Yesterday afternoon, we got an email from our pals over at WeddingWire, and I was invited to play for the Filene’s Basement Running of the Brides in Washington, DC this morning!  I’ve always wanted to check this crazy event out, and I got a front-row seat this time…  It was crazy! 

I got there to set up around 5:45 am, and there were already at least 400 people in line — apparently some had started camping out at noon yesterday.  That’s dedication!  The line was already down the block, around the corner, and almost to the end of the block again.  More and more brides (and their friends) were showing up by the minute. 

My job was simple — wake everyone up and get them moving.  Megan, Erica, Sonny, and the rest of the team from WeddingWire were awesome, and they were giving out tee shirts, rings, and gift certificates.  We even did a contest where each bride and her friends made up a “cheer” and competed to win a $249 gift certificate from Filene’s to put toward their dress.  Some of the cheers were really funny, I’m sure that they’ll make it onto the WeddingWire Blog. 

Apparently, pulling this event off is more of a logistical challenge than I had imagined — a huge line of excited brides had to be divided in half and staged at the store’s entrance for the countdown.  I managed to waltz right in to snag a video of the spectacle, I guess I looked official since I was wearing a full tuxedo…  Check it out!

I managed to hide between some racks on the side, and went back to snap some pictures of the ensuing madness!  The racks had basically been stripped by the time I got to the back, and WeddingWire staff were helping brides take down the last few unclaimed dresses. 

This poor guy gets a gold star... Oh, the things we do for love...