Swallowing the David’s Bridal Pill

(Image from RackedNY)

ABostonBride has lots of friends who have used David’s Bridal to cover all their bridal needs and have had good experiences with them. You can’t beat the fact that they are located all over the place, so bridesmaids everywhere can look at and order dresses without being near you.  The same is true for Men’s Wearhouse. If your bridesmaids and groomsmen are spread out geographically, these are great options.

ABostonBride, however, chose to get her dress at the Filene’s Basement Running of the Brides sale for a great $250 price tag. David’s had lots of great styles, but they can be moderately expensive for what you get.  $700 may not seem expensive for a wedding dress, but the styles have become very common. I’ve been to 2 weddings with the same exact style…2 years apart!

David’s offers so much in one place, which can be convenient for the busy bride. On the other hand, I’ve gotten my veil, shoes, and other accessories from online places and other stores for significantly less than what David’s charges.

In the end, I decided to use David’s and Men’s Wearhouse for only bridesmaid and groomsmen wear.  I like having a more unique dress, but having a common color for the bridesmaids helped a lot. For example, all the wedding vendors we talked to knew exactly what David’s Bridal Apple referred to – from the tuxes to the florist to our cake baker – and that kind of consistency really helps. So maybe a David’s dress isn’t in your cards, but for bridesmaids dresses, it certainly seems the way to go!

Running of the Brides Boston 2009

The BostonBride (BB) loves a happy ending, and there were plenty of those yesterday at the Running of the Brides Boston. Since you, dear reader, know that the BB can’t resist a good deal, she went to this famed event in search of her own gown with a rockstar crew of her Maid of Honor and her MoH’s mom and aunt.

The Running of the Brides is an annual sale put on by Filene’s Basement, home of designer shopping at massively reduced prices. It’s a sale so big, they don’t use their local stores (their flagship store is being reconstructed, but there are other FB’s around). It’s actually held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Women start lining up the night before, sleeping in tents, to be first in line.

At 4:30 am, the BB took a stroll past the Hynes Convension Center where the Brides-to-be were forming. The line was stretched from the front door of the Hynes all the way down Boylston Street to Dalton Street. And there were 3.5 hours to go til opening time! The BB met a fabulously dressed crew sporting white tophats, Dunkin Donuts coffee, and “MOVE…bitch on a mission” t-shirts.  Many clans dress alike to identify themselves among the ridiculous frenzy inside.

Not one for cold windy mornings, the BB took her crew to a local diner and returned at 7:45 🙂  We returned to find the line had moved inside and was now wrapping around the long hallways in the Convention Center.

The BB was so far from the front door she never thought she’d get a dress. But alas, that is what you get for showing up 15 minutes before opening time, right?

The BB and her crew ran through the doors at a few seconds past 8, after the long line poured in. One of us scored a dress thankfully, which began the bartering and exchanging that occured for the next 30 minutes or so. It all begins with a bartering dress.

Once you have a dress you can trade. The BB and her MoH both scored dresses from passers-by who were looking to exchange. Rock on!!! After the jumping up and down and screaming with delight, another ritual frequently occuring that morning, we were out and walking home by 9am!

So what became of the women who camped out? Well our Bitches on a Move were featured in Boston.com’s gallery (worth checking out to see the chaos):

Yay BitchyBride!! We love your saas. Some brides though were real bitches, and to them we say poo on you. Like the bride who turned her mirror away from the BB when she tried to catch a glimpse of “THE-Dress”. Another mirror owner lent hers and we say thanks to you for it!

There were some nice people there – like this nice lady who was near us, lent us her mirror and joined in the good naturedness of dress finding! You rock! This photo is also from Boston.com’s gallery.

In sum, here’s the Boston Bride’s tips for a less stressful day at RotB:

1. You don’t really need to get there super early. The BB went back to the sale at 4pm and the place was neatly PACKED with dresses and smart buyers who waited until the chaos was over. She found 10 more dresses she would be happy with, although she loved her first dress.

2. Be nice to others and you will find your dress. Ok, I can’t guarantee that, but it makes for a more pleasant experience for everyone.

3. Bring people you love with you and when you find that dress it will feel even more special! Plus its fun to jump up and down with delight when you do find it!

4. Screw waiting in the cold. Go to breakfast.

5. Don’t have over the top expectations. We saw more than one unhappy bride walking out of there, several who were camped out in matching garb. There are so many great dresses; be open minded for a discount dress (every dress I tried on was $250).

Boston’s Running of the Brides Coming in February

Saavy bargain hunting brides know about the one and only Running of the Brides. Filene’s Basement has been doing their annual one day bridal gown sale since the 1940’s, and it has turned into an event women need mental and physical preparation for.  It took 30 seconds one year for 2500 dresses to get stripped from the racks!

Those of you familliar with Filene’s Basement in Boston know that it is undergoing construction. But that doesn’t prevent the RotB!

According to their site, Running of the Brides Boston will be at the Hynes Convention Center on February 20th, 2009. While doors open at 8am, brides start showing up super early. If you go, good luck! Here are some tips for brides willing to take the plunge.  Be ready for some serious shoving, elbowing, hoarding, and hopefully $aving!