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Updated Feb 10, 2023How to Submit Weddings to The Knot
Find out how to become a Real Wedding on TheKnot.com and in our magazine.
Submitting a wedding to The Knot for consideration in our print magazine or on TheKnot.com works the same way—and it's super simple. We use a platform called Two Bright Lights to receive and review all wedding submissions. It's free to submit, and you can visit TwoBrightLights.com/TheKnot to get started.
Below we're taking a look at frequently asked questions about The Knot real wedding submissions. Plus, you'll find all the dates you should target to submit The Knot Magazine submissions for the 2022-2023 season to ensure you don't miss out on an opportunity for print!
The Knot Real Wedding FAQs
For couples, a major part of the wedding planning process is finding inspiration to help shape the aesthetic and direction of the wedding day. As a way of helping couples plan a wedding that is uniquely their own, The Knot is committed to showcasing the creative work of wedding vendors and pros and the love stories of real couples to inspire current and future to-be-weds.
Who can submit a real wedding to The Knot?
Typically photographers take the lead on submitting a wedding to us for consideration, but other pros or wedding businesses from the big day (like the wedding planner) can take charge as well (there's a step built into the Two Bright Lights platform that requires the submitter to tag the wedding photographer who can then grant image permission).
One catch: Newlyweds can't submit their wedding independent of a wedding pro. They have to team up with one of their vendors to submit.
Generally speaking, we suggest that the entire vendor team and the couple connect on a game plan for submitting. While a wedding photographer has to give their permission to have their images showcased, we also need the couple to complete a questionnaire about their love story. Since multiple people involved in the day will have responsibilities in the submission process, it's a great idea to work as a team when it comes to submitting a real wedding to The Knot.
What does The Knot look for in weddings?
While we have a soft spot for romantic weddings, what we're looking for are celebrations where couples made unexpected statements to have "their wedding, their way." Perhaps they honored their religions, blended their cultures, or just let go of the old wedding "rules" and wrote their own playbook. We seek weddings full of personalized details, twists on tradition, nods to various cultural backgrounds and great photography. Surprise us! We're most inspired by details we haven't seen before.
Does The Knot require exclusivity?
Yes. In order to ensure we're giving our couples the most unique and innovative content, we don't accept weddings that have—or will be—published in another magazine or on a blog. However, it's okay for the wedding pros who produced the event to blog about it and post it on their own social media. Three months after a feature goes live on TheKnot.com or a print feature hits newsstands, you're welcome to submit your wedding to other outlets for consideration.
Do I have to be a paid partner of The Knot in order to submit a wedding or be featured?
No, we welcome submissions from everyone, even if you're not a paid partner. What's most important to us is that couples receive the best, most creative inspiration possible through our real wedding coverage.
What makes a good submission for The Knot?
Think about the day holistically and make sure that the images you share with us represent the breadth of the celebration. We ask that you submit no fewer than 50 wedding photos, while 100-150 is most ideal. Showcase all the elements of the couple's day—from getting ready and detail images to the wedding ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. If you also snapped some engagement photos or prewedding event pics, like from a welcome party or rehearsal dinner, feel free to include a handful of those as well. Our features focus heavily on detail images so make sure to highlight all the unique accents that made the day shine—from wedding invitations and signage to place settings, wedding cakes and centerpieces.
How recent does a wedding have to be in order to be considered for a feature?
We want to offer couples fresh and current wedding inspiration and wedding ideas. As a result, we ask that you don't submit a wedding older than one year from the day you're submitting. For example, if you were to submit a wedding on September 8, 2022, then you shouldn't submit a wedding that occurred any earlier than September 8, 2021.
How long will it take before The Knot makes a decision about a real wedding submission?
For online, The Knot reviews weddings on an ongoing basis and aims to either select or release every wedding submission within two months of receipt. You will be notified through the Two Bright Lights interface, not via email.
For print, we review four times a year, in line with the submission deadlines outlined below. We understand that it can be difficult to wait for an answer with the long lead times required for print, so we appreciate your patience. We aim to provide an answer to submitters within one month of a print submission deadline.
Do I have to specify if I am submitting for digital versus print?
Yes and no. Ultimately, we want to showcase your wedding on the platform where you'd like to see it. In Two Bright Lights, you'll be asked whether the submission is for digital or for print, and while reviewing we will consider it first for the medium for which it's been earmarked.
However, while reviewing a wedding, we will ultimately consider it for both TheKnot.com and The Knot Magazine. If there is a print submission that we feel would be stronger online then an editor will reach out to you asking if you'd like to have the wedding considered for digital purposes. Similarly, if we come across a digital submission that we'd love to see in print, we'll ask you about running the images in print.
TL;DR: Our goal is to find the best weddings for digital and the best weddings for print. No matter which avenue you submit to in Two Bright Lights, weddings are considered for both print and digital.
Does The Knot prioritize certain seasons depending on the issue in which the wedding will be published?
No. We run beautiful weddings from all four seasons in every issue and online. That means we run spring and summer weddings in our winter issue and vice versa. It's important to have inspiration for all our readers, regardless of when they're hosting their big day.
Do you accept styled shoots or engagement sessions?
No, within the context of our real wedding coverage, we only feature wedding photography of real weddings with real couples. While styled shoots and engagement sessions can surely be inspirational, and we occasionally include them in other pieces of editorial content, they don't align with our goal of keeping our real wedding section real for our readers. You're welcome to include a few engagement photos in a real wedding submission, but we don't accept submissions that are only engagement photos. If you have a gallery that is strictly an engagement session, we encourage you to submit it to our partner site, How They Asked, by The Knot.
How many weddings can I submit at one time?
The more, the merrier. Don't feel limited to submitting just one wedding. We like to see variety!
How many times a year is The Knot Magazine published?
The Knot Magazine publishes four times annually: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.
Do print weddings ultimately end up online as well?
Yes! We love the weddings we showcase in print and don't want the inspiration from them to be limited to the pages of our print magazine. As a result, print real weddings will also be published on TheKnot.com once the magazine they're in hits newsstands. Additionally, The Knot Magazine can be viewed in its entirety online via Issuu.
Do weddings need to be from certain places in order to be featured?
Nope! The Knot magazine has national distribution and we love to see celebrations from wedding venues all over the world. Whether your couple tied the knot in New York or California or somewhere in the middle, we'd love to consider the nuptials for a feature.
2023 Key Submission Dates
The Knot Spring Issue
Submit no later than September 24, 2022 (the issue hits stands in late January). See The Knot Spring 2022 Issue here.
The Knot Summer Issue
Submit no later than December 16, 2022 (the issue hits stands in early May). See The Knot Summer 2022 Issue here.
The Knot Fall Issue
Submit no later than March 17, 2023 (the issue hits stands in late July). See The Knot Fall 2022 Issue here.
The Knot Winter Issue
Submit no later than June 16, 2023 (the issue hits stands in early November). See The Knot Winter 2021 Issue here.
