Beware the Brides of March
They all said yes to the dress
With accessories from festive hats to flower crowns, San Francisco’s ‘Brides of March’ mobbed North Beach for their 26th year running.
By B. P. Walker
A glittering 70-degree Saturday afternoon saw San Francisco’s Jackson Square flowing in chiffon, tulle veils, and laughs. It was the city’s storied Brides of March back for their 26th year running, with people from all walks of life decked out in their finest bridal gowns for a rousing pub crawl through the streets of North Beach.
With accessories ranging from festive hats and flower crowns to a taxidermied raccoon, creativity was at the heart of the event, and looks were most definitely being served. All were welcome to join the troupe, including various genders, couples and solo revelers alike; It’s basically a SantaCon for wedding dresses — with ideas for both events originating from the same group.
For many participants, the annual occasion is among their most anticipated — the culmination of year’s worth of shopping, thrifting, and saving anything bridal. Adorned in their finery on March 16, the brides sashayed through the historic Italian neighborhood, turning heads and imparting curious onlookers with a sense of pure joy. Pulling up to Little Red Window for the march’s first drink stop, the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Stockton Street was awash in white lace and flowing fabrics. The brides had arrived in style, and fully owned the moment.
Live music punctuated the air, as chilled rosé and fresh fruit margaritas began to flow. Capitalizing on their beverage-fueled momentum, the march continued to Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe, a 56-year-young watering hole packed with kitschy collectibles as decor. Inside, the brides lined long tables, holding the mother of all would-be wedding receptions. Beaming with pride, celebrants embodied the sense of community and unconventionality that defines San Francisco. The event’s coordinator, Jenneviere, greeted and thanked attendees, having delivered another successful jubilee.
The march’s history dates back to 1999, when Michele Michele got the idea for this unique tradition while browsing at a thrift store. She recalls:
“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.”
Nowadays, longtime bride Jenneviere Villegas runs the event in San Francisco; she helped out several years before taking the reins in 2024. For Villegas, there’s nothing more wonderful, ridiculous, and uniquely our city than a huge throng of tacky dresses wandering San Francisco streets.
“The spectacle of dozens or even hundreds of people traipsing around the city, making people smile, holding random bouquet tosses or busting into singing ‘Going to the Chapel’ is that special brand of San Francisco weirdness that is a heartbeat that runs through this city, and it’s amazing to be a part of carrying that tradition on,” Villegas said.
The Cacophony Society, self-described as “a randomly gathered network of free spirits united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society,” was established in San Francisco in 1986. Michele teamed with the organization to launch the Brides of March, which is now widely celebrated in cities like New York, Seattle, Sacramento, Austin, Las Vegas, Reno, Phoenix, Tucson, Boulder, and Toronto.
Keep an eye out on or around March 15th each year, and you just may catch the next sensational bridal showcase.
B. P. Walker is a San Francisco-based media designer.
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More photos of Brides of March 2024 by Dave Golden and Carolina Sunshine
