The Friend Club Evolves from Online to IRL with NYBFW, Grace Heller Events & Jimmy Choo

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The Friend Club, aka the invite-only bridal platform that everyone is talking about, is leading a new era of wedding planning. Founded in September 2023, the digital platform has become known for bringing its members an exclusive, personalized experience with a 1×1 concierge service, thousands of vetted vendors, and properly sourced image inspiration for every bride-to-be. In 2025, the platform is expanding offline, partnering with top industry brands and tastemakers, and hosting design-forward events that reflect their ultimate mission: match members with high-quality vendors while curating a close-knit community.

At this year’s New York Bridal Fashion Week, The Friend Club teamed up with Grace Heller Events to host one of the week’s most talked-about gatherings. Designed to feel more like an intimate soirée than a typical industry mixer, the event brought together planners, florists, designers, and 2025 brides for an immersive experience that captured the essence of what The Friend Club does best: making the planning process feel elevated yet approachable.

(Courtesy of The Wedding Artist’s Co)

With tablescapes galore, curated vendor showcases, and conversations over cocktails, the night served as a love letter to modern bridal storytelling. Guests had the opportunity to meet the faces behind the platform’s trusted vendor collective, experience their work in real life, and source inspiration in a way that algorithms and Pinterest boards simply can’t replicate. Every detail of the event illustrated what’s possible when the right creative team is in place.

(Courtesy of The Wedding Artist’s Co)

(Courtesy of The Wedding Artist’s Co)

Prior to NYBFW, The Friend Club teamed up with Jimmy Choo to celebrate the brand’s RTW 2025 Bridal Collection at its NYC flagship store. The night was a seamless blend of fashion and community, offering guests a front-row seat to the luxury house’s latest designs, alongside exclusive access to The Friend Club’s high-touch vendor network. Through the immersion of fashion, industry insiders, and brides-to-be, the evening embodied the magic of The Friend Club’s mission: connect, inspire, and simplify every step of the wedding planning process.

(Courtesy of CALENROSE)

These IRL moments that are intimate, intentional, and story-driven signal a new chapter for The Friend Club. What began as a digital powerhouse is now transforming into a full-fledged community that brides can be part of offline. Undoubtedly, The Friend Club is changing how the wedding industry and brides-to-be come together—one event at a time.

(Courtesy of The Wedding Artist’s Co)

“Community is at the heart of The Friend Club. We’re connecting aspirational couples with top wedding vendors — and doing it in a way that feels modern, curated, and deeply personal,” says Jaleigh Friend. “From intimate industry events like New York Bridal Fashion Week to exclusive bridal pop-ups with luxury brands like Jimmy Choo, we’re redefining the wedding planning experience — both digitally and in real life. And this is just the beginning. There’s so much more to come.”

(Courtesy of CALENROSE)

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Jaleigh and Clay Friend, The Friend Club was born out of firsthand frustration. With no background in the wedding industry—Jaleigh came from investment banking, Clay from real estate—they approached planning their own wedding with a consumer-first mindset. What they discovered was an outdated, overwhelming process that left couples stressed and vendors underbooked. After two years of research and hundreds of conversations with brides, planners, and vendors alike, they launched The Friend Club.

Today, the platform offers members access to thousands of vetted vendors worldwide, from venues, planners, and florists to stylists, photographers, and brands. The Friend Club’s database includes 300,000+ properly sourced images and has garnered millions of views on social media. With their concierge service, a free text service for wedding planning, inspiration, and vendor sourcing with personalized vendor recommendations based on each member’s completed request form and TFC’s proprietary database, The Friend Club has recommended over a thousand vendors and facilitated over $500K in bookings for more than 500 of their engaged members, making them one of the most impactful new players in the bridal space.

(Courtesy of The Wedding Artist’s Co)

The company’s evolution from a digital directory to IRL community curator is anchored by beautifully executed events and aligned partnerships. These in-person experiences are connection-driven gatherings that reflect the brand’s ethos of modern romance and celebration, with each serving as a tangible expression of what The Friend Club is building: a new kind of wedding planning era rooted in community and collaboration.

With more events and brand partnerships on the horizon, The Friend Club is building a modern bridal universe—one that’s stylish, supportive, and refreshingly fun to be part of.

Presented by: APG

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