Leslie Bailey

leslie.bailey@indystar.com

Cars driving in the southbound lane of German Church Road were swerving to avoid what looked like a bag of Christmas decorations.

While other cars kept going, newlyweds Hillary and Trent Thomas pulled over about 6 p.m. Dec. 13 to retrieve the object near the entrance to the Staple Chase subdivision.

"We thought it was a bag of Christmas decorations because of the white tulle, but then he came running over to the car and threw a wedding dress on my lap and said, 'I didn't think we should leave this on the side of the road,' " Hillary Thomas said.

The large, cardboard box — the type wedding gowns stored in — had been destroyed.

"I can't image what it would look like had it stayed there much longer," said Hillary Thomas.

The couple posted photos on the dress on social media hoping someone would come forward. So far, it remains a mystery.

The dress — a vintage-looking floor-length satin dress with long sheer-sleeves and a long train — is in perfect condition aside from a small tire mark on the lower front. Inside the dress, a tag reads "S. Sprouse."

"It's crazy, especially just being married myself, that you stop to find, of all things, a wedding dress," said Thomas, who was wed Oct. 3.

The couple has played out different scenarios of how the dress ended up on the road.

Maybe a disgruntled wife getting divorced threw in street. Or maybe a grandma just passed away and it's a family heirloom being moved. Maybe someone left it on the roof of their car while driving home from the dry cleaners.

"I just know if it was my dress, I would want it back," she said.

Call Star reporter Leslie Bailey at (317) 444-6094 and follow her on Twitter: @Lesalina and Facebook.com/Lesalina.

Is this your dress?

Direct questions and inquiries to Star reporter Leslie Bailey via email to leslie.bailey@indystar.com or call her at (317) 444-6094.