Weekend Getaway with the Beau!

When your beau asked you to meet his parents, butterflies rumbled in your stomach….you were excited, a little nervous, elated, and the sound of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons flooded your mind…a wedding in the future perhaps?

Luckily you had the perfect ensemble to wear thanks to Tog + Porter’s Meeting the Parents style guide. Classy, feminine, and lady-like. You nailed it and remembered that the most important thing in preparing to meet the parents is to simply be yourself. Brunch with his parents was delightful and so fun! He was at ease, his parents down-to-earth and excited to meet you, and you felt like a princess.

The following day he shared that his parents absolutely loved you and have invited the two of you up to their Lake Tahoe lake house for a weekend getaway. An invitation to spend more time with his parents and immerse yourself in their world seemed to be the absolute perfect timing. How lovely!

The week leading up to the lake getaway you pamper yourself with pretty ballet slipper polish for a mani/pedi, waxed in all the right places, highlights and a cut, and a spray tan for any time spent on the lake. The Mr. shares to pack casual but said there would be a lakeside BBQ oyster shucking party with his parent’s neighbors the first night, boating on the lake the next day, followed by an intimate dinner at the house and dominoes fireside with after dinner drinks.

Casual isn’t really in your vocabulary and as much as you love your walks in nature, heading to “the woods” isn’t necessarily as easy as it seems for a city girl! Channeling your inner Carrie Bradshaw you put on the episode of Sex and the City where Carrie visits Aidan’s country cottage. 

You hope to fare better than Carrie did when she visited Aidan’s cabin. Clearly, comfort is key, but you don’t want to compromise your keen fashion sense that he has grown so fond of.

Not only do you need to plan some cute outfits but you also want to bring his parents a nice little gift to say Thank You for the lovely invitation and weekend at their lake house. What to get them that is a kind gesture but still not trying too hard?

And considering that you don’t know what their lake house is like at all or his mother’s discerning taste, the pressure is on. You do know that his parents are East Coast types who moved out to San Francisco ten years ago for his father’s job in private equity. Like father, like son. His parents definitely are on the more conservative side and money no object.

You also want to surprise your beau with a little something unexpected…. afterall, it is your 6 month anniversary that Saturday! We understand how any girl can feel a little overwhelmed by this scenario, which is why we sent an S.O.S. over to our friends at Tog + Porter for some outfit ideas. Stylist Camilla Basse broke it down for us and gave us suggestions for each activity on the trip.

For the oyster roast, she suggests your favorite and most comfortable pair of boyfriend jeans, a classic white button-down and a cozy sweater.

On day 2, a chambray button-down, your beloved go to denim shorts and metallic boating shoes for the boat excursion. Wear your new summer bathing suit (and sunscreen) underneath she says.

For dinner, Camilla says you can wear the same chambray top from earlier back to a white cotton or lace skirt or go for sleeveless plaid or tribal print top with your denim shorts. 

She also says one statement piece is always a good idea. And, nothing says statement piece like a beaded shirt toned down and made cabin appropriate with denim.

With your packing list complete, it’s time to set out on what is destined to be one weekend to remember.

As for the gifts, you know him best, but us gals here at T+P think a picnic basket tote from Brookstone for his parents would make a useful, yet thoughtful gift for future boating trips. If they already have something of the sorts, a monogrammed Pendleton wool blanket is always a winner.

Need help packing for an upcoming getaway? One of Tog + Porter’s amazing stylists would love to help you. You can even schedule an appointment with Camilla by simply clicking here.

Linx Visits Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley

Today started out very early in hair and make-up getting ready for a TV interview for ABC 7 local Bay Area news about the Bay Area dating scene and the professionals that hire a firm like Linx to find love.  Air date in May TBD.

I was clearly very focused and shall we say serious here?! Listening and seeing if our first screening appointment meets a match for one of our current VIPs. 

I arrived to the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley to meet the lovely anchor, Kristen Sze, who I worked with behind the scenes to develop exactly the fun story she wanted for the piece.

Beyond the story, my assistant and I were at the hotel meeting a ton of female candidates who submitted their information to see if they have that “it” factor to meet a Linx VIP guy. The first female agreed to let her screening with Linx be filmed for the piece which was great. All mic’ed and wired up, we chatting as we would anyways about men (in some cases boys 😉 ), dating, and what she desires in finding a mate. 

After the first screening, I had a male and female 40-something client show up for mini chats with Kristen on camera about their quest to find love. Everyone was super enthusiastic and generous to carve out time out of their busy days for this unique opportunity.

We also got footage of my male clients lunch date at the hotel which was fabulous and it turns out it is a match! I found a smart, fun, and adventurous client to match him to who also willingly agreed to be part of the story (caveat not showing her face and revealing identity). Outside of the context of the TV date, they actually hit it off and plan to see one another soon both texting me saying they were pumped up and excited to have met one another. Yes! I finally use a Mac after years of being a PC user. I love my Mac!  Was I ever resistant and getting me to switch was an uphill battle but no regrets. 

At around 12:30pm, the cameraman and Kristen cruised out and off to other stories and Aimi (assistant) and I resumed our business as usual. We met with many additional ladies who were each impressive in their own way. It is now up to my team to digest all of the information we gathered and see if there is a unique fit at this moment for one of our VIPs. If that is not the case, I will hold their info and ask they they touch base in a few months. As “not so sexy” as it seems, running a matchmaking business is a game of inventory, supply, and demand.

As always the Four Seasons Hotel Palo Alto went above and beyond the call of duty being so gracious and kind to us. From free wireless, little berries and chocolates to keep us going (on the house!), super friendly staff, and a very easy place to meet clients, I highly recommend the hotel for any of your business needs and also for date night (head to Quattro for amazing food and wine!) I hold the hotel close to my heart as for some of you know, it’s where my hubbie proposed back in 2007! Yeay for getting engaged! Excuse me…bonjour! …the way to a matchmakers heart is absolutely through fresh berries and little “guilt free” chocolates (in a silver box no less).  

A matchmaker’s job is never ending. I now have many clients emails to tend to, a match here and there, quick trip to the office, and then to bed early for another casting day tomorrow!

 

Extra Extra | Casting Call

CASTING CALL : SINGLE YOUNG MEN FOR TV STORY !!! 

I am looking for a youthful single guy in Silicon Valley to be the lead character for a very high-end TV news story who tends to date older women 40+. This is for a media project filming next Thursday April 25th in Palo Alto for national TV. Amazing exposure if you are single and searching! Questions/got you intrigued?

Email me asap if you’re my guy! amy@linxdating.com

Announcing our exciting VIP Search! Are you a match?

We are excited to announce a new search at Linx. Our VIP client has got it all going on – 40 years old, handsome, 6’0″, slim athletic build and avid swimmer, medium length dark brown hair, and a disarming smile. He is whip smart, a highly accomplished entrepreneur, founder and current CEO of a large company he grew from the beginning, and author of a bestselling business book – a true mover and shaker.  Extremely well educated as well.

He has lived all over the United States with stops in New York, LA, New Orleans and the Bay Area, among others and has a kernel of laid back cajun charm that lurks as an undercurrent to a very driven and intense personality. Despite his busy CEO life, at heart, he is a family man who loves spending time with his parents, siblings, and nieces, loves dogs, and hopes to craft his own close-knit family unit with his perfect match.  With that said, our client is Jewish and his cultural faith (more so than the pure religion) is very important to him – this means that his ideal match was raised Jewish.  

Note, this photo is not our client…..our client is tall, dark, and handsome like this photo.

His perfect woman 25-32 years old, very attractive, feminine, strong, smart, warm, an “old soul,” and shares his comfort in (and priority on) Jewish culture particularly with respect to family.

If you know anyone who might make a great match for our VIP or you think you have what it takes, please email me asap amy@linxdating.com. Take a leap of faith and email us. Don’t hold back…this guy is a dream!

 

Meet The Parents | What To Wear

The time has come to meet your honey’s parents.  You’re both thrilled and petrified. Although we’re sure they’ll love you as much as he does, you want to put your best fashion foot forward on this momentous occasion.  We teamed up with style experts Tog + Porter to show Linx readers how to look fabulous for this huge occasion.

The first step in deciding what to wear is to find out what the setting is. Are you gathering for a casual brunch?  Drinks?  Dinner?  One thing is certain, no matter the setting: keep your look polished and demure.

Tog + Porter stylist Camilla Basse says a floral dress with strappy sandals and a solid cardi or white skinnies with a silky top in a soft tone are winning combos for a brunch date. 

For him:  jeans with a casual button up and blazer.

For cocktails or a more formal dinner date, we suggest a lace dress with neon heels or classic black heels if you get the feeling they’re a little more on the conservative side. A flirty floral dress with long sleeves is another option for a more covered up approach. Pair back to striking strappy metallic heels to add some wow factor.

For him: a pair of slim cut trousers, a button up and blazer OR a killer suit, which like Clooney never goes out of style. (Yeah, we totally stole that line from Sex and the City)For killer suit inspiration, have your man borrow a page from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s GQ spread.If you need help prepping an outfit to meet your beaux’s parents or friends, you know where to turn. You can now book your face-to-face skype session with a Tog + Porter stylist online here.

Ask Amy | Advice Given

Vanity Fair has given Linx in Menlo Park so much exposure. Lots of you are writing me from around the world wanting to find love through Linx. While we can’t work with many folks as they are out of country or state due to a variety of reasons, I am dishing out a lot of gratis advice to new admirers of Linx. One lovely Harvard educated woman in Chicago asked me where to meet the men in her hometown.

Hi Amy,

Thanks for your response! I am having a really hard time meeting men!  Do you have suggestions about where else I could try?  I am trying not to be picky,
but I can’t help it.  I’ve gone out on tons of dates and men usually really like me when they first meet me, but I haven’t yet felt that special spark.

Amy Says…..

While I am not familiar with the matchmaker scene in Chicago there are lots of ways to increase your dating pipeline. I might consider trying an online site like rightstuffdating http://www.rightstuffdating.com/  Given that they are based on the East Coast, I have a feeling there are some good guys part of it. For those that don’t know, they work with the Ivies and have been around for decades as an online dating option. Sort of an archaic website but a way to increase those odds in being potentially matches to like-minded matches.

I would also consider joining (should you have time) as many coed clubs as you can: meetups around a common interest, coed book club, coed running club, etc. Center yourself in places where the TYPES of guys you would like to meet would be at. Want to really increase those odds, start your own meet-up.

Mid West men are the best! Head out the to burbs too (Lake Forest, etc). Sure many will be married but plant yourself in coffee shops and say HELLO to everyone around you. Open yourself up to new connections and exude an air of confidence and one that is friendly and happy. People want to be around that type of person, thus you never know who you will flirt and rub elbows with.

Now that it is nice weather, get out to the lake every second you can. Run along the lake, read at the lake, go on Craiglist and see if they have activities for singles at the lake. Beach volleyball is a great activity as an example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaches_in_Chicago

Linx in Vanity Fair!

After a much anticipated wait, Linx Dating is featured in the May issue of Vanity Fair!

Journalist Alexandra Wolfe wrote a fun piece on the Silicon Valley social scene. The story is largely about Linx being the matchmaker of choice and a massive trend setter by having thrown an event at The Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel in Menlo Park, CA back in 2009 with hundreds of guests. You multiply the opening of the hotel by the sheer popularity of the Linx Link & Drink party that summer in 2009, and basically it started a movement of sorts. In other words, Linx was a huge catalyst in creating “the scene” at The Rosewood and more recently in the Silicon Valley in general. I’ve always loved a great party but never knew I’d be part of a movement as such!

As Wolfe states, “many attribute the bar’s crush of singles to area matchmaker Amy Andersen -a self-declared ‘love concierge’ and the founder of Linx Dating – who first helped designate the bar a singles’ destination…..it would be the first of many events at the hotel. Thus, the Rosewood scene – and its accidental by-product, Cougar Night – was born.”

Although I’ll be the first to admit I am not fond of the term “cougar” or “sugar daddy” and make a strong point not to have those phrases enter my vocabulary, many people who are outside of the Silicon Valley bubble love to anchor on those images and the story clearly caters to that kind of reader and even contains a fair amount of inaccurate information about the details of Linx.

However, big picture, I am extremely beyond grateful for the rare opportunity to have been a part of a story in a publication as venerable as Vanity Fair. From working with celebrity photographer Justin Coit doing our all day glamorous photo shoot, to my lovely conversations with Alexandra at Linx (and even on a Stanford dish hike with her “dishing”), I am so thankful to Vanity Fair. Always. Forever. As seen in the actual magazine

Actual image from Justin Coit sent to me

Follow me on Twitter @linxdating

Linx Dating Confidential | Female, 28, in education