When an influencer gets married, it’s safe to assume much of the cost, from venue decor to personalized invitations, has been comped in exchange for content. Now brides with smaller, more modest followings want in on the action.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a new trend has brides-to-be flooding brands with requests for free swag in exchange for TikTok hauls and Instagram posts.
@artfromthehart Bachelorette PR | Part 7!! 🍷 💄 💍 🍦 @Avaline @Swisspers @eezcompany @Waterboy @Nemat Perfumes @wooshbeauty @Fruit Riot @Tillamook @GOODLES @Go Mouthwash Thank you to all of these amazing companies that were so generous in sending us PR to spoil the girls! #bachelorettepr #bachelorettebags #bridalpr #bacheloretteparty #bacheloretteplanning #pr #bacheloretteideas
♬ original sound – Emily Hartung
Guides on how to score freebies are popping up on wedding sites like the Knot, while spreadsheets of brand contacts and ChatGPT-generated scripts are spreading online. On TikTok, one woman admitted to emailing more than 200 companies. Others are showing off hauls of what they’ve managed to secure—everything from Octobuddy phone grips for bachelorette photos to LMNT packets for post-party hangovers.
@maloreemedia 💍 Bachelorette PR Haul 🏕️ Thank you to all the brands that made this weekend and my girls Bach bags so special. @Lotus Plant Power @Good Molecules @Craftmix @Solely: Organic Fruit Snacks @OCTOBUDDY @LesserEvil Snacks @Get Lotza #bachpr #bachelorette #brandgifts #bachelorettepr #bachelorettebags
♬ Walking Around – Instrumental Version – Eldar Kedem
Some brands told The Journal that they’re happy to oblige, calling it a win-win: Brides shave costs while companies gain exposure. But smaller businesses are pushing back, frustrated by the flood of requests.
@chelseyibrown Brides – please stop asking for free gifts from small businesses 🥺 Also – for those who keep saying it’s a mistake to not send my products to influencers with tons of followers: I get more ROI sending gifts to average people who need my products!! AND I LOVE the idea of sending gifts to people who wouldn’t normally get PR – especially products this meaningful 🥰 This business model has worked extremely well so far!!
♬ original sound – Chelsey Brown
David Maffei, owner of Halfsies Cookie Co., went viral in 2024 after posting an Instagram Reel of an exchange with a bride-to-be. She asked for free cookies to include in her bridal boxes, describing herself as a “beginner influencer” with fewer than 1,000 followers. Maffei declined and called her out. “‘Influencer’ is a wild label,” he wrote.
Critics say the requests are tacky. Others argue content monetization is simply the norm now. After all, if influencers can unbox more free products than they could ever use, why shouldn’t brides try too? As the saying goes: Don’t ask, don’t get.
The financial pressures are real. Bachelorette parties have ballooned into multiday trips, with the average cost hitting $10,800 in 2023, up 40% from $7,700 in 2021, according to Bach. Social pressure, comparison culture, and rising vendor prices have pushed costs higher.
And that’s before the actual wedding. With the stakes so high, it’s not hard to see why brides are tempted to cut corners where they can.
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