Goin’ to the Chapel, and We’re Gonna Be Sponsored

The new American dream isn’t a white picket fence; it’s a branded wedding arch. 

The modern wedding looks a little different. The flowers are still fresh, and the speeches still make people cry, but there’s now a QR code in every centerpiece. From designers gifting gowns to skincare brands covering the event cost in its entirety, more people are turning personal milestones into marketing moments. 

When a wedding doubles as a brand partnership, it becomes a real-time campaign where every photo, caption and repost tells a story that supports both the couple and the company. It’s personal, emotional and perfectly curated to feel as genuine as possible, even to the point of contradiction. Brands aren’t just selling products anymore; they’re inserting themselves into life’s greatest moments, hoping that connection makes us value them just a little bit more. And for these influencers, it makes sense. If your life is already social content, why wouldn’t your big day be, too?

For one, it makes the wedding feel like a cash grab. Kourtney Kardashian took the concept to another level. Her wedding to Travis Barker was basically a Dolce & Gabbana campaign with vows in between. The outfits, the decor, the location — every detail screamed brand partnership. Beyond a wedding, it was an editorial shoot.

Dolce & Gabbana dressed the entire Kardashian family for the weekend, hosted the events at their Italian estate and walked away with a campaign’s worth of publicity from one of the most viral weddings of the decade. The coverage was everywhere, with its brand name attached to photos like a clothing tag. It set a new standard for what it means to partner with a brand. But what’s interesting is how it’s trickled down to regular creators. If Kourtney can turn her wedding into an ad campaign, it’s no surprise others are vying for the same. 

Photo Source: Cobra Team / BACKGRID

Another “wedding” that took over the internet was former ‘Dance Moms’ star Kalani Hilliker’s wedding. Every event, from the proposal to the cake cutting, felt tied to a brand deal — like their love was adorned with a logo. She had upwards of 10 partnerships for the wedding, including a collaboration with Brilliant Earth for her engagement ring and coverage by BRIDES. From the day she announced her engagement, people's feeds were flooded with content about her wedding, and the tags were never-ending. From a strategic perspective, this was a genius move; each partner gained access to a highly engaged audience already emotionally invested in Kalani’s story. But it’s a strange feeling when the only parts of her wedding that seemed truly authentic were the couple’s vows and watching Kalani celebrate with two of her former ‘Dance Moms’ co-stars.

Photo Source: Roman Ivanov

Weddings have always been expensive, and as the trending vision of the perfect wedding grows more elaborate, the price tag has only gotten higher. Take influencer Becca Bloom, for example. She’s built her social media following on her extravagant lifestyle and the “authenticity” of her content, yet her wedding glam was sponsored by Lancome and covered by VOGUE. Bloom was a high-profile socialite and entrepreneur prior to her start on social media, but the “#LancomePartner” present in her get-ready-with-me video felt uncanny. I mean, would Blair Waldorf allow any part of her wedding to have been an ad? Doubtful. 

Photo Source: @josevilla

But let’s be honest — we love this stuff. We tell ourselves it’s over the top only to watch every addictive second of the videos when they inevitably hit our feeds. We get to live a fantasy for free, no RSVP necessary. It’s the modern version of window shopping for a life we wish we had.

These influencers’ weddings were still beautiful and unique in their own right — but were they authentic? How much of what you want are you willing to sacrifice for a branded check? The companies that put these partnerships and campaigns in place are truly genius, and they're expanding their reach across platforms. Content of this nature is being produced because the creators recognize the market for it, but there is a line that needs to be drawn for the sake of integrity and privacy.

Influencer partnerships have changed the game, and we predict it will only continue to evolve. At the end of the day, it’s not about selling out; it’s about selling a story, and we can’t blame them for the fact that we can’t stop watching.