Honeymoon Discussions

American bridal show not a free honeymoon! Watch out!

My fiancé and I were recently engaged in December and like any newly engaged couple, we were just venturing out into the bridal world of planning! I thought it would be a great idea to attend a bridal show in the area we are getting married in New Jersey to help us find venues and the various vendors we need to make our day super special. We signed up for the American Bridal show at FDU this past Saturday and thought, hey what do we have to lose? When we arrived, the event was just what we expected. Lots of people trying to get your business, but all of them very pleasant and helpful. The grand prize for the event, like they do at a lot of bridal shows, was advertised as a 7 night honeymoon in Hawaii. We entered like all participants and continued to collect information for our big day by visiting other vendors. When it came time for the grand prize drawing, my name was called! I screamed like a girl and hugged my fiancé! He was so excited because we had no idea how we would pay for a honeymoon! We were too afraid to open the envelope, so we waited until we left the event. Once we got outside, it said a certificate from vacation USA By Ordenza marketing. Ok......thought it was a free honeymoon. Still excited! A few family members checked it out for us to see if it was a legit program. With more research and reading the fine print, things did not add up. The fees and taxes were over $3000!!!! Does that seem right???? I think not! My awesome fiancé called the company and emailed them asking what this was all about and what was really included in this honeymoon package. The response we had proved our belief that this whole thing was bogus. They said it was a promotional certificate and once we paid $100, we would have access to see the resorts. Pay for a free honeymoon? I think not! I am writing this to warn anyone attending a bridal show and winning a "honeymoon." People will play off your emotions because they know how special your day is supposed to be. They will try to make you a piece of bait as they prey off your wallets. Most importantly, we are very disappointed in the American bridal show for false advertising and fooling the guests of the event thinking someone "won" a honeymoon. Shame on you and I hope no one else false for this.

Re: American bridal show not a free honeymoon! Watch out!

  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited February 2014
    It is a time share sales pitch.  There is no "free" lunch.
    I didn't have a big honeymoon when I was a bride.  We had a mini-moon for two nights in Kansas City.  We took our luxury vacations when we were older, and now I've been all over the world.
    Have the honeymoon you can afford.  It doesn't have to be a super expensive trip.  You'll be glad you didn't go into debt for it when you are paying bills a few months later.
    New Jersey?   Try Cape May, the Poconos, or Niagra Falls.
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  • That's disappointing and too bad :( I always kind of wonder about that kind of thing. CMGragain, I'd be happy to listen to a times share sales pitch for a free honeymoon, or pay some fees, but they are still expecting thousands of dollars for a "free" honeymoon. For $3k, you could just go, ferchrissakes, probably not for a week but you could go. That's ridiculous. If the bridal show has a facebook page or yelp or something like that, I would post this on there. 
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  • Yea, a lot of people forget that they have to pay taxes on any "winnings" or "prizes". Even if it weren't a sales pitch, you'd still have to claim that stuff on your taxes and pay for that there.

    Sorry that it was such a burst for your bubble, but at least you have the cool memory of having your name called in front of tons of people! That must have been exciting!
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