We’ve all heard stories about entitled influencers demanding free food and products in exchange for posts, but there’s apparently a new mooch in town: brides-to-be.
Brides are flooding companies with requests for free swag for bachelorette gift bags, per The Wall Street Journal. It’s even become a TikTok trend, with brides sharing their best grifting tips.
Bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and weddings are already opportunities for brides to be lavished with gifts, so when did some also start expecting strangers to also give them free shit?
Last year…
… Kayla King, a bride who works in social media, noticed influencers detailing their free swag and decided to try it herself, per The Guardian.
She documented her quest on TikTok and received products from nail company Olive & June, jewelry company Joey Baby, and more, leading other brides, who, like King, were not influencers with big followings, to do the same.
- Some brands saw an opportunity to get in front of potential new customers. Bone broth and collagen-infused drink mix company Bare Bones told WSJ it’s approved 300+ requests, or $2.6k in product, this year so far.
Now, wedding publication The Knot even has a guide to asking for free stuff, including a list of 41 companies known to have given away swag before and email templates to use.
But for smaller brands, the influx of requests are a lot, especially when brides are using spreadsheets and AI to automate requests — and they don’t always convert.
Why not?
We’d bet there are few brands that would decline a product placement at Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s wedding, given that Swift’s economic impact is so profound it’s called “The Swift Effect.” But few brides can lead to explosive sales like the world’s biggest pop star.
- Some brides don’t have a large enough following to reach any new customers, and other brides have solicited so many free items that none of the brands stand out.
- Some requests are just too much. Clothing brand Weber’s Resupply commented on the “audacity” of a bride who could afford an Aspen bachelorette trip, but wanted $1.4k+ in free ski sweaters for 15 friends.
Brands that want to be involved in this or any similar trend might take a tip from razor brand Flamingo. It decided it wouldn’t respond to every request, but would award kits to 25 brides, leading to “record-breaking” engagement.