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Bargain-Hunting Brides Swarm Filene's Basement

By DNAinfo Staff on February 18, 2011 10:49am

By Elizabeth Ladzinski

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UPPER WEST SIDE — Hundreds of brides stormed the Filene's Basement on the Upper West Side Friday hoping to snatch a steal on wedding gowns. 

Teams of brides, mothers, sisters and friends gathered outside of the West 80th Street and Broadway store as early as 2 a.m. Friday. The line to get in stretched down to West 79th Street and around the corner onto Amsterdam Avenue.

A group of six women from Florida dressed in green T-shirts were the first to rush the store at 8 a.m.

Once the teams entered the store, was a mad dash to reach the racks of gowns priced $249, $449 and $699, all marked down from as much as $9,000. Brides and their teams grab as many of the up to 3,000 dresses as they can, stack them into a pile and begin trying them on.

According to the store's website, it takes less than 60 seconds for the racks to be stripped bare. As the day wears on, teams trade dresses amongst each other to finally obtain the perfect gown.

The store adds on extra security for the event, and this year there were no incidents of shoving or trampling.

The next "Running of the Brides" event will take place in Boston on March 11, 2011.