When: Friday, August 1, 2008 8 AM onward**
**In order to get first dibs, many women camp out well before the 8 AM door opening, sometimes even starting the night before.
Where: Filene’s Basement, 5300 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20015
Links: http://www.filenesbasement.com/bridal.jsp
Description:
In the interest of complete disclosure, I should say I have a particular fondness for Filene’s Basement, as our annual pre-school shopping trip at the original Boston Filene’s was a pinnacle part of my childhood experience with bargain hunting. Also, my sister scored her lovely wedding gown at the original Filene’s during a post-Running of the Brides escapade.
If you don’t know about Filene’s infamous “Running of the Brides,” you have no idea what you’ve been missing in the bargain-hunting culture!
This is the epitome of a “sharpen your claws nails before you go and, if you have the balance to run in them, wear particularly savage stilettos for toe crushing” sale. Of course, it’s usually sequestered to a once-in-a-lifetime event for most women to attend, since the whole sale revolves around getting RIDICULOUS deals on designer bridal gowns. Despite the lack of recidivism for most attendants, the Running of the Brides has developed its own culture over the years and, with the help of media attention and the fact that some families consider it a tradition to get your wedding gown at the event, this is truly a remarkable event.
Go for the gowns, stay for the glory.
More Info: Read the FAQ section at the Filene’s Bridal page (scroll down). REALLY IMPORTANT INFO and STRATEGY are outlined there.
