As her wedding day draws near, Dr. Natasha Barrow began to worry that her once-beloved gown might not be the right choice after all.
On Sept. 6, the Seattle-based bride-to-be shared a TikTok video confessing her doubts, saying she feared others might see her dream dress as “ugly.” The clip has since been viewed more than four million times.
“I think my wedding dress is ugly,” Barrow said in the video. “Not like, I think it’s ugly, but I think society thinks it’s ugly,” the 31-year-old clarified.
Barrow, who got engaged to fiancé Perry Holen on Dec. 3, 2024, began dress shopping less than two weeks later. Her first appointment lasted just over an hour, during which she tried on 15 gowns before choosing one she felt fit the couple’s winter wedding theme in Sun Valley, Idaho.
“We are both passionate skiers, and my fiancé’s family is from Sun Valley. He learned to ski there, and it’s played a big part in our relationship,” she explained.
Although she didn’t reveal the design in her TikTok, Barrow noted that it was created by a “very popular designer.”
She began to second-guess her choice after receiving a call from the bridal boutique in August. “My bridal shop called to say, ‘You’re so lucky because they stopped making the gown. It’ll be here next month.’ I was shocked,” she recalled. “I thought, ‘A 2024 designer gown discontinued in the summer of 2025? Was no one buying it but me?’ ”
Her worries deepened when she couldn’t find many photos of the dress online beyond advertisements. “Back East, I showed some close family friends, and they were polite, but not gushing with compliments,” she said.
When she shared her concerns on TikTok, the comments were overwhelmingly supportive. “I felt the same way, but then learned I ordered the ONLY one before she pulled the design because it was too difficult to make,” one user wrote, posting a wedding photo along with heart emojis.
“The comments have been my favorite part,” Barrow said. “Beautiful, unique, and eclectic brides shared their stories of doubting their dresses. It turns out that feeling is more universal than any of us realized.”
Since posting her video, Barrow has regained confidence in her decision—thanks largely to the encouragement she received. “I don’t think I ever thought my gown was truly ‘ugly,’” she said. “‘Unpopular’ or ‘underselling’ might have been more accurate. The incredible women in the comments reminded me that beauty is relative. My gown makes me feel gorgeous and will hopefully make Perry cry. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
