In an ideal world, every woman would have a one-of-a-kind dress for their wedding, but since things don't always go as planned, one bride's perfect dress is also twelve others'.
An Omaha personal trainer, Dawnette Heinz, was lucky to find her gown from David's Bridal when she first set out to look for a dress a year ago. Now, on the occasion of her first wedding anniversary, Heinz got to contemplating about what she could do with the dress she'd likely never wear again.
Her solution?
She decided to use the dress to give back and help make somebody else's day extra special.
Heinz posted an ad on a Facebook classifieds page offering the $1,200 gown for free to a bride who couldn't afford a new dress.
Posted by Dawnetta Heinz on Friday, August 5, 2016
But what Heinz didn't expect at all is how the dress ended up making not just one, but 12 brides feel good on their big day.
So why did Heinz choose to lend her dress instead of sell it?
See, Heinz and her husband just bought a house, something that she wouldn't dare dream of a few years ago because she was broke and homeless.
"We sold shakes and were barely getting by, living out of our car," Heinz told Yahoo Style.
Now that she's financially secure, she is constantly on the lookout for ways to help others and sharing her wedding dress was a perfect opportunity to do so.
"If we can help somebody else feel good on their special day, I would love to do that," Heinz told Yahoo Style.
Posted by Dawnetta Heinz on Friday, August 5, 2016
Heinz has already found 12 bride-to-bes to share her perfect dress with, and that number is likely to keep growing.
"I had so many people messaging me telling me their story, how they couldn't afford it, how they'd have to go to Goodwill. Then I just commented on the post, "˜What would you guys think if we just passed the dress on to the next person?'"
The women have been calling Heinz's act of kindness the "sisterhood of the travelling dress" inspired by the novel and movie about friendship, Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants.
The dress is already in circulation, and was worn by a woman named Arianna Pro recently.
"When I tried the dress on for the first time, there was no altering, there was no nothing. It fit like a glove," Pro said to Yahoo Style.
Heinz has no plans to stop the dress from being passed as long as it remains in good shape.
What did you do with your wedding dress?