2nd Annual 'Running of the Brides' at Filene's Basement in Towson
TOWSON, Md., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The second annual "Running of the Brides" takes place at Filene's Basement in Towson on Friday, July 15. Hundreds of brides-to-be and their helpers are expected to be at the store on 1238 Putty Hill Avenue when the doors open early at 8:00am. The sale is wildly popular among brides because the savings is so big. Over twelve hundred designer and famous name wedding gowns will be priced at $249 and $499. A few very high end dresses will go for $499. The dresses would normally sell for between $800 and $8,000 at bridal salons.
The gowns come from both American and European manufacturers and from bridal shops. According to Filene's Basement buyer Kerri Loughlin, the labels are the same ones seen in all the popular bridal magazines. "I bought a wide variety of styles, but made a special effort to acquire more strapless gowns, since that style is so popular this year." Sizes range from 4 to 24.
Filene's Basement's Bridal Gown Sale is often referred to as "the running of the brides," because it reminds people of the famous "running of the bulls" in Pamplona. Lines begin to form outside the store as early as 3:00am. When the doors open at 8:00am, the brides-to-be and their helpers run full speed towards the racks. In less than 60 seconds, the racks are stripped bare (store employees have to hold on to the fixtures so they don't topple). The women grab whatever gowns they can, haul them off to a corner, strip down to their underwear and start trying on dresses. Minutes later the trading begins. Each dress, no matter what size, style or color will be bartered for another, until (hopefully) every bride is matched up with the gown of her dreams for a bargain price.
Of special note, Filene's Basement has asked Silver Spring's Steven Saidman, president of Imperial Gown Restoration and Preservation Company to answer questions from brides about alterations, re-styling and cleaning of the gowns. Imperial is regarded as the gold standard in wedding gown cleaning, restoration and preservation. The company's clients include bridal manufacturers, museums and collectors.
"Having the experts from Imperial at Filene's Basement for the sale will be a big help to customers," said Jamie Lindberg, store manager. Even at these great prices, brides-to-be are not going to take a chance that the gown can be altered to fit or cleaned successfully. Imperial's help will be invaluable to the brides."
Perfect Wedding Guide of Maryland will distribute their directory of local wedding products and services and Baltimore's Great Occasions will serve refreshments to those waiting in line.
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