GENESEO, Ill. (KWQC) – Imagine the shock when you realize the wedding dress you’ve cherished for 25 years isn’t yours. That’s what happened to Faith Nelson, a Geneseo resident who recently opened her surviving dress to find a completely different dress inside.

“We joked about it a little bit, then it suddenly dawned on me and I started crying. I thought, oh, that’s the dress. I only picked one. I didn’t try on any others,” Faith Nelson said.

For many brides, seeing their wedding dress again after decades is a precious moment. For Nelson, however, it was a surprising revelation.

“We just celebrated our 25th anniversary and I thought it would be nice to get my dress out and try it on. When I opened the vacuum-sealed, taped box and looked through the little window, I was shocked – it wasn’t my dress,” Nelson explained.

Nelson, who married in June 1999, had her dress cleaned by Collins Quality Cleaner in Fort Madison, Iowa. It was only now, 25 years later, that she realized the mistake. She had expected to find the dress she had chosen for her wedding day, but instead discovered a dress with a JCPenney tag and a size that was not hers.

“I purchased my dress at The Colony Shop in Fort Madison, Iowa. They recommended Collins Quality Cleaners in Fort Madison to pack it,” Nelson said.

Although the box contained her original veil, the dress was completely different.

“My dress had cap sleeves, this one has long sleeves,” Nelson said.

The mix-up occurred at Collins Quality Cleaner, which Nelson says is no longer in business, complicating her search for the original dress. Nelson is now looking for the woman who may have received her dress and is asking Fort Madison brides who had their dresses cleaned at Collins Quality Cleaner around the same time to come forward.

“I just hope that anyone from that area and that time, when they got married 25 years ago, just checks their dress. Opens the box and relives that day.”

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