Bride Sobs After Groom Finds Long-Lost Wedding Dress in Attic

After your big day comes and goes, there’s a new addition to your wardrobe that you may not know what to do with: your wedding dress. You may opt to transform your floor-length gown into a shorter mini that you can rewear, or you may decide to donate or sell your ensemble to a consignment shop. Your decision will likely depend on the style, cut, and color of your look. While some dresses may be easier to rewear or rework, others are a bit more difficult. And if you’d rather keep your gown as-is, you may choose to preserve it, ensuring that the dress can be kept in pristine condition in the years to come. Plus, by preserving your wedding-day attire, you’ll allow future generations to have the option of having the gown for their own nuptials. 

However, the preservation process is a bit more intricate than just dropping your gown off for dry cleaning. “When I think of preservation, I think of a completely different standard,” Jonathan Scheer, the president and CEO of J. Scheer & Co., previously told BRIDES. “Preservation means using materials appropriate for ensuring the long-term physical and chemical stability of the fabric.” Following this process, your gown will likely be placed in a large box, allowing you to stow your attire away from dust and debris. And while you may assume that misplacing such a large—and important—item is impossible, that’s exactly what happened to one bride. After a series of cross-country moves, the woman, Bethany Morehart, who tied the knot with her husband, Tyler Morehart, in 2011, lost her dress—and subsequently gave up on her dream of her future daughter being able to don the gown on her big day, USA Today reported. However, her husband was determined to track the ensemble down. 

After searching the couple’s previous places of residence and former spots, Tyler was almost ready to give up on his mission—until his in-laws suddenly stumbled upon the dress in their attic. When he came into possession of his wife’s beloved gown, he knew he needed to surprise her with it for her birthday. In a video shared by the news site, Bethany is seen holding the wrapped box. After tearing off just a small portion of the present, she immediately recognizes what it is and covers her mouth with her hand in excitement.

As she continues to unwrap her gift, she bursts into tears—much to the confusion of her son next to her, who continues to ask his parents what the box contains. “Mommy, are you sad?” the boy asks. “No, I’m so happy,” she responds to her son. “Why are you crying?” he asks her. “Because I never thought I would see this again,” the former bride says through her tears. After unwrapping the entire present, Bethany looks through the box at her rediscovered gown. When her son prompts her to “open” the box, Bethany tells him no. “It’s specially sealed so that it preserves it,” she says, as she runs her hands over the container in a look of amazement.