- TikTok star Ophelia Nichols said she found a wedding dress worth $4,819 at a thrift store.
- She said she bought the designer dress for $50 and planned to give it away to a fan.
- After seeing Nichols try on the dress, her followers urged her to keep it for herself.
A TikTok influencer known for acting as a mother figure to her fans has told them she bought a designer wedding dress for $50 at a thrift store and hopes to donate it to a follower who is planning to get married.
Ophelia Nichols, a 41-year-old creator from Alabama known on TikTok by the nickname Mama Tot, has developed a following of 11.2 million by role-playing as a mother-like figure to her younger fans and responding to other creators discussing difficult life experiences and responding to requests for advice on a particular problem a follower is facing by using comforting words.
On Sunday, Nichols posted a video in which she could be seen holding up a white wedding dress she said was from luxury bridal brand Romona Keveža.
According to Nichols, the original label on the dress said it cost $4,819. Romona Keveža wedding dresses in the brand’s current collection start at around $3,500, Brides magazine reported.
The TikToker said she “felt so bad” about buying the dress at such a bargain that she tried to tell an employee at the store how valuable it was, but said the employee was happy to let her have it for $50 .
Nichols said she wanted the dress cleaned to give it away to one of her followers — who she calls her “tatertots” — who is planning to get married but can’t afford a designer dress. She then remembered preparing for her own wedding and looking through designer magazines, wishing she could afford to splurge on her dress.
“I cried when I put this dress in my truck because I would have given anything to have this years ago when I got married and I know it would mean something to one of you, ” she said. “Sure, I could get it cleaned and sell it on eBay whatever, but no, I want someone else to have this experience that I didn’t get a chance to have.”
The TikToker filmed herself trying on the dress and said she would ideally give it to a local fan in Alabama so they could try it on first to see if it fit.
“This is amazing. This would have been the dress I would have gotten married in. I’m speechless,” she said, twirling the dress on camera.
Instead of fighting to reveal their names to win the dress giveaway, an overwhelming majority of Nichols’ commenters said they thought the creator should keep the dress because they thought it looked good on her and they felt sympathy after she talked about how much she loved. that. A number of people suggested she might even wear the dress to renew her vows with her husband, Derick, who Nichols refers to online as Papa Tot.
“No, no, I want someone else to enjoy this beautiful dress who might not have the opportunity,” Nichols wrote in response to a commenter who suggested this.
Nichols has yet to say when she plans to give the dress away. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
She has previously appealed to her fans for help.
Last year, she asked for information about her 18-year-old son, Randon Lee, who was shot and killed in June. Nichols asked her TikTok followers if anyone knew anything that could identify Lee’s killer. She also shared a link to a GoFundMe page at the time, which raised $280,980 to cover his funeral costs. Police arrested a man suspected of the killing in August, multiple reports say.
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