Brides of March

History

Michele Michele got the idea while looking at used wedding dresses at a thrift store in 1999:

Brides of any gender are encouraged to participate, but the wearing of traditional white wedding dresses or something resembling them, preferably obtained second-hand, is the point of the event. Variations on bridal themes are also highly encouraged - in recent years there have been a greater number of gothic brides who wear black, alien brides, bridezillas, priests, bunny brides, left-at-the-altar brides, Wonder Woman brides, wedding planners, clown brides, mail order brides, shotgun wedding brides, runaway brides, and others. Participants are encouraged to be creative when planning their attire, accessories, and props.

Some Brides of March walking tours have had a story-line focus, with brides visiting local engagement ring shops, formal wear stores, bakeries, the Nordstrom makeup counter for touch ups, and other on-theme destinations in between pubs and restaurants. Others have a less formal walking tour, choosing a route that allows them to bar-hop as a group or even splinter off into several smaller groups.

The Brides of March is now held elsewhere in the US including Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas, Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix (started in 2008){{cite web | access-date = 2018-10-13}} and Tucson, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington and Lafayette, Indiana. In Canada, events are held in Toronto and in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Brides of March events are also held in London, Berlin, Melbourne and Japan.

Brides of March events in many cities were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in some cities beginning in 2022, including San Francisco.

References

References

1. Brownlee, John. "Beware The Brides of March".
2. Beale, Scott. (2006-03-10). "Brides of March 2006".
3. "Photos: The Brides of March Gathering in San Francisco".
4. "The Brides of March Take to the Streets of SF - Photos".
5. "Brides of March Mar 19, 2016 from Tunnel Top Bar to Union Square".
6. "Brides of March Mar 19, 2016 from Tunnel Top Bar to Union Square".
7. "Brides of March 2015 San Francisco California".
8. "Brides of March - Mini Documentary - San Francisco Culture - HD".
9. dangerranger. (2016-02-09). "2020 Brides of March".
10. "Brides of March". Flickr.
11. Leatherman, Benjamin. "The Brides of March bar crawl brought white-gowned fun to Phoenix".
12. "The Best Brides of March".
13. "The Brides Of March".
14. (2014-03-15). "Beware the Brides of March".
15. Leatherman, Benjamin. "Brides of March 2017: A Field Guide to Saturday's Bar Crawl in Downtown Phoenix".
16. Leatherman, Benjamin. "Your guide to Phoenix's Brides of March 2024: Bars, schedule and more".
17. "Photos: Brides of March".
18. Hwang, Kellie. "Brides of March in Phoenix,3/14".
19. Leatherman, Benjamin. "Everything You Need to Know About Brides of March 2018".
20. Hurst, Tyler. (2009-03-15). "Beware the Brides Of March".
21. (2024-03-17). "San Francisco's Brides of March just want to have fun—and spoof marriage".
22. Italic, The Bold. (2024-03-24). "They all said yes to the dress".