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By Greg Gaudio
VIRGINIA BEACH
Kelly Gray, the Beach hairdresser who auctioned off a bridesmaid spot in her wedding on eBay, dreamed her story might have a Cinderella ending.
When her Internet auction ended at 7:27 p.m. Wednesday, 23 people had run up the winning bid to $5,700. She immediately called the winner’s phone number, which she was able to view through eBay.
The winner, using the brand new eBay identity “drpeppersnapple,” turned out to be a guy named Nick, and he’s not going to be in the wedding.
Nick told Gray he was a representative for Dr Pepper Snapple Group and said the beverage company wouldn’t be honoring the $5,700 bid. Instead, it would be donating $10,000 for her wedding and supplying all the beverages.
The phone call was taped as part of a segment that was to appear on today’s “Good Morning America.”
“I want to pass out, and I can’t stop crying,” Gray said shortly after the auction ended. “I’m very, very thankful, and very blessed.”
Gray initially worried her auction might not bring in enough to even cover $18 in eBay fees and the winner’s dress and shoes. Now, it’ll pay for the bash she never thought she’d have.
With a 1 -year-old daughter and a combined salary of about $32,000 a year, she and fiance Karl Gau, a 23-year-old roofer, were struggling to make ends meet.
Before the auction, they had planned to spend $7,000 on the event, scheduled for April 19 . They would save money by baking their own cake, and using an iPod instead of a D J.
Dr Pepper Snapple told Gray it would launch a Web site to find her a bridesmaid or provide a surprise guest to fill the slot, she said.
Dr Pepper was mentioned by name in a story about Gray that originally appeared in Tuesday’s Virginian-Pilot.
Gwen Lala, a co-worker at Dimensions Hair Studio in Virginia Beach, suggested Gray try eBay after coming up short in wedding give-a way contests.
“You won’t believe this,” Lala told her. “There’s this Dr Pepper can on eBay right now going for $400.”
MSNBC and The New York Times also interviewed Gray, who was overwhelmed by the attention.
“I didn’t go around begging for it,” she said. “Someone out there is just very generous.”
Greg Gaudio, (757) 222-5125, greg.gaudio@pilotonline.com
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Would you be happier...?
...if she "guilted" her parents into it & they take out a second mortgage in order to create a costly event for her? Or, just fill in the blanks of what some parents sacrifice to do anything for their children. Live & let live...
NOT TRUE
In the girls original article she stated that they had no money and that they were not receiving help. That is crap because my best friend is cousins with the guy. That girls mother has already paid for everything in the wedding so this girl just wanted more. I think it is a disgrace and that dr. pepper should take back everything they were going to give her. There are other people who work really hard and can not afford a wedding at all. These people could have done a cheaper wedding on the beach for free.
THANK YOU VREYNAULD
thank you very much for your comment i could not agree with you more and i wish people would wake up and see the truth in all of this and you have hit it straight on the nail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those wondering about negativity
For those wondering about why so many people are being negative, think about the message this sends.
I've read all the comments here and people are lauding her for being "creative" or "clever" in the face of economic hardship, but there's nothing "creative" or "clever" about what she did. Had this remained on eBay, it wouldn't even be reported because it rates up there with the people who try to auction off their souls or their kids or some other asinine thing to make a quick buck. If she were TRULY creative or clever, she would have found a way to have a decent wedding within her means, not try to auction off an intangible for some one else's cash.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the picture of her flashing her "rock" with a sly eyed look screams "I have my priorities misplaced" a thousand times over. She should be more concerned about taking care of her child and being on firm fina
did you actually read ??
everyone who is bashing this girl apparently did not read or see the article correctly... she did not go on tv asking for money - she posted an auction - and people bid on it - and DR PEPPER decided to donate 10K to the girl... DR PEPPER is probably doing this for the publicity - but really - the girl already had her wedding planned for the 7000 she could afford - she did not plan a wedding and then come up short on the money and she did not beg for money either - she posted and auction - any one that bidded on it - was doing so of their own free will... and well if someone bid enough to cover the cost of just the dress then what harm would have been done? they would have paid for their own dress and that would have been that ... but DR PEPPER decided to give them money and really in the end all they did was pay for all the press that the story is generating - sounds to me that DR PEPPER and the girl getting married were pretty s
Bride
Best wishes to the Bride and congratulations to the company for excellent PR that actually helps couple have an experience they will cherish for the rest of their lives. It really is nice to see a pair of true battlers receive a bit of gold in their lives as the result of an imaginative good deed.
Cheers. John. (73yrs young)(Australia)
You Go Girl! WOOHOO!!!!!!!
I have to give props to the Bridesmaid auction. I first spotted this auction at No Shame Auctions dot com, a funny site that promotes goofy and creative auctions like the bridesmaid auction. Hey, the girl had a dream and made it happen! Nuff said! Way to go, Girlfriend!!!!
Dr Pepper Customers, Yoo-Hoo!
Hey, all of us Dr Pepper customers, of which I am one, helped pay for this wedding. Does that mean we get an invite? Can I get a case of Dr Pepper and be a wedding crasher? Just asking...
Tacky
This is beyond tacky.
Struggling young couples for years and years have made do with what they can afford and if they can't afford more than a wedding license, so be it. Getting married does not entitle anyone to a fancy party. Getting married is a serious commitment. If they're really serious about the commitment and not about the party, they would work this out within their means and stop looking to other people to solve their own problems. While a wedding should certainly be a happy occasion, it still in no way requires a party that they cannot afford and it in no way gives them "permission" to find other people to foot the bill.
Auctioning off a spot in a wedding or getting commercial sponsorship is just low-class and indicative of a mindset that will never allow this couple to figure out how to live within their current means or solve their own problems without looking for a handout of some sort
freckles
I guess the question mark was the third word?