The Hunt Is On For A Wedding Dress That Got Accidentally Donated to Goodwill

A wedding dress definitely ranks way up there among "items you absolutely do not want to misplace." It might even be at the very top of the list. For Natalie Gelbert of Durham, N.C., that nightmarish scenario became reality: Her husband accidentally donated her wedding gown to Goodwill. The dress, which Gelbert bought for $1,000 and wore for her October 2015 nuptials, was snapped up by a very lucky Goodwill customer for merely $25. (Yes, the same price as, say, a checked bag on a flight.)

“I totally understand that it was a great deal and just a complete steal for them,” Gelbert told local CBS affiliate WNCN earlier this week. “It sold for dirt cheap, but to me it’s priceless." She then issued a plea for the dress' new owner to part ways with the incredible deal, whether for karmic or monetary gains: "So if they could find the kindness in their heart to return it to me, or let me buy it off them, it would mean the world to me.”

On Tuesday, Gelbert posted on Facebook about the well-intentioned mishap, with a shot of herself in the MIA gown, which she and her husband are still paying off, she noted. "I’m so, so, so upset and posting this in hopes whomever bought it might see this," she wrote in her post. (Thus far, the post has been shared over 31,000 times and liked 2,100 times.) She posted again on Thursday, noting that people have reached out with their own cherished dresses in an effort to reconnect Gelbert with hers. "I’ve had two really kind amazing ladies offer to donate their dress [sic] to the person who has mine in exchange for it. How amazing is that?!" So kind!” she wrote.

So, how exactly did her frothy, full-skirted frock end up in the giveaway pile? "It was in a bag in my car ready to be cleaned and preserved, but he got it mixed up with the donation bags," Gelbert wrote of how her spouse mistakenly got rid of the very special garment. However, she isn't holding a grudge against him: "It's really nobody's fault here," Gelbert told her local ABC affiliate. "It's a pure accident."

We're hoping Gelbert gets reunited with her gown, ASAP, and if you happen to be in the Durham area and have any intel on the very sentimental missing dress, you can message her here.