Hundreds of brides-to-be flock early morning outside the doors of Filene’s Basement for the most terrifying shopping experience known to women.

It is not uncommon for the early birds to show up the day before and bring their lawn chairs, sleeping bags, and pop-up tents to the bridal gown extravaganza sale which has become part of the wedding planning experience for this tough bargain hunting bunch of brides and their friends.

These 4 magical words "discounted designer wedding gowns" have brought brides running from all corners of the world to find the gown of their dreams at bargain basement prices. It is one of the most fun bridal events in the USA known as ‘The Running of the Brides’.

The 'mad dash' for the perfect gown has been going on since 1947 when Filene's Basement first hosted the famous bridal gown sale held once a year in selected Filene’s Basement stores and twice a year in its original store in Boston.

Currently Filene's Basement has been undergoing extensive renovations and so for the last few events the 'mad dash' has been held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's Back Bay until the original flagship store in Downtown Crossing reopens this spring 2009.

Things stay pretty friendly until the doors open at 8:00 a.m. Then the countdown begins 5…4…3…2…1 and hell breaks loose! A stampede of brides and their team of helpers literally run full speed to the racks in a dress pulling, tug-of-war frenzy, grabbing as many gowns as their arms can possibly hold. It can take anywhere from sixty seconds to two minutes to strip the racks of nearly 3,000 bridal gowns.

Each team will then look for a private corner or empty space on the floor so the bride can weed out the good, the bad, and the ugly gowns and then she will begin to strip down to her underwear and try on her dresses.

Minutes later the trading begins. Each dress no matter what size, color or style, will get bartered for another, as each of the brides-to-be tries to find the gown of her dream at a discounted price of $249, $499 and $699 from the original $900 to $9,000 plus. The original price tags remain attached to the gowns so the customers can see the savings instantly.

After the brides-to-be have sorted through the gowns, the real game begins. The secret is to get as many gowns as you can off the rack to trade for the one that you really love. Many have said this event should be called 'The Trading of the Brides'. A trading strategy has evolved over time and the gowns that are rejected by the bride are shopped around to the different teams who are also looking to trade the gowns that they no longer want. This trading can get complex where one trade could involve multiple transactions. Often you will see the team helpers move their way through the crowd holding signs high above their heads that read "size 4 strapless", "size 8-10 in ivory" or simply "size 16 wanted".

At the beginning of the event you may see a wide range of different behaviors such as shoving, elbowing, hoarding but eventually it brings out the best in the brides and bonding takes place between the different bridal groups.

When a bride finds 'her dress' everyone in the area stops what they are doing and applauds. If a brides-to-be mother can't make the event, all the other mothers pitch in and act as surrogates to help find that perfect dress.

You will definitely need people to help you grab as many gowns off the rack as you possibly can so you will have plenty to trade with later with the other bridal parties. It is recommended you bring at least 4 people. You will also need help in getting in and out of the dresses and to guard the other gowns in your pile from the quick snatchers. It is also the opinion of others who have braved it before you to have a team "uniform" to help you stand out in the crowd such as wearing bright or florescent colored shirts, vests, or hats. Some teams get very creative and print their team names on their t-shirts, carry whistles or walkie-talkies or any other item of their imagination.  The Boston Filene's is underground so cell reception isn't great!

This distinctive event has been called crazy, scary and insane. It is shopping as a full-contact sport, and the women who take part in the 'Running of The Brides' wouldn't have it any other way. At the end of the day, you may have the gown of your dream with a fairytale ending or you may not. But one day you will look back on this experience and recognize that you wouldn't have wanted to miss it for anything, not for the world!