Ontario woman kicks off 'long shot' search for wedding dress after dad mistakenly donates it
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.”
Walsh's wedding dress can be seen above.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.