Brides of March

I'd just finished my Saturday shift at work and was walking toward my bus stop downtown when I spotted them: About 40 to 50 women and men, all wearing thrift store bridal dresses, white gloves, purses and jewelry, and several carrying musical instruments and flasks. And all having a great time.

Curious, I looked down into a brick courtyard where they'd assembled, thinking I was about to witness an outdoor wedding ceremony. Wrong! It wasn't quite a flash mob -- this wasn't nearly as spontaneous -- but the group didn't stay long in one place either. I managed to take just a couple of photographs and would have interviewed a couple of folks if my bus hadn't arrived at that minute.

As they passed by me, though, I asked one of the stockier, full-bearded brides what was up.

"It's the Brides of March, brother." 

Ah, of course!  A pun on the term Ides of March, which refers to the 15th day of the Roman calendar

San Francisco brides

Turns out I was looking at Portland's version of the annual event, coordinated by The Cacophony Society, which also stages bridal walks in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle and Austin. It's part shopping spree, part pub crawl and all about silliness.

Watch a YouTube video here.

Photograph by Felipe Buitrago