WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne and Fiancée Amanda Clifton Named The Knot 2017 Dream Wedding Couple

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knot, the leading wedding brand and marketplace, today announced 2015 WNBA MVP, Washington Mystics player and Olympic gold medalist Elena Delle Donne and fiancée Amanda Clifton as The Knot 2017 Dream Wedding couple. On the fifth anniversary of The Knot Dream Wedding, this year's wedding will give back in more ways than one. Elena and Amanda are not only choosing to have a wedding to celebrate their love, but also to give back to others and the environment in a big way. In lieu of registering for gifts, the couple will create a charity registry on TheKnot.com allowing fans, family and friends to donate to the Elena Delle Donne Foundation, benefiting the special needs community, and those suffering Lyme Disease. Both causes are close to the couple as Elena's sister Lizzie was born deaf, blind and with other disabilities, and Elena was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2008.

Elena and Amanda's affinity for giving back will be brought to life throughout their entire wedding with the help of Brooklyn, New York–based renowned wedding planner and designer Jove Meyer. The wedding will be created with a highly reduced carbon footprint, making sustainable choices and keeping the environment in mind. All food and floral arrangements will be seasonal and locally sourced whenever possible, and following the festivities, extra food will be donated to homeless shelters and all flowers will be given to local hospitals and nursing homes for others to enjoy.  

Elena and Amanda, who serves as the director of the De11e Donne Academy, met four years ago after being set up by a mutual friend. Two dogs and three years later, they were both plotting proposals to one another: First, Amanda surprised Elena with an intimate Lake Michigan proposal where their Great Dane, Wrigley, was the star of the show, as Amanda asked Elena to marry her with a ring attached to his collar. A few weeks later, their other dog, Rasta, a black Labrador retriever, adorned in a dog wedding dress and veil, took the spotlight in Elena's proposal. Amanda walked into her and Elena's Chicago home to find Rasta positioned next to a homemade sign that read, "Marry Me." Elena then proposed to Amanda on the rooftop of their condo with ring in hand, and all of their favorite meals from places they had lived together. Shortly before Elena's departure to compete in the Summer 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the couple publicly confirmed their engagement.

After hearing the couple's story and their personal commitment to helping others, The Knot knew it wanted to give Elena and Amanda the wedding of their dreams. The couple's entire wedding—from flowers to the dresses and the cake—will all be taken care of, courtesy of The Knot.

"We've never seen a couple more passionate about giving to others than Elena and Amanda," said Kellie Gould, editor in chief of The Knot. "It's incredibly heartwarming to see the special bond and relationship that Elena has with her sister Lizzie, and all of the work that she and Amanda do for other families through their foundation. It was an easy decision for us to offer the Dream Wedding to this truly selfless couple."

"Getting married is something every girl dreams about and working with The Knot is truly surreal," said Elena Delle Donne. "Amanda and I want nothing more than to bring our family and friends together and have the best time ever. Not only are we thrilled to be the first same-sex Dream Wedding couple of The Knot, we're excited to have a platform to raise money and awareness for causes we're truly passionate about."

The Knot 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 @TheKnot and #TheKnotDreamWedding on social media for real-time updates.

About the Couple
WNBA Washington Mystics player, MVP and Olympic gold medalist Elena Delle Donne and Amanda Clifton, director of De11e Donne Academy, met four years ago after being set up by a mutual friend. With their dogs by their side on their second date at the beach, they had a feeling it was a good match. Amanda would later propose to Elena at the same beach. The couple loves to work out together, play pranks on each other, spend time with their dogs and even create handmade wood furniture that they sell through ElenaDelleDonne.com. They're also passionate about helping others through the Elena Delle Donne Foundation that benefits the special needs community and those suffering Lyme Disease. Both causes are close to the couple as Elena's sister Lizzie, whom she shares a very special bond with, was born deaf, blind and with other disabilities, and Elena was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2008. The couple will say "I do" in summer 2017 in a wedding that will raise awareness and donations for the Elena Delle Donne Foundation through their charity registry on TheKnot.com, and also give back to the environment.

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.

About The Knot
The Knot is the nation's leading wedding resource and marketplace that seamlessly engages, matches and connects couples with the right products, services and local wedding professionals they need to plan and pull off their wedding. The trusted brand reaches a majority of engaged couples in the US through the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com, its mobile apps, The Knot national and local wedding magazines, and The Knot book series. 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 people navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments—from getting married to moving in together and having a baby. Please 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.

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SOURCE TheKnot.com