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| Jacques Catering |
HOWEVER, there are a TON of scams and schemes associated with some of these contests and things you sign up for. Most of these scams come from the big, nationally known companies and no so much with local mom and pop shops - but it is beyond annoying when it happens. Below I have listed some issues I have experienced with filling out forms for prizes, making appointments, and going to "extras" - as well as some good experiences at the end! If you want to skip to the actual "good stuff" scroll down; my best experiences were with Jamberry Nail Art and Macy's Sip & Scan Registry Event.
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| Apple Brides |
Oh, dearest David's Bridal - The biggest/most well known national bridal shop. They have incensed me and I have not even set foot into the store yet! Okay, for one, David's Bridal called my house probably a month after I became engaged. I had not really been looking for dresses on any site other than Pinterest so I was not sure how they got my number. Who knows, I probably filled out something fleetingly while being engrossed in Bride Day on TLC. At any rate, they called and wanted me to set up an appointment. I already found my gown, so I said I was not interested in looking for a dress yet and that was that...
Until I actually made an appointment with them...
I attended the Hendrick's County Bridal Show and David's Bridal had a booth. I spoke to the attendant about bridesmaids dresses because that is something I need to get on NOW since my girls will need to get their dresses on their own, and I will probably not see them before the wedding. The attendant also gave me a coupon to use when I come in just in case I find a reception dress for myself or something my mother could wear. I thought this was great and it would give me an opportunity to look at different styles and compare prices. The day after the bridal show, DB sent me an e-mail confirming the appointment and everything and I thought that was that. Until the phone calls started....
On the Monday following the bridal show I started getting phone calls from a 1-800 number regarding my fiance and I winning a bridal meal package from Dinner 4 Two. Since the call back number was a 1-800, I just knew it was a scam. When I put the number into a Google search, it came back with a TON of complaints. Apparently, in Indiana at least, every time you sign up for ANYTHING WITH DAVID'S BRIDAL - you register online for coupons, you make an appointment in person or online or at a bridal show, you buy something from them, you enter a contest, etc. THEY SELL YOUR INFORMATION. In Indiana, they sell it to Midwest Lifestyle/Dinner 4 Two - it is one of those things where you sit through a demonstration and they try to get you to buy stuff. I looked this up on MULTIPLE sites and I am 100% positive there is a direct correlation between David's Bridal and this phone scam.
They called the house CONSTANTLY and my mother finally called them back and told them to stop calling or they would be reported. I do not think they have called back since. It is not technically a scam, but it can lure young, unsuspecting brides into buying a bunch of junk thinking they will win something great at the end. On one of the online complaint sites, a young woman was "conned" into buying $500 worth of pots and pans thinking she would win a luxury cruise honeymoon only to find later she would need to attend more "demonstrations" to eventually get anything. This is the same kind of deal you run into with those timeshare demonstrations - they do give you prizes but the "big gift" always comes with a catch. For example, with the Dinner 4 Two, I read a review where a bride did go - she did receive free cookware, but to "win the honeymoon" she would have had to pay the taxes on it, get her own airfare, and go on a specific date. This specific "scam" irked me the most because they would not stop calling the house.
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| Mary Kay |
My next grumble is with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Mary Kay has had a booth at every single bridal show I have attended so far. I always stop to pick up whatever one-use sample they are handing out because that sample is usually eyeshadow and I LOVE eyeshadow - but I do not buy or use Mary Kay as part of my normal makeup routine. I have also provided my info to win free products but I had never received a call back. However, since I was one of the first people through the door to attend the the Indy Wedding Ideas sponsored bridal show this winter, I won a "secret prize" and that prize was with Mary Kay. I thought I might win a hand lotion or something like that, but I won a WHOPPING $75 gift certificate! I was pretty excited because I knew I could get a lot of eyeshadow for that or a really nice lotion.
I spoke to both attendants and we looked at some product they had but I did not use my certificate then. I got their cards and figured I would e-mail them later if I wanted to order something. Well, the following weekend we spoke to another MK consultant who had these fliers for National Make Over Day. Apparently, Mary Kay does this every year and it was described to us as a day where thousands of women come and get make-overs for free.
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| Mary Kay |
The Pros: I did like being able to try out different products like lotions and foundations.
It was sort of nice being the only people there, but it was a bit akward.
I did buy a lotion with my gift card and my mother got mascara and eyeshadow.
Our consultants were very nice and accommodating - they were not pushy with buying a product if we did not want it.
The Cons: We were instructed to use exfoliant - which required us to SHARE A SINK in an adjacent hotel room - VERY awkward.
Our "make over" was self applied - we were provided with brushes and had to do it ourselves. This is not really my idea of a make-over.
It was awkward to be told there would be many females there and us be the only ones who came - there was a third consultant there that bought her sister and friend. But when we walked in we thought we were walking into a "buying scam" where you are harassed to buy product.
Overall, the "makeover experience" was fine, but not something I would have done if I had not won the gift card. THE BIGGEST PEEVE I had with all this was the "extra event" they wanted us to participate in the following Monday. When we first came in, they took before and then after pictures of "our makeovers". At the end of the event, they had us fill out a card on how well we thought it went, we were given a red raffle ticket, and asked to circle a product on this chart they gave us. This was not explained, and I did not know what this was for. I of course did not ask because I THOUGHT it was going to be a prize we could win based on the raffle ticket we were given. Instead, they took the charts back and the ticket and invited us to a second event where they promised prizes and a chance to win a $50 gift card. They also said this was what the before/after pictures were for. They said "all the photos from all the makeovers" would be there and we could vote on them and it would be a "big fun event for all the ladies who participated". I thought it would be another deal like the makeover day. BOY was I ever WRONG!
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| Card I received to invite us to the "Second Event" |
This whole spiel was designed to keep us there from 6:30-8:30. My fiance was working late and I needed to get back to make him some dinner and my mother had to cancel an appointment to attend this with me. Had we known this was what it truly was, we would have NEVER gone. When I got home I looked this up online, and like the mess with David's Bridal selling information, it is apparently well known that these Mary Kay people do this kind of thing all the time. Some consultants it seems are WAY better than others, but if you get stuck with a dud of a consultant, you will have a bad time. I read on a forum about how one consultant basically held a group of bridesmaids hostage until someone bought something because the consultant rented a conference room on her own dime and "expected a rate of return". Another thing I noticed in the complaint forums is that many brides had the misconception that MARY KAY SELLERS ARE MAKEUP ARTISTS. They ARE NOT makeup artists! At the end of the night I sent an e-mail to the consultant explaining why we had to cut out early and she apologized for not explaining that it was a 100% sales pitch. I have not heard from her since, but she was a very nice person and I do understand that most Mary Kay sellers are stay-at-home moms who use the business to be able to work from home. Some of their products are very nice quality - however I would just order online if you wish to buy because the mark up IS FIFTY PERCENT if you buy from a consultant directly!
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| Stella & Dot |
I knew about Stella & Dot long before I started attending bridal shows. I actually own some S&D jewelry that I have purchased second hand from garage sales. The problem with S&D is that like Mary Kay, it is a sales pitch where they try and get you to host "house parties" to basically coerce your friends and family into purchasing pretty, albeit expensive costume jewelry. Their jewelry is cute I will give them that, but just order it online. DO NOT get involved with a consultant at a bridal show unless you really want to do these parties because the E-MAILS WILL NOT STOP. I swear, I was getting 2-3 e-mails a week about selling and specials until I put them on the spam list.
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| Photography Cameras |
Some photographers you meet once at a bridal show, you take their card, and never hear from them again. Others, you fill out a contest or something and they send you a courtesy "remember me?" e-mail, then that is it. Then there are others that use the contest you filled out for to bombard you with adverts, "coupons", or notices that you "won something." The first one of these I got I was so excited because I actually thought I won something. I got an e-mail saying I won a free engagement session. This was something I wanted but we did not budget for nor think was totally necessary. Engagement sessions are very expensive if you get them ala carte from a different photographer than who you will be using for your wedding - between $250-$500 usually. Most of the contests you sign up for with photographers at bridal expos are for "free" engagement sessions or boudoir photos. Well, the engagement session I won was just for the sitting - we would have to fork over $300 for the digital release and this did not include prints. Come to find out, this is how almost all of these photographer contests work - you really get nothing unless you book them for your wedding. I also had to fish for this information through several e-mails, and once they spilled the beans on how this all really worked, I never heard from them again. Since then I have "won", free Save the Date's with the purchase of a sitting (the time you still have to pay BY THE HOUR was in the fine print), "print credits" for boudoir shoots (but you have to pay for the glam up session and the sitting), a "deep discount" on either an engagement or boudoir session (the SAME discount was available in Groupon). You get the idea...
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| Jamberry Nails |
Okay, I must admit, this was fun! Jamberry Nails is just another one of those companies that sells "finger nail stickers". Yes, this is all they are. You can get them at Target, Walgreen's, CVS under various name brands, you can get them from artists on Etsy, or you can get them from specific companies like Jamberry. Again, like with Stella & Dot, if you want it, order it online and do not get wrapped up into a sales pitch about hosting a party unless you really want to. At the Hendricks County Bridal Show there were several young girls at a Jamberry booth that were really fun and they helped put a sticker on my nail. If you do these yourself, you will need help because it is somewhat of a process. But, they are really different and cute! I will probably get some of these from somewhere to include with my bridesmaids gifts since you can get them customized! Furthermore, these run between $8-$15 a set depending on where you order them from and one kit will do fingernails and your toes too! Luckily, I was not bombarded with any e-mails or phone calls from this company - but if you are it will be because they want you to host a house party. The fact that the vendor attendants were so helpful in explaining the product to me was what made me more interested in their product overall.
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| Wedding Bee |
After the disappointing session with Mary Kay I was actually dreading the Macy's Sip & Scan event I signed up for in January. I thought to myself, oh no, this will be another sales pitch, or a thing to get me to sign up for a Macy's credit card, or something ridiculous. I signed up for this event at the first bridal show I ever attended and I had forgotten about it until I received a confirmation e-mail. The reason I signed up for it was because I was clueless about wedding registries and Macy's was not a store I would have ever considered signing up for since I only shop there at Christmas. My fiance was working late so I took my mom with me. I must admit, this was a TOTAL BLAST! It was simple too! You go in, they give you a scanner and a check list sheet, and tell you to have at it! They had a caterer passing out hors d'oeuvres and drinks, a DJ for the whole second floor, and they had like 10 consultants there to help you. They were ALL very knowledgeable and helpful and there were about 8 couples there to boot. It was so unexpected!
I scanned a TON of stuff I never thought I would need - but that in fact I would need. Like a hand mixer, an iron, a set of skillets, plates for Thankgiving, a new comforter, etc. They THEN tell you to have guests who will ultimately buying you a gift to wait until they get coupons in the mail/paper because they can stack coupons with the discount they already get for scanning the registry. Basically, your guests will be able to get you more for less money since there are discounts you can "stack" with the registry. They also gave me a TON of coupons I can use now, a $25 Restaurant.com gift card, a booklet with all this other information. It was really helpful! AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY ANYTHING. There is NO CATCH! I was actually so impressed that I plan on returning to the store probably several times to look at more items to add. Since my wedding is so far out, one of the attendants told me I can add clothing to my registry, then scan my own registry at the store, and get an extra percentage off on MY OWN PURCHASES. My mom can do this too. I was like WOW, and proceeded to scan 3 boxes of Kuerig cups so when the coupons come out in the mail, I can get more of a discount! There are actually so many perks to having a Macy's registry you, as a bride, would be foolish not to check it out. YOU CAN EVEN SCAN FURNITURE AND RUGS! You can scan lingerie for your bachelorette party, kitchen basics for your housewarming party, toasting glasses and serving items for your engagement party, pilsner and shot glasses for groomsmen gifts, etc. And the registry is good for quite some time after your wedding as well so you can purchase whatever extras you might need. It was so cool, I was really happy I attended. But again, this is something I would have never known about if it had not been at a bridal show.
The Verdict:
If you receive an offer at a bridal show GOOGLE IT! Odds are, if it is scammy in any way whatsoever, there will be a zillion posts about it somewhere. You can find complaints on most bridal sites as well or other blogs with posts dedicated to specific "scams". BUT, not everything is a scam or con! Like I initially stated, most contests sponsored by local "mom & pop" shops are legitimate and do not come with any sort of catch. Bakers are a great example. If you win a $100 cake - you win a $100 cake. A local bridal shop recently gave away a $600 gown - which could have been a wedding dress, mother of the bride dress, etc. as long as it was under $600 in store. A local restaurant gave away a rehearsal dinner for up to 20 people. Most of the contests you register for are legitimate, just be aware that some come with "catches" or might end up being total scams.
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