The Knot Privacy Policy

Item: The Knot
Rating: 35
Author: Privacy.Law Editorial Team

Last updated: November 2024 | Reviewed: February 2026

Extensive data collection and sharing practices. Your wedding details, guest lists, and planning activity fuel a large advertising business.

Grade D

Privacy Summary: The Knot collects extensive personal data including wedding dates, budget, guest lists with addresses, and detailed planning activity. This data is shared with vendors, advertising partners, and affiliates within The Knot Worldwide network (including WeddingWire). The "engaged couple" demographic is highly valuable to advertisers, and The Knot monetizes this through targeted advertising and data sharing.

Category Scores

Data Collection 28/100

Data Sharing 22/100

Guest Data Protection 35/100

User Controls 45/100

Data Retention 38/100

Key Findings

🔎 Extensive Wedding Data Collection

The Knot collects detailed information about your wedding including date, location, budget, guest count, vendor preferences, and planning timeline. This creates a comprehensive profile of your wedding and purchasing intentions.

"We collect information you provide about your wedding, including your wedding date, location, budget, guest count, vendor preferences, and planning activities."

🔎 Guest List Data Exposure

If you use The Knot's guest list management, you're uploading names and addresses of your guests. This data may be used for marketing purposes and shared with partners.

🔎 Cross-Platform Data Sharing

The Knot Worldwide owns multiple wedding platforms (The Knot, WeddingWire, etc.). Data is shared across these properties, creating a larger profile that persists across platforms.

"We may share your information with our affiliates and related companies for marketing and business purposes."

🔎 Advertising-Driven Model

The Knot's business model depends heavily on advertising and vendor leads. Your data helps them sell advertising and connect you with vendors - which means your information is the product.

Data Collection Summary

Data Type	Collected	Risk Level
Wedding Date/Location	Yes	Medium
Budget Information	Yes	High
Guest Names/Addresses	Yes	High
Vendor Inquiries	Tracked	Medium
Planning Activity	Extensive	Medium
Device/Browsing Data	Yes	Medium

Recommendation

High Privacy Risk: The Knot's business model is built on monetizing wedding planning data. If privacy matters to you, consider using The Knot for research only, without creating an account.

For Couples: Consider managing your guest list with a spreadsheet or dedicated privacy-focused tool rather than uploading names and addresses to The Knot. Be aware that vendor inquiries through the platform result in your contact information being shared.