WeddingWire Says Goodbye To Bethesda

A popular Bethesda-based wedding industry company will soon move to Chevy Chase.

WeddingWire—which produces a wedding-central website where brides- and grooms-to-be can build their own wedding planners and websites and shop for wedding accouterments (dresses, cakes, etc.)—is moving its offices to Friendship Heights, at 2 Wisconsin Circle (the building above the Metrobus station), CoStar Group (a real estate information company) reported last week.

The wedding tech company's new 26,180-square-foot office will be located on the third floor of the 13-story, LEED Gold-certified building known as the Chevy Chase Metro Building. WeddingWire will sublease the space from The Mills—a Simon Property Group, Inc., company—through 2019. The building is owned by .

WeddingWire is relocating from smaller offices (of only 10,000 square feet) up the street, at 7101 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, The Washington Post reported.

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The company developed from its founder's personal experience.

"Chief executive Timothy Chi conceived the idea for WeddingWire while planning his own wedding in 2005. He also co-founded BlackBoard in 1998," The Post added.

"For over 100,000 local merchants, WeddingWire provides a marketing platform to reach prospective clients, to manage multi-media assets, and to network with other merchants. For engaged couples, WeddingWire provides vendor recommendations, local business reviews, personal website creation, and a suite of online planning tools," CrunchBase reported.

The average cost of a U.S. wedding has declined slightly in recent years. In 2007, the average wedding cost $28,730. Last year, the average wedding cost $25,630, according to The Wedding Report. (In 1945, the average wedding cost only $2,240.)