Wedding Dress Guy
My last shred of faith that there is anything real remaining on the internet has now gone. Wedding dress guy has turned out to be a hoax. Like seemingly everyone else on the internet, I recently checked out his eBay auction of his ex-wife's wedding dress. I read through his rant about his ex-wife and enjoyed his remarks, such as his statement that he was selling the dress "to get enough money for maybe a couple of Mariners tickets and some beer." I also laughed at the pictures of him posing in the white dress. I didn't suspect that the story was a fake (I should have known better!), which of course it is, as Nicole Brodeur uncovered in this Seattle Times article. Wedding Dress Guy is named Larry Star. He mentioned a sister in the story, but she doesn't exist. He mentioned that he had no kids with his ex-wife, but he does. I guess this is another case of how you can sell anything on eBay, as long as you weave a good story around it. And the dress did sell: for $3,850. For that price, the buyer gets a used wedding dress and a phony story. It's amazing what some people will spend their money on.Posted By: Alex | Date: Fri Apr 30, 2004 | Permalink |
Total Comments: 51
Category: eBay, Sex/Romance
Category: eBay, Sex/Romance
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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He's still hot in that dress though 
Posted by Umaro in LUE on Fri Apr 30, 2004 at 10:03 AM
Actually, the buyer bailed... he's looking for a second buyer... at least according to E! News Network... and you know what hard-hitting journalists those guys are...
Posted by John in Seattle, WA on Fri Apr 30, 2004 at 10:58 PM
Alex:
Honestly, you didn't smell a rat when you read that listing on eBay? I didn't buy it for a second.
I don't mean to imply that that somehow makes me better or smarter than you, but I'm surprised that a guy who spends a lot of his time dealing with and reporting on hoaxes was taken in by what seemed to me to be an obvious bullshit story.
Posted by Bob on Sat May 01, 2004 at 03:29 AM
Honestly, you didn't smell a rat when you read that listing on eBay? I didn't buy it for a second.
I don't mean to imply that that somehow makes me better or smarter than you, but I'm surprised that a guy who spends a lot of his time dealing with and reporting on hoaxes was taken in by what seemed to me to be an obvious bullshit story.
Really, Bob, you weren't taken in by it when there was a big message on this site telling you it was fake. There's no wya to know whether you would or would not be taken in by it. So, just shut up.
Posted by Philip in Dublin on Sat May 01, 2004 at 07:43 AM
It was entirely plausible sounding to me -- his rants were much like those I've heard from jilted spouses.
I'm not sure I'd call it a hoax, though. Embroidering the truth, yes. But he had the dress, he was divorced, he is bitter, he was really selling it. The rest could be attributed to now-standard marketing lies, such as "near mint condition" "minor wear and tear" and "rare!!!!L@@K!!!!"
Posted by cvirtue on Sat May 01, 2004 at 09:12 AM
I'm not sure I'd call it a hoax, though. Embroidering the truth, yes. But he had the dress, he was divorced, he is bitter, he was really selling it. The rest could be attributed to now-standard marketing lies, such as "near mint condition" "minor wear and tear" and "rare!!!!L@@K!!!!"
It's not really a hoax, more of a yarn.
It must have been a really quiet day in Seattle when the Times editor decided that this was a story worth pursuing. What an expose!
Posted by Rummaging in www.rummaging.org on Sat May 01, 2004 at 01:07 PM
It must have been a really quiet day in Seattle when the Times editor decided that this was a story worth pursuing. What an expose!
Okay I admit I bought into it...until he said the Today Show wanted him. That's when I got suspscious.
Pal
Now he's got a website too! Did somebody say perfect game?
http://www.rummaging.org for the site.
Posted by Rummaging on Sat May 01, 2004 at 01:37 PM
http://www.rummaging.org for the site.
Philip:
I didn't originally see anything on this site about the story. I believe I first heard about it on Fark. Why so snotty? I didn't say anything rude; I only said that I was surprised that someone who deals with hoaxes every day didn't smell a rat in this story.
I think I was suspicious of it in part because there have been several similar stories on eBay in recent months. Remember "Satanic Toaster?" How about the guy who was selling his hard drive supposedly because his ex-wife had loaded it with porn?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Sat May 01, 2004 at 06:10 PM
I didn't originally see anything on this site about the story. I believe I first heard about it on Fark. Why so snotty? I didn't say anything rude; I only said that I was surprised that someone who deals with hoaxes every day didn't smell a rat in this story.
I think I was suspicious of it in part because there have been several similar stories on eBay in recent months. Remember "Satanic Toaster?" How about the guy who was selling his hard drive supposedly because his ex-wife had loaded it with porn?
Hey, Unless he misrepresented the item he was listing in the auction, who cares about the personal stuff? This guy wrote a real attention grabber. I am just so thankful for the laughter that I shared with friends and family that I couldn't care less about fact or fiction. Ebay is a marketing format - and Larry Star did that better than anyone else!!!
Posted by B. on Sun May 02, 2004 at 01:03 AM
Bob, I knew what you meant (and I would have responded sooner but I was up in LA for the day). I was kind of surprised at myself for not smelling a rat earlier since, like you said, I deal with this stuff all the time. But I figured the story didn't sound that implausible. I mean, the brilliant marketing strategy was adding the pictures of himself in the dress. Those aren't a hoax. So why the need to falsify the story itself? It didn't really improve it much. Like Rummaging said, this is really more of a yarn than a hoax. The dress itself is real. Now if he had said the dress was haunted 
... that would be another matter.
Posted by Alex on Sun May 02, 2004 at 09:33 AM
... that would be another matter.Man, I feel sorry for anyone who calls this a hoax. Does that mean every time you see a commercial on TV you think those people are REAL! It's marketing, not a hoax.
Posted by Bridget on Mon May 03, 2004 at 06:46 AM
If someone to advertise a solar-powered clothes dryer and then sell you some clothesline would you not cal that phony? would you not call it a hoax? - The fools selling junk on ebay don't have to follow the rigorous standards commercial and industrial advertisements do
Let the buyer beware
Posted by J on Tue May 04, 2004 at 11:18 AM
Let the buyer beware
Hello all,
No, this was not a hoax. I have an actual dress, and wanted actual money for it. The story was satire, tongue-in-cheek, based on my marriages as well as friends' unfortunate relationships. I wrote something funny, and people laughed. The media took everything way too seriously. I received no remuneration for the dress whatsoever. No one questions any comic's act about their family, yet my veracity is in question. Hell, Brett Butler made a career out of ranking on her "old man". The beating I take in various columns and chat sites are well worth it because of the handful of people that I've touched that told me I've made a positive difference in their relationships. If I have made you laugh, then my job is done. If you are still cynical about being 'deceived' then you should really lighten up and take a good look at the world around you because there is alot more shit out there than this fat guy making a joke in a wedding dress. Thanks. From the heart of my bottom.
Posted by Larry Star in seattle on Wed May 19, 2004 at 01:12 AM
No, this was not a hoax. I have an actual dress, and wanted actual money for it. The story was satire, tongue-in-cheek, based on my marriages as well as friends' unfortunate relationships. I wrote something funny, and people laughed. The media took everything way too seriously. I received no remuneration for the dress whatsoever. No one questions any comic's act about their family, yet my veracity is in question. Hell, Brett Butler made a career out of ranking on her "old man". The beating I take in various columns and chat sites are well worth it because of the handful of people that I've touched that told me I've made a positive difference in their relationships. If I have made you laugh, then my job is done. If you are still cynical about being 'deceived' then you should really lighten up and take a good look at the world around you because there is alot more shit out there than this fat guy making a joke in a wedding dress. Thanks. From the heart of my bottom.
Uh, sorry, Mr. Wedding Dress Guy, but it most certainly WAS a hoax. Context is everything, you see. When a person goes to an eBay auction, they have the expectation that the information given about the item being sold is accurate. In fact, eBay's rules say that a seller who lies in his auction can be kicked off the service.
The comparison to a comedian's act is not particularly apt. Most observers will realize that a comedian is exaggerated for comedic effect, therefore there is no hoax.
The fact that you had satiric intent does not change the matter. Most hoaxes have satiric intent. Trust me, this is something that I know a little bit about.
Saying "there is alot more shit out there than this fat guy making a joke in a wedding dress" also changes nothing. It reduces to "two wrongs make a right." They don't (not that I'm accusing you of doing anything criminal. For the record, I'm not.) What other people do does not change the nature of what YOU do.
Bottom line: Yes, it was a hoax. It wasn't Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, but it WAS a hoax, in that it was intended to deceive people.
Being a hoaxer doesn't make you a bad person; if it does, I'm bound for Hell. It was a funny story, but it WAS a hoax. No one's calling you a criminal here. I think YOU need to chill out.
Posted by Bob on Thu May 20, 2004 at 01:04 AM
The comparison to a comedian's act is not particularly apt. Most observers will realize that a comedian is exaggerated for comedic effect, therefore there is no hoax.
The fact that you had satiric intent does not change the matter. Most hoaxes have satiric intent. Trust me, this is something that I know a little bit about.
Saying "there is alot more shit out there than this fat guy making a joke in a wedding dress" also changes nothing. It reduces to "two wrongs make a right." They don't (not that I'm accusing you of doing anything criminal. For the record, I'm not.) What other people do does not change the nature of what YOU do.
Bottom line: Yes, it was a hoax. It wasn't Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, but it WAS a hoax, in that it was intended to deceive people.
Being a hoaxer doesn't make you a bad person; if it does, I'm bound for Hell. It was a funny story, but it WAS a hoax. No one's calling you a criminal here. I think YOU need to chill out.
Bob, I disagree. Whatever the terms of service say, the eBay listings are full of funny stories, tales of heartbreak and made-up things. It's part of its charm.
Hoax is a little bit strong and more than a little judgemental. It was a guy with a sense of humour, telling a funny story through the medium of online auctions.
If anything, I would call hoax on the Seattle Times for *exposing* it as a hoax. It's not news to *reveal* that a guy a telling a joke might be embellishing his story.
Also, Larry, if you read this, protect the brand my friend. Where's the mystique if you rise to the bait on every nobody's blog? If I can't persuade you to do that, then at least come and have a go at me on my site
Posted by Rummaging in UK on Thu May 20, 2004 at 10:58 AM
Hoax is a little bit strong and more than a little judgemental. It was a guy with a sense of humour, telling a funny story through the medium of online auctions.
If anything, I would call hoax on the Seattle Times for *exposing* it as a hoax. It's not news to *reveal* that a guy a telling a joke might be embellishing his story.
Also, Larry, if you read this, protect the brand my friend. Where's the mystique if you rise to the bait on every nobody's blog? If I can't persuade you to do that, then at least come and have a go at me on my site
No, I'm not being judgmental at all. I'm merely saying that what Wedding Dress Guy did meets the definition of a hoax. Calling it a "hoax" is not a condemnation at all. The fact that other people do similar things on eBay does not change the characteristics of what HE did.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Thu May 20, 2004 at 02:11 PM
What the hell? How can this be a hoax if the item he sold is exactly as described? A hoax would be, if he said he is selling a wedding dress but doesn't have one, or ships a freaking milk bone instead. Who cares about the personal stuff? That just spices the auction up!!!! Who cares if it was from the ex wife or ur best friend handed it to you, or you found it in a garbage dumpster. Bottom line is.....the buyer gets what is advertised. Not to mention, the buyer didn't even pay!! If anyone is a hoaxter, its the wanna be buyer. How come there is hardly any mention of that??
Anyhow, Larry, I cried tears reading the auction, it was a job mega well done. People need to stop (anal)yzing everything. Most miss the point anyhow and that shows the true intelligence. So, consider the source, lol. Best wishes for your future!!
Posted by Katie in Home on Fri May 21, 2004 at 06:15 PM
Anyhow, Larry, I cried tears reading the auction, it was a job mega well done. People need to stop (anal)yzing everything. Most miss the point anyhow
and that shows the true intelligence. So, consider the source, lol. Best wishes for your future!!Katie, you miss the point I've made repeatedly. It doesn't MATTER if other people do the same thing; that doesn't in any way change the nature of what YOU'VE done. On eBay, rightly or wrongly, people tend to bid on items based at least in part on the story behind the auction. Suppose I listed a pen for sale and I said that the pen was owned by President Kennedy even though it wasn't. Would you not expect that some people might bid higher for the pen based on the story I told than they would have if I was truthful and said that it was an ordinary pen NOT owned by a famous person? According to your argument, it isn't a hoax because, after all, the bidder got a pen. Again, just so I'm not misunderstood, I am NOT saying that Wedding Dress Guy committed a crime; I'm merely saying that his misleading listing WAS a hoax. Still disagree? Please contact me--I have boxes full of Richard Nixon's broken pens, an electric toothbrush formerly owned by Princess Diana and a pair of size 13 Nikes that Denzel Washington gave me. I'd LOVE to sell them to you.
Posted by Bob on Fri May 21, 2004 at 06:57 PM
Well Bob,
Apparently YOU are STILL missing the point. He did not advertise a dress that was worn by princess Diana, but a wedding dress. And no one accused you of saying it was a crime. I think you need to relax a bit. Bottom line still is......what ever you advertise on eBay has to be exactly that. He described the dress, with humor may I add. And the buyer would have received exactly that. He did NOT say that is was the queen of France or anything like that, which would have been a lie and a hoax. Nor did I ever say that if other people list items falsely it makes it ok for others. I buy and sell on eBay myself, so I have a clean perspective. Again, what is overlooked is the fact that Larry never got paid to begin with. The buyer is the hoaxter. Would he have paid, he would have received the dress in the pictures (I would hope,lol). If not, than that would be another issue in its self.
Why would his story make u bid higher?? Because it was from his Ex wife, or because he drives a crappy truck?? Please enlighten me? Because your statement makes no sense!!!!!! Maybe you are jealous because you are not as original?? Since you are so on the uppy the up with the regulations, maybe you should educate yourself somemore to get the facts straight, you being an expert and all.
Have a great weekend
Posted by Katie in Still at home on Fri May 21, 2004 at 07:43 PM
Apparently YOU are STILL missing the point. He did not advertise a dress that was worn by princess Diana, but a wedding dress. And no one accused you of saying it was a crime. I think you need to relax a bit
. Bottom line still is......what ever you advertise on eBay has to be exactly that. He described the dress, with humor may I add. And the buyer would have received exactly that. He did NOT say that is was the queen of France or anything like that, which would have been a lie and a hoax. Nor did I ever say that if other people list items falsely it makes it ok for others. I buy and sell on eBay myself, so I have a clean perspective. Again, what is overlooked is the fact that Larry never got paid to begin with. The buyer is the hoaxter. Would he have paid, he would have received the dress in the pictures (I would hope,lol). If not, than that would be another issue in its self.Why would his story make u bid higher?? Because it was from his Ex wife, or because he drives a crappy truck?? Please enlighten me? Because your statement makes no sense!!!!!! Maybe you are jealous because you are not as original?? Since you are so on the uppy the up with the regulations, maybe you should educate yourself somemore to get the facts straight, you being an expert and all.
Have a great weekend
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