| The Knot Worldwide | |
| Predecessor: | XO Group, WeddingWire, The Knot Inc. |
| Foundation: | (as The Knot Inc.) |
| Founder: | David Liu Carley Roney Tim Chi |
| Location City: | 2 Wisconsin Circle, 3rd Floor, Chevy Chase, Maryland |
| Key People: | Tim Chi (CEO) Jenny Lewis (CMO) Andy Ivanovich (CFO) Felicity Chaban (CLO) Angel Llull Mancas (CRO) Emily Markmann (CHRO) Zohar Yardeni (CPO) |
| Services: | Online vendor marketplace Invitations Registry services Personalized wedding websites Digital content and print magazine Advertising eCommerce |
| Num Employees: | 2,000+ (2024) |
| Brands: | The Knot WeddingWire WeddingPro Bodas.net Hitched The Bump The Bash Matrimonio.com Mariages.net Casamentos.pt |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
The Knot Worldwide, formerly XO Group, The Knot Inc, and WeddingWire, Inc, is a global technology company that provides content, tools, products and services for couples who are planning weddings, organizing a celebration, and navigating pregnancy and parenting. In 2019, The Knot Worldwide was created by a merger between predecessors XO Group Inc. (formerly The Knot Inc.) and WeddingWire, Inc.
The company operates in 16 countries and includes the following brands: The Knot, WeddingWire, Bodas.net, Hitched, The Bump, The Bash, WeddingPro, Matrimonio.com and others. As of August 2023, The Knot Worldwide has a user base of 35 million monthly visitors and its global wedding vendor marketplace connects approximately 4 million engaged couples annually with 850,000 vendors.[1] [2]
David Liu, his wife Carley Roney and their business partners, Rob Fassino, and Michael Wolfson founded The Knot Inc. in 1996.[3] They found that the internet could facilitate and reduce anxiety in the process of wedding planning between couples.[3] The startup received seed financing from AOL, the partners launched The Knot brand as a portal on AOL.[4] In 1997, TheKnot.com launched on the internet.[5]
The company launched an online gift registry in partnership with QVC and published its first book, The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World.[6] In December 1999, the company raised $35 million in an initial public offering.[7]
On December 2, 2000, the company launched its own bridal magazine and went public. The Knot Weddings Magazine is published four times a year and is sold on newsstands.[8]
In 2004, the company launched a television series, Real Weddings from The Knot, on the Oxygen Network.[9]
While The Knot was growing, Tim Chi founded WeddingWire in 2005 to create a technology-based marketplace for weddings. Alongside his co-founders, Chi started the business in his living room in Chevy Chase, MD.[10]
The Nest brand launched in 2005 with a website aimed at newly married or cohabiting couples creating their new home. A magazine followed in 2006.[11]
In 2006, the company acquired WeddingChannel.com which included its registry platform and helped to consolidate the bridal media industry.[12]
In 2008, the company launched TheBump.com to serve expectant and new parents.[13]
WeddingWire raised a $5.5 million Series A investment from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2008.[14]
In June 2011, the company transferred its common stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the symbol "XOXO".[15]
In September 2012, WeddingWire raised an additional $25 million in Series B funding from Spectrum Equity.[16]
Mike Steib joined XO Group as president in July 2013 and assumed the role of CEO in March 2014.[17]
In October 2015, XO Group announced the acquisition of GigMasters, an online marketplace for event vendors, and a partnership with Jetaport, the discounted hotel room block booking service.[18] In the same year, WeddingWire completed the acquisition of Bodas.net, an online directory of Spain-based wedding vendors. Through the merger, WeddingWire expanded to 12 countries.[19]
In September 2018, XO Group announced that it would merge with competing wedding planning firm WeddingWire and become a privately held company under the control of WeddingWire investors Permira Funds and Spectrum Equity.[20] The merger became official in March 2019 and the new parent company was renamed to The Knot Worldwide. [21]
In February 2020, The Knot Worldwide announced it acquired Hitched, a U.K.-based wedding brand.[22] In response to COVID-19, the company launched a $10 million assistance program for wedding vendors in need of support and introduced a campaign called Love is Essential covering the cost of dream marriage proposals for essential workers.[23] [24]
In 2020, The Knot Worldwide launched The Knot Registry Store.[25] The company also launched The Knot Invitations and later partnered with Vera Wang, JoJo Fletcher, Jordan Rodgers, and Jenna Dewan to introduce limited-edition collections.[26] [27] [28]
The Knot Worldwide launched Fellowship for Change in 2021, an annual program to support underserved wedding professionals in their first five years of business through education, mentorship and funding in the form of free advertising.[29]
The Bump and the National Medical Association partnered in 2021 to launch The Black Maternal Health Hub, designed to reduce Black maternal mortality rates.[30]
The Knot rebranded in 2023 and launched its biggest integrated marketing campaign, which aims to reach Gen Z couples and highlight vendors on its marketplace.[31]
In 2023, The Knot Worldwide acquired Zankyou Ventures, a Spanish-based global wedding company, and Weven, a CRM/ERP SaaS wedding planning platform.[32] [33]