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A Black bride says she was told her wedding dress would cost more because of her skin color, USA Today reports.
Tessa Tookes, who found her fiancé Joey Kirchner on Bachelor in Paradise Canada, said she originally discovered the dress on social media. When she went to a boutique in Ontario, Canada to try on her dream gown, Tookes said things "took a turn."
The dress came with two beige-colored breast cups, which were free of charge. Staff gave her different brown-toned breast cups to match her skin, but said the cups would cost an extra $200.
Tookes put a deposit down for the dress and opted to dye the nude cups that came with the dress. But after sharing her experience, the bride-to-be has decided to go with another dress. Tookes said several Black designers contacted her after her experience went viral.
"That's when I actually accepted and acknowledged how the experience made me feel," Tookes said, noting the "wonderful community online" that has supported her.
Tookes said the experience reminded her of when she first became "acutely aware of my blackess" when she had to put foundation on her pink ballet shoes and use tea bags to dye her "nude tights" for dance performances.
Tookes' fiance slammed the incident in a video on social media, saying he was issuing a PSA to "wedding dress designers of TikTik."
"We've got a problem," Kirchner said, noting that the incident occurred on "what was supposed to be the most magical day of her life, next to marrying me of course."
"Are you fist f---ing me? So you're telling me that it's free to be white, but if my bride has a different skin tone than white she has to be extra money to get the undergarment to match her skin tone?" he continued. "Why is the standard white?"
"This is bullsh-- and you should be called out," Kirchner said.
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