I've been putting this entry off because I knew it would be LONG & time-consuming. This week has really taken everything out of me. I'm drained to the point of a possible mental breakdown. As I write, I keep thinking that I might just call it a night by 9:30. But I've started, so now I must finish!
Running of the Brides was absolute chaos! I was prepared in terms of team organization, signs, mirror, etc., but I just wasn't prepared for a lot of things thrown my way the week leading up to the event.
First to go wrong was the "free" part of the contest I won back in February. The contest coordinators, Atlanta Occasions, really dropped the ball on the specifics of my winnings. I hate to throw anyone under the bus, but one of the reasons for me starting this blog was to be honest about my entire wedding planning experience and to give valuable insight to other soon-to-be-brides out in cyberspace about potential vendors and such.
Anyways, the contest description was for a FREE gown at the Running of the Brides plus team uniforms for the event. However, I got an email just 9 days before the event from a coordinator saying that she had my $249 Filene's Basement gift certificate for me. I was like "HUH?" There was absolutely NO fine print or mention of a gift card. I was under the impression that I would pick out a dress, my name would be on a list at the register, and I'd walk out not paying a dime. She tried to "assure me" that 90% of the gowns were sold at the $249 price range. But that wouldn't cover the taxes or the fact that I could end up picking a gown in the $499 or $699 range. There wasn't even a mention about the team uniforms. I sent her a polite email basically asking what happened to the original terms. And I basically got an email back saying that since they didn't have a big turnout with the contest entries, I got the shaft. I was not pleased with this. I had already re-budgeted the money saved for the ROTBs by paying more on my photographer deposit and putting down money for the reception & ceremony sites early. But I sucked it up because of two things: 1.) $249 is better than $0, especially in this economy and as a college student planning a budget wedding and 2.) I very well could find my dream dress at $249.
Then, my team started to shrink. I had originally planned on having 4 of my 6 bridesmaids, my mom and my FMIL all come with me for help (so 7 total including me). The two BMs who couldn't come to begin with had legit reasons ahead of time (one is an accountant in the middle of tax season and the other just moved to Ohio after accepting a reporter position). Of the remaining 4, one of them couldn't get out of a test the day of the event, and my FSIL had serious medical problems arise and was advised by her doctor not to drive. Because my FSIL couldn't drive to pick up FMIL, FMIL didn't feel comfortable driving up after being sick herself the whole week. So everyone that couldn't come had real reasons for not being able to, but I still got stuck with only 3 helpers. It dramatically changed our gameplan. Since I had to try on the dresses, that only left 1 person to man the dress pile, and 2 people to trade & bargain & find dresses for me.
Moreover, the Wednesday before the event, I pinched a nerve in my neck! I literally wasn't able to get out of the bed until about 3 hours before we left for Atlanta. I still don't know how I made it through all that craziness!
Okay, enough with all the negatives. I DID have fun and it's one of those experiences that I'm glad to have had. One day I'll tell my kids and grandkids about it! On to the pictures!
Here's my "team" shortly after we arrived at about 7 am. We had planned to get there at 6 am, but because I foolishly forgot my gift card back home the night before (which forced me and Ashley to drive the 1.5 hour late night roundtrip back to get it), we decided to sleep in a bit. I also came up with a quick, cheap, & easy theme for our team after finding out that we weren't getting our free uniforms. I had the girls wear red GA shirts and bought them whistles and Ashley donated some spirit poms. We were Operation: Finish the Drill. If you like GA football, you know what I'm talking about. ;) I guess we forgot our "eye black" in the hustle and bustle of the morning.
While Ashley and I were back in Athens retrieving the gift card, we decided to stop off at Wally World to get supplies for a couple of signs and made them before returning back to Atlanta. Here's Amanda (and bless her heart, she was braving the cold while recovering from one) proudly holding her sign.
I had designed uniforms for my team before finding out I won the ROTBs contest. Had I known they'd go back on the prizes they promised, I would have placed the order for these:
Everyone's shirt would be customized with their title on the front and name on the back.
Here's an example of a team with a uniform that was standing right in front of us in line. I think the idea was cute overall, but I'm not so sure about the basketball-shaped whistles and bunny ears? Maybe they were to locate each other better?
I talked to them and the bride told me her fiance created their uniforms! I like that they had their duty titles on the back of the jerseys. I guess I'm partial to their uniforms since they were close to what I had designed for my team and they had pink in them!
At a little after 8 am, the real madness began! (see previous video to get a feeling for it) This picture illustrates the point in time when I had a "bridezilla" moment. Basically, we'd been standing in line for an hour, the doors open, everyone takes off, but then people from BEHIND us starting running AROUND the line to cut. Suddenly the line comes to a complete stop (I'm guessing they close the doors periodically to keep from having a stampede) and we get backed up because there is no longer a single file line because of the selfish people trying to cut. So I scream out to everyone that if they would just be patient and stay in line, we'd get in a lot quicker than by doing what they were doing. Ugh. I have no patience for impatience, lol. I mean, these girls might as well have just stood across the street from the entrance and then ran and cut when the doors were opened. *insert synonym for female dogs*
So, we're FINALLY inside! We immediately got separated after we chose a changing spot and it took at least 15 minutes to even get our hands on a dress to start bargaining with (we missed the dresses on the rack by about 5 teams). After begging to a mega group to just let me have 1 of their 60-something dresses, the bargaining & trading began! Here's some of the gowns I tried on:
This is the same gown that I made into a "trumpet-style" by pulling the back tight. Because there were virtually NO trumpet-style gowns, I had to envision what I could do with some good alterations.
Another dress that I seriously thought of purchasing. But because of the gift card fiasco, I didn't have the required $450 plus tax difference as this and the previous gown were $699.
Mom looked so cute being our "sitter". She said she had a hard time guarding our few "keep" gowns from overzealous brides. I could tell she was over the excitement of the event after about 5 minutes. :(
This is the dress I ended up taking home. It was by no means my dream gown, but it was $249 and had potential. I could make it a tighter fit & flare and cut the chest into a V-neck. And if I still wasn't happy, it was essentially a free dress that I could sell on Ebay for profit to go towards my dream gown!
Well, to make an already long story a bit shorter, I decided to sell this dress and buy the dress I've had an eye on for awhile now. Immediately after the ROTBs and lunch, we drove across the country (okay, it was only to Peachtree City, but it felt like an eternity through downtown rush hour Atlanta traffic) and I tried on the gown of my dreams! See next entry for more details!
Okay, here are my tips for future running brides:
BEFORE the Event:
*Know exactly what you want ahead of time & try those styles on at local bridal salons to get a rough estimate of your gown size. Keep in mind though that designer gowns run VERY small.
* Book your hotel near the event & set your GPS the night before.
* Make a list of everything you need & check them off as you pack them. Don't forget your $$$!
*Bring a full lenght mirror.
*Gather your team, assign duties, & brief them on what you want (preferrably with photo references). I would suggest having at least 3 helpers but no more than 6.
*Duties include: sitter/protector (finds a changing spot and guards dresses in your possession), negiotiator (takes gowns you don't want and bargains to find ones you may like), changer (helps you try on the gowns), grabber (someone who just finds dresses off the racks or unattended to bring back for trying on or to give to negiotiator).
*Leave young children at home. If they're under about 15, they shouldn't be there. I actually saw a few women with babies and wanted to hit them.
*Get plenty of sleep & eat a filling breakfast!
*Dress accordingly for the wait in line & for stripping down to your undies in front of hundreds of people (including guys and media).
*Get there early but not too early. One team got there at 11:30 am the previous day and walked out empty-handed. Just remember that your dream dress might not be there, so don't go overboard.
*Don't freak out about the long line. It's mostly made up of helpers, not brides-to-be.
DURING the Event:
*Find a bride who is trying on dresses that you like, then ask for the ones she's giving up.
*Grab any dress and try to trade it for another. Focus on the sizes more than the style when trading. You need to know what size you need and the size of the gowns you have in hand to trade so you can go to people looking for that size.
*The gowns are not organized by size, price, or style on the racks, so don't worry about needing to go to a certain section.
*Keep in mind alteration options because you may find a gown very close but not exactly what you're looking for.
*Don't be rude. You're not a savage. I hope.
*Don't be surprised if you find torn, stained, or otherwise damaged gowns. This is the result of savages. I still hope you're not one.
*Know what you like and don't like enough to be able to visually say yes or no to a dress at least 90% of the time. This saves time because you can skip trying them on and give them to your negiotiator to bring in new dresses. If you wanted to take your time trying on gowns, ROTBs isn't for you.
*Don't hoard gowns. As soon as you know you don't like it, send it back out. There are some really small teams and timid brides who will appreciate that.
*Remember that the gowns are not returnable, so choose wisely!
AFTER the Event:
*Thank your team until you're blue in the face. :)
And the most important tip of all:
Decide whether you want the full experience of the ROTBs or just the chance to find a discount dress ahead of time. I'm glad I had the experience, but because the gown I wanted was so specific, I didn't leave with my dream dress. We arrived at 7 am and left a little after 10 am. By that time, most of the dresses were back on the racks and there was no longer any chaos. We would have been just as well off going later than earlier. But hindsight is 20/20. If you can't decide whether to go early or late, I would say that if you don't have a specific idea for a gown or aren't picky, go later. They had plenty of two piece, sheath & ball down style gowns, but nearly no fitted styles.
I hope I have shed some light on this world famous event and once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for bearing with me through the longest post ever. haha
