Woman Who Thrifted Carrie Bradshaw’s Wedding Dress from “Sex and the City ”for $19 Sells Gown to Bride for $2,750 (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Sophia Corin Merlino married Bobby Ernsting in Miami on Feb. 13

• The bride wore the “Eleanor” dress designed by Vera Wang, which Carrie Bradshaw wore during a bridal photo shoot in the first Sex and the City movie

• Ashley Cano thrifted the gown for $18.99 last year, and sold it to Merlino for $2,750

Nearly a year to the day since a woman thrifted an iconic Vera Wang wedding dress, the gown was given a second life.

Ashley Cano, a Poshmark fashion reseller, bought the strapless, voluminous haute couture “Eleanor” bridal gown from Goodwill for just $18.99 last February. At the time, she shared on TikTok that she couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the dress because it was featured in the first Sex and the City movie. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) wore the dramatic gown for a Vogue photo shoot, pinned to a story about her being a bride over 40.

When Sophia Corin Merlino, who runs in the same circles as Cano in Chicago and first collaborated with her at a work event five years ago, saw that she was selling the dress, she immediately knew she had to have it.

“The moment the viral video came up on my FYP (For You Page) my first thought was, ‘I need this dress.’ My second thought was, ‘I know this girl!’ ” Merlino, 28, tells PEOPLE. “Like hundreds of other brides, I DM’d her immediately. She only let one bride-to-be try it on. I needed this dress.”

Having lived in New York City and worked in fashion for seven years, Merlino felt like she had a Carrie conection, so it was only fitting that she walk down the aisle in the dress. Plus, she “always dreamed” of wearing a Vera Wang design, and wanted to go the vintage or custom route as a nod to her background in upcycling and designing.

“It felt like fate that my friend was only letting me try on this ethereal gown,” Merlino says.

Merlino experienced a “crazy” adrenaline rush while driving to the city to try on the wedding dress.

“It felt like a risk because I was not engaged yet,” Merlino says. “This is a moment girls dream about, and for me, it all happened so fast. When it fit me perfectly I knew it was the one. I took it home the very same day.”

Lacking a garment bag, Merlino lugged the dress to her car through the snow in a black garbage back. She jokes, “I apologize to the vintage runway haute couture gods for that one.”

This Vera Wang dress style is valued at $7,500, per Nearly Newlywed, which sells it used for $3,000. Cano sold the gown to Merlino for $2,750, and previously shared in a TikTok comment that she planned to use her resale funds to finance her divorce, writing, “Low key been stressing over my lawyer bills for my divorce. I needed a blessing. Didn’t think it would come in the way of a wedding dress but I’m not complaining.”

Cano and Merlino both “felt really good” about the resale price.

“When I paid for the dress, Ashley shared that she had been praying for funds to support her divorce,” Merlino says. “She had hundreds of brides in her DM’s going feral. Obviously, I am not superstitious nor do I believe in taboos. I believe it was a blessing for both of us!”

After the dress was altered to snatch in the waist, it was perfect.

Merlino married Bobby Ernsting, 28, in a heartfelt wedding attended by 120 guests at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami on Friday, Feb. 13, the birthday of the bride’s late brother.

Ernsting “cried” when he saw Merlino in the dress for the first time during their first look. Merlino, who felt “whimsical” and as if she were in a fairy tale, says that guests also couldn’t help but touch the tulle skirt.

“I walked down the aisle to a violinist playing Lana Del Rey’s ‘Once Upon a Dream,’ and that encapsulates it. On my wedding day, I felt like a princess, and this dress felt like the only one worthy to wear to marry my prince!” Merlino shares. “It felt iconic to be in Carrie’s Vogue shoot dress at a historic venue like Vizcaya.”

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Cano did not attend the wedding, but Merlino “can’t wait” to catch up with her.

“[I] hope she feels proud to have sold this gem to a bride who truly appreciates its history and gravitas,” she says.

The wedding dress’ future is unclear after it’s cleaned.

“It definitely needs to get cleaned. It was dragged across acres of waterfront gardens at Vizcaya. I was not precious with it, and I enjoyed every minute of giving it a new life,” Merlino says. “I truly believe that is the beauty of vintage. After that? Who’s to say?”

Read the original article on People