Desperately seeking bridesmaid...

Picking your bridesmaids might be almost as difficult a task as paying for your wedding, but a Virginia Beach bride-to-be has put the decision in the hands of America, killing two birds with one auction.

Kerry Gray, a 23-year-old hairdresser, recently posted the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in her August 2009 wedding up on eBay in an effort to keep wedding costs under $7,000. Little did she know that placing the spot up for bid would not only save her money, but earn her media attention and free beverages for her big day.

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group placed the winning bid, which was originally $5,700 but was later upped to $10,000. The company may have found the auction because of its mention in a local newspaper article about Gray's money saving efforts. One of Gray's co-workers suggested she try eBay because a Dr. Pepper can was selling on the online auction site for $400.The company will be responsible for selecting a bridesmaid and will reportedly launch a Web site to help her find someone or provide a surprise guest.

Gray and her fiance, Karl Grau, had decided that they would provide a dress and shoes for the selected individual, as well as an invitation, plus one, to the reception. If a man happened to be the winner, they'd supply the tuxedo.

The couple makes a combined $32,000 per year and planned to bake their own wedding cake and pass up a DJ to instead hook up their iPods to a stereo system (which [sidenote] got me thinking about my road trip to Virginia this weekend, in which my three friends and I created embarrassing music playlists incredibly worthy of being played at any wedding/bar mitzvah. I should totally see if they'd hire us for the gig with that extra $5K.)

Anyway. Raise your frosty glasses of Dr. Pepper in a toast to the future newlyweds. Cheers!