Parents Find Their Daughter’s Dream Wedding Dress Years Before She Gets Engaged (Exclusive)

• Dolly Meckler always knew she wanted her wedding dress to be one of a kind.
• In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Meckler recalls how her parents found the “dress” at Pucci at the Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in February 2022, before she was even engaged.
• Meckler and her boyfriend eventually got engaged on July 15, 2023, and she began looking for wedding dresses, but a Pucci dress was always on her mind.

Dolly MecklerThe singer’s extravagant wedding dress took social media by storm, all thanks to her parents, who spotted it back in February 2022 – long before her engagement.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Meckler, a New Yorker, recalls how her parents found the dress at the Pucci store at Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in New York City. They sent her a photo and called her to say, “We found your wedding dress.” At the time, Meckler and her now-husband Jordan Cohen had been in a relationship for less than two years and were not yet thinking about marriage. Although she liked the dress, she advised her parents not to buy it.

Meckler and Cohen eventually got engaged on July 15, 2023, and she began looking for wedding dresses, but a Pucci dress was always on her mind. According to FashionThe dress was part of a capsule collection by Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi and Italian fashion house Pucci.

“I emailed designer Tomo Koizumi to ask where I could purchase one of his wedding dresses in America,” Meckler, 32, tells PEOPLE. “Mr. Koizumi responded by informing me that the dress my parents saw was part of the 2020 capsule collection and was no longer available. He mentioned that having a dress made to order was an option, but that was way out of my price range.”

Undeterred, Meckler, a digital executive at public relations firm Becca, and her mom spent the summer visiting bridal stores but didn’t find anything suitable. “Everything I saw seemed too ‘ordinary,’” she says. “I really didn’t want a dress that someone else could just come and buy.”

One day, while at the Kleinfeld wedding hotel in New York, she found herself being pulled into dresses that were too small to fit her. Looking at Mom, she suggested, “Let’s try calling Woodbury Commons; maybe they know where to find a Koizumi x Pucci dress.” When her mom called, the manager answered the phone and said, “You’re not going to believe this, but I messed it up and didn’t send it back. I have the dress in the box in the back.” They quickly asked her to hold him and said they would be there that week, pack up, and leave Kleinfeld worried.

Two days later, Meckler and her mother took a bus from the New York Port Authority to Woodbury Commons. When they arrived at the Pucci store, the manager pulled out all the remaining items from their collection: a top, a skirt and a cape. Meckler tried on a top and a skirt, but both were tiny—she could barely lift the top over her arms or button the skirt.

But she didn’t care: she knew that she could find an experienced seamstress who would help alter the dress to fit her figure. Mom and daughter thought they could use a cape to add to the bottom of the skirt and create a long train. So they bought all three items and had to borrow a cart from the Pucci store to haul them out because it was heavy.

“It was wonderful,” Meckler says. “Obviously this was MY dress! It met all three criteria I set. I don’t know what else to say!”

“I never wanted to just feel ‘pretty’ walking down the aisle,” she adds. “It seemed too obvious and I don’t care – it wasn’t enough. If this is a “show”, let’s really make it one. Let’s give people something to look at, something to feel, something to talk about. . This is what energizes me and makes me feel beautiful.”

“My maternal grandmother was a model and fashion designer, and her family worked in the textile industry,” she continues. “And my mother was a fashion designer and then a fashion designer. Fashion has definitely been a huge part of my life. It’s literally in my blood.”

In August 2023, Meckler began meeting with seamstresses to see who could take on the work on the dress. The fabric and construction were complex, making it unsuitable for any tailor. They even thought about turning the dress into a jumpsuit or bolero.

Eventually a friend of a friend recommended a talented tailor who specializes in couture and bespoke tailoring and has many celebrity clients. When Meckler and her mom first met her at her New York atelier, they packed the dress in trash bags and stuffed it into an Uber. The tailor was shocked by the dress, but decided to wear it because it seemed like a “fun challenge.”

“My mom and I went to our first fitting and were very impressed that the tailor really did a good job,” says Meckler. “She added a cape to the train, and we looked at reference images of Koizumi’s dresses, which he often pairs with contrasting color cuffs. I brought in a couple of cuffs I had at home to see what they would look like. We liked it and bought black silk organza fabric from a nearby store.”

After several months of alterations, on March 4, 2024, Meckler went for the final fitting. The dress fit perfectly, the Pucci lining was sewn on, the train was absolutely stunning, and the cuffs were intact.

“One of my favorite parts of the dress is that I got to work on this project with my mom,” Meckler says. “I couldn’t have done it without her. We have similar tastes and views when it comes to fashion and style, which definitely makes work easier and more fun. I’m so lucky to have parents who know me so well and embrace me.” for who I am.”

“My parents knew the dress was mine before I did,” she adds. “This is a gift! To be known is to be loved.”

Despite her excitement about the dress ahead of her May 11 wedding at Temple Emanu-El in New York, Meckler kept it a secret. All her friends and family knew to expect something outrageous because that was just her style, but nothing more.

“My mom wore a red wedding dress, and it was an amazing moment that all my parents’ friends and family still talk about,” Meckler says. “I needed a big position! It was a huge secret that only my mom, dad and brother knew about.”

“We kept it a top secret from everyone else so we could actually have our moment,” she adds. “As I walked, there were sighs, oohs and ahs during the ceremony. When I flashed the lining, the dress became a spectacle and guests flooded the aisles to take photos and videos.”

For hair and makeup, Meckler kept the look simple so as not to overwhelm the dress. The only jewelry she wore were her paternal grandmother’s earrings. She decided to comb her hair back because it kept getting stuck in the dress when she tried it on with her hair down. To do this, she collaborated with Aizhan Sembaevawhich she says created the perfect modern hairstyle.

For the makeup, Meckler worked with makeup artist and owner of Gee Beauty (in Miami and Toronto). Steph G. She wanted to highlight her brows and opted for a bold red lipstick to add a graphic touch to the overall look. The idea was to focus on the “eyebrows” and “lips”. A bouquet of red pom poms tied everything together, making her ensemble a vibrant combination of red, white and black. “Steph made it!” – she exclaims.

Although Meckler kept the dress a surprise, she documented the process of receiving it, which she later shared on the site. TikTok. She felt that the journey of finding and remaking the dress was such a compelling story that people might find it interesting. To her surprise, many of her videos went viral.

“There were definitely some negative comments and reactions, but a lot of them were so kind and touching that they brought me to tears,” she says. “It was amazing to see how inspired people were by the story and the dress. I was truly touched that so many people took the time to watch my journey, leave encouraging comments, and even create reaction videos with their own comments on my TikToks.”

“I hope people are inspired to wear beautiful, joyful things that make them feel confident,” she continues.

With the wedding behind her, Meckler adds that she has no plans to wear the dress again, but given how meaningful the dress is to her, she wanted to make sure it was preserved.

“I worked with a fantastic dry cleaning and restoration company, Jeeves, to clean and preserve the dress,” she says. “They were amazing. They were so white after they cleaned them and they even managed to clean the Pucci lining, removing all the dirt from walking around Central Park for pre-ceremony photos.”

She adds: “The dress and cuffs were carefully packaged, wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and placed in two conservation boxes wrapped in canvas muslin. Two boxes are in our closet. I posted the process on my Instagram!”