David’s Bridal has acquired wedding media brand Love Stories TV and is launching into retail media with the debut of the Pearl Media Network.
Engagement and wedding planning timelines are getting longer, according to Signet, with couples dating for 3.25 years on average before proposing. Additionally, the average length of an engagement is now between 12 and 18 months. This lengthened proposal and wedding planning lifecycle has brides spending more time researching, planning and curating their dream day, creating a prime audience for advertisers that David’s Bridal is now uniquely positioned to serve.
“Our customers look to David’s for all things wedding and planning, and Pearl Media Network will now allow advertisers to authentically capture our audiences, tapping into consumers during the household formation — a true first for the industry,” said Elina Vilk, Chief Business Officer at David’s Bridal in a statement. “It’s no longer just a 12-month planning cycle — people are diving into years of planning and consuming content that sparks ideas, often via video, which outperforms every other medium. Love Stories TV is at the heart of this trend, and now David’s Bridal and Pearl Media Network will serve as the ultimate inspiration network.”
‘Love Stories by David’s’ to Anchor Pearl Media Offerings
Founded in 2016, Love Stories TV boasts more than 20 million viewers for its library of over 30,000 videos across content platforms including social media, YouTube, podcasts, linear TV and video on-demand. The brand, which also launched the wedding industry’s first podcast network and streaming TV presence, will be renamed Love Stories by David’s and will continue to be led by its Founder Rachel Silver, who also will take on the new role of General Manager of Media for David’s Bridal and Chief Product Officer for Pearl Media Network.
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“Love Stories TV was built to inspire ‘soonlyweds’ and help videographers and wedding pros build their businesses,” said Silver in a statement. “Over the years, we’ve grown to have a major influence across the industry. We can’t wait to team up with David’s to supercharge our joint mission of connecting couples to amazing wedding vendors and the product they need for their weddings and beyond.”
Under the Pearl Media Network, David’s plans to build upon Love Stories TV’s content as well as develop new content and advertising offerings that will reach across social, web, streaming TV and David’s stores, serving as a prime advertising vehicle for David’s to connect with current and future brides.
Talk About a Turnaround
2024 has been a transformative year for David’s Bridal, which less than one year after filing bankruptcy has:
- Launched a resale program;
- Expanded its loyalty program rewards to include the entire wedding party;
- Teamed up with PersonalizationMall.com to offer custom wedding gifts; and
- Launched a wedding planning platform.
“For 74 years, David’s Bridal has had a front-row seat to the evolution of the wedding industry, becoming the nation’s leading bridal retailer; during that time, we’ve become acutely aware of the lack of solutions that authentically connect the dots between advertisers and our audiences,” said Kelly Cook, President of Brand, Technology and Finance and Co-Chair of the Pearl Advisory Board for David’s Bridal in a statement. “With the launch of Pearl Media Network and acquisition of Love Stories TV, we’re innovating the category in a way that no other wedding platform, marketplace or retailer could, by connecting advertisers directly to couples during their most engaged moments through exciting and targeted content.”
To learn more about retail media, check out our full guide here.
