{"id":174598,"date":"2026-03-25T13:43:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/174598\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:43:13","slug":"here-come-the-brides-of-march-all-75-of-them-for-a-day-of-boozy-fun-and-friendship-in-manhattan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/174598\/","title":{"rendered":"Here come the Brides of March, all 75 of them, for a day of boozy fun and friendship in Manhattan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBeware the Brides of March!\u201d proclaims event organizer Harmony Vehling, but she\u2019s really just threatening everyone with a good time in Manhattan<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The \u201cBrides of March,\u201d not to be confused with an event of a similar name that is dedicated to raising awareness of domestic violence against women<\/a>, is a bit like a mini Santacon<\/a>. Participants all wear wedding gowns of some form or another as they roam from one pre-determined destination to the next, and gender is not an issue.<\/p>\n

But Brides of March leans more towards camaraderie than alcohol and is somewhat more manageable as the brides numbered at about 75 total; Santacon, if you\u2019re wondering, has hit the 30,000 mark.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a little more commitment than that,\u201d Vehling notes. \u201cYou can\u2019t just buy a sweater and participate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Vehling discovered the joy of being part of the celebration in Phoenix in 2011, after hearing about it at Burning Man and continued when she moved to NYC in 2014. At that point, the group was \u201cmaybe 15-20 people,\u201d\u00a0 Vehling recalls, as compared to the \u201c100 people that we would have in Arizona.\u201d She took over the management reins from Abby Ehman in 2022 and was determined to keep it fresh every year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along with her \u201cpartner-in-crime,\u201d co-producer Heather Feather, the pair mapped out a route that started at Madam Mikette\u2019s, moved to the Strangelove bar and then to a public atrium where there was an impromptu dance party. There was a group photo at 53rd Street and Madison Avenue and a ride down to the Flatiron Building on the 6 train (as the Dixie Cups\u2019 \u201cGoing to the Chapel\u201d boomed out), then on to Boxers bar and finally a ride on the SeaGlass Carousel in Battery Park, which is the only stop that stays the same each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have big dreams that I want to accomplish, and each year I kind of check one off,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen planning this year, I got the idea for next year. So, I know what we\u2019re gonna do \u2014 I\u2019ve already got big plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Brides of March demonstrating that there\u2019s nothing like a good metaphorPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Their special dayPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Selfie time in Strangelove \u2013 a \u201cpunk rock dive bar\u201d on East 53rd St. That\u2019s Beluca Harivel in the pink dressPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"A houseful of Brides at Madam Mikette\u2019sPhoto by Bob Krasner<\/p>\n

One thing she can count on each year is the participation of her husband, Joseph Vehling.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told me about it, and I just jumped right in,\u201d he says.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019d never done drag before, and he wore my dress,\u201d she informs us. \u201cHe\u2019s always a big help, he\u2019s been there since day one.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Feather, a pre-school teacher and a stilt walker (the latter is more fun, she informs us), is on her seventh Brides of March.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI pick out different decades to represent each year,\u201d she says. \u201cThis gown is a little 80s influence. I\u2019ve done a full Victorian gown. I was the stilt walking flower girl at Harmony\u2019s wedding!\u201d<\/p>\n

While white gowns were predominantly the choice, people definitely got creative.\n<\/p>\n

There was the goth vision of first timer Beluca Harivel, a poet who wore \u201ca thrift store dress with a curtain from the house\u201d as a veil.\n<\/p>\n

Kristy Magee, also a virgin Bride, loved \u201chow cool and creative everyone\u2019s energy is.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Ian Roberts, on his second time around, said, \u201cIt\u2019s such a spectacle \u2014 and a chance to be a bridezilla for the day.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Stacy Benjamin, having a fabulous time participating in the wedding for the third time in the dress she last wore 30 years ago, noted that \u201cthe dress lasted, the marriage did not!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The \u201cBride of Frankenstein\u201d was absent this year, but the bride from \u201cKill Bill\u201d showed up, as did Maggie Gyllenhaal\u2019s \u2018The Bride\u2019, as portrayed by artist Carri Skoczek.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the movie, and I said, \u2018I have to do this,’\u201d Skoczek says. \u201c\u2018The Bride\u2019 is fantastic.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\"\"Still checking each other out\u2026.. Brides of March producer Harmony Vehling and her husband Joseph VehlingPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Kristy Magee started the day off right at Madam Mikette\u2019sPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Micah, just another bride waiting for a trainPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Dorian of Dorian\u2019s Gilded Society, in front of Charlotte Colbert\u2019s \u201cChasing Rainbows\u201d, had their own take on the bridal themePhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Brides of March co-producer Heather Feather hanging out at StrangelovePhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"Bhavana wondering what the future will holdPhoto by Bob Krasner \"\"\u201cI saw the movie \u201cThe Bride!\u201d and said I have to do this\u201d, said artist Carri SkoczekPhoto by Bob Krasner<\/p>\n

Jordan Heath was back for a second time because she enjoys \u201cletting go, being ridiculous and doing things that society tells you not to.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Although their Facebook page describes the day as \u201cpart performance art, part bar crawl, all chaos,\u201d it\u2019s more of a bonding experience than an excuse to get drunk.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got friends who don\u2019t drink, and I wanted to make it fun for them too,\u201d says Vehling.\n<\/p>\n

Vehling gets a lot of joy out of roaming the streets with her crew, and she has to laugh whenever someone yells \u201conly in New York!\u201d The event, after all, started in San Francisco and happens yearly in New Orleans, Toronto, Austin, San Diego, Boston, Vancouver and London, to name just a few locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d she muses, \u201csociety is getting more and more beige and gray. It\u2019s so nice to have this expressive, playful thing that we get to do every year, and it\u2019s really become this amazing community.\u201d<\/p>\n

But her favorite part is \u201cdefinitely seeing when it\u2019s their first year and they show up, and they\u2019re so proud of their gown and how amazing they look. A lot of people are like, \u2018oh, I\u2019ve never felt this pretty before\u2019. And I like that they all kind of put their trust in me. I don\u2019t really tell anyone where we\u2019re going.\u00a0 The amount of people that put their trust in me and just show up in this gown and then tag along for the ride! I think that\u2019s my favorite part.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Brides of March Facebook page is\u00a0facebook.com\/events\/madam-mikettes\/brides-of-march-nyc\/2402122286879039\/<\/a> and the Instagram is @bridesofmarchnyc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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