Weddingbee Blog

When I left off, I decided to jump head first into dress shopping by attending Running of the Brides in Cleveland.

Running of the Brides is an experience. It was definitely something I will not soon forget, for better or worse. I share this not only so other brides, mothers, friends, and helpers can get a glimpse of what to expect, but also for whatever entertainment value it is worth.

The Night Before:

With only two days notice, I convinced my mom, MOH E, and BM M to help me in Cleveland. These ladies were fundamental in keeping my sanity at ROTB, and I am so glad they agreed to help me.

We rolled up in my VW Beetle to the always classy Super 8 the evening before the big sale, after our ridiculously long drive to Cleveland. Even though my choice of hotel was somewhat questionable, I did have enough foresight to book a hotel that was a just a three-minute drive from Filene’s. Score for us. We dropped our bags in our room (after some hesitation given some interesting activity seen in the hallway) and set off to find Filene’s, but also, and more importantly, to find food.

After carbo-loading for the next day, I started to get a little worried about what I had packed to wear for the sale the next day. I’m not modest per se, but I did not like the idea of being scantily clad in the middle of a department store, and I felt that I should get something else to wear. So one of my awesome helpers suggested we go to Filene’s to get some leggings. At first I felt that there was something wrong with going to The Store before The Sale but, seriously, it’s a store. It sells clothes. Including leggings. I knew I invited these girls for a reason.

At Filene’s, I picked out some leggings while my girls scoped out the dresses for me. Obviously they couldn’t look at the dresses (they respected the rope that was up), but they got a general idea of what was in store for us the next morning. Geniuses! BM M even saw a couple of dresses that struck her fancy. (She wasn’t “technically” engaged at the time, but her then-BF encouraged her to look at the dresses for something she liked.)

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that at this time (i.e., 9 PM) there were already people waiting in line for the damn sale. WTF?! Before seeing people camped out for the sale, I was fully prepared to wait until 7 or 8 in the morning to head over there, but this freaked me out. I was terrified that we would not be able to have a successful trip unless we arrived much earlier. Thankfully, my friends are very understanding of my irrational ways and agreed to arrive at 5 AM the next day.

We went back to the Super 8 to solidify our game plan, sleep, and mentally prepare.

Only the best for us (Image credit: Hotel Rates)

Race Day:

Due to my irrational fears, our crew packed up, bid adieu to the Super 8, and got to Filene’s at 5 AM. Since the store didn’t open until 8 AM, we had some downtime to reiterate The Plan, grab some breakfast and coffee at the Panera next door, and complain about being cold.

Dark waiting in line (Picture by BM M)

At the time we arrived, there were probably 75–100 people in line already. As it got closer to 8 AM, that number easily tripled.

E, M, and Miss Pony waiting (Pony pic)

Me (looking sleepy) and Mama Pony (Pony pic)

While in line, we were approached by several vendors hoping to drum up some business: DJs, jewelry shops, accessories shops, and even Bed Bath and Beyond for all your registry needs. It got a little old after a while, but as soon as I’d explain we were from out of state they would leave us alone. A local radio station was set up to entertain us, and the local TV station was filming for an exposé on bargain brides of 2010. (That’s what I like to think, anyway.)

While in line (forevvvvver) we talked over The Plan for when the doors opened: grab dresses, find a spot to try stuff on, and don’t get trampled. Because the dresses are not organized at the sale, we planned to just grab what we could and sort out the winners and losers after we set up camp.

After what felt like an eternity, 8 AM arrived and we were allowed in the store. As one would expect, people did not enter the store single file. Instead, people had to be jerks and cut in line, push, and shove to get their hands on those dresses as soon as possible. As inevitable as such behavior is at this type of event, I was supremely annoyed by the lack of decorum. But I didn’t get hung up on this because, dammit, we had dresses to get to!

We ran in and grabbed dresses, and I set my sights on securing a premier location. There are fitting rooms available, but they are a hot commodity given that they have doors and mirrors. With my newly acquired leggings, I didn’t mind schlepping it to the middle of the sales floor. I quickly found a spot with a mirror and claimed our territory.

The first half hour was a frenzy. Groups sorted through the dresses they grabbed and within minutes were approaching other groups to trade dresses. Since I knew I wanted something with straps, it was easy to start trading the strapless dresses I knew I wouldn’t want for other possibilities. We chose not to assign specific roles to the members of our group, but we ended up having a person in charge of guarding our “keep” pile, someone else trading dresses, and another person who exchanged our unwanted dresses for more desirable ones on the racks or from other groups.

After the first hour, people began to calm down and the shopping actually became quite fun. Brides walked around complimenting each other on their picks, suggesting another dress from their own stash, and genuinely helping each other out. There was a great feeling of camaraderie in the air. When a lucky girl found the dress of her dreams, the store would announce it over the loudspeaker and everyone in the store would cheer.

Despite the feel-good atmosphere, a couple hours into trying on dresses I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. I had tried on at least 75 dresses (some I just tried on for shits and giggles). The selection of non-strapless dresses was severely lacking, and within just a couple of hours I felt that I had tried on most of what Filene’s had to offer that met my criteria.

I was starting to feel like this:

Screenshot by Warner Bros. / Via Share TV

I was getting discouraged. I put a lot of pressure on myself to find a suitable dress after my mom and friends had selflessly given up two days to be with me at ROTB. I felt like I was letting them down if I didn’t find “the dress” that day. But try as I might, I wasn’t finding anything I loved. I found several I liked enough to hoard for a good chunk of the morning, but nothing that made me want to hand over my cash and retire my search.

So, I left without a dress. But our group didn’t leave empty handed. Remember how I said BM M saw some dresses that she liked? Well, she tried them on, loved one of them, and bought it for a steal! (I also bought some fun Halloween socks, but that wasn’t nearly as exciting.)

Would you consider participating in ROTB or have you in the past? Did you find a dress, or did you leave empty handed? Or did you get fun socks like me?

Next up, I’ll share some tips, tricks, and fun anecdotes related to ROTB!