The bride- and groom-to-be currently embroiled in the infamous Miss Fancypants email saga now stand to profit significantly from the fanfare of global publicity.

In the last few days, we’ve all been captivated by the story surrounding the astonishing email, in which Devon businesswoman Carolyn Bourne severely reprimanded the fiancée of her step son, Freddie Bourne, for her manners and inappropriate choice of wedding venue.

From a PR perspective, it has been a great demonstration of the power of the social media. Not only has this highly personal and vitriolic email gone on to become an internet sensation, but the traditional media have then picked up on the story and taken it to a whole new level of worldwide exposure.

But it is the latest development in the etiquette soap opera that has really captured the imagination of all of us in the PR profession.

And that is the rumours in the national newspapers that the whole story is an elaborate PR stunt to give Freddie Bourne’s new business venture a flying start with the maximum possible publicity.

Let’s look at the evidence:
– The 29-year-old bought into a wedding catering business, Mise-en-bouche Ltd, just days before Mrs Bourne sent her scathing email to her step son’s fiancée Heidi Withers.
– The email is not only remarkably well written, but also has a marriage theme throughout – focusing on etiquette, choice of wedding venue and relationships with in-laws.
– The new company is due to relaunch in October as a corporate catering concern. The wedding, which has attracted offers from several magazines for exclusive rights, happens to take place on 13 October.

What do you think?