Pro-Football Player Devon Still and Fiancee Asha Joyce Named The Knot Dream Wedding 2016 Couple

NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --  The Knot, the #1 online wedding marketplace, today announced pro-football player Devon Still and fiancee Asha Joyce as The Knot Dream Wedding 2016 couple. The Knot Dream Wedding program continues its annual tradition of letting America choose key wedding elements, from the flowers to the dress, but this year it will also raise awareness and donations for pediatric cancer through Devon and Asha's Charity Registry on TheKnot.com, powered by Crowdrise. Devon's 5-year-old daughter, Leah, has been battling stage 4 neuroblastoma since June 2014, and in March 2015, doctors confirmed that she is in remission. In May 2016, Leah will lead the couple down the aisle as their flower girl. 

Thousands of NFL fans have followed Devon and Leah's story since 2014 and learned more about Leah's courageous fight at the 2015 ESPY Awards. Devon accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award on behalf of Leah, and during his acceptance speech, he thanked many people, including his fiancee, Asha, for being there: "We didn't have the typical engagement where we sit down and plan everything because I didn't want to plan anything until I knew that my daughter was going to be able to walk down that aisle as our flower girl. I thank you for being so unselfish, and I promise you, I'm going to try to give you the wedding of your dreams."  

When wedding experts at The Knot heard Devon's speech, the decision to offer this selfless and loving couple the Dream Wedding, as well as provide a platform to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer, was made without hesitation. The Knot is honored to bring Devon and Asha's wedding vision to life and provide family, friends and fans with the ability to donate to a pediatric cancer foundation in Leah's name. The couple will be fundraising for the Still Strong Foundation, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, through their Charity Registry, content and programming on The Knot, and visits to pediatric cancer hospitals.

"Asha and I cannot wait to get married, and we're thrilled that The Knot will help us pull off our perfect day while we continue to focus on Leah's battle with cancer," said Devon Still. "Our wedding will be filled with tears of love and joy, and through The Knot Dream Wedding and our charity registry, we aim to help other families' tears be filled with love and hope too."

"Devon and Asha have an incredible love story," said Kellie Gould, editor in chief of The Knot. "Their desire to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer in lieu of wedding gifts is inspiring to so many of our couples on The Knot, as well as NFL fans and Devon and Leah fans. We hope that through this year's The Knot Dream Wedding, we can help many families, like the Stills, who need support and resources when their children are ill."

The Knot, with help from some of the 250,000 local wedding professionals that couples can engage, match and connect with on TheKnot.com, will document the couple's wedding planning process. The Knot Dream Wedding will capture all of the exciting, dramatic and love-filled moments that come with preparing for a wedding through original content, articles, social media and video on TheKnot.com/dreamwedding.  Please follow #TheKnotDreamWedding on social media for real-time updates.

About the Couple

Devon Still and Asha Joyce met in 2012 and got engaged on July 11, 2014, which is both of their birthdays. They put their wedding plans on hold while Devon's daughter, 5-year-old Leah, underwent treatment for neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Leah has been in remission since May 2015 and will serve as flower girl for the wedding, which is planned for May 2016. The couple will use The Knot Dream Wedding as a platform to raise money for pediatric cancer foundations.

About The Knot Dream Wedding

The Knot Dream Wedding began in 2000 when The Knot and the TODAY show partnered to create one of the first ventures into interactive television, TODAY Ties The Knot. Millions of TV viewers watched The Knot editors preview key elements of the wedding on TV, as they encouraged America to vote online and make the final decision on everything from the dress, venue and flowers to the cake and even the couple. This interactive TV partnership continued for 10 years, and in 2013, The Knot embarked on the first-ever live-streamed, crowdsourced wedding planned by The Knot experts, celebrity wedding professionals and TheKnot.com members. In 2015, The Knot Dream Wedding provided a glimpse into the future of the next generation of weddings by showcasing the cutting-edge technology that can be applied to a wedding in a meaningful, personalized way.  

About The Knot

The Knot is the nation's leading wedding marketplace, reaching nearly every couple in America through the #1 wedding website, TheKnot.com; mobile apps; The Knot national and local wedding magazines; The Knot book series; and syndicated columns in newspapers nationwide. The Knot is the flagship brand of XO Group Inc., the premier consumer internet and media company dedicated to helping people navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments together—from getting married to having a baby. Follow The Knot on social media @TheKnot.

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.

CONTACTS:

Caty Bennett
Manager, Public Relations
The Knot
(212) 515-3595
[email protected]

Melissa Bach
Director, Public Relations
XO Group Inc.
(212) 515-3594
[email protected]

Jennifer Perciballi
Vice President, Corporate Communications
XO Group Inc.
(212) 515-1595
[email protected]

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SOURCE The Knot