A throng of pseudo-brides decked out in full wedding gear gave a whole new meaning to the term "white out" Saturday as they congregated downtown for Bride Blitz 2006.

The parade of "brides" were fitted for their gowns in the crowded lobby of Sozo, 256 E. Beaver Ave., and the women marched to campus for a photo opportunity on the steps of Old Main.

They resembled a football team as they ran through a paper banner advertising nittanyweddings.com, an all-inclusive wedding resource for the Centre region.

Bride Blitz 2006 was a promotional tool designed to help residents gain awareness about the Web site.

"We wanted a way to say 'we're here, we're creative and we're a great resource for anything you could need for your wedding,'" Kerri Smith, co-owner of the Web site, said.

"Brides" were also stationed throughout campus and at downtown locations, publicizing the Web site and cheering on the Nittany Lions.

"A group of girls went to the Lion Shrine," Smith's partner, Christine Eveleth said. "It was really exciting because right before they got there a young couple had just gotten engaged."

The women donning wedding dresses also participated in a bridal scavenger hunt at Beaver Stadium before the game. The women had to find a Penn State fan decked out in a JoePa mask and take a photo with a Michigan fan on a knee proposal-style.

Video of the weekend's activities will be available on the Web site.

"We're going to do a two-minute insane video on the Web site," Smith said. "It's a great way for us to let people know that we exist."

For participants, the thrill of modeling a gown overpowered the wind chill, making Bride Blitz a worthwhile experience.

"It was colder than expected but it was a lot of fun for the girls who participated," Esther Lee (sophomore-premedicine) said. "It's very rare that you find 100 girls wearing wedding dresses at Beaver Stadium."

Gowns used in the blitz were provided by Simply Elegant Gowns of State College and will be donated to charities locally and globally.

Although about 10 of the "brides" who were scheduled to participate didn't make it to the event, Eveleth said Bride Blitz was still an effective project and an overall success.

"We were shooting for 100, but it didn't matter how many came," she said. "It was such a large crowd people thought we were taking part in the white out. It was incredible."