Two Brides Kept Their Wedding Dresses a Secret Until First Look, Then Discovered They Bought Same Gown (Exclusive)
Before McKenzie Ball and Erin Ball tied the knot, the couple kept their wedding dresses a secret — then on their big day, they showed up wearing the same gown
Golden Hour Images by Samantha Talarico
McKenzie Ball and Erin Ball went shopping for dresses separately ahead of their nuptials on June 8
During their first look the couple was shocked to see they'd picked out similar white, lace dresses
"We’re always on the same page, so I guess having similar dresses wasn’t a surprise to anyone," McKenzie tells PEOPLE
It was their wedding day, Saturday, June 8, and McKenzie Ball and Erin Ball were standing back-to-back, holding hands.
The couple, who first connected on social media, had been eagerly anticipating this moment—their first look before they walked down the aisle and said "I do."
Leading up to their wedding at Candies Creek Farm in Georgetown, Tennessee, the pair intentionally kept the details of their dresses a secret from one another. McKenzie, 27, chose her dress from The Ritz in Portsmouth, Ohio—a full-circle moment for the area safety manager who had also purchased her prom and formal dresses from the store in high school.
Meanwhile, Erin, 29, bought the first dress she tried on at David’s Bridal in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
When McKenzie first went shopping, she admits she didn't know what style she wanted, other than that it needed to be fitted. "Honestly, the one I chose was more extravagant than I thought I would get," McKenzie says.
Erin knew precisely what she was looking for before the search began: a form-fitting dress with lace. "I had an exact picture in my head," Erin says. "I went in just wanting to look around and walked out with my dress, never having a second thought."
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Golden Hour Images by Samantha Talarico
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After months of anticipation and keeping their dresses a secret, the moment for the reveal finally arrived. When the couple turned around, both their jaws dropped. Their white, lace dresses were almost identical.
"I was still trying to process the whole moment," McKenzie tells PEOPLE. "We hadn’t seen each other all day, and the adrenaline was hyping me up. All I remember is Erin yelling, ‘That’s my dress!’ I then realized that they were very, very similar—the V cut, the lace, the fit, all of it."
"We’re always on the same page, so I guess having similar dresses wasn’t a surprise to anyone," McKenzie continues. "All we asked our bridesmaids was to make sure their dresses complemented each other, and boy did they!"
Erin adds, "I figured she would’ve gone with a simpler style, no lace, so I was dumbfounded that we actually managed to pick something similar when we went to different stores in different states!"
Golden Hour Images by Samantha Talarico
Erin Ball and McKenzie Ball hold hands on their wedding day.Despite the initial shock, Erin wasn’t completely surprised. Over the years, she says, her style has become more aligned with McKenzie’s.
"We have this unintentional but consistent habit of matching and coordinating our outfits," she explains. "Kenzie originally picked a dress for our bridal shower that was identical to mine, but she ended up changing it."
"We always seem to match and coordinate in some way without planning it. At this point, we just expect it to happen," McKenzie continues.
A month after their wedding, Erin decided to share the couple's sweet reaction video from their first look on TikTok. She enjoys sharing cute moments of her and McKenzie on social media and thought others would appreciate the video too. Video is by Felipe and Jessica Vera of FJORIGINALS.
It didn't take long for others to join in on the couple's excitement. Only a week after posting, the video went viral, surpassing 5.6 million views.
"I actually didn’t know Erin posted the video on TikTok until she texted me that she was ‘popping off on TikTok,’" McKenzie says. "I had to ask, ‘Of what?’ At the time, I didn’t have TikTok, so she was keeping me updated on all the views. She, my mom, and my sister kept sending updates in our group chat. We were all freaking out. It’s a crazy feeling, knowing that so many people have seen the video of us!"
"We of course wanted it to be a surprise and clearly that worked out!" Erin adds.
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