Alright peeps, here we go! The story begins waaay back in August, when Miss Bride was still Miss (not so) Patiently Waiting for the Proposal. Yup, I was ringless when I began searching for my dream dress...but for good reason! I was prepping for a big event that was taking place in my area...the famous Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides" sale!!!
This annual (bi-annual for us lucky brides here in Boston) sale is awesome for brides on a budget. They bring in sample designer gowns at low, affordable price points ($249, $499, $699). Most of the higher end designer gowns were priced at $699, but at 75-90% off original prices, it's an amazing steal! So, no I was not engaged yet but there was no way this bride was missing out on a sale THIS big!
But wait, there's a tiny catch. Apparently, I wasn't the only bride in town! People flock from all over (and across state lines!) to wait in line for the sale...and they wait, and wait, and wait. Outside. In the dark. On sleeping bags. For HOURS.
My team and I (yes, team...more on that later) had planned to meet at 3:30 (AM!) to get in line and wait for the doors to open at 8. But when one of my teammates drove past the site on her way home that night, she was alarmed to find that a line had already formed! So her husband broke out the essentials (sleeping bag, coffee and Nintendo DS) and faithfully waited in line at midnight for us. Good thing because when we got there 3 1/2 hours later, the line was already wrapped around the block! Thanks a gabazillion, Rob!!!
(the line at 3:30am!)
We still had 4 1/2 hours before the doors were to open, so we took the opportunity to make the essential signs, read over our training manuals and strategies. OK, yes we had training manuals and strategies. I neglected to tell you all in my last post that once I do decide on something, I tend to go all out. This was no exception.
(the team hard at work)
(game face? check. walkie talkie? check. preparing for victory...it was early, ok?)
My team consisted of myself and 6 ladies who graciously let me be my crazy self. I hand-picked each of them, based on their personality characteristics. (OK, and willingness to wake up at 3 am to wait for 5 hours to push and shove their way past hundreds of dress-hungry brides to help me find one of my own). Anyway, they were awesome and didn't complain when I handed them their training manuals ("Playbooks"). These books contained basic information about dress silhoulettes, necklines and definitions of frequently used terms. It also included a short history of the "run", exercises to build up the muscles we would be using that day, a chapter devoted to strategies ("plays"), a layout of the floor plan, and a "BONUS! Quick Dress Guide" with pictures of dresses to keep an eye out for. They were so easy and fun to put together and I loved giving each of them a "souvenir" of the event.
(some pages from the Playbook)No official team would be complete without uniforms! Using Avery Iron-On Fabric Transfers, I ironed on a cute picture of a running bride (courtesy of an artsy gal pal) to the front of each t-shirt (on sale at AC Moore for $1 each!), and a number on the back. All the advice I read about uniforms recommended having t-shirts in bright colors, but I just couldn't get myself to buy neon green 80's-esque shirts for the girls. Instead, I bought each a girl a pink headband so that we could be easily spotted amongst the massive crowds on game day.
(front of shirt)
(back of shirt)
(one teammate was pregnant, so she had a special number...what a trooper!)
(the full set! t-shirt, headband and playbook)
No comments:
Post a Comment