The 2017 Top-Rated Wedding Professionals in the United States Announced by The Knot

Eleventh Annual “Best of Weddings” and Fifth Annual “Hall of Fame” Awards by The Knot Represent Top Wedding Vendors 

NEW YORK, NY/January 3, 2017 – The Knot, the leading wedding brand and marketplace, continues its long-standing tradition of supporting local wedding professionals and connecting them with couples, and today announces the top-rated wedding vendors in the United States. From florists and cake bakers to DJs and invitation designers, The Knot Best of Weddings is an annual by-couples, for-couples guide to the country’s top wedding vendors, awarding the best- and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on TheKnot.com. Exceptional vendors who have earned four or more of The Knot Best of Weddings awards are inducted into The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame.

“As the leading wedding marketplace, we provide a one-stop shop for reviews, recommendations, photos and detailed information for couples to book their wedding vendors with confidence,” said Kellie Gould, editor-in-chief of The Knot. “Connecting couples with the best local services and professionals is core to our mission. In our eleventh year, The Knot Best of Weddings titles have become the gold standard in wedding awards and we’re thrilled to share these winners with our brides and grooms.”

This year, 7,318 local wedding professionals out of the more than 300,000 on The Knot received the distinguished accolade of The Knot Best of Weddings award. To determine the winners, The Knot assessed over one million reviews across the various vendor categories—venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more. These winners represent the best of the best wedding professionals that a couple would want to consider for inspiring, planning and booking their own unique wedding. Additionally, 810 wedding professionals were inducted into The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame.

The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan weddings that are uniquely theirs. With a rich history of providing quality content and inspiration to couples, The Knot is making it easier for to-be-weds to connect with and book just the right wedding professional to create their perfect wedding day. Every month more than 12.2 million unique visitors come to The Knot and its wedding marketplace to connect with more than 300,000 vendors, read one million trusted reviews and browse 1.3 million inspirational photos. The Knot marries great technology with trusted content—and a little love—to make planning for the most important day of a person’s life easier and more enjoyable.

About The Knot
The Knot is the nation’s leading wedding resource and marketplace that seamlessly engages, matches and connects couples with the right products, services and local wedding professionals they need to plan and pull off their wedding. The trusted brand reaches a majority of engaged couples in the US through the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com, its mobile apps, The Knot national and local wedding magazines, and The Knot book series. The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan a wedding that’s uniquely them. The Knot is the flagship brand of XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO), which helps people navigate and enjoy life’s biggest moments—from getting married to moving in together and having a baby. Please visit The Knot online at TheKnot.com and follow on social media: Facebook.com/TheKnot and @TheKnot on TwitterPinterest and Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or our future financial performance. These statements are only predictions and reflect our current beliefs and expectations. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the projections or forward-looking statements. It is routine for internal projections and expectations to change, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations may change. Although these expectations may change, we will not necessarily inform you if they do or update this release. Please refer to documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of the risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

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