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Ontario woman 'beyond excited' to be reunited with accidentally-donated wedding dress

The Hamilton, Ont. woman's father accidentally donated the "very special" gown, which is set to become a family heirloom.

Tanya Walsh of Hamilton, Ont. was told by her father in February that he accidentally donated the wedding dress she wore to get married in 2018. (Photos via Facebook)
Tanya Walsh of Hamilton, Ont. was told by her father in February that he accidentally donated the wedding dress she wore to get married in 2018. (Photos via Facebook)

An Ontario woman's "broken heart" has been mended after her community helped find her accidentally-donated wedding dress.

On March 23, Tanya Walsh of Hamilton, Ont. posted on Facebook that she was "devastated" after learning her dad accidentally donated the gown she wore when she got married in the summer of 2018. It was an ordeal that left many sleepless nights for Walsh, who wanted the dress to be an heirloom for her two daughters.

While Walsh was initially going to forego a wedding gown back then, her mother bought her the "special" dress since she never had one.

After a "long shot" search, Walsh connected with Sheila Kelly, a secondhand shop volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Store in Bowmanville, Ont.

"Found it! 'Saint' Sheila saves the day," Walsh wrote in a comment on her original post on Saturday. "Thank you to everyone at St. Vincent de Paul [Store] in Bowmanville!"

Walsh extended her "thank you" in an update to her original post.

"It was in storage in the basement, tucked away safely," Walsh penned. "Sheila came into her shift this morning to make it her mission to find it and came through.

"Thank you to everyone who helped share the story and circulate. I am beyond excited to be reunited with it!"

In the comments of the post, people shared their best wishes and suggestions when the dress was still missing. Once it was found, dozens of people rejoiced in the happy ending.

"This is amazing!!! So happy you found it, girl. That was your angel that helped find it," one Facebook user commented.

"This should be a Hallmark Channel storyline if it isn't already!" another added.

"Freaking amazing. I'm so happy for you. Sending much love. And give that dad of yours an extra hug too; I'm sure he was devastated as well," someone shared.

"Gorgeous dress. So glad you found it. I'm sure you lost sleep over it. Also, give your dad a hug. He must have felt terrible," someone else chimed in.

Sheila Kelly, a volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Store in Bowmanville, Ont., found Walsh's lost wedding dress. (Photo via Facebook)
Sheila Kelly, a volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Store in Bowmanville, Ont., found Walsh's lost wedding dress. (Photo via Facebook)

Walsh shared that her father accidentally donated the wedding dress back in January when he was clearing out the closet it was stored in. It had been tucked away with the two dresses Walsh's mother wore to her and her brother's weddings, both of which were also donated.

She only found out about the mistaken donation when she was visiting his home to celebrate a late Orthodox Christmas.

"This dress was to act and serve as something to keep forever that would help remind me of her and a special heirloom for my own children," Walsh shared about the Morilee gown. "I have two girls now and I am devastated that I don't have this for them one day, marriage or not.

"I can't tell you the amount of tears I have shed and sleepless nights I have had because of this."

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