/ Rachel Smith
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Her inspiration for gifting this wedding dress to another bride-to-be:

My best friend who originally gifted me the dress. She is the reason behind all of this and she deserves all of the credit. It was given to me by her at no charge so I feel it would only be right for me to do the same. Her kindness is contagious!

If you would like to nominate a very special bride-to-be (yourself included), here's the Facebook post, you can contact Rachel directly. We'll be following this wedding dress and it's journey to the new bride-to-be. We also think Rachel and her best friend are pretty remarkable women, special kudos to them both for setting such a wonderful example of friendship in sisterhood. If I had a groom myself, I'd totally woo Rachel for the dress. It is beautiful and I love the story behind it. Who will the lucky bride be?

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