One rainy afternoon in New York City, two old friends scoured the Nordstrom Rack for formal gowns, picking out anything frilly, fringed or feathered just for a good laugh. But a poly satin wedding gown, priced at one cent, got the best of both of them.
Yue Xu and her friend Vanessa have made a habit of searching for over-the-top gowns on the reduced prices rack at Nordstrom whenever they get together. It’s their thing. They never expected to find a simply-stated, elegant wedding dress in the midst of raucous ruffles and sassy sequins.
But the classic-styled Jessica McClintock bridal gown caught Vanessa’s eye, and the price tag made Yue do a double-take. One cent was printed on the price tag. One penny for a wedding dress that retails for $275.
“Yue, try it on,” Vanessa said. Even though she’s a single girl with no wedding plans in sight, Singlefied.com dating coach Yue Xu slipped into the size 4 wedding dress to humor her friend.
Both of them were shocked by its beauty. Their over-the-top dress hunt wasn’t a laughing matter anymore.
Could this dress only cost a penny?
That question was up for debate. Different cashiers scanned the price tag repeatedly, only to have it show up as “$0.01” every time. Finally, the manager came over and said they had to honor the price because a customer caught the mistake before an employee did.
Yue paid the cashier a penny, and took the bridal gown back to her studio apartment, where it’s pretty hard to hide.
“How scary would it be to bring a guy over with a wedding gown hanging outside my closet?!” Yue writes.
She knows she’s not getting married in the near future so she wants to give the gown to someone more deserving.
Whether you’re getting married soon and didn’t budget for a dress or you’re in high school and want to dye it a different color for your senior prom, Yue wants to hear your story.
What would you do with the one cent wedding dress?
Let her know by October 1, 2011, and the one cent wedding dress could be yours.
Read Yue’s full story and tell her yours.