With a highly curated and vetted vendor directory, 300,000+ sourced images, endless customization features, and a 1:1 concierge service, The Friend Club (TFC) is every bride-to-be’s dream. Essentially a Soho House for brides, TFC has become an ‘iykyk’ phenomenon within the wedding industry. 

Offering their members an exclusive, elevated wedding planning experience where vendors must not only be invited to join, but also vetted through a rigorous screening process, the application requires detailed business information including portfolio work, vendor and client references, testimonials, pricing, and any unique differentiators worth noting. 

When Founders Jaleigh and Clay Friend were planning their own wedding, they struggled to source trusted vendors, inspiration, and ideas that felt relevant. After conversations with vendors and brides alike who also found it difficult to connect with like-minded-clients, the two set out to find a solution. After two years of research and countless meetings, Jaleigh and Clay launched The Friend Club in September 2023 with an extensive rolodex of qualified vendor and venue partners, making TFC the first-of-its-kind platform that addresses issues for both brides and vendors. 

Now in 2024, TFC has thousands of vendors and members on the platform and has garnered millions of views across social media. To date, the company has received over 3,000 applications and helped more than 600 couples.

“Think of us as an invite-only directory meets Pinterest. We launched in September 2023 and now our network and community includes thousands of vendors, venues and hotels, brands, and properly sourced images that are relevant and on-trend”, says Founders Jaleigh and Friend Clay. Upon creating an account with TFC, members can discover (and hire) wedding vendors directly, browse inspiration, vendor pricing, and create countless moodboards.

Although TFC is invite-only for vendors, anyone can create a free profile and join as a member. Members have full access to the vendor directory, ability to explore inspiration, and create moodboards. 

Rather than having a spew of moodboards with dated and unsourced imagery (aka Pinterest), TFC users are only given up-to-date, high-quality imagery to “pin”. More importantly, each image is correctly sourced with the vendor team involved from the florist, location, planner, and stylist, to the bartender, stationary, and more. Jaleigh explains, “We limit image sharing to only the vendors or accepted business accounts on TFC and built an easy to use tagging system for vendors posting images to credit the contributing team. This ensures the TFC platform has high quality and properly sourced images”.

In addition to the platform's direct and extensive offerings, The Friend Club’s perhaps most impressive feature is their Concierge Service. Jaleigh explains, “We know from experience, it can be overwhelming to start the wedding planning process and find the perfect wedding vendor team. Where do you start? What type of wedding? Where? What vibe? How do you find vendors that align with your aesthetic & budget? Next thing you know, you’ve now spent hours going down a rabbit hole. TFC Concierge provides couples with personalized recommendations, hand-crafted inspiration, and direct introductions to vendors/venues that achieve their style and budget goals. We’re your well-connected bestie who has been there, done that”. 

Essentially, the Concierge allows members to submit requests ranging from vendor recommendations and inspirational direction, to general questions, advice, and more. When members text The Friend Club at 310-745-0948 (or submit an inquiry directly through the website), they’re met with a short questionnaire that provides Jaleigh with all the information she needs to make the best-informed recommendations. Jaleigh personally manages all requests and communications to ensure the experience is responsive, high touch and the best part? The service is entirely free. 

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With such mass success within only the first year of business, Jaleigh and Clay Friend attribute their achievements to a thoughtful approach and prioritizing people over scale. “Our focus on curation and quality was well received as this approach really differentiated us from many of the traditional directories and platforms that prioritize scale over community. We build this network organically, one relationship at a time”, says Jaleigh and Clay. 

As wedding trends continue to evolve, The Friend Club believes the one that will stand the test of time is the focus on guest experience and hospitality. From multi-day destination weddings to intimate dinner parties, couples are prioritizing quality time with close family and their planning process is centered around unique experiences for guests.

When we asked Jaleigh what we can expect next from TFC, she shared, “Right now, we’re hyper-focused on weddings and events. We’re excited to continue growing the vendor community and helping couples with their wedding planning process. There's a massive runway for us to expand TFC and we’re just getting started!” Follow @thefriendclub_ on Instagram to stay updated and in the know.