I WAS A RUNNING BRIIIIDE!!

I BOUGHT MY DRESS!!!!!  It's beautiful!  I love the darn thing!  And my entire experience of Running of the Brides was quite unique.  I had a team.  We had a great time!

From left to right: Sheila Diepold (Coworker), Kate Ruby (Bridesmaid), Patricia Valencia (Coworker), and Tina Bowers, (Coworker).

Tina and Kate slept over my house (barely slept) and were in Bethesda picking up the other two by 5:15am!  Patricia was running late because she's crazy and wanted to bake cookies!! hahaha  So, we arrive at the Filene's Basement in Friendship Heights and got in line and set up camp.

  We were fairly close to the corner of the block, so we thought had a good spot... UNTIL.  Sheila and I decided to take a walk....

The line.

Boy, Oh, Boy was it long.  This picture doesn't do it justice, considering we walked around 1/2 the building to get to the entrance!! AHHHH!!!  This was going to be crazy.  On my way back to "camp," I noticed that the line started moving.  Groups were just grabbing all there stuff and running down the sidewalk.  Sheila and I had to get back.  We found our crew with cookies, magazines, coffee, water bottles, etc, all in our posse's hands and backpacks. WOWZA!!  I didn't realize what the hell just happened.  So, we continued to keep our stuff packed and ready to go, in case of another mad rush.  We were confused as to where all these people were going.  It was only 7:00am and it wasn't clear as to if the doors were opening early. 

OH CRAP!! We're moving again!  We head down and around the second corner of the building and all we see is a sea of people.  Mainly brides and their mothers, bridesmaids, linebackers, and the occasional Fiance.  But There weren't too many of them around.  The crowd spilled into the streets, which the DC policemen didn't appreciate.  So, they drove down in their PoPo Van and blew their horn at the girls that couldn't obviously go anywhere because there were so many people in line.  Filene's Basement knew that it was only a matter of seconds before people were going to start getting into trouble.  We started moving up again, and began noticing groups of people that we took mental note, were originally behind us!  How are they getting in front??!  "Oh!  It is onnnnnnn!!" I ghetto'd to my clan.  They knew this was going to get ugly.

We continued to move up the line until we were pretty close to the door.  People starting pushing and shoving and I had deja vu of Moira and I at a Brand New/TBS concert!  We were up against the glass door and I was getting crushed.  The right side of my body was on the outside of the door, and my left being pushed up against the glass by a couple fat women. 

When I finally got through the doors, I ran/walk through the hallway.  You know, the run/walk you do at the public pool because you know if you start to run, the lifeguard will yell.  Yes, so I ran/walk past the guards and into the department store.  OH BOY!! Now what??!  Where the heck do I go??  I'm all by myself and I have no idea what to do.  I panicked.  I walked over to where I suspected the dresses were hung, to see that there wasn't one dress left on the racks...  UHHHHHH..... ALRIGHT.  Where's my clan??  I walk around asking for a dress, and everyone just ignores me.  I make my way to the "Meeting post" and find Sheila and Kate standing there staking the place out.  At least we got a mirror!!!

Let's all split up and see what we can get and then meet back here with our dresses.  We walked around asking brides + their posse's for any dresses they didn't like.  No one would just give up a dress.  I had to barter with them with another dress that I didn't have.  So, about 50 brides were walking about with nothing to trade, yet, no one was nice enough to give them the ugly dress they knew wasn't for them.  I even offered a bride the shirt off my back and she wouldn't accept.  C'MON LADIES!!  Help a bride out!  Aren't we supposed to be going through this together?  Apparently not. 

I finally get a size 16 dress from a mother that was nice enough to help.  Man, that dress was ugly.  I didn't even try it on.  I just went straight back to the crowds to use this dress for bartering material.  I went back into the Handbag area where I was previously told had lots of mirrors and open space.  It was the hottest area in the entire store.  I think they forgot to add vents to that whole back corner.  Things were not looking good.  I saw this women that had about 15 dresses.  All different shapes, sizes, and color.  I asked very nicely if I could trade a dress with her and she immediately snapped, "NO."  Excuuuuuse me, bitch.  You are hording 15 dresses and tell me you LOVE each and every one of these??!  So, I asked politely again, "What sizes do you have?  I need a size 6/8.  Do you have any of those?"  "Yes, what do you have to give me?"  "I have a size 16...."  "No, I need a size 12/14."  "Oh... well, Can I please just have one dress?  THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN FIT INTO!!  I haven't tried on one dress yet and there's no way I can even get a dress without trading with someone."  She turns to her fiance, "Hun, what do you think?  Do you think we can spare any?"

"Yes, hun.  She seems nice enough.  He then turns to me and kindly says, Take a look!"  So, I start digging. He hands me a size 8, white dress. 
"No, thank you, I don't want a white dress." 

She turns to me and replies, "OH!  You can take all the ivory ones!!  I am only looking for a white dress!"  ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!  I have to practically beg you and get permission from your fiance before taking the dresses you won't even fit in and now you tell me you hate nonwhite??  Why the hell are half of your dresses ivory??! GAAAAAH.  So, I went to town.  I picked out all the ivory dresses and started trying them on.  They were only a couple of keepers within that pile, but MAN!  What I had to do to pick a battle.  I started trying them on right there and noticed another thin girl trying on dresses right next to me.  She kept eyeing my stuff up, so naturally, I killed her with niceness.

"Oh would you like to try this one on after me??"
"YES!!  But what do you want?? You can have any of these dresses!!"  Oh, how the tables have turned.
"Alright!  I do like this particular one, would I be able to try it?"
Maria and I's relationship only flurished from then on.  We just exchanged dresses and helped each other out when the other found one she liked.  It was nice.  When I found the dress of my dreams, her and her sisters were there to cheer me on.  It was good.

After trying on all of the girl's dresses, I still hadn't found "the one."  So, I sent out my army to find me more.  Kate returned with a dress that she thought was it.  I tried it on and VOILA!  It was exactly what I was looking for.  Champagne, with little detail on the top, and then very simple on the bottom.  It had a big train and the train had a big stain.  I liked the dress a lot and thought it was the one, but I wanted to stay open minded and try on a "all lace" dress.  I left the handbag camp and set out to find an all lace dress.  There were groups of brides that were only looking at lace dresses so I started with them.  I got one very simple, all lace, strapless, no train.  When I got it on, I loved everything about it, minus the fact I couldn't walk in it.  I am a very fast walker and I don't like being constrained like that.  But, I knew that this dress was beautiful and I knew I could exchange it for something amazing.  I took it to this one girl, with a posse that acted like her bodyguards.  I saw the all lace dress and wanted to try it. 
"Can I try the all lace dress on??"
"No, you can't have it.  It's one of my maaaaybe's."
"I just want to try an all lace dress on."
"Fine, you can try it on but you can't have it.  It's still mine."
"THANK YOU!!"

I put the dress on, and zip it up.  Boy, the lighting in that department store is great!  That dress had little sequences on it is ivory and the fabric underneath is champagne.  It was beautiful!  I turned to the girl and asked, "Are you sure you want this dress?"
"You can't have it.  It's mine."  As her posse starts circling around me... The bride's biceps were huge.  She could have easily taken me out.  I wasn't about to start messing with her entire clan.
"Alright, alright, that's fine.  If you decide that you don't want the dress anymore, can you please bring it to me?  I'm by the bathrooms."
"Is that the dress?" 
"I think so, but I dont want to get too excited until I know it's mine."
"Alright, I'll let you know."  She turns to her main girl, and starts whispering to her.  I'm in the process of taking the dress off because I don't want to get my hopes up when it's not a done deal.  She turns back around and says, "You know what, take it."
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!  AH-MAZING! :)

I bought an amazing gorgeous dress for $250, originally, $1100.  That bargain right there, made my day.