Major Updated
Major Updates are coming, stablize the site, make it better and new ad's are coming online...as well in 2007 watch for our new "interactive site"!
New Article Update Coming August 1st
Wedding Chapel and Reception Sites in Tulsa – Who picks the Vendor?
September 27th 2006 (Tulsa)
A brides dream, her wedding. Her style, her choices and exactly what she wants. What if the bride was not given a choice as to certain vendors she was able to use at her reception? When you’re looking for wedding vendors in Tulsa and Oklahoma most people think about booking the photographer first, they find the dress, the wedding venue, entertainment, catering company, florist etc. What if you were not given the option of using your own vendors? Wedding vendor payola is nothing new and most people who can make some extra money will fall into this trap of cutting exclusive deals with wedding vendors.
Tulsa Photo Booth
Tulsa's Newest Sensation - Tulsa Photo Booth! This is a SUPER hip, retro, fun, funky, classic way to capture your guests at their best!
If you didn't see if at the wedding show there will be an open house coming soon on Brookside with TulsaWeddingZone.Com Vendors...so stay tuned for more info!
Dominion House Guthrie
KELSEY & JUSTIN
AUGUST 12th 2006
We did a wedding last weekend at the Dominion House super nice bride and groom..family from all over including canada...VERY FUN TIME!! Here is a little story about the wedding!Well I had never been to the dominion house pr guthrie for that matter, but thought it should be interesting. Got to Guthrie a few hours early so I stopped and had the best BBQ chopped beef sandwhich with Onion cuts(like rings but different) at a place near Homeland (not sure about the name).
I drove to find the dominion house and drove by it 3 times before I saw that I was driving by it! It was one of the most beautiful buildings in town and surrounded by a elegant iron gate, locked....hrmm well looks like I was still early so I drove around another hour and got back to pull up to the house. I unloaded walked in and this was the most well built, every detail looked at and words cannot explain ...well awe...maybe....
The staff was very helpful, friendly, the setup was done on time, the ceremony was outside (sound system included outside by the Dominion house) not sure about wireless mics but they did have sound. The reception started had everyone dancing until 11:00 when it was time to shut it down as we had to be out by 11:30. The party was great, food smelled excellent, and the staff was very open to suggestions, changes in plans. If you have not found your reception venue, you might want to look into moving your wedding to Guthrie! Think about it.....everyone is already driving to a church, reception site...etc.... Why not just have everyone go to Guthrie! Its a great little town with a GREAT place to hold the ceremony(indoors or out), reception and lots of places to stay in a small town yet big city ammenitys.
This venue in my opinion is one of the best built, best looking and ELEGANT places to have your wedding in Oklahoma (and I have been to ALOT of wedding be venues)
RECOMMENDED!
EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE IT A SUCCESS:
CONTACT JULIE - MANAGER
PHOTOGRAPHER: JUDY http://www.visualityphoto.com/
DJ- ZACH - WWW.TULSAWEDDINGDJ.COM
FLORIST- MOTHER OF BRIDE
CATERING COMPANY- DOMINION HOUSE
BARTENDERS - DOMINION HOUSE
Getting The Most Out Of Your Advertising
When you are creating advertising design for the newspaper, magazine or direct mail, what do you think might be one of the most important considerations?
If you answered readability, congratulate yourself! Fancy graphics may get the ad noticed, but readers must be able physically to read the words. This elementary concept sounds simple enough, yet is often ignored. If they can't read it, they can't understand enough about your offer to respond.
With today’s' sophisticated and virtually unlimited graphic computer options, it is easy for the graphic design advertising person to get sidetracked into believing what is on the screen looks like a true work of art!
Here are some advertising design questions to ask:
1. Want your ad to look different?Examine a few past issues of the publication where your ad will be appearing. Often publications create ads themselves ("pub-set") and they can tend to look similar. See if you can spot them. Then try to develop a graphic look different than the other ads. Set your ad apart by using a different type face family that is easily read.
2. Is the advertisement legible?In their desire to be different and stylish, some of today’s' magazines make reading difficult.
Here are some common problems. White type on a light pastel background. Or light pastel type on a slightly darker background of the same color. Or colors that don't contrast well when viewed in black and white, such as dark forest green type printed on a background of fire engine red.
It is better to go for the headline in big, lighter type against a much darker background.
3. Trying to cram too much information into a small space?One of the big problems is trying to fit too many words and concepts into a small space.
Here is where small space is actually your friend. It forces you (or the writer) to break down your ideas into simple words and simple concepts. Bear in mind that the goal of many advertisements is to solicit an inquiry, not to tell the entire story.
Often readers look to the details to figure out if they want to act. The type showing those details should be large enough to see and comprehend, even for those who have trouble with their vision. Type in color really needs to be 10 point, if not 11 to be read by the entire population.
With black and white newspaper ads, it is possible to use typefaces as small as 8 point because their comprehension is made easier by black type on newsprint. In magazines, black type as small as 4 points (on a white background) has been used. The clarity is astounding, but many people need a magnifying glass!
In conclusion, ignoring these three considerations can spell disaster for the reader who is trying to understand the advertising message. Good advertising design creates graphic effects that enhance the writers' words and contribute to the overall success of the ad.
Visit TulsaWeddingZone.Com for some advertising options, ideas and get your business noticed with our custom graphic. Hosting and Design at Tulsa’s Hippest Wedding Planning Website.
If you answered readability, congratulate yourself! Fancy graphics may get the ad noticed, but readers must be able physically to read the words. This elementary concept sounds simple enough, yet is often ignored. If they can't read it, they can't understand enough about your offer to respond.
With today’s' sophisticated and virtually unlimited graphic computer options, it is easy for the graphic design advertising person to get sidetracked into believing what is on the screen looks like a true work of art!
Here are some advertising design questions to ask:
1. Want your ad to look different?Examine a few past issues of the publication where your ad will be appearing. Often publications create ads themselves ("pub-set") and they can tend to look similar. See if you can spot them. Then try to develop a graphic look different than the other ads. Set your ad apart by using a different type face family that is easily read.
2. Is the advertisement legible?In their desire to be different and stylish, some of today’s' magazines make reading difficult.
Here are some common problems. White type on a light pastel background. Or light pastel type on a slightly darker background of the same color. Or colors that don't contrast well when viewed in black and white, such as dark forest green type printed on a background of fire engine red.
It is better to go for the headline in big, lighter type against a much darker background.
3. Trying to cram too much information into a small space?One of the big problems is trying to fit too many words and concepts into a small space.
Here is where small space is actually your friend. It forces you (or the writer) to break down your ideas into simple words and simple concepts. Bear in mind that the goal of many advertisements is to solicit an inquiry, not to tell the entire story.
Often readers look to the details to figure out if they want to act. The type showing those details should be large enough to see and comprehend, even for those who have trouble with their vision. Type in color really needs to be 10 point, if not 11 to be read by the entire population.
With black and white newspaper ads, it is possible to use typefaces as small as 8 point because their comprehension is made easier by black type on newsprint. In magazines, black type as small as 4 points (on a white background) has been used. The clarity is astounding, but many people need a magnifying glass!
In conclusion, ignoring these three considerations can spell disaster for the reader who is trying to understand the advertising message. Good advertising design creates graphic effects that enhance the writers' words and contribute to the overall success of the ad.
Visit TulsaWeddingZone.Com for some advertising options, ideas and get your business noticed with our custom graphic. Hosting and Design at Tulsa’s Hippest Wedding Planning Website.
Great Wedding Vendors in Tulsa!
THESE ARE SOME OF THE BEST PEOPLE TO WORK WITH FOR YOUR WEDDING!
Bridal, Tux and more...
Kristine http://www.abelinasbridal.com/
918.398.8175
Photography
Jesse Reich http://www.jessereichweddings.com/
918.809.5150
Floral Design
The French Bouquet http://www.thefrenchbouquettulsa.com/
918.747.6750
Catering
The Cheesecake Ladyhttp://www.gardencottageoftulsa.com/
918.743.4734
Makeup Artist
Bianca Willardhttp://www.biancawillardmakeupart.com/
918.261.2840
DJ (okay so I am biased its me, but we think we are!)
Tulsa Wedding DJhttp://www.tulsaweddingdj.com/
918.284.4933
Videography
Take 5http://www.take5video.com/
918.806.2754
Donations
Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundationhttp://www.koman.org/
Bridal, Tux and more...
Kristine http://www.abelinasbridal.com/
918.398.8175
Photography
Jesse Reich http://www.jessereichweddings.com/
918.809.5150
Floral Design
The French Bouquet http://www.thefrenchbouquettulsa.com/
918.747.6750
Catering
The Cheesecake Ladyhttp://www.gardencottageoftulsa.com/
918.743.4734
Makeup Artist
Bianca Willardhttp://www.biancawillardmakeupart.com/
918.261.2840
DJ (okay so I am biased its me, but we think we are!)
Tulsa Wedding DJhttp://www.tulsaweddingdj.com/
918.284.4933
Videography
Take 5http://www.take5video.com/
918.806.2754
Donations
Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundationhttp://www.koman.org/
How Many Hits Are They Really Getting?
We see claims from other "websites" where they say "we get "50,000 people a month" on our website"..blah! Well we have just upgraded to Google Analytics! This is tracked, monitored and sourced by the #1 search engine in the WORLD! We don't use server statistics which can be "skewed" by a webmaster or marketer or sales person. We give you REALTIME, REAL, statistics to where your advertising dollars are going..if your website is not using these stats..you might ask them "why not?"
If you need help setting up this on your website give us a ring! TulsaHosting.Com our parent company has the "expert"ness to help you out!
SAMPLE REPORT
Real Tulsa Wedding - June 11th 2006 Becky and Stephen
Real Tulsa Weddings: From www.TulsaWeddingZone.Com
Zach Downing- Managing Editor- TulsaWeddingZone.Com
Steven & Becky June 11, 2006 Dresser Mansion Tulsa, OK
We did a wedding a few weeks ago at the Dresser Mansion. We booked it, met with the bride who told her her photographer has a misfortune of "not being availalbe" last minute and needed somone to take her wedding pics. We suggested Jessie Reich Weddings and she booked them. Jessie always does such a great job we know the bride would be happy with him. He not only took photos of the bride before the ceremony, at the ceremony he stayed ALL night! Most "turn key" photographers only stay a few hours, take a few pics and leave..he is really dedicated to his work and making sure each bride gets the best job...well he did and here is an email we just got from the bride... The dresser did a great job of getting everything ready.
The ceremony, the reception and the catering team was good as well. Overall a success on a warm Sunday afternoon. A great day to have your wedding is a Sunday, everyone is feeling at ease from the weekend, not feeling rushed and can have a great time.
Comments from Bride:
"Hey Zach, if you get any extra time you should go check out our wedding pics..Jessie did such an awesome job!! I cant believe how good they are. (old photographer) couldnt have done something that awesome!! so yah thank you so much for everything you did and helping us find the best photographer ever!! Dont worry I will tell everyone about you and get ready cause you will hopefully be doing my sisters wedding soon..lol no but seriously we talked the other night and she said if she ever gets married (which she will) she wanted to use you and Jesse.. thank you Becky and Steven"
Photographer:
Jessie Reich Weddings -918-809-5150
Click To View some Real Wedding Photos -
http://clients.jessereich.com/client/becky_steven_wed
DJ - Zach Downing
TulsaWeddingDJ.Com 918-284-4933
Dresser Mansion:
Contact: Charles
Dresser Mansion Article
ALL PHOTOS ON THE PAGE THANKS TO JESSIE REICH!
Story About Marriage
This was sent to me..so thought I would pass it on..the secret to a great marriage!
Every marriage has its ups and downs. There are the days when you look at your spouse and hear choirs humming Alleluias and there are the days when you wonder, "Who are you and what is your stuff doing in my house?" Those are the days when you play golf. Fishing works, too, or writing sonnets or digging post holes. It keeps the two of you apart for a few hours and usually that's all you need.
I have an after-dinner speech about marriage that is 15 minutes long and somewhat funny. ("The rules for marriage are the same as for a lifeboat. No sudden moves, don't crowd the other person, and keep all disastrous thoughts to yourself.") , So I found myself in a cab to LaGuardia to catch a plane to Atlanta to give the speech. (I was in New York to speak at the Edith Wharton Society but not about marriage since she had a miserable one.) The cab stops at the tollbooth on the Triborough Bridge, and I hand the cabbie a $5 bill for the toll, and he waves it away and gives the man in the booth a $50 bill, which turns out to be counterfeit. "Not just counterfeit," the toll-taker says. "It's lousy counterfeit." The $50 bill is confiscated, forms are filled out, I pay the toll and we get to LaGuardia thirty minutes before flight time.
I give the driver $25 for a $23.75 fare and he yells, "Why take it out on me?" Because you knew the bill was counterfeit, that's why. I'm no rube. I didn't just fall off the cabbage wagon. I dash to the plane. I am flying to Atlanta to speak at a benefit luncheon, and I dislike benefits because you have to endure other people's gratitude, which can be exhausting.
This sounds ungracious but it's true. You go speak for free to a banquet of the Episcopal Promise Keepers of Poughkeepsie or the Honorary Society of Menomonie Economists or the Scandinavian Skin-Diving School in Schenectady and thirty people tell you what a wonderful thing you're doing and it wears you out. If one person would tell you a joke instead, you would throw your arms around him in gratitude. I get on the plane and I'm in seat 8D on one of those toy jets that airlines have introduced, which are designed for groups of fourth-graders. The seats are hard on the vertically gifted such as myself, so that when the man in 7D reclines his seat, it almost kills me. If Abraham Lincoln were sitting in 8D, he would give up on that "malice toward none" concept and club 7D on the top of his little bald head. But I bite my tongue, and I also do not shoot my neighbor in 8C, a piggish fellow in an expensive sweater and tasseled shoes, snarfling his lunch while poring over the Wall Street Journal and poking me with his elbow as he eats.
I come from a part of America where people apologize if they poke and make sure not to do it again. He comes from a part of America where you push your way up to the trough and elbow other people out of the way. The benefit luncheon in Atlanta is not a happy time. It is an organization of Very Rich People Helping Wretched People Without Having To Be In The Same Room With Them, and it's full of alpha males of the sort you see strutting around airports with cell phones clipped to their ears hollering at somebody in Cincinnati I give my 15-minute speech, which suddenly isn't amusing at all, and the president of Very Rich People gives me a hideous Lucite plaque in gratitude for my generosity, which I deposit in a trash bin at the airport, and I fly home and there is my elegant wife waiting at the curb in her car. It is so good to see her. We've been married ten years and surely we have problems, but at the moment I cannot think of a single one... there is no place I would rather be. Misery is the secret of happiness in marriage.
Go make yourself miserable and then come home.
Every marriage has its ups and downs. There are the days when you look at your spouse and hear choirs humming Alleluias and there are the days when you wonder, "Who are you and what is your stuff doing in my house?" Those are the days when you play golf. Fishing works, too, or writing sonnets or digging post holes. It keeps the two of you apart for a few hours and usually that's all you need.
I have an after-dinner speech about marriage that is 15 minutes long and somewhat funny. ("The rules for marriage are the same as for a lifeboat. No sudden moves, don't crowd the other person, and keep all disastrous thoughts to yourself.") , So I found myself in a cab to LaGuardia to catch a plane to Atlanta to give the speech. (I was in New York to speak at the Edith Wharton Society but not about marriage since she had a miserable one.) The cab stops at the tollbooth on the Triborough Bridge, and I hand the cabbie a $5 bill for the toll, and he waves it away and gives the man in the booth a $50 bill, which turns out to be counterfeit. "Not just counterfeit," the toll-taker says. "It's lousy counterfeit." The $50 bill is confiscated, forms are filled out, I pay the toll and we get to LaGuardia thirty minutes before flight time.
I give the driver $25 for a $23.75 fare and he yells, "Why take it out on me?" Because you knew the bill was counterfeit, that's why. I'm no rube. I didn't just fall off the cabbage wagon. I dash to the plane. I am flying to Atlanta to speak at a benefit luncheon, and I dislike benefits because you have to endure other people's gratitude, which can be exhausting.
This sounds ungracious but it's true. You go speak for free to a banquet of the Episcopal Promise Keepers of Poughkeepsie or the Honorary Society of Menomonie Economists or the Scandinavian Skin-Diving School in Schenectady and thirty people tell you what a wonderful thing you're doing and it wears you out. If one person would tell you a joke instead, you would throw your arms around him in gratitude. I get on the plane and I'm in seat 8D on one of those toy jets that airlines have introduced, which are designed for groups of fourth-graders. The seats are hard on the vertically gifted such as myself, so that when the man in 7D reclines his seat, it almost kills me. If Abraham Lincoln were sitting in 8D, he would give up on that "malice toward none" concept and club 7D on the top of his little bald head. But I bite my tongue, and I also do not shoot my neighbor in 8C, a piggish fellow in an expensive sweater and tasseled shoes, snarfling his lunch while poring over the Wall Street Journal and poking me with his elbow as he eats.
I come from a part of America where people apologize if they poke and make sure not to do it again. He comes from a part of America where you push your way up to the trough and elbow other people out of the way. The benefit luncheon in Atlanta is not a happy time. It is an organization of Very Rich People Helping Wretched People Without Having To Be In The Same Room With Them, and it's full of alpha males of the sort you see strutting around airports with cell phones clipped to their ears hollering at somebody in Cincinnati I give my 15-minute speech, which suddenly isn't amusing at all, and the president of Very Rich People gives me a hideous Lucite plaque in gratitude for my generosity, which I deposit in a trash bin at the airport, and I fly home and there is my elegant wife waiting at the curb in her car. It is so good to see her. We've been married ten years and surely we have problems, but at the moment I cannot think of a single one... there is no place I would rather be. Misery is the secret of happiness in marriage.
Go make yourself miserable and then come home.
Tulsa Military Wedding
http://www.mrandmrsmeadows.comWe got a call a week ago about a wedding being planned. This was to be held initially in Canada I belive located in what I have never heard of Baniff Springs http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/
From what I see this is really a nice place! So if you are thinking about having your wedding out of Tulsa or in another country! There ya go!
Also this wedding was moved to Tulsa last minute and they lost alot of their deposits, retainers as the military called...so the bride is now in the Air Force! In the brides own words:
"Never let it be said that life in the military isn't exciting. As the commercials say, it's not just a job... it's an Adventure. Sometimes that adventure includes flying in dark skies over hostile borders and sometimes it means planning your wedding for a second time in the same year. Due to some complications at Alan's work, we've moved some things around a bit, namely the date and the country."
Making Wedding Planning Online Easy
A new release from google will help to make your Tulsa Wedding planning easier..its google notebook. Google Notebook makes web research of all kinds – including planning a wedding to buying a car – easier and more efficient by enabling you to clip and gather information even while you're browsing the web.
Its easy to download and install, but you must have a free google gmail account or account with google.
"Bail Out"
As many of your know I am a wedding DJ. www.TulsaWeddingDJ.Com just got a call today from a bride who's "DJ" bailed on them, guests were arriving at the venue for the ceremony and "NO DJ!" I got the call from the brides mother FRANTIC...loaded up, got the tux ready and headed out..was setup before the cake was cut...basic setup...no lighting as I didn't have time..but Emcee'd the cake cutting, toasts were done...first dance perfect......
As some of you wedding vendors know...have your event in writing not just for your protection..but also advise each of your clients no matter who they are working with or thinking about working with to get it in writing..I do to anyone who steps into my office.
....the bride had no contract just paid her retainer to the guy who turned out was charging her a whopping 200 dollars to do this...she paid him 100 when she booked him and had a 100.00 bill ready..I gave her a break on my full price rate..charged her a day rate for a Sunday as I felt really bad (yes I have a big heart) she paid me my full price at the end..plus the 100.00 tip said that it was better than she ever imagined and her daughter and new husband had the best day of their lives....
Have a great weekend everyone!
As some of you wedding vendors know...have your event in writing not just for your protection..but also advise each of your clients no matter who they are working with or thinking about working with to get it in writing..I do to anyone who steps into my office.
....the bride had no contract just paid her retainer to the guy who turned out was charging her a whopping 200 dollars to do this...she paid him 100 when she booked him and had a 100.00 bill ready..I gave her a break on my full price rate..charged her a day rate for a Sunday as I felt really bad (yes I have a big heart) she paid me my full price at the end..plus the 100.00 tip said that it was better than she ever imagined and her daughter and new husband had the best day of their lives....
Have a great weekend everyone!
Praying For Rain? Nice....
Wedding Couple Pray For A Rainy Wedding Day....
Interesting story about getting a free ring! I wont how many brides and grooms will start planning their day around the farmers almanac!
http://www.kotv.com/main/home/eclips.asp?clipid=2340
The Jewelry Store iswww.meigsjewelry.com
800-773-6233
Ebay Bride Gets Ripped Off
Psssst ... wanna buy a wedding dress?
Blakely Smith dreamed of getting married in a Monique Lhuillier wedding gown - the kind she'd always loved when she saw them on pop stars like Pink in People magazine.
Now she's out $2,400 to an eBay scammer, and thinking maybe she should get married in a courthouse.
She called to tell her tale of wedding-dress-lust, clouded judgment, and wedding-dream-lost. Yes, it's a bit embarrassing. But she hopes to help others avoid the pain she feels.
EBay says Smith made at least two textbook mistakes en route to being scammed. What may make her case most remarkable, though, is how it ended - in a bizarre e-mail exchange with her anonymous scammer.
It came after Smith had paid her money and received nothing back. She e-mailed "Kate," the supposed seller, told of a coworker's eBay horror story, and outlined why she was growing suspicious. "I am sorry to be this way, but in today's world, it is not totally off base to be wary," she said.
To which "Kate" replied:
"That's true, indeed. I just scammed you, sorry for that, it's nothing personal. ... It's what I do, and it pays well."
How did Smith get into this mess? The way any confidence-game victim does - by letting an overabundance of trust overwhelm ordinary caution.
Smith, 29, works in advertising at Philadelphia Style magazine. Her fiance, Michael Minton, teaches high school science. She turned to eBay because, dreams or not, a new Monique Lhuillier gown was out of reach.
She was the top bidder for the gown, which sold new for $5,500 and features Alencon lace, "decadent silk chartreuse lining" and an "exquisite golden silk sash." But she fell short of the reserve, the seller's hidden minimum price.
She couldn't tell how short. Neither, presumably, could the scammer. But the fake "Kate" knew when to pounce.
Soon after the auction closed, Smith got a message via her eBay account. The seller had decided to accept her final bid, it said, and directed her to reply to an outside e-mail address.
Looking back, Smith realizes that was a red flag - one that was even warned against in a "Marketplace Safety Tip" on the same screen: "If you receive a response inviting you to transact outside of eBay, you should decline - such transactions may be unsafe and are against eBay policy."
Another red flag was the wire-transfer "Kate" requested, saying her account on PayPal, eBay's own payment system, had been frozen because of - what else? - a scammer's intrusion.
But Smith, new to eBay, didn't notice either warning until the deed was done. Last Monday, after a brief e-mail exchange with "Kate," she sent her money - more than $2,400, including fees - to a Western Union office in Mount Clemens, Mich.
Police there are investigating, and may catch the scammer or a confederate. But there are broader lessons in Smith's story for anyone new to eBay.
One is that eBay says it can only warn against scams, not prevent them. "Ultimately, this is between the buyer and seller. This is just a venue," spokesman Hani Durzy told me.
Don't expect much sympathy, either. Durzy even suggested that Smith "let her greed get the best of her" in falling for the scam. "What she did is the online equivalent of walking out of a store and buying something in a back alley," he says.
For that matter, eBay doesn't even count such "back alley" crimes as frauds when it boasts that only a small fraction of total listings - just one-hundredth of 1 percent - "lead to a confirmed case of fraud."
Sure, it's small fraction. But eBay reported 1.9 billion listings in 2005, so it translates into 190,000 confirmed frauds in one year. (To report an online scam, go to www.ic3.gov/complaint.)
Smith is understandably angered by the suggestion she fell victim to her own greed. She turned to eBay for a used wedding dress, and lost eight months of savings. The truth is, eBay can be a risky place for newbies.
Don't take my word. Consider how "Kate" put it when I e-mailed her at the address the scammer gave Smith: "It's like the food chain, you know - I was the predator, she was the prey."
A chilling reminder of an online truism: On the Internet, anybody might be a shark.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/13980893.htm
Blakely Smith dreamed of getting married in a Monique Lhuillier wedding gown - the kind she'd always loved when she saw them on pop stars like Pink in People magazine.
Now she's out $2,400 to an eBay scammer, and thinking maybe she should get married in a courthouse.
She called to tell her tale of wedding-dress-lust, clouded judgment, and wedding-dream-lost. Yes, it's a bit embarrassing. But she hopes to help others avoid the pain she feels.
EBay says Smith made at least two textbook mistakes en route to being scammed. What may make her case most remarkable, though, is how it ended - in a bizarre e-mail exchange with her anonymous scammer.
It came after Smith had paid her money and received nothing back. She e-mailed "Kate," the supposed seller, told of a coworker's eBay horror story, and outlined why she was growing suspicious. "I am sorry to be this way, but in today's world, it is not totally off base to be wary," she said.
To which "Kate" replied:
"That's true, indeed. I just scammed you, sorry for that, it's nothing personal. ... It's what I do, and it pays well."
How did Smith get into this mess? The way any confidence-game victim does - by letting an overabundance of trust overwhelm ordinary caution.
Smith, 29, works in advertising at Philadelphia Style magazine. Her fiance, Michael Minton, teaches high school science. She turned to eBay because, dreams or not, a new Monique Lhuillier gown was out of reach.
She was the top bidder for the gown, which sold new for $5,500 and features Alencon lace, "decadent silk chartreuse lining" and an "exquisite golden silk sash." But she fell short of the reserve, the seller's hidden minimum price.
She couldn't tell how short. Neither, presumably, could the scammer. But the fake "Kate" knew when to pounce.
Soon after the auction closed, Smith got a message via her eBay account. The seller had decided to accept her final bid, it said, and directed her to reply to an outside e-mail address.
Looking back, Smith realizes that was a red flag - one that was even warned against in a "Marketplace Safety Tip" on the same screen: "If you receive a response inviting you to transact outside of eBay, you should decline - such transactions may be unsafe and are against eBay policy."
Another red flag was the wire-transfer "Kate" requested, saying her account on PayPal, eBay's own payment system, had been frozen because of - what else? - a scammer's intrusion.
But Smith, new to eBay, didn't notice either warning until the deed was done. Last Monday, after a brief e-mail exchange with "Kate," she sent her money - more than $2,400, including fees - to a Western Union office in Mount Clemens, Mich.
Police there are investigating, and may catch the scammer or a confederate. But there are broader lessons in Smith's story for anyone new to eBay.
One is that eBay says it can only warn against scams, not prevent them. "Ultimately, this is between the buyer and seller. This is just a venue," spokesman Hani Durzy told me.
Don't expect much sympathy, either. Durzy even suggested that Smith "let her greed get the best of her" in falling for the scam. "What she did is the online equivalent of walking out of a store and buying something in a back alley," he says.
For that matter, eBay doesn't even count such "back alley" crimes as frauds when it boasts that only a small fraction of total listings - just one-hundredth of 1 percent - "lead to a confirmed case of fraud."
Sure, it's small fraction. But eBay reported 1.9 billion listings in 2005, so it translates into 190,000 confirmed frauds in one year. (To report an online scam, go to www.ic3.gov/complaint.)
Smith is understandably angered by the suggestion she fell victim to her own greed. She turned to eBay for a used wedding dress, and lost eight months of savings. The truth is, eBay can be a risky place for newbies.
Don't take my word. Consider how "Kate" put it when I e-mailed her at the address the scammer gave Smith: "It's like the food chain, you know - I was the predator, she was the prey."
A chilling reminder of an online truism: On the Internet, anybody might be a shark.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/13980893.htm
February End Of Month
February is about over, and another two bridal shows that I know about have come and gone. One was at the aquarium which as I was told by a few vendors was a flop - 30 brides total in two days with 17 hour days on average work. That would calulate to be $41.00 an hour if booths were 700.00 which I am sure they were much higher. So average what is that...1230.00 per bride that was spent? WOW...
Also two brides that I talked to today said that they did not attend any bridal shows but have booked everything online. As far as my company goes we might do one bridal show a year which would be The Tulsa Wedding Show. All other shows are out of the question.
If your a wedding vendor and are not online you are missing out and are spending what, 1200 per lead at a wedding show? Waste of money? You tell me....
Also two brides that I talked to today said that they did not attend any bridal shows but have booked everything online. As far as my company goes we might do one bridal show a year which would be The Tulsa Wedding Show. All other shows are out of the question.
If your a wedding vendor and are not online you are missing out and are spending what, 1200 per lead at a wedding show? Waste of money? You tell me....
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