DOWN THE AISLE: The running of the brides NEW YORK EDITION

So.. if you have never heard of the running of the brides event then you may wanna read up on my latest article about it. But if for those of you who may be feeling too lethargic to click on that link, heres a quick summary just for you;

thousands of designer bridal gowns + giant price deductions + many eager brides + running = utter chaos

Basically the gorgeous bridal gowns are sold at ridiculously low prices, thus it is totally understandable why brides would want to attend this event so they can fight for the dress of their dreams. Brides camp out overnight just to make sure they are first in line to run inside when the doors open. Once inside, brides literally run around crazily from one rack to another grabbing as many gowns as they can carry and within minutes all the racks are empty.. Then they start undressing right in the middle of all the craziness and begin trying on the dresses they have grabbed to find out if they are the right size and style. If not, they begin the barter process; running around searching for other brides who have the dress they want and want the dress they have...

I must say I'm undecided about this event, while I do love a good bargain, and love the challenge of racing other brides to find the perfect dress. I just feel that all pushing and shoving takes away from the joy of bridal gown shopping. Ideally you would want the experience of shopping for a bridal gown to make you feel pampered and spoilt, rather than leave you feeling like a war hero or ninja. Either way the event is open all day, so brides do have the option to go in later when all the frenzy has died down and will still find hundreds of gowns left to choose from.

But for the brave brides who dare to join the running of the brides, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Do your homework: Make sure you already know or at least have a good idea of the style of dress you are looking for. Bring pictures of the dress(es) for your team mates too. Filene's Basement carries over 2000 gowns during this event so it will be a tough search if you go there not knowing what type of gown you want.

Break the rules Usually I advice brides not to take an entire entourage when shopping for a bridal gown because with too many people there, the bride can barely hear her own thoughts over all the loud opinions being voiced. But this is one of those rare occasions when its actually helpful to take as many people with you as you can.

Coordinate: Wear matching colors so its easy to identify your other team mates, this way you don't lose any time looking for each other. And have a clear plan of exactly what each team mate should be doing. Preferrably assign some team members to be the security guards for the dresses because other brides will "steal" your gown if you take your eyes off it for half a second.

Dress the part The event is called the running of the brides for a reason, so make sure you're dressed for running. You'll also need to be trying on dresses right in front of everyone else so wear something thats easy to slip on and off and a sports tank underneath.

And finally the hosts at Filene's Basement urge brides to not wear any makeup to avoid stains and streaks on the beautiful gowns. For more survival tips visit their official website at http://www.filenesbasement.com/running-of-the-brides/