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Modern brides need something old, new, borrowed, and blue. But if they’re influencers, add a sponsor to the list, too.<\/p>\n
Paid sponsored content is commonplace for anyone who scrolls through an influencer’s social media posts, where you might encounter anything from a lavish vacation to new products to try.<\/p>\n
But a recent viral discussion on social media has users questioning if the practice has gone too far.<\/p>\n
“Just saw someone posting their wedding on IG,” a user posted to X<\/a>, alongside a screenshot of an Instagram quote from content creator Jaz Smith. “The 1st slide was them and the second slide was a photo of CAPITAL ONE CAFE.<\/p>\n “I can\u2019t make this shit up. WHEW, is nothing sacred anymore. oh my god, send the asteroid,” the user added.<\/p>\n Some respondents quickly poked fun at the idea of a financial services giant like Capital One sponsoring a wedding.<\/p>\n “When I finally find the love of my life, i do not want the wedding to be sponsored by a bank,” one user replied<\/a> to the post. “I want it to be sponsored by the military industrial complex . . . If you’re gonna do it, go all the way.”<\/p>\n While Smith’s wedding did have a work component to it\u2014with the couple vlogging throughout the day and posting videos to TikTok\u2014is was not <\/em>actually sponsored by Capital One.<\/p>\n The confusion arose from Smith using photos from her wedding<\/a>, which took place in May of last year, for a recent Capital One campaign, leading social media to connect the two.<\/p>\n Either way, Smith would not be the first and only creator to blend business with their personal lives\u2014even where weddings are concerned.<\/p>\n Take beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira, whose wedding was sponsored by E.l.f cosmetics<\/a> and featured branded decor like a kissing booth with the beauty company’s logo, making it photo-ready for her 3.5 million followers.<\/p>\n Even smaller creators can cash in, like wellness content creator Yola Robert. With just a little over 40,000 followers on Instagram, Robert leveraged her influence<\/a> by sliding into the DMs of brands to get the wedding she wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.<\/p>\n Her 2022 nuptials were sponsored by brands like Hum Nutrition vitamins, with freebies doled out to guests, and an open bar sponsored by non-alcoholic drink company Free Spirits.<\/p>\n While some brides- and grooms-to-be might view branding their weddings as a dystopian step too far, many sympathize with the practice, calling out the exorbitant prices of weddings these days.<\/p>\n “You know how much a dinner plate for a guest is? My dress would have a promo sticker. lol,” an X user said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last year, brides and grooms saw an unexpected spike in wedding costs, in part due to tariffs, with one bride having to pay nearly\u00a0$300 more for her imported dress, The Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n That seems even small in comparison to the cost of the average wedding, which experts say is around around $36,000<\/a>, a price tag that is expected to keep growing with inflation.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, those yearning for an Instagram-worthy dream wedding must ask outsiders for help.<\/p>\nBreaking the bank<\/h2>\n