Racing Down the Aisle for Bargain Wedding Gowns

Tamasha Barnes feels a little sad every time she hears clapping. "I'm picky," she says. She has tried on only three, and none is just right. Maybe the problem is that she's still thinking of that magazine clipping in her purse.

That dress isn't here; Filene's Basement bridal buyer, Kelly Dawyskiba, has already told her so.

Tamasha's mother, Marian, volunteers to head out to the floor. They still might find something.

Over in the purses, Marian Barnes spots a train that looks, she says, "like a scarfy thing" and reminds her of the dress her daughter had clipped years ago. It's poking out from the pile of bride-to-be Amy Butler, who doesn't mind that Barnes has nothing to barter.

And when Marian Barnes pulls out the hanger, she can't believe it. It's the exact Romona Keveza dress, in the exact size (8)! Mom sprints to her daughter, who's posing in front of a mirror in a dress she kind-of-sort-of doesn't really like. When she sees the pile of off-white satin, Tamasha can't even speak. She pulls it on. Yes, it fits. She's a princess.

Twenty minutes later, they've paid -- $700 instead of $3,000 -- and they're on the escalator when Marian Barnes asks, "Do you hear that, Tamasha?"

From the mall's speakers trickles a Muzak rendition of "Isn't She Lovely."

"Stevie Wonder was playing when Tamasha was born," the mother says, astounded. "Everything is so perfect for us. This is a story we'll be telling over and over."