Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Ladies, imagine being one month away from your wedding and finding out your one-of-a-kind bridal gown was stolen.
That's the reality for one local bride-to-be.
The wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, wedding shoes, the veil — everything — was in the back of her mother's car when the vehicle was stolen.
"I'm sitting there and I'm just in disbelief," said Machelle Laughter. "Then it hits me. My God, my daughter's wedding dress."
It's routine for Laughter to use the valet service at the Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
So, Wednesday was no different, until she waited to get her car back.
"I gave [the valet employee] the ticket to get my keys and he's like...'I think we have a problem'," said Laughter.
Law enforcement says they're looking at surveillance video of inside and outside the hospital and they believe they've identified the two men who stole the car.
Martha Daniels, the Chief Operating Officer of Congaree Group Valet, confirms the vehicle was stolen as it sat idle in line waiting to be parked in the valet parking lot.
Laughter says she watched her car being stolen on surveillance video at the same time a valet employee was calling for backup.
"During the chaos yesterday morning, like I said it was very, very busy, [the employee] was on the phone with his boss telling his boss, 'I need help. You've gotta send me some help'," said Laughter.
But it wasn't the car Laughter was worried about. It was her daughter's wedding dress, stowed away neatly in the trunk, ready for the final fitting in the afternoon.
"I just went numb and lost my bearings completely," said Laughter's daughter, Kendra Beasley.
Beasley's wedding day is March 24.
"My dress, my slip, my shoes, my veil, everything required for the wedding day was in the car along with both of my daughter's dresses," said Beasley.
Beasley had zero time to waste.
The car hasn't turned up yet, so she knew if she wanted to wear a wedding dress on her big day she had to buy another one.
"[I] couldn't duplicate my dress with the time frame and finances available, so I had to settle for a different dress and I had to reorder my daughter's dresses," said Beasley.
She says if she's lucky, her alterations will be finished two days before the wedding.
Police are still searching for the suspects and the car, a 2015 red Hyundai Sonata.
"They didn't just steal a wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses, they stole from my 9-year-old daughter," said Beasley. "They stole her softball equipment. They stole my toddler's carseat. It's all material things that can be replaced, but sense of security and peace of mind."
Daniels, says a situation like this has never happened before at their valet service for the Dorn VA.
She says they are working with police on this investigation, and they're working with Beasley's family, too.
Daniels has asked for receipts for all of the items inside the car, and the company will work to reimburse the family down the line. She says the valet service was not shorthanded at the time of the crime.
Beasley adds, even if she does get the dress back, the four-week turnaround for alterations still wouldn't get her the dress on time because of astronomical rush fees.
If you have any information about the suspects involved in this case, please contact VA Police Investigator Mark Webb at 803-695-6804.