Squamish woman searches for wedding dress mistakenly donated to the Salvation Army

A Squamish woman who mistakenly donated the wedding dress she picked out with her dying mother is on a mission to find the precious item.

When Olivia Delgado picked out her wedding dress with her mom Cynthia, both women were overcome with emotion.

“She was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023, and we got the dress not long before she passed away,” said Olivia, recalling the shared experience.

“We just knew immediately that it was the one. She started crying, and then I started crying afterwards. And it was a really special moment.”

Delgado lost her mom 10 months before her October 2025 nuptials.

“I feel like it’s the biggest connection that she had to my wedding, just going through that process with her. I know she couldn’t be there physically at the wedding, but I did feel like she was there in the dress,” Delgado said.

In February, Delgado and her new husband were preparing to move from Surrey to Squamish.

“In my mom’s closet, I was storing some of our prom dresses and my wedding dress as well. One of my family members asked me if they could donate the prom dresses, and I said, ‘Sure, I don’t care about those,’” Delgado said. “It was literally just the other night I realized I didn’t have it. And I remembered that comment about the prom dresses, and I knew that’s where it ended up.”

The wedding dress that meant so much to Delgado and her mom was mistakenly donated to the Salvation Army.

“I think every person, when you lose someone, if you’re lucky enough to have like a physical item that connects you to someone, the thought of losing that is a really devastating realization,” Delgado said.

The dress was in a white David’s Bridal bag, designed by Melissa Sweet. Delgado was told it could be at any of the Salvation Army thrift stores in Metro Vancouver. So she is visiting them one by one to look for it.

“And then, obviously, there is the potential that if someone purchased it, they maybe resold it to another independent thrift store. It could really be anywhere. So I’m checking out consignment stores, consignment bridal stores especially,” Delgado said.

She also posted about her dress on social media, and online sleuths are taking up the case.

“There is something really special about knowing that people are looking out for me, and that people are willing to take time out of their day to look for it,” she said. “I’m offering a reward as well, but I’ve had so many people say, ‘I don’t even want the reward, I just want to help you find it.’”

As she goes from store to store, Delgado’s mom is never far from her mind.

“It really feels almost like she’s present with me through this,” she said. “I feel like if she were here, she would be spending all day, every day trying to help me find it. And I feel like through this search, she’s alongside me somehow.”