Soon-to-be brides stripped down on Friday — with no grooms in sight.

At Filene’s Basement’s “Running of the Brides” sale in Towson, engaged women from across the region had a great chance at landing their dream dress at discount price — if they could get to it first.

Hundreds waited in line for the 8:00 a.m. door opening. The brides-to-be brought friends — some even wearing color coordinated hats and shirts — to help them tear through more than a thousand wedding dresses in a matter of seconds.

With dressing rooms at as much a premium as the dresses themselves, many of the women elected to strip down to bathing suits or underwear to try on the gowns right in the aisles.

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“We scooped out the perimeter yesterday,” said Erika Luppert, 24, a Towson University graduate. “We know where all the mirrors are.”

First in line, Luppert and her 6-person team of helpers had been camped beside the doors since 6:30 Thursday night. Others elected to assemble even bigger teams. Gathering 10 friends and family members, Baltimore-resident Shaunelle Rawlins, 32, flew her mother in from Barbados and her aunt from Boston.

“We know what to look for, and where we’re meeting,” said Rawlins. “We’ll go until we can’t go anymore.”

And with the national promotion making yet another return to the Baltimore region, veterans of the event look forward to seeing it grow each time.

“People watch this on television each year and say ‘I’ll never do that,’ but they get engaged and wind up here the next year,” said Pat Boudrot, spokesperson for Filene’s Basement who arrived in Baltimore yesterday. “We want people to be happy and find what they want.

While nearly the entire crowd rushed through the doors at 8:00 a.m., patience seemed to prove the key for the first shoppers through the checkout line.

“I wasn’t even expecting to buy anything,” said Baltimore resident Alexi Druhan, 25, who hit the jackpot with only the second dress she tried on. “I just came for the experience. Why not?”

“This is the perfect dress,” said Julie Stillman, 22, of Harford County as she checked out. “I love the beadwork. It was definitely worth it.”

THE BARE FACTS
The annual Filene’s Basement’s “Running of the Brides” came to the Baltimore region four years ago in Towson. Similar to a sporting event, the “running” even has some key statistics.
>> 1947: The year the event was first held in Boston.
>> 250: The total number of people lined up Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.
>> 100: The estimated number of brides-to-be who stormed the store when the doors opened.
>> 1,500: The total of gowns that were put out for the event.

Examiner Staff Writer Dave Carey contributed to this story.

ekrupp@baltimoreexaminer.com

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