A bridal disaster. Upon returning from vacation with fiancé Ryan Dawkins, Clare Crawley realized her wedding dress was stolen — but she says it was fate.
“I know I always share this, but I am deeply, deeply in the belief that everything is supposed to happen how it’s supposed to happen, regardless of if it looks good or it looks bad or it’s what I want or not what I want. I trust to the depths of my soul that everything is for a reason. And we might not know what that reason looks like right now but it works out. So let me tell you what happened,” the former Bachelorette, 41, told her Instagram Story viewers on Saturday, January 28.
She continued: “When Ryan and I got back from Hawaii at the beginning of this week, my car had been broken into while we were gone. And guess what was in the car? Keep in mind my wedding is very soon. My wedding dress was in my car! It was in there because I was supposed to take it to get its last alteration and I wanted to remind myself not to forget it.”
Unfortunately, a burglar snatched the bridal gown before she returned. The theft frustrated and upset the former Bachelor contestant, especially since her big day is right around the corner.
“In the moment, was like ‘Ughhhhh, what do I do?’ And I thought, ‘It’s OK. It’s about the moment and what we’re celebrating. I can wear anything, and I’ll be happy that we’re there.’ So, I went to go pick up my veil … and I was talking to the owner and she was the sweetest thing in the whole world. I just told her, ‘Forgive me right now. This is what just happened.’”
The bridal shop owner turned into Crawley’s fairy godmother and found the perfect replacement. “Basically, within three days, I got a brand-new dress altered, pressed, completely altered again in the best way, like even more fitting. Turns out, that was the wedding dress that was on my Pinterest board three years ago. It’s the dress of my dreams,” Crawley gushed.
“I do have to say it’s all because of the owner, Rae. She actually picked the dress out and was like, ‘Here wear this one.’ And I was like, ‘OK I’ll wear anything!’ And it literally turns out where — it’s gonna make me cry,” the California said as her eyes started to water up. “It’s the most beautiful dress and it’s better than I could have imagined. So, [I’m] still crying happy tears but everything works out how it’s supposed to work out — and sometimes even better. Even in the moment where it looks like something not good, I think it turns out better. It turns out how it’s supposed to turn out.”
With the replacement of her gown, she has “something new.” She also showed off her “something borrowed” and “something blue” on Saturday. She’ll wear a pair of diamond earrings that are on loan, and her handkerchief is embroidered with the phrase “Happy Tears” in blue thread.
“How cute is that handkerchief? I’m not gonna lie. When I opened that up, I bawled my eyes out,” the hairdresser said via Instagram Story on Saturday. “I feel like I’m just super emotional now because we’re getting married soon and it truly is everything I’ve ever dreamed of and better. And better. So I’m just so excited.”
Crawley and Dawkins quietly began dating in 2021 but only took their relationship public in September 2022, one month before the Mascot Sports CEO proposed.
