Those of you who have read my posts before know that I have a vested interest in the now-shuttered Priscilla of Boston — it is the company, after all, that made the dress I’ll be walking down the aisle in on my wedding day. The closing of its salons was truly the end of an era in bridal fashion. But when I saw this report about employees at a Priscilla outpost in Minnesota who threw the store’s remaining inventory into a dumpster and spray-painted — spray-painted! — the gowns red, I felt my sadness turn to fury: Why would the company choose to destroy its beautiful dresses rather than donate them to a worthy cause?

One local bride’s story, however, restored at least some of my faith. Lindsey Angelo ordered her Priscilla wedding gown — a strapless fit-and-flare with crystal embellishments — months before she would find out by e-mail that the chain, a Boston-based business whose parent company is David’s Bridal, planned to close all of its locations in December 2011. When the bride arrived for her final fitting the day after Thanksgiving, she was shocked by what she saw. “There was a burn, they had forgotten buttons — it was a disaster,” says Angelo. “I work in retail, so originally I was just thinking, What can we do to fix it?”

With only a few weeks left before Priscilla of Boston closed its doors for good, the Newbury Street store manager asked Angelo to meet her at the Charlestown factory, where a team of three seamstresses vowed to re-create the dress completely from scratch — so long as Angelo vowed to stay “on call” for any impromptu consultations. “They were just amazing,” says Angelo. “I feel like they really didn’t have to do what they did, and they totally took care of me.” When the bride picks up her gown today, it’ll be one last dream fulfilled by a business that crafted them, stitch by stitch, button by button, for almost 65 years.

On Friday, you’ll have the chance to become one of the thousands of women across the country who, through laughter, sweat and tears, have proudly become Filene’s Basement brides. That’s right. The world-famous Running of the Brides® event is back and the more you prepare, the greater your chances are of walking away with your dream gown.

For brides-to-be who have no idea what this event is, simply put, it’s a chance to score a designer wedding gown for a fraction of the original price and have some fun with your friends while you’re at it. Brides-to-be and their “teams” (friends and family they bring along to help with the shopping) line up hours in advance to be among the first to stampede into a room filled with designer bridal gowns. Gowns are from sought-after designers, originally priced anywhere from $900 – $9,000, will be priced between $249 and $699.  No appointments are needed and you can bring as many friends and family members as you like. And, unlike some bridal salons, dress sizes range from 2 to 26, so you can actually try on gowns in your size rather than having to imagine what the dress will look like on you when a sample doesn’t fit. READ MORE

I’ve been in enough weddings to know that when I hear the words “You’re definitely going to wear this dress again!” from the bride, it means I probably won’t. Let’s face it. A large majority of bridesmaid dresses are full-length and tend to be on the formal side. So, if the bride envisions me attending gala events wearing (what she thinks) is a great dress and unfortunately, reveals my not-so-best features, well, it’s not going to happen.

I’d like to think the bridesmaids in my wedding could wear the dress I chose if they wanted to. Simple and black without any detail, so they could accessorize as they chose. I hope this leaves them the option of wearing it to a holiday party or even as a guest to someone else’s wedding.

Whether it is color, fabric, style, or embellishments, each season brings its own unique trends to bridesmaid dresses. If you are hoping your girls will love the chance to wear the dress again, choose a design that is simple and classic with just a little detail, so it’s not representative of a certain year, per se. (Everyone always jokes about the pink taffeta dresses from the 80’s with poufy sleeves and pleated skirts. You know exactly what I am talking about.)

I found a few dresses right here in Boston that I would love to wear as a bridesmaid — and afterward! I might just drop a few hints and forward these to the bride for the next wedding I am in.