Attention all warrior brides, Filene’s Basement’s annual wedding dress sale will be held on August 14th, 2009 in Manhasset, NY from 8am – 9:30pm. If you aren’t familiar with this sale beware, this event is not for the timid. Running of the Brides will bring out the bridezilla in the most shy/passive bride. Make no mistake, this IS a sport – – competitive shopping at its finest. So get your running shoes ready and put your game face on.
So why the madness? Filene’s drastically marks down designer wedding gowns by hundreds, and even thousands of dollars. This is one of the few times you’ll be able to get a $10,000 dress for pennies on the dollar. Dresses are priced from around $249 to about $699. If you’re after a designer dress but are on a minimal budget and think you are up for the mayhem, this is an event not to miss.
Here are some tips from Pat at Filene’s to help you prepare for the event:
- There will be over 1700 gowns to choose from (sizes 2-26)—we will only sell a fraction of them.
- If you want to be part of the ‘rush to the racks,’ then you should get to Filene’s Basement at around 6am.
- If that’s not your idea of fun, plan on arriving later. Even though the line to get in at 8:00am looks long, you have to remember, most of those people are helpers, not brides-to-be.
- By late morning, the early brides will have either made or narrowed down their selections and most of the gowns are back on the racks.
- Definitely go later in the day if you don’t like crowds and chaos or if you are shopping alone or with just one helper.
- The quietest time is mid-afternoon.
- If you can’t shop until after work, no problem. A couple of months ago at the event in NYC, over 50 brides found their dream dresses between 7pm and 10pm.
- Specialists in wedding gown cleaning and alterations will be on-site to advise you about what can or cannot be altered or cleaned and they can give you an idea of what it would cost.
Also, wear clothing that you can slip in and out of quickly and bring along as many friends and family members as you can (the more eyes and hands you have the greater your chances of getting The Dress).
For more tips, to learn more about the event and the upcoming schedule of sales visit www.filenesbasement.com/bridal/