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WeddingWire, Speek and SocialRadar Partner to Host Virtual Weddings


Chevy Chase – WEBWIRE

New Leader in DC Tech, SocialWeddingSpeek, to Change Weddings & Events Industry

Washington, DC  – April 1, 2014 – Three of Washington, D.C.’s leading technology companies, WeddingWire , Speek and SocialRadar , have joined forces today to develop SocialWeddingSpeek, a virtual weddings platform. Engaged couples will now be able to carry-out their nuptials on-the-go, no longer having to travel beyond their computers and smartphones to host a wedding in front of family and friends. Instead, friends and family may simply join the SocialWeddingSpeek virtual conference to watch the couple say and type “I do.”

“Thanks to SocialWeddingSpeek,  my fianc é e and I got a headstart on our honeymoon and simply said our vows while relaxing on the beach. It saved us so much time, money, and hassle,” said Heather, one of the platform’s first newlyweds.

WeddingWire, the largest online vertical marketplace connecting engaged couples with event professionals, Speek, a conference calling platform with a visual interface, and Social Radar, a mobile application providing real-time information on the people around you, have all long been committed to leveraging technology to improve their industries.

Thus, Speek will power the nuptials and is developing partnerships with nearly all civil and religious institutions to insure the validity of the marriage. A list of all states that accept virtual weddings will be available on the SocialWeddingSpeek website.

WeddingWire’s comprehensive database of local wedding professionals will empower engaged couples during their virtual wedding planning process, as the company is now listing wedding professionals who serve at weddings where guests or the actual couple are in two separate locations . From florists to officiants to room designers and electronic invite developers, WeddingWire hosts the largest directory of vendor options with more than 200,000 wedding vendors and helpful consumer reviews from couples who have hosted their virtual weddings using these professionals. All participants will be able to experience the look and feel of an in-person wedding using these vendors, while in different locations and time zones.

To enhance the experience, SocialRadar, an app that provides real-time information about the people around you, will now enable the happy couple to connect with nearby strangers willing to spontaneously serve as witnesses and celebrants. This is not the company’s first foray into the wedding industry. The app is already able to identify nearby married people whose wedding dress or tuxedo is your size and for rent, as well as the ability to determine who at the reception (based on college or extracurricular sports history) is most likely to catch the bouquet.

“At WeddingWire, we always prioritize our mission to help simplify the wedding process for couples using technology. From increasing our mobile presence to launching SocialWeddingSpeek, we always look to our users’ needs and meet them where they are. Data shows an increase in long-distance couples in recent years, so we wanted to take that opportunity to better serve that segment of our market. Of course we could not have done it without all the weddings and events professionals who have demonstrated their shared commitment to serving all couples -- whether they are together or miles apart.” - Tim Chi, CEO of WeddingWire

“As a company that helps organizations collaborate productively in remote work environments, it is only natural that we transition to extend this ability to other use cases. By partnering with the wedding and social industry leaders, we are able to combine our expertise to completely revolutionize a multibillion dollar industry.” - John Bracken, CEO of Speek

“The mission of SocialRadar is to help people make smarter connections in the real world. Marriage is, of course, is the most important connections a person can make. We are honored to be a part of a venture that celebrates the sanctity of this institution, and while it’s too soon to be able to say that our app has led to marriage, we can already say that our app is making the wedding process easier in ways that would not have been possible even a couple of years ago.”  - Michael Chasen, CEO of SocialRadar

For more information or to begin planning your social and virtual wedding, visit SocialWeddingSpeek at socialwedding.speek.com .

About WeddingWire

WeddingWire, the leading technology company serving the $100 billion wedding and events industry, is the largest online vertical marketplace connecting engaged couples with event professionals. With more than 1.5 million consumer reviews, it is the industry leader in consumer reviews. The site enables engaged couples to search, compare and book from an extensive database of more than 200,000 recently reviewed event professionals, from venues to photographers. Engaged couples also have access to a suite of mobile and online desktop planning tools - including wedding websites and checklists, at no charge.  WeddingWire provides event professionals with the technology they need to serve their clients, including a SaaS platform, which powers advertising, marketing, and CRM needs of local wedding and events businesses nationwide. Additionally, WeddingWire offers the largest audience network in the industry, including WeddingWire.com, Project Wedding, Martha Stewart Weddings (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com (a Conde Nast property), Weddingbee.com and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS). WeddingWire has recently expanded into adjacent event verticals with the launch of EventWire.com, addressing the needs of corporate and social event planners and event vendors.

About Speek

Speek provides simplified conference calling solutions with a visual interface. Join the conference by having us call you, via VoIP in the browser, or using our mobile apps. The visual interface enables users to see who’s joined, see who’s talking, share files, record calls, add/remove/mute participants, and more. The Speek mobile apps provide the easiest way to take your conference call on the go. Individual users can sign up and start hosting calls for free at Speek.com . Organizations can take advantage of Speek for Teams , which provides unlimited conference calls with a custom-branded visual interface that promotes the organization for only $10/user/month.

Speek has been named one of Wall Street Journal’s ”Top 20 Startups of the Year in 2013“, Entrepreneur Magazine’s ”100 Most Brilliant Companies“, and PCMag’s ”Top 100 Websites".

About SocialRadar

SocialRadar is building technology that gives you real-time information on the people around you. Developing leading-edge technologies in the social location space, SocialRadar created an innovative technology platform for iOS, Google Glass and Android applications that will fundamentally change the way people connect online and in the real world.

Based in Washington, DC, SocialRadar was founded by Michael Chasen, the co-founder and former chief executive officer of Blackboard, Inc.  During Chasen’s 15-year leadership tenure, he grew Blackboard to be a global leader in education technology, serving over 30,000 institutions worldwide and over 30M users. Chasen took Blackboard public in 2004 and then sold it to Providence Equity Partners in 2011 for $1.7B. More at www.socialradar.com .



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