Filene’s Basement’s annual Running of the Brides® events have become famous for the long lines, mad dash, and strategic dress-bartering that takes place among women hoping to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars on designer wedding gowns.
But did you know you can score your own deeply-discounted designer wedding gown without standing in line for hours and competing with other brides-to-be? Here are some more late arrival secrets for your “Running of the Brides®” success:
By late morning, most of the dresses are back on the racks and you can shop in relative calm. When the store first opens, the racks are cleared quickly because people take as many dresses as they can hold. Not knowing what they’ve grabbed, they relinquish the sizes and styles they don’t want, putting them back on the rack or giving them to empty-handed brides.
Keep in mind, only 1 in 4 people in line is shopping for a wedding gown—the others are family members and friends acting as helpers. For instance, at the event in Boston, which is typically the largest, there may be 800 people in line, but only 200 of them are brides-to-be and there are up to 2,500 gowns for sale.
If you aren’t able to attend the event until later in the afternoon or evening, the odds of finding a dress are still excellent! Read on for some testimonials from happy brides who found their dream dress later in the day at “The Running of the Brides®”:
“I am more than thrilled with the dress and my experience. The dress is by La Sposa and cost me $543, which is a steal! My sisters and I arrived at about 5-5:30pm on Friday and there were more than enough dresses to look through.”
– NYC Running of the Brides Attendee
“I came in the afternoon around 2:30 – I was afraid of the morning madness. My mom came with me. After trying on 10 dresses, we found THE ONE. It was only $250! We were so excited for the rest of the weekend...we kept going to the closet to look at it again. I know my fiancé is going to cry when he sees me in it!”
– Columbus Running of the Brides Attendee
“I found a gorgeous dress at ROTB in Boston that I am absolutely in love with. I went by myself late morning/mid afternoon, and there were still tons of dresses without all of the chaos. The other brides and their families who were still there were so friendly and helpful in helping me get zipped up, taking pictures, and offering advice. What a wonderful experience!”
– Boston Running of the Brides Attendee
For more information and a compilation of tips from brides-to-be who found their wedding gown at the event, e-mail Pat.boudrot@filenesbasement.com to request the “Secrets of Success—Finding Your Dream Dress at Filene’s Basement’s Running of the Brides®.”