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Brides of March

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The Brides of March is an annual event that takes place in San Francisco, California, US[1][2][3][4][5][6] and other cities around March 15.[7] Started by the Cacophony Society, the event's name is a pun on the term Ides of March, and is a parody of weddings in western culture. The event, which began in 1999, is part pub crawl and part street theater.[8] while wearing a thrift store wedding dress.

History

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Michele Michele got the idea while looking at used wedding dresses at a thrift store in 1999:[9]

I saw a rack of used wedding dresses and realized how often the dream of an ideal marriage had failed and how so much of this dream has been fabricated in order to fuel the ever-increasing consumption of new products. I thought it would be funny to take the primary symbol of this sacred institution and twist it around, much like what the Cacophony Society did with the Santa Rampage. This is classic Situationist ‘Detournament’, the hijacking of a message.[10]

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,[11] bridezillas,[7] priests,[11] bunny brides, left-at-the-altar brides, Wonder Woman brides,[12] wedding planners,[13] clown brides,[11] mail order brides, shotgun wedding brides,[11] runaway brides,[14] and others. Participants are encouraged to be creative when planning their attire, accessories, and props.

Brides of March 2024

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;[15] Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix[16][17][18][19][20][21] (started in 2008)[22] 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.[7]

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.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ Brownlee, John. "Beware The Brides of March". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  2. ^ Beale, Scott (2006-03-10). "Brides of March 2006". Laughing Squid. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  3. ^ "Photos: The Brides of March Gathering in San Francisco". SF Station | San Francisco's City Guide. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  4. ^ "The Brides of March Take to the Streets of SF - Photos". SF Station | San Francisco's City Guide. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  5. ^ "Brides of March Mar 19, 2016 from Tunnel Top Bar to Union Square". photos.sfstation.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  6. ^ "Brides of March Mar 19, 2016 from Tunnel Top Bar to Union Square". photos.sfstation.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  7. ^ a b c Massara, Graph (2018-03-18). "Blushing 'brides' and one T-Rex storm San Francisco for 'Brides of March'". SF Gate. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  8. ^ Brides of March 2015 San Francisco California, retrieved 2024-03-20
  9. ^ Brides of March - Mini Documentary - San Francisco Culture - HD, retrieved 2024-03-20
  10. ^ dangerranger (2016-02-09). "2020 Brides of March". danger ranger. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  11. ^ a b c d "Brides of March". Flickr. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  12. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin. "The Brides of March bar crawl brought white-gowned fun to Phoenix". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  13. ^ The Best Brides of March, retrieved 2024-03-20
  14. ^ The Brides Of March, retrieved 2024-03-20
  15. ^ "Beware the Brides of March". New York Daily News. 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2018-10-13.[dead link]
  16. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin. "Brides of March 2017: A Field Guide to Saturday's Bar Crawl in Downtown Phoenix". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  17. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin. "Your guide to Phoenix's Brides of March 2024: Bars, schedule and more". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  18. ^ "Photos: Brides of March". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  19. ^ Hwang, Kellie. "Brides of March in Phoenix,3/14". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  20. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin. "Everything You Need to Know About Brides of March 2018". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  21. ^ Hurst, Tyler (2009-03-15). "Beware the Brides Of March". Downtown Phoenix Journal. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  22. ^ Bejar, Christen. "Be a Bride in This Weekend's Brides of March". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  23. ^ "San Francisco's Brides of March just want to have fun—and spoof marriage". The San Francisco Standard. 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  24. ^ Italic, The Bold (2024-03-24). "They all said yes to the dress". Medium. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
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