Our History
35 years ago I was on tour in the United States and found myself overnight in an Hotel in Denver. After dinner I was about to go for a walk when I noticed that there was a convention on in one of the hotel function rooms for “The Wedding Guide” so I decided to take a look.
I had hardly set foot in the room when I was set upon by a fearsome lady demanding who I was and where I was from – I explained and she said that she owned “The Wedding Guide” in the USA and was looking to develop it in the UK.
As I was at the time involved with Fran and Co –the publishing and publicity arm of the James Hunt motor racing empire I agreed to take particulars back with me and see if there was any interest in the UK.
We did some research and found little interest and reported back to Yvonne Pearce (the fearsome lady) in Denver who said “Nuts. You are doing it wrong I will be on the next flight” – and she was!!!
She arrived in Southend on the Saturday of the Air Show – Spring Bank Holiday – so I left her in the Hotel and collected her to start talking to wedding Suppliers on the Tuesday. By the time I collected her on the Tuesday Morning she had already signed up 3 companies to participate in the First Edition of an Essex Wedding Guide and we never looked back, developing into a National Franchise and being involved in the early development of the National Wedding Show with Ivan Allen.
Terry Steel
The Wedding Guide Founder
For Our Brides
The Wedding Guide – Here you can find trustworthy suppliers as well as your nearest wedding fair, endless inspiration on topics that YOU want to know about, plus our fantastic ‘real weddings’ section.
Our website is full of recommended suppliers for your wedding day, all vetted and checked to ensure that whichever company you choose, they will be helpful, knowledgeable and useful every time. If you are not 100% satisfied with anyone’s service, simply contact us at terry@theweddingguide.co.uk. Once a supplier has been approved, we then provide them with a badge that they can display on their website and any social media. This badge is renewed each year, look out for The Wedding Guide symbol as sign of a top quality supplier.
We have had several Wedding forums and met with many brides at our fairs, we have taken on board what you want from us and have designed our 2020 format with your thoughts and comments in mind. Over the course of 2020 we will have further forums and hope to keep improving our services to make sure your day is as special as possible.
Essentially, if you are looking for a range of dependable suppliers in Essex, London & Herts then look no further than The Wedding Guide- we are still the original and best supplier directory, our 30 years experience proves this.
For Our Suppliers
The Wedding Guide have now totally re-launched to conform with the digital age! And in 2020 we are still the market leader, offering:
1. The only planning platform for Brides that only permits advertising in our guides from suppliers who have been vetted by our panel.
2. The only Planning Directory group to offer £1000 towards your honeymoon for brides who sign up to our competition.
3. The only company in our field with a GPS sensitive app for wedding planning all over the UK.
4. The only group in the sector with a separate Social Media promotion section and our own dedicated Exhibition Division.
5. The best mailing list of prospective brides to Wedding Service Providers.
We will shortly be the only company to offer National Wedding Awards for Wedding Services judged solely by Brides themselves and available as a National Franchise in the new format.
Once a supplier has been approved for the guide we then provide them with a badge, they can display this on their website and any social media. This badge is renewed each year, look out for The Wedding Guide symbol as sign of a quality supplier.
For Our Franchisees
The Wedding Guide currently have franchises in Essex, London and Hertfordshire, with Suffolk, Kent and Surrey joining us in the new year. However, we are looking to spread even further! We want to collaborate with others to take our franchise to new levels in the industry, the time is now.
Becoming a franchisee means our proven track record provides you peace of mind that this is a smart business decision. With franchises being more likely to succeed than startup businesses, it is essential you enquire further into the possibility of becoming one of The Wedding Guide’s franchisees.
Invest in your future by contacting us… now!