Are Sponsored Weddings a DO or a DON'T?

Okay, let's back up for a moment here. Remember last year when Virginia bride-to-be Kelly Gray made national headlines when she auctioned off a bridesmaid spot in her wedding on eBay in order to earn cash to pay for the wedding? Well, if you'll recall, Dr Pepper (yes, the beverage brand!) won the auction and opted to skip the whole matching dress and shoes thing and just go for sponsoring her wedding instead -- donating a shocking 10,000 bucks to her cause.

Gray claimed back then that all this fuss was really about making sure she could afford her "dream wedding". Not that I wasn't happy for her, but I was on the fence about whether or not securing funds for the ultimate wedding was worth essentially selling your big day to the highest bidder. And now that the wedding has taken place (this past weekend at the Virginia Beach National Golf Club), and I've read all about the (Dr Pepper maroon) details, I must say I've jumped off that fence and I’m convinced it’s not worth it -- here's why:

Her "fairytale wedding" was apparently more about the soda than their love. The bride wore a white dress with Dr Pepper maroon red flowers on the bodice and a veil lined with the same color. The bridesmaids wore Dr Pepper maroon apple red gowns, too.

At their reception, where a Dr Pepper public relations specialist was on hand, Snapple Apple drinks (also made by the company) were given out as favors, and guests enjoyed photo opps in front of an ice sculpture of a vintage Dr Pepper bottle. Gray, admittedly told local papers that the whole thing was a little "weird", but she went on to thank "Diet Dr Pepper for her dream wedding." And the branding fun didn't stop there. When Gray and her groom, Karl Gau, rode off into the sunset, their "Just Married" sign was also sponsored by the company.

I'd also like to point out that even though Gary's wedding made big news over the weekend, you'll find twice as many Google search results for "Dr Pepper Wedding" and "Dr Pepper Bride" than for "Kelly Gray wedding". Now that you're up to speed ladies, answer me this: Wouldn't you feel a little overshadowed by something like this? It is, after all, 100 percent your day! I'm glad she was able to splurge on wedding details she wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise, but at what cost? Would you allow a company to sponsor your wedding? Sound off!