The W Hotel chain in New York is getting a lot of flak for its newly announced “social media wedding concierge,” a $3,000 service that involves paying a stranger to follow the couple around and post Facebook status updates, Instagram photos and live tweets of the nuptials.
The service, pitched to US media outlets this week, has backfired with critics calling it #ridiculous.
“It’s time to say goodbye to shameless wedding selfies and hello to a professional Social Media Wedding Concierge,” reads the press release about the new social media wedding concierge.
Between creating Vine videos of the couple’s first dance, live-tweeting every line of the groomsman’s speech or telling Facebook friends who haven’t been invited to the wedding the precise moment when the couple says “I do,” the concierge will also curate a unique wedding hashtag and encourage guests to crowdsource content as well.
Online reaction has been swift and merciless to the new service, with critics calling it a step too far in narcissism and a laughable waste of money.
To be fair, the service also comes with the creation of a wedding blog and a post-wedding Shutterfly photo album complete with a collage of the best tweets and Instagram photos from the day.
