The Thrift Store Wedding Dress

I found my wedding dress at a thrift store for thirty-five dollars. It was ivory lace, a little yellowed, with a tag from a bridal shop in Ohio dated 1974.

Inside the lining, someone had stitched a small embroidered tag: "M + J, June 22, 1974. Forever." I don't know who they were. I wore their dress anyway, with a few alterations, and felt like I was carrying their luck with me.

At the reception, I told the story during my toast. Afterwards, a woman at a nearby table came up to me in tears. She was a friend of a friend, and she said her aunt Marlene married a man named Jim in Ohio in June of 1974.

It was their dress. Marlene and Jim are still married. They sent me a card, with a photo of them on their fiftieth anniversary, and a note: "Welcome to the club." I've framed it next to my own wedding photo.