How to Win Weddings Sweepstakes, Contests and Giveaways

If you’re on a tight budget, it probably sounds like a dream come true. But is it? Can you really win a free wedding? Yes, you can! There’s lots of companies that regularly hold wedding sweepstakes, contests and giveaways for everything from a free wedding to wedding dresses and accessories. Some offer cash prizes or gift cards that you can use towards your wedding.

And people do win. For every contest that you see, someone is going to take home the prize.

One thing’s for sure - you won’t win if you don’t enter. Follow these tips to up your chance of winning, while staying safe online. Stick to contests from companies who have a good reputation. Remember to use your common sense and you can have some fun and, hopefully, win some nice prizes.

Ready to give it a try? Click here for a list of the best contests to enter online: Weddings Sweepstakes, Contests and Giveaways Page

Set Up a New Email Address Only For Sweepstakes and Contest Entries

You probably already set up a separate email address for your wedding venue and vendors. But if you’re going to enter a lot of sweepstakes, it’s best to have an email that you use only for contests. Each contest that you enter is going to ask you to join their email list. If you sign up, you’ll get newsletters with special offers, coupons, and best of all - more contests to enter! Using a separate email will keep your main inboxes from getting overwhelmed.

Plus, with a separate email you can turn off spam filters. In your regular email, you probably have your spam filters turned on. That means that most newsletters with trigger words like “win”, “prizes” and “free” will go straight into your spam folder. By having a separate email, with the filters turned off, you can be sure you’ll get all your newsletters and prize notifications.

Once your wedding is over and you’re done entering contests, it’s easy to delete the email address and move on. You won’t need to worry about unsubscribing from a million newsletters that you’re no longer interested in.

Tips to Win Wedding Sweepstakes, Contests and Giveaways

Once you’ve got your new email address ready to go, you can start filling out entries. There’s no guarantees of winning, but you’ll have a better chance if you follow these tips:

Enter as often as you’re allowed. If you’re allowed to enter every day, visit each day and fill out the form. If you’re only allowed to enter once, make sure you don’t enter again or you’ll be disqualified.
Contests that ask you to write an essay or fill out a survey usually have better odds. Because it takes a bit of work, less people will enter. Sometimes that gives you a better chance of winning, so make the effort if it’s a prize you really want.
Some contests ask for tweets, shares or tags as ways to earn extra entries. If you have eligible social media accounts, extra entries will give you more chances to win.
Keep your eyes open for local contests. As well as wedding prizes, you could win gift cards, free meals or movies for date night. Shops, restaurants and theaters often hold sweepstakes for locals only.

Staying Safe Online

While many contests are legit, watch for red flags when you’re entering sweepstakes and giveaways. If you receive a notification that you’ve won a prize, the first thing you should do is make sure it’s from a contest that you actually entered.

You should also keep in mind:

You’ll never have to pay to win a prize. Scammers will tell you that you need to pay taxes, service charges or customs fees. It’s simply not true. Never give out your financial information in exchange for the promise of a prize.
In the US you do need to pay tax on winnings, but you’ll pay it directly to the IRS. It gets added to your regular tax form and you pay it at income tax time - not to a prize company or sponsor.
Free vacations are the exception. Some sweepstakes winners need to pay port taxes or airport taxes. If you’ve won a vacation and the sponsor asks you to pay these taxes, double check all the information to make sure it’s legit before you make a payment.
Never give out your financial information. If you win cash, the prize company sends a check, not a direct deposit. You’ll never need to wire money or send gift cards before you can claim a prize. If a phone call or email asks you to do this - it’s definitely a scam.

Entering Contests at Your Local Wedding Show, Bridal Show or Wedding Expo

There’s some amazing prizes to win at your local wedding shows. If you attend in person shows, you’ll have a chance to win wedding dresses, bridal jewelry, destination weddings and honeymoon trips.
Plus, lots of local vendors will be offering prizes that you can use for your wedding. It would be great to win wedding flowers, DJ services, photography packages or wedding planners. Most big shows even offer a wedding package, or a dream wedding as the door prize.
When you’re entering local contests, remember to use your dedicated email address. You’ll end up entering a lot more contests than you expect and you don’t want your regular email to get overwhelmed.
Lots of couples bring a set of return address stickers. As long as it has your phone number and email address, you can stick one on the entry form, put it in the ballot box and move on. It’s a lot easier than writing out your name and address a hundred times.

Attending Presentations in Exchange For Prizes

Once you’ve entered a few local contests, you’ll start to get a lot of notifications that you’ve won a prize. It’s typically something small, like a set of knives or pots and pans. In order to claim your prize, you’ll need to attend a presentation.

Usually, it’s above board and you will get the prize you’ve been offered. The only catch is that you’ll need to spend an hour or two at a sales presentation. Sometimes the company will be selling products, like vacuums, dishes, knives or pots and pans. Other companies will be selling vacations or time shares. Expect a hard sell with an offer that’s hard to refuse.

Some couples do make purchases and are happy with the products. Other couples feel like the prize wasn’t worth the time. Make your own decision based on how much you want the item and how much time you have to spare. Just be prepared for a sales pitch at the end of the presentation.

How Do You Find Wedding Sweepstakes to Enter?

To find wedding contests and sweepstakes, start by reading magazines and websites about the type of things you want to win. You’re probably already checking out lots of wedding sites, but think about other things that you’d like for your wedding.

You might want to look at jewelry, clothing or travel sites as well. Another great place to find contests is at bridal shops or specialty stores in your city. You have a better chance of finding prizes from local vendors that’ll be perfect for your wedding.

Wedding websites
Bridal magazines
Destination wedding sites
Travel websites
Jewelry shops
Bridal shops
Stores for menswear
Stationers
Florists

Or you can click here to find a list of the best online wedding sweepstakes: Weddings Sweepstakes, Contests and Giveaways Page