The Running of the Brides

The Running of the Brides

April 7th, 2009 @ 1:53 pm by Mrs. Labrador
Share

I’m on a very tight budget for my wedding. I’m not even sure of the final budget number (I’m dreading the “how much can you help me” talk with my mom) but I have a working number in my head. It’s going to come from leftover loan money, lots of extra shifts at work, cutting back in everyday spending, selling stuff on eBay, whatever Mom can give, and of course, Mr. Lab’s family.

I prefer not to list the budget number until after the wedding, where I promise I will break down all the wedding costs one by one. And if any of you are REALLY wanting to know how much I’m spending, I’m sure that you’ll be able to keep track with individual items as I book, reserve, and pay for them. But that would make you a borderline stalker.

With all that said, I will routinely list ways I’m planning on saving money during the planning/paying process. One of those ways is with the dress.

I know a lot of girls would never dream of the dress being anything BUT the most important item on the budget. I’m not one of those girls. I’m willing to save on the dress to add to another area (photography!) on my wedding day. Brides wear their dresses for maybe 12 hours max, and then never again.

Don’t get me wrong. I definitely want a gorgeous gown that will illicit gasps & awes as I walk down the aisle. But I’m not willing to spend a lot on it. Period. This is where “The Running of the Brides” comes in. Once a year, select Filene’s Basements hold an event where thousands of designer gowns are marked down drastically for brides-to-be. I’m fortunate enough to be living a little over an hour outside of Atlanta where one of these events is held. So can you guess what I did on March 20th this year?!?!

The day before the ROTB, my girls and I had a sleepover so I could “drill” my mini army on what I wanted so they knew what to grab. I also outfitted my team with matching outfits so we got the full effect of the day. I already had a style of dress in mind and I had even found a designer that carried a lot of those styles. I’ll update later with more details of my dream wedding dress, but to hold you over, here’s an idea of what I wanted:

Photo Sources

Did you purchase your dress at a deep discount? Where did you find it?

Tags: wedding-dress |

Share |

Latest Gallery Pics

Hot Pink and White with Zebra 36" Lighted Spandex Ostrich Feather Centerpiece

47 Responses to “The Running of the Brides”

1 2 3 Last

Member

purpleHaze79 (message) 874 posts, Busy bee

Wow! Brave girls! Props to your BMs too!!

4/7/09 @ 1:59 pm (reply)

Member

JennyBryde (message) 1,168 posts, Bumble bee

That’s perfect! I love how you got your family involved! I am getting my dress made at a huge discount because I couldn’t afford the dress of my dreams, but I think that the ROTB sounds like an amazing experience! Can’t wait to see the results!

4/7/09 @ 1:59 pm (reply)

Member

TheDivineMissE (message) 394 posts, Helper bee

I got mine at the Brides Against Breat Cancer sale. It’s a 900.00 dress I got for 450.00. I LOVE the idea of not spending tons of money on your dress. I totally agree with you, I’d rather save on the dress and spurge on the photography.

4/7/09 @ 2:00 pm (reply)

Hostess

Miss Burgundy (message) 1,426 posts, Bumble bee

Nice! I love these running of the brides stories- I don’t live near one of those stores so this whole thing intrigues me!

4/7/09 @ 2:01 pm (reply)

Member

Luvbug6315 (message) 425 posts, Helper bee

Such a pretty dress…. I can’t wait to hear if you found it for a great price!

4/7/09 @ 2:01 pm (reply)

Member

heather25 (message) 2,355 posts, Buzzing bee

Those Jim Hjelm’s are my faves. Hope it worked out for you!

4/7/09 @ 2:04 pm (reply)

Member

dec09bride (message) 114 posts, Blushing bee

I got mine at a deep discount, and I absolutely love it! My mom and I joked about going to one of these “Running of the Brides” events, but live to far away.

Glad you were able to find your dream dress!

4/7/09 @ 2:07 pm (reply)

Member

Scusie (message) 84 posts, Worker bee

ohh… Jim Hjelm, love it! I actually bought my Jim Hjelm (brand new with tags) on Ebay for less than I paid for my inexpensive veil. No Joke!

4/7/09 @ 2:09 pm (reply)

Member

karilynn6 (message) 99 posts, Worker bee

Oh, I love Jim Hjelm so much! I wish I could have found one of those gorgeous gowns within my budget…

4/7/09 @ 2:20 pm (reply)

10.

Member

MaPo (message) 315 posts, Helper bee

Oh yes!! I knew I didn’t want top break the bank either! I couldn’t find anything I loved. Magically I found ‘the one’ when I wasn’t even looking-on-sale-$90. Oh yes. I loved it so much more than anything high end I had seen. It was prettier, sooo very me, and I would have paid $1000 for it. Score.

4/7/09 @ 2:21 pm (reply)

11.

Hostess

MightySapphire (message) 7,632 posts, Bee Keeper

I got my dress on ebay! Talk about a discount!! I paid $300 for a $1800 dress!! (Shipping included!)

4/7/09 @ 2:22 pm (reply)

12.

Member

MaPo (message) 315 posts, Helper bee

….and PS: What gorgeous choices!!!! I can’t wait to see what you got!!

4/7/09 @ 2:22 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

frenchbulldog (message) 7,730 posts, Bee Keeper

GORG! I can’t wait to see what you found!

4/7/09 @ 2:23 pm (reply)

14.

Member

MrsK2be (message) 1,258 posts, Bumble bee

I almost went to this but wasn’t brave enough - good for you!

Just a note, i bought my Jim Hjelm, brand new because I fell in love with it and HAD.TO.HAVE.IT. But it was almost double my budget. So, I decided that after the wedding I would sell my gown. And I did - I recouped over 50% what I paid for it and I didn’t even have to get it cleaned.
I am happy that in the end I actually stayed under budget and got to wear my designer dream dress!
So this is another option for money saving

4/7/09 @ 2:27 pm (reply)

15.

Member

Lindz1701 (message) 99 posts, Worker bee

I can’t wait to see more of your posts. I am also on a tight budget and don’t see the need of paying so much for a dress that your wear once. I gave myself a budget of $200 for my dress and I just bought mine online in the David’s Bridal Outlet. It was perfect! No alterations needed at all and I came in way under budget.

Happy Planning!

4/7/09 @ 2:29 pm (reply)

16.

Member

Gerbera (message) 4,481 posts, Honey bee

I LOVE JH. Haven’t tried any on yet so hopefully it looks as good on me as I love it!

4/7/09 @ 2:32 pm (reply)

17.

Guest

robin

I got my dress at Neiman Marcus Last Call a year and a half ago. It is a Tadashi white gown marked down from $900.00 to $61.00!!! I walked in, saw it, loved it, and bought it. Since I had a year to shop I have done the running of the brides and tried on a bunch of other dresses but this is still the winner! I am getting married on the beach in May in my fabulous $61.00 dress!!!!!

4/7/09 @ 2:34 pm (reply)

18.

Member

lit_geek26 (message) 138 posts, Blushing bee

I feel the same way about the dress! I want something fabulous, but, most importantly, cheap. I’m raring to go to the RotB in Boston this August. My friends want to make matching T-shirts and go at the crack of dawn, the thought of which terrifies me. I’m convinced I’d end up curled up on top of reject gowns in the fetal position. So I’ll probably go in the afternoon.

Can’t wait to hear more about your running adventure!

4/7/09 @ 2:55 pm (reply)

19.

Member

Tstew (message) 109 posts, Blushing bee

I was one of those CRAZY brides last Aug. I did the running of the brides in DC. I had a team of 8. I arrived around 3:30 pm the day before and I was 3rd in line. We had a great time and my game plan was great. We collected over 80 dresses and I purchased 1.

4/7/09 @ 3:01 pm (reply)

20.

Member

msashleymarie (message) 616 posts, Busy bee

I’m the same way. Give me an inexpensive wedding dress I can tailor to fit me perfect and I’ll be okay, I just want the Photography!

4/7/09 @ 3:05 pm (reply)

1 2 3 Last