Bakers Spend 15.4 Hours to Create a Single Wedding Cake and Florists Arrange an Average of 632 Individual Flowers per Wedding, According to The Knot 2017 Small Business Study

The Knot Celebrates Its Network of Approximately 300,000 Local Wedding Professionals Across the US on Small Business Saturday by Uncovering How They Make the Wedding Industry Thrive

NEW YORK, NY/November 20, 2017–The Knot, the leading online wedding brand and app, today released The Knot 2017 Small Business Study, which surveyed thousands of its local wedding professionals and small business owners. The results reveal the reality of their hard work and impact on both their local communities and the approximately $96 billion wedding industry. In honor of Small Business Saturday, The Knot is celebrating local wedding professionals and all the hours, attention to detail and dedication they provide to create a truly unique and memorable experience for every couple.

“For more than twenty years, The Knot has proudly partnered with local venues, designers, wedding planners, florists, bakers and other wedding professionals across the country, connecting them to our couples to pull off their perfect day,” said Paul Bascobert, President of Local, XO Group Inc. “Their creativity, compassion and dedication to their work inspires all of us here at The Knot, as well as our couples, each and every day. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate our local pros and all that they do this Small Business Saturday.”

According to the Small Business Study, the average local wedding business has been operating in their community for 19 years. Local bridal salons have the longest industry tenure, with an average of 39 years in business, followed by bands (38.7 years), venues (30.4 years) and caterers (28.3 years). And while local wedding business owners are seeing long-term success in their fields, 8 in 10 (79%) wedding industry pros began their professional careers in a field outside the wedding industry.

Each specialty business category, from venues and caterers to photographers, musicians, florists, bakers, and more have unique skills and passion that help bring weddings to life. Key findings for each vendor category resulting from The Knot 2017 Small Business Study include:

• BRIDAL SALONS create the perfect fit. It takes an average of 8.4 hours to perform dress alterations and 3 dress fittings before the bride is ready to walk down the aisle in her wedding gown. Bridal salons require a big investment, with the average salon inventory valued at $302,761. The average bridal salon serves 337 brides each year. Brides aren’t always prepared to say yes to their dress. In fact, only 43% of brides find their dress on their first visit to the bridal salon.
• BAKERS make sure wedding days are sweet. The average wedding cake requires 13.5 cups of sugar. For couples who fancy florals, bakers spend an average of 26.8 minutes crafting each decorative sugar flower. Between baking and decorating, cakes are a work of art and a labor of love, with an average total of 15.4 hours dedicated to creating a single wedding cake. Cake bakers stay busy, servicing an average of 88 weddings and 300 other events each year.
• DJS AND BANDS create the perfect first dance moment for couples and get the party started. DJs spend, on average, 5.3 hours compiling each event playlist and choose from a library of more than 592,054 songs. The majority of DJs (75%) and bands (82%) work primarily from a home office. The field requires ongoing investment: The average DJ owns $50,326 worth of equipment and invests an additional $6,375 on it each year. Wedding bands spend an average of 3.6 hours per event creating their set list and employ an average of 8 full-time employees.
• CALLIGRAPHERS craft a first impression for guests. The wedding invitation is often the first thing to reach guests. Calligraphers are commonly the sole employee of their small business. According to the study, they dedicate an average of 4.6 minutes on each wedding invitation envelope to ensure it’s both elegant and engaging. Calligraphers go through 30 pens and 10 ink jars each year.
• PLANNERS are with couples every step of the way. Planners spend an average of 65.6 hours with each couple throughout their wedding planning journey. Wedding planners then dedicate an additional 64.3 hours to planning and designing each event. Wedding planners run with small but mighty teams, with an average of 2 full-time employees and 3 part-time. Wedding planners report 1 in 3 (33%) couples turn over full planning control to them, while 2 in 3 (67%) stay “very involved” in the planning process.
• CATERERS keep couples and their guests satiated. From cocktail-hour hors d’oeuvres to the main dish, caterers spend an average of 23 hours per event just prepping food. Caterers service an average 71 weddings each year, in addition to 235 nonwedding events. The average caterer owns nearly 1,000 wine glasses (928) and reports more than 10% break at weddings each year.
• FLORISTS dedicate hours to craft wow-worthy arrangements and displays. Florists service an average of 54 weddings per year and spend an average of 23.7 hours preparing, arranging and setting up wedding flowers per event. For each wedding, florists use an average of 632 individual flowers. Florists happily create their clients’ unique wedding vision, but their personal favorite flowers to work with include peonies (32%), roses (21%), hydrangeas (13%) and ranunculus (12%).
• PHOTOGRAPHERS capture each moment. On average, photographers capture 2,100 images per wedding. They spend 23.1 hours editing wedding photos per event, and deliver an average of 738 edited images to each of their newlywed clients. Photographers are working on their feet for an average of 9.3 hours per event.
• VIDEOGRAPHERS allow couples to relive wedding day moments. According to The Knot 2016 Real Weddings Study, 44% of couples hired a videographer to capture their wedding day. Videographers service an average 26 weddings per year, capturing 7.48 hours of footage per event. Videographers dedicate an average 35.7 hours to editing video footage, creating full-length wedding videos that are 67.3 minutes long, and highlight reels that are 18.8 minutes. The majority (63%) of videographers offer aerial drones to capture wedding day moments, and about half (49.8%) of couples choose to include drones in their packages.
• HAIR & MAKEUP artists get brides looking and feeling their best. Six in ten (61%) stylists offer hair and makeup services. On average, makeup artist’s own 86 brushes and have been working in the wedding industry for 10 years. Hair and makeup artists service an average of 48 weddings per year and spend an average of 52.4 minutes styling a bride’s hair and 47.2 minutes applying the bride’s makeup on her wedding day. Additionally, they typically service six bridal party attendees.
• WEDDING VENUES set the stage for a couple’s big day. Local venues, on average, service 50 weddings each year, and 97% of venues service other types of events as well. Eighty-one percent of venues offer more than one product or service to their clients, including planning and coordination, catering, bar service, décor and more. Wedding and event venues have big teams that work together to successfully pull off an average of 217 events each year—an average of 4.2 events each week. The average venue employs 60 full-time and 55 part-time employees that take part in every wedding.

To celebrate Small Business Saturday, couples are invited to thank the local wedding professionals who made their wedding day possible by leaving a review for them on www.TheKnot.com/marketplace. Marketplace reviews help other couples decide on the best pros to book for their own wedding, and help drive future business for small business owners. Any couple who shares their gratitude with their vendors by leaving a review on The Knot marketplace by December 5 will be entered to win $500 from The Knot.

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 Twitter, Pinterest 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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