Creative Financing?

Bride-to-be Kelly Gray listed a chance to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, on eBay. The 23-year-old hair dresser says she and her fiance were struggling to make ends meet. But, they want the wedding of their dreams. When one of her bridesmaids had the idea to raise some quick cash to pay for the $7,000 wedding, Gray decided to give it a shot.

The auction was up to $202.50 earlier this week, then it hit $5,000. In addition to the title of "bridesmaid," the winning bidder gets a bridesmaid's dress and shoes and can bring along one guest. The bridesmaid must also participate in any photos, videos and any other activities at the wedding ceremony and reception.

"I couldn't sleep at night," Gray said. "I'd go to bed and then wake up an hour later -- and run to the computer." With the top bid at $5,700, the auction ended Wednesday night, and the winner was, surprisingly, a man named "Nick" who told Gray that he was raising his own bid to $10,000.

But it turned out "Nick" was actually a representative for the owners of Dr. Pepper and Snapple. And he won't be in the wedding. Instead, the company is launching an online competition to decide who Gray's bridesmaid should be -- and they say it could even be a surprise celebrity.
The amount of money and media attention is more than Gray ever expected.
"We can have a honeymoon," she said with glee. "I wanted my wedding, now we can have a honeymoon."

Note from Melissa: Though this is recent news, there are already a dozen copycats on Ebay. Be wary of listing your wedding...you never know who you'll get and you're obligated to keep them!