Brides are making sponcon on their wedding day now
Saying “Thank you to L’Oreal” is as important as saying “I do”
Most brides would be horrified by the idea of working on their big day, but Brigette McHale, known as Acquired Style to her millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok, isn’t your typical bride.
Having just had her hair and make-up perfected, and before she put on her stunning custom Vera Wang gown, Brigette got to work and filmed a promotional video for L’Oreal Paris’ Infallible Setting Spray.
After explaining that the spray would lock her make-up in place all day, the 29-year-old spritzed her face and then dabbed the bottom of her white lace robe on her cheek to prove that it had indeed sealed her foundation in place. She ended the sponsored video by thanking L’Oreal Paris for “providing the most stunning wedding day glam” tagging the post “L’Oreal Paris Partner”.
As I hit send the “ad” has been watched more than 700k times on Instagram and over 600k on TikTok. The result likely justified what was probably a six figure fee for Brigette and included delivery of at least one other video from her bridal shower.
Brigette also struck deals with Zola, who made her save the dates, essie for her wedding manicure, she did a wedding shoe try-on video for DSW and Summer Fridays sponsored her bridal shower skincare.
Her guests’ welcome bags were likely sponsored (or at the very least gifted) too. Across several Instagram Stories posts she showed what was inside and tagged Lands End, BonBon, Poppi, 818 tequila, Snackish and Fangirl by Remi as suppliers.
This all came after Brigette stunned followers by turning her bachelorette into a brand trip for an $795/£587 AI mirror.
In return for a round trip on a private jet from New York City to St. Barths, and a stay in a luxury villa on the island, Brigette heavily featured Swan Beauty’s mirror in multiple videos from the celebration. She even recorded a video post with the brand’s co-founder.
Across the multiple partnerships my guess is that Brigette earned at least $350,000/£258,000 from sponsors of her wedding content.
Her maximalist approach has made her a pioneer, but she’s far from alone. Alongside flowers, fireworks and a fairytale dress, influencer brides are increasingly adding “pitch sponsors” or “get freebies” to their wedding planning to-do list. And brands are more than willing to play along with the something borrowed, something blue, something sponcon game.
When Paige Lorenze married tennis star Tommy Paul last month she stopped short of recording sponcon on her big day but did partner with four brands and tagged them in the wedding photographs she posted to her over one million followers on Instagram.
Paige, the founder of lifestyle brand Dairy Boy, struck deals with Minted for her wedding stationary, worked with SkinCeuticals on her skincare, Wella was her hair sponsor and she collaborated with OPI for her wedding day nails.
Last year billionaire nepo baby Becca Bloom worked with Lancôme for her highly-anticipated Lake Como wedding. In a dedicated Instagram post Bloom, real name Rebecca Ma, thanked the brand for her wedding make-up, tagging it #Lancomepartner and pushing it out to her more than 5.8 million TikTok followers.
Jaz Smith - a guest at Brigette’s wedding - worked with Lyft for her wedding last spring. And by posting her celebrations in real time she boosted her own profile too.
A year on Smith is still making money from her wedding. In April she used pictures of her and her groom, Kevin Callari, to promote Capital One. It had some thinking that the bank had sponsored the whole affair, and the top comment, with over 700 likes, reads: “What the f*** is this ad lmao.”
While many think exploiting a wedding for money and freebies is a new low, Brigette’s comment section is full of followers thrilled that she was doing sponcon as her guests were taking their seats.
Rather than tacky, some see it as aspirational and that likely proves that the ship has sailed when it comes to having any shame over monetizing aspects of life that were once thought sacred.
It’s not without its problems though. There is of course the over consumption of it all. The last thing Brigette’s influencer guests needed was another goodie bag.
Then there’s the fact that influencer weddings have become increasingly elaborate spectacles because they’re such highly engaging content moments. And when the bash is being funded, or partially offset, by sponsors, budgets tend to balloon. Rightly or wrongly that creates unrealistic expectations for anyone on a regular wage who’s paying their own way.
And if weddings are fair game, what’s the next rubicon that will be crossed? Are we about to see birth sponsors? Maybe I shouldn’t give anyone any ideas.
What do you think about selling parts of your wedding to brands? Let me know in the comments.
Previously on highly flammable…
highly flammable is produced and written by me, Rachel Richardson
I’m a content creator, commentator and a consultant for hire at Beginning, Middle and End
Say hello at rr@bmend.com
Between this and the overpriced dorm room trend I hope we’re reaching the end of influencerdom. I’m ready.
I don't know anything about the dorm room thing, and I don't want to!