Nearly 30,000 Couples Registered on The Knot to Marry on August 18, 2018, the Most Popular Wedding Day of the Year
Couples to Host Weddings With More Than 3.9 million Guests, Who Will Spend an Estimated $1 billion Total on Gifts & Attire on 8/18/18
New York, NY/August 14, 2018 –The Knot, the #1 digital wedding brand, today announced that August 18, 2018, is the most popular wedding day of the year—with 28,633 couples getting hitched this Saturday. The majority of couples getting married use The Knot each year to help them plan their weddings—from finding inspiration and local vendors, to creating and managing all guest and wedding registry experiences—and the nearly 30,000 couples hosting their wedding this weekend are no exception.
With 28,633 weddings happening on August 18, 2018 and an average of 136 guests per wedding,1 an estimated 3.9 million guests will be attending weddings on the most popular wedding day of the year. Each guest is estimated to spend an average of $261 on the wedding day, including the gift, attire and accessories,2 which in total will amount to over an estimated $1 billion spent by guests attending weddings on August 18, 2018. Nearly half of the 3.9 million guests (approximately 1.3 million) will buy a gift for the couples getting married on this day from their wedding registries.2
The top five most popular registry items for couples getting married on August 18, 2018 include the KitchenAid stand mixer, Ninja blender, Dyson vacuum, iRobot Roomba, and an air fryer, while some of the most unique items these couples registered for include a sushi rolling kit, Wi-Fi pet camera, Star Wars “Death Star” waffle maker and the What Do You Meme? card game.3
“As the leader in wedding planning, approximately three quarters of all couples getting married use The Knot to help plan their weddings. Just as wedding planning has gone digital, guests are also managing their guest duties online—consulting the couple’s wedding website for all the wedding details, as well as purchasing gifts for the couple through their online registries,” said Kristen Maxwell Cooper, The Knot editor in chief. “We’re proud to have helped the nearly 30,000 couples getting married this Saturday plan personalized weddings that reflect them and their love, while also giving the 3.9 million guests attending those weddings a truly memorable experience.”
Leading up to the most popular wedding day of the year, The Knot is also releasing the results of The Knot 2018 Guest Study, revealing everything from guest spend per wedding to most popular gifts.
Top Trends From The Knot 2018 Wedding Guest Study
GUESTS SPEND NEARLY $1,000 PER WEDDING AND ATTEND MORE CELEBRATIONS THAN JUST THE CEREMONY & RECEPTION. According to the study, guests that are traveling for a wedding spend an average of $901 per wedding, including costs for travel, accommodations, wedding gifts, attire and accessories, while members of the wedding party spend an average of $928. Guests love weddings, with 70% reporting they enjoyed the last wedding they attended, if it was well planned. And two in three wedding guests (65%) are already looking forward to the next wedding they attend, reporting they would be sad if they were never invited to another wedding. Additionally, no longer are bachelor and bachelorette parties exclusively for the couple and their wedding party members: One in five wedding guests (22%) outside the wedding party attend bachelor and bachelorette parties. Taking part in the bachelor and bachelorette parties can add up to an expensive honor, as partygoers spend an average of $537 on bachelorette and bachelor parties, inclusive of the costs of travel, accommodations and gifts. Wedding guests who are not members of the wedding party also attend events like the bridal shower (24%), rehearsal dinner (20%) and engagement party (19%).
WEDDINGS TURN TO TECH TO STREAMLINE THE GUEST EXPERIENCE. From efficiently communicating with the couple leading up to the wedding day, to sending in their RSVP and gathering all the essential details they need to arrive on time and in style, wedding guests are largely relying on technology to make their guest experience easier. If given the opportunity to RSVP by postal mail or online, half of guests prefer to respond online. For the 50% of guests who RSVP online, The Knot has made it simple to RSVP directly on a couple’s wedding website. Of couples that shared their wedding details via a personalized wedding website, more than half of guests (56%) visit the couple’s site to get the information. Other popular actions taken on couples’ wedding websites by guests include looking at and sharing photos of the couple (41%), reading the couple’s love story (39%), making a gift purchase from a couple’s registry (32%), seeking accommodation information (31%), and finding insight on what to wear (28%).
COUPLES ARE REGISTERING FOR WHAT THEY REALLY WANT. From stand mixers and linens, to funds for a puppy or home improvement project, couples aren’t holding back on asking for what they really want. Using The Knot Registry, couples can register for retail items, cash funds, charities and literally anything online that’s shoppable using The Knot Universal Registry tool. Thirty-four percent of guests purchase a gift off the couple’s registry, 29% gift cash or check in a wedding card or envelope and 10% give gift cards. On average, members of the wedding party spend $107 on the wedding gift, while wedding guests spend an average of $88 on their gift for the newlyweds.
GUESTS CONSIDER MANY FACTORS WHEN THINKING ABOUT THEIR RSVP. The average American attends two weddings each year, and 14% report attending four or more weddings per year, on average. When deciding to accept an invite to a wedding, guests consider their relationship to the couple as the most important factor (71%). Other considerations include the date of the wedding (50%), whether or not their children were also invited (42%), wedding location (41%), cost of travel (40%), cost of accommodations (36%) and whether or not they were given a plus one (34%). The majority (83%) of all wedding guests are invited to a wedding with a plus one option. Three in five (61%) wedding guests bring a plus one to the wedding ceremony and reception.
GETTING TO THE CELEBRATION—HOW GUESTS NAVIGATE WEDDING TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS. One in three wedding guests consider the costs of travel (40%) and accommodations (36%) before RSVPing to a wedding. On average, one in three (41%) members of the wedding party book accommodations for the celebration, spending $212. Members of the wedding party are also booking travel (15%) to get to the wedding ceremony and reception, spending an average of $308. Among the wedding guests not in the wedding party, 28% book accommodations and 14% book travel for weddings, spending an average of $234 and $303, respectively.
GUESTS SEEK GUIDANCE ON GIFTING ETIQUETTE. Over one quarter (27%) of all wedding guests report needing help figuring out gifting etiquette regarding how much to spend on gifts for each wedding they’re attending. On average, members of the wedding party spend $295, while other wedding guests spend $289 in total on wedding gifts for the bachelor and bachelorette parties, wedding shower and wedding day itself. When deciding how to gift the couple for their wedding day celebration, the majority of all guests (64%) prefer to give an individual gift rather than participate in group gifting. When thinking about what to gift, the top consideration for guests is finding a gift that fits within their budget (79%). Three in four (78%) wedding guests find it important to give a gift that’s thoughtful, and nearly half (42%) report seeking gifts from companies that support larger causes close to their hearts.
GUESTS DECODE THE DRESS CODE. On average, wedding guests spend $98 on their wedding day attire and an additional $53 on accessories, such as shoes, ties and handbags. Members of the wedding party spend, on average, 63% more than other wedding guests on their attire, $160 per wedding. Wedding party members also spend more on accessories, averaging a spend of $64. Through The Knot and Rent the Runway, couples can help their guests save money on their wedding day fashion by offering them a 20% discount code for a rental from Rent the Runway. Plus, in celebration of the most popular day to get married on August 18, 18 lucky brides who create a wedding website on The Knot from August 13—August 18 will be entered to win a free rental from Rent the Runway. See here for full sweepstakes rules.
1: Source: The Knot 2017 Real Weddings Study
2: Source: The Knot 2018 Wedding Guest Study
3: Source: The Knot Registry data
About The Knot
The Knot is the nation’s leading multiplatform wedding resource offering a seamless, all-in-one planning experience—from finding inspiration and local vendors to creating and managing all guest experiences, wedding registries and more. The trusted brand reaches a majority of engaged couples in the US through the #1 wedding planning website TheKnot.com and #1 iOS and Android mobile app The Knot Wedding Planner, The Knot national and local wedding magazines, and The Knot book series. Since its inception, 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 couples navigate and enjoy life’s biggest moments—from getting married to moving in together and having a baby. 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.
###