An Old Dress Giving New Purpose

This past week the St. Gemma's Hospice Charity Shop in England received an unexpected donation.

The shop was accepting vintage clothing to raise money for hospice care when a very special dress made its way into the shop. The dress was a vintage lace wedding gown, complete with a netted skirt and intricate floral detailing.

The gorgeous detailing of the custom-made dress wasn't the only reason that the dress was so special to those working at the shop. Attached to the vintage dress was a note that read “I wish any lady who takes this dress to have a life with her loved one, 56 years like I did, happy years. I was a lucky man to marry a lady like mine.”

The shop posted a picture of the dress and note online in hopes of finding the man who donated the dress, as well as to simply share the heartbreakingly romantic note. No one expected the photo to go viral though.

The international attention that the dress has received online led the shop to post the dress on eBay so that women around the world could have a shot at wearing the dress on her special day.

The auction wrapped up on June 19 with a winning bid of £2,910.00, or $4,597.80.