She Said Yes to the Dress
A New York influencer has stirred up a conversation by buying a wedding dress, despite being single and having no immediate plans to get married.
Sheila Quinn, in a lighthearted social media post that reads, “I may be single and AF right now, but when my $4,500 wedding dress drops to $100 at a bridal sample sale, I’m going to take it home,” caught the attention of nearly 4 million viewers across Instagram and TikTok.
Quinn expressed surprise at the supportive comments she received, sharing with the Post, “Honestly, I expected people to think I was crazy, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive.” At 36 years old and living in Williamsburg, she noted that many women reached out, sharing their own similar experiences of spontaneous purchases leading to new relationships.
“So many women told me they did something similar and ended up meeting their partners right away. I love that. And I even got random comments from men like, ‘I respect this. I’m a guy; I would have bought that dress too,'” she added.
She first spotted the triacetate halter dress at a friend’s bridal pop-up sale for the Australian label Kaiha Studios, just after Valentine’s Day. Initially, she hesitated to attend, thinking, “Look, I love you. I want to support you, but I’m really not looking for anything.” But her friend eventually encouraged her to check it out, leading to the unexpected find.
Quinn was pleasantly surprised, saying, “I wasn’t looking for a dress. I feel like the dress found me.” The dress, originally priced at $4,500, was snagged for just $100. She remarked on how well it fit and how she could envision wearing it in various ways in the future.
Initially, she wanted to keep her purchase under wraps. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to tell anyone about this,'” she recalled with a laugh. But later, she thought it might be interesting to share her experience.
Her journey aligns with her content about manifesting a desired life. “I’ve always done things on my own time and in my own way, so buying a dress before meeting someone feels very on-brand for me,” she explained. The experience of trying on a dress prompted her to visualize a wedding in ways she hadn’t before, bringing her excitement and reminding her to remain open and hopeful.
Having moved from Southern California to New York four years ago, Quinn has been single for a year and a half. However, her situation might soon change.
“My DMs are definitely wild right now. I thought men might think I’m insane for this, but that’s not the case at all. I get so many messages,” she noted, concluding, “So I think maybe this dress is just the beginning of the story.”
