The Knot Announces a European Joint Venture With Europe's Largest Wedding Media Company; Leading Online Wedding Resource in the U.S. Ties The Knot with Gerard Bedouk Holding

Business Wire, May 9, 2000

Business & Technology Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2000

The Knot (NASDAQ: KNOT), the leading online wedding resource, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gerard Bedouk Holding (GBH), the largest wedding media company in Europe, to create a new joint venture to launch several wedding websites in the European Community.

GBH has partnered with The Knot to leverage its expertise and technology to provide engaged couples in Europe with a comprehensive online resource for wedding planning. This joint venture, which will be based outside of Paris, plans to launch its first site in France in July 2000. The site will feature The Knot's interactive planning tools, extensive bridal gown search, and editorial content.

As the largest wedding media company in Europe, GBH publishes three consumer wedding magazines - Mariee in France and Wedding Dresses in the UK and the U.S. In addition, GBH publishes a bi-monthly wedding trade magazine called Wedding Trends and News, which is translated into five languages and distributed in ten European countries, and produces two annual wedding shows in Paris, the largest French Consumer Show Mariee & Marie and the National French Trade Show Mode & Mariage.

Through its relationship with GBH, The Knot brand will gain extensive exposure in Europe. GBH will heavily promote the joint venture in its consumer and trade publications and bridal shows; at the same time, GBH will be able to develop a strong presence on the Internet.

"With its multimedia approach to the wedding business, GBH is the perfect partner for us to expand our brand into the European Community," said David Liu, CEO of The Knot. "By joining forces with GBH, we will bring The Knot's unparalleled service to the European to-be-wed market, estimated to be approximately two million couples."

"We are excited by the opportunity to work with The Knot," says Gerard Bedouk, CEO of GBH. "The Knot's aggressive brand-building initiatives are completely in line with our own strategy to be the full-service solution for brides and grooms in Europe."

After launching in France, the joint venture expects to roll out wedding websites in four additional countries in the EC, including the UK and Germany, within the next 12 months.

This joint venture closely follows The Knot's recent announcement of an extended relationship with America Online to become its premier wedding content provider across AOL International services. Through this agreement, The Knot will have a premier presence in the weddings areas across the AOL International online services, including those in the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and Canada, as well as some of AOL's other international brands.

"We have successfully become the leading online destination for engaged couples in the U.S.," adds Liu. "Through international partnerships, our strategy is to rapidly extend our leadership position worldwide as the single source for wedding planning information and services."

About The Knot

The Knot (NASDAQ: KNOT) is the leading online wedding destination and the premier wedding content provider on America Online and several other of AOL's leading brands, located at www.theknot.com and at AOL keyword: weddings. Combining comprehensive content and an active online community with wedding-related commerce, the Company's online sites provide extensive resources to help couples plan their wedding and future lives together as a couple.

The Knot also provides certain offline services to the wedding market such as a series of books with Random House's Broadway Books, a semiannual gown magazine called Wedding Gowns, and Weddingpages, regional wedding magazines in over 50 U.S. markets. The Knot is based in New York and has several other offices across the country, as well as an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil for its joint venture company with luxury goods retailer H. Stern.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About GBH

Gerard Bedouk Holding (GBH) is the largest wedding media company in Europe. Founded in 1982, GBH publishes three consumer wedding magazines, including Mariee in France and Wedding Dresses in the UK and United States. In addition, the company produces a wedding trade publication called Wedding Trends & News, which is translated into five languages and distributed in ten European countries, as well as hosts two annual wedding shows in Paris, the largest French Consumer Show Mariee & Marie and the International French Trade Show Mode & Mariage. Based in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, just outside of Paris, GBH operates five business divisions, including international publishing and trade shows for Congresses and Conventions. The company has 60 employees and offices in France, London, and New York City.