Parents Discover Daughter's Dream Wedding Dress Years Before She's Engaged. When She Finally Wears It, She Goes Viral (Exclusive)

• Dolly Meckler always knew that she wanted her wedding dress to be over-the-top
• In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Meckler recalls how her parents found "the dress" at the Pucci store at Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in February 2022, even before she was engaged
• Eventually, Meckler and her boyfriend got engaged on July 15, 2023, and she began searching for wedding dresses, but the Pucci gown was never far from her mind

Dolly Meckler's extravagant wedding dress has taken social media by storm, all thanks to her parents, who spotted it back in February 2022 — long before she was engaged.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Meckler, a New York City local, recalls how her parents found the dress at the Pucci store in Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in New York. They sent her a photo and called to say, "We found your wedding dress." At that time, Meckler and her now-husband, Jordan Cohen, were less than two years into their relationship and not yet thinking about a wedding. Though she loved the dress, she told her parents not to purchase it.

Eventually, Meckler and Cohen got engaged on July 15, 2023, and she began searching for wedding dresses, but the Pucci gown was never far from her mind. According to Vogue, the dress was part of a capsule collection between Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi and the Italian fashion house, Pucci.

"I emailed designer Tomo Koizumi to ask where I might be able to procure one of his wedding gowns in America," Meckler, 32, tells PEOPLE. "Mr. Koizumi replied, informing me that the dress my parents saw was part of a capsule collection from 2020, and there are none left. He mentioned that making a custom gown is an option, but it's far out of my price range."

Undeterred, Meckler, the head of digital at Becca, a public relations firm, and her mom spent the summer visiting bridal shops but found nothing that felt right. "Everything I saw felt far too 'regular,' " she says. "I really didn't want a dress that anyone else could just walk in and buy."

One day, while at the New York City bridal destination Kleinfeld, she found herself corded into dresses that were too tiny to fit. Looking at her mom, she suggested, "Let’s just try calling Woodbury Commons; maybe they’ll know where to find a Koizumi x Pucci gown." When her mom called, the manager picked up and said, "You won’t believe this, but I messed up and never sent it back. I have the gown in a box in the back." They quickly asked her to hold it and told her they’d be there that week, packing up their things and leaving Kleinfeld in excitement.

Two days later, Meckler and her mom took a bus from N.Y.C.'s Port Authority to Woodbury Commons. When they arrived at the Pucci store, the manager pulled out all the pieces from the collection they had left: the top, the skirt and a cape. Meckler tried on the top and skirt, but both were tiny — she could barely get the top above her arms or close the skirt.

But she didn’t care: she knew she could find a skilled seamstress to help rework the dress to fit. Mom and daughter thought they could use the cape to add to the bottom of the skirt and create a long train. So they purchased all three pieces — and had to borrow the Pucci store's dolly to get them out due to how heavy it was.

"It was perfect," Meckler says. "It was so obviously MY dress! It met all three of the criteria I had set. I don’t know what else to say!"

"I never wanted to just feel 'pretty' walking down the aisle," she adds. "That felt too obvious, and that doesn’t excite me — 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. That’s what energizes me and makes me feel beautiful."

"My maternal grandmother was a model and fashion designer whose family was in the textile industry," she continues. "And my mom was a fashion designer turned pattern designer. Fashion has undeniably 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 challenge of working on the dress. The fabric and construction were complex, making it unsuitable for just any tailor. They even considered reimagining the dress into a jumpsuit or bolero jacket.

Eventually, a friend of a friend recommended a talented tailor who specializes in couture and custom pieces and has many celebrity clients. When Meckler and her mom first met her at her N.Y.C. atelier, they packed up the dress in garbage bags and stuffed it into an Uber. The tailor was shocked by the dress but decided to take it on because it seemed like a "fun challenge."

"My mom and I went in for the first fitting and were beyond impressed that the tailor really made it work," Meckler says. "She added the cape to the train, and we looked at reference images of Koizumi's gowns, which he often pairs with contrasting color cuffs. I brought in a pair of cuffs I had at home to see how they would look. We loved it and purchased black silk organza fabric from a nearby shop."

After months of alterations, on March 4, 2024, Meckler went for the final fitting. The dress fit beautifully, the Pucci lining was reattached, the train was perfectly dramatic and the cuffs were complete.

"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 attitudes when it comes to fashion and style, which definitely makes it 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 that dress was mine before I did," she adds. "That’s a gift! To be known is to be loved."

Despite her excitement over the dress, leading up to her wedding day on May 11 at Temple Emanu-El in N.Y.C., Meckler kept it a secret. All her friends and family knew to expect something outrageous because that's just her style, but that's all.

"My mom wore a red wedding dress, and it was a show-stopping moment that all my parents' friends and family still talk about to this day," Meckler says. "I had big shoes to fill! It was a huge secret that only my mom, dad and brother knew about."

"We kept it a tight secret from everyone else so it could really have a moment," she adds. "As I made my way, there were audible gasps and 'oohs' and 'ahhs' during the ceremony. When I flashed the lining, the dress was a spectacle, and guests flooded the aisles to take photos and videos."

As for her hair and makeup, Meckler opted for a simple look to avoid overpowering the dress. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of her paternal grandmother’s earrings. She decided to wear her hair up since it kept getting caught in the dress when she tried it on with her hair down. For that she collaborated with the Aizhan Sembayeva, whom she says created the perfect modern updo.

For makeup, Meckler worked with makeup artist and owner of Gee Beauty (based in Miami and Toronto), Steph Gee. She wanted to emphasize her eyebrows and chose a bold red lip to complement the graphic nature of her entire look. The vision was to keep it focused on “eyebrows” and “lips.” Carrying a red pom-pom bouquet tied everything together, making her ensemble a striking combination of red, white and black. "Steph nailed it!" she exclaims.

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

"There were definitely some negative comments and reactions, but many were so kind and heartwarming 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 took the time to watch my journey, leave encouraging comments, and even create reaction videos with their own commentary on my TikToks."

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

With the wedding behind her, Meckler adds that she doesn't plan on wearing the dress again, but because of how meaningful the garment is to her she wanted to ensure it was preserved.

"I worked with the fantastic dry cleaning and restoration company called Jeeves to clean and preserve the dress," she says. "They were amazing. It was so white after they cleaned it, and they even managed to clean the inner Pucci lining, removing all the dirt from walking to Central Park for photos before the ceremony."

She adds, "The dress and cuffs were gently packed and wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and placed in two preservation boxes wrapped in canvas muslin. The two boxes are sitting in our closet. I actually posted the process on my Instagram!"