Here Comes The Guy To Here Comes The Guide

I am pleased to announce that I have just joined Here Comes The Guide which was a most enlightening experience. Today there are no shortage of advertising opportunities in the wedding industry. There was a time when newly engaged couples would get inundated with postal solicitations in their mailbox shortly after registering for a marriage license. Then bridal shows and the internet provided an entirely new level of information overload. Add Craigslist to the list and the amount of exposure to wedding related services and products a bride-to-be has can be almost dizzying.

So I was really thrilled to learn the extent to which Here Comes The Guide goes to scrutinize their applicants. I say thrilled but it was also a lot of work for me and took about three months to complete the process. I was asked to provide 30 total references of which half were industry and the other half were previous clients. Just making sure all of the telephone and e-mail contact information was accurate and current was a big task because so often after a wedding that can change. I do have a long track record in the local wedding market and thankfully I passed the audition. :-)

Speaking of Craigslist this experience also underscored just how much all wedding advertising is not created equal. Anyone can toss up an ad on Craigslist regardless of their experience. As much as I love it for selling an old lawn mower when it comes to hiring professionals it really leaves the entire scrutinizing process up to the buyer. It's a text book case of let the buyer beware.

On a personal note Here Comes The Guide completely blows my mind if for nothing else, just as a seriously great resource for finding locations. In my many years of helping brides plan their weddings by far their number one quest was to find a facility. So in 1981 my partner and I published a magazine called "Wedding Scenes '81" which was Santa Clara County's only directory of wedding reception facilities. We broke it down by city and provided very basic information like address, phone, capacity, kitchen availability and outside facilities. This magazine was truly unique for its time.

We were very proud of our little local publication that listed places you could hold a wedding reception which included every tiny little restaurant willing to do private banquets. By contrast Here Comes The Guide features over 500 venues of all types covering Northern California not to mention the nearly 1200 nationwide facilities. The searching features and criteria brides can enter on their site is fantastic. It is obvious that Here Comes The Guide is the go-to resource that we were aspiring to all those years ago. Today they cover both bases by appealing to web only brides and those who still prefer thumbing through the physical book as a resource.

So not only is Here Comes The Bride a premier publication that goes to unbridled lengths to scrutinize it's vendors but also provides tons of information in one place that you just can't find elsewhere.  Here is a screen shot of my profile page and also a live link directly to it when you click on the image.

So it begs the question why am I now just joining Here Comes The Guide? I've heard some rumors circulating that I have retired or been held captive in a kitchen at chef's knife point. I consider this new adventure on The Guide to be my coming out party of sorts. As much as I love cooking it is just my hobby and being a Professional DJ and MC is my still my only profession. So really I am just a foodie and music fanatic who loves to entertain audiences with both media. Check out my blog to see the latest in both my culinary and entertainment worlds.

"The rumors of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated"

For more information on Here Comes The Guide the person to contact is Denise Auerbach and you can reach her at 510/548-0400 ext. 321 or denise@herecomestheguide.com.