Ontario woman kicks off 'long shot' search for wedding dress after dad mistakenly donates it
Ontario woman kicks off 'long shot' search for wedding dress after dad mistakenly donates it
Walsh's wedding dress can be seen above. Earlier this year, it was donated to a Bowmanville thrift shop. Now, she's looking to find it again. (Handout by Walsh)
A woman in southern Ontario is making a plea to the public and kicking off a "long shot" search for her wedding dress after her father accidentally donated it earlier this year.
Tanya Walsh, of Hamilton, Ont., said she has lost sleep for nights on end and “shed many tears” after finding out that her wedding dress, previously stored in the closet of her deceased mother, had been donated.
“All wedding dresses are special,” Walsh said. “But most importantly, it was a dress my mother bought right before she passed away.”
At the time of her wedding, in the summer of 2018, Walsh said her mother was in palliative care. Their ceremony only had 14 guests, she said.
“At first, I didn’t want a wedding dress but my mom and dad got married at city hall and never had a proper wedding dress,” Walsh said. “So I got the dress in hopes that it could just serve as a memory when she's gone.”
Walsh said her mother died the next fall, just a few months later. She says she then stored her wedding dress hanging in her late mother’s closet, along with the dress her mother had worn to both her and her brother’s weddings.
“For safekeeping,” she said.
Walsh can be seen in her wedding dress above.
But come February, during a visit to her father’s home to celebrate a late Orthodox Christmas, she said he informed her that he had accidentally donated the dress while clearing out the closet.
She said she doesn’t blame her father for the misunderstanding, and said he didn’t really know what he had donated.
“Needless to say, Orthodox Christmas was kind of a bust,” Walsh said. “I was pretty emotional – I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.”
Walsh said she’s sure the dress was donated to either the St. Vincent de Paul Value Store or The Salvation Army in Bowmanville. She said she called both, but neither had seen the dress come through their shops.
In a post shared to social media Thursday, Walsh made a plea to the public.
“This is a long shot, but my broken heart needs to attempt this,” she wrote, asking for community members to keep an eye out for the gown.
“If anyone has any leads on this or any advice on how I can help circulate this, please, please, please let me know.”
In the nearly 36 hours since sharing the plea, it has been shared nearly 1,000 times.
She said she’s received a number of tips, but so far, nothing has panned out.
Now, Walsh wants to expand the search radius, asking residents in nearby southern Ontario towns to keep an eye out in any second hand stores they find themselves in.
“It could be anywhere,” she said.
Details of Walsh's wedding dress can be seen above.
The dress was made by Morilee, is ivory with a champagne overlay, has a rhinestone A-line waist, a halter top neck, and the breast cups sewn in, Walsh said.
At this time, Walsh said she's not in a position to purchase a new dress, and, with two kids, doesn't have the time to search every possible store, so she's hoping her call to action may prompt someone to recognize it and contact her.
“This dress was to serve as something to keep forever that would help remind me of [my mom] and act as a special heirloom for my own children,” Walsh said.
“I have two girls now and I am devastated that I don’t have this for them one day, marriage or not.”
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – have been taken to hospital after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar.
Although bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Canada, experts say there’s a significant lack of awareness surrounding whom it affects the most — statistically, men — and that the most common risk factor is smoking.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has confidence in David Johnston, even as the House of Commons is about to vote in favour of a motion to push him out of his job.
Canada will soon require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes, making it the first country to implement this kind of measure aimed at reducing tobacco usage.
More than three years after COVID was declared a global pandemic, a new study is looking at how the international health crisis has changed the lifestyle habits of Canadians.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
A former staffer who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault has defected to Moscow and spoken to Russian state media in a news conference that lasted several hours.
Last year, Quebec’s Bill 96 became law, which brought sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language. Sections of the new law will come into effect on June 1, the one-year anniversary of the bill receiving royal assent.
Some communities in Quebec are expected to get record-high temperatures and Environment Canada has issued several weather warnings and watches for heat. Dr. Christopher Labos spoke to CTV News anchor Mutsumi Takahashi about heat and sunstroke and tips for preventing serious consequences in the sun.
A new team working out of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada (SHC-Canada) wants to get young people like Horn, who injured themselves, back on their feet and running as fast and efficiently as possible.
People who live on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener say it could have been a lot worse after a car careened off the road and smashed through their backyards on Tuesday afternoon.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
Forest fires in northern Ontario are on the rise, with the largest in the region shutting down a critical highway for the people of Hornepayne for a bit and bringing the community to the brink of evacuation.
A heat warning is in effect for Ottawa. Environment Canada's forecast calls for sunny and hot weather to continue for the final day of May and the start of June.
Canadian Heritage unveiled the programming for July 1 celebrations, inviting Canadians to come to the capital region to "join the biggest party in the country!"
Windsor police say they are deploying additional officers to the downtown core over the next three days to promote community safety and reduce incidents of crime.
Police charged one man following a serious collision involving a dump truck and car in Barrie on Tuesday afternoon that sent both drivers to the hospital.
Huntsville OPP has charged a third girl in connection to an alleged assault captured on video at a local high school and shared on social media earlier this month.
A sentencing hearing got underway for the 71-year-old Georgian Bay man convicted of driving impaired and causing a collision on Highway 12 in 2020 that claimed the life of a 77-year-old Midland man.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – have been taken to hospital after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – have been taken to hospital after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar.
After the remains of Madison Scott were identified this week, exactly 12 years after the B.C. woman went missing, her family says they’re still looking for answers and closure.
Hundreds of nurses from across B.C. are gathering in Vancouver Wednesday to demand better working conditions, adding to multiple calls by medical professionals this week for urgent action to staff under-resourced hospitals.
A man who worked at an addiction recovery organization has been charged with three counts of sexual assault, according to the New Westminster Police Department.
Walsh's wedding dress can be seen above. Earlier this year, it was donated to a Bowmanville thrift shop. Now, she's looking to find it again. (Handout by Walsh)
Walsh can be seen in her wedding dress above. 
Details of Walsh's wedding dress can be seen above. 
Walsh's wedding dress can be seen above.
