Started In 2014, Now We’re Here
All the best ideas start out at happy hour right? We definitely agree because 6 years ago, Ashley and Meagan introduced Your Jubilee to the world! They were sorority sisters at NAU and instantly became friends. After years of working in corporate and nonprofit events, one night they went to happy hour. After a couple of drinks (a rum & coke and vodka tonic to be exact!), they decided to start an event planning company. With a background in logistics, design and combined planning experience of 7+ years they knew they could figure out how to transition into social events and were eager to start creating more personalized events for people.
Ashley and Meagan officially launched Your Jubilee in April 2014 after months of networking and connecting with local creatives. To build Your Jubilee, they really had to follow their gut, do a lot of research, and ask a lot of questions. While they were navigating through the Arizona wedding and events world, something that was very important to them was that the brand was an authentic reflection of them both. Staying true to the name Jubilee, which means a spirited celebration, one of the core values is to celebrate throughout the planning process with their couples, not just on the big day. We still firmly believe this and Your Jubilee’s motto is “Life Should Be Celebrated”. With the philosophy of creating a joyful experience, Ashley and Meagan made the process fun while navigating the speed bumps of starting a new business. Some of their first bookings in 2014 were a 50th anniversary party, a baby sprinkle, a garden-themed bridal shower, and a handful of weddings. They were honored to host their first networking mixer for the Wedding and Event Networks and went on to lead the group for two years. They also hosted a booth at the Arizona Fashion Debut Bridal Expo!
In 2016, YJ started to grow pretty rapidly, so they hired two associate planners. This led to them opening their headquarters in Old Town Scottsdale! When they first got their office space it needed some TLC. Ashley and Meagan became regulars at Home Depot and went to work revamping their new space. After weeks of work and long nights, the office space was finally complete! We’re proud to say that we have stayed in the same space.
Ashley and Meagan wanted to really immerse themselves in the community and build relationships with other creatives. Some of the community events they are most proud of are The Wedding and Event Network partnered with Arizona Helping Hands for the White Haute Event and The Wedding International Professionals Association (WIPA) Ice Cream Social. They were super proud of the designs and the way they brought the industry together at those events with fun, new elements. Ashley and Meagan have always admired the WIPA association and they had another chance to host a WIPA Bazaar event that was unique and vibrant. Ashley currently holds a position as Chapter President in WIPA!
In 2018, The Celebrated Life podcast was launched. With over 54 episodes, Ashley and Meagan have had the opportunity to talk with some pretty unique people and it’s given them the chance to continue to tell people’s stories but in a new way. Haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet? What are you waiting for? Subscribe today!
Flash forward to 2020. Over the last 6 years, Your Jubilee has grown from 6 events in the first year of business to regularly producing about 40-50 events per year. We are very grateful that we have been able to expand the team. Currently, the YJ squad is made up of rad humans that include 8 lead wedding planners, 5 event assistants, and 4 interns. They’re known as the Jubilettes and always eager to help!
For the team of planners to connect and grow we host yearly retreats. Not only are they educational and fun, but of course they are themed! Below is a peek into the retreats where we help our team connect and learn.
Year 1: “Hustle and Heart” Retreat at Mountain Shadows
Year 2: ” Tacos, Tan Lines, and Timelines” Retreat at Hotel Adeline
Year 3: “To Go Far We Go Together” Retreat weekend in the woods at Pinetop, AZ
Meagan says, “Reflecting on 6 years of entrepreneurship, leadership, hustle, creativity, and all things YJ makes my heart so full. Six years seems like it flew by and also has been the hardest 6 years of my life. I am so proud of the brand we have created that actively chooses to celebrate life! We put hustle and heart into everything we do and are a brand that puts people first. This has shown the strongest during some of the hardest moments in business. We would not be where we are today without our team of strong women that Ashley and I have trained and grown over the years. It is an honor to be able to play such an intricate role in our couples lives and get a front row seat to the entire process. Being able to uniqully bring the couples love story to life with the vendor relationships we have built and seeing it all unfold on the wedding day gives me all the feels! The world is an uncertain place right now, but love always wins, and love always deserves to be celebrated! It’s been 6 years of amazing celebrations and I can’t wait to see how YJ celebrates the next 6!”
Ashley says, “In the beginning, weddings were a creative way to heal my heart from personal heartbreak. Sure, I loved the planning and the design but selfishly, weddings helped me allow love back in my life. These days, I love weddings because of how much joy gathering to celebrate two people in love brings in the world. I love finding ways to help my couple tell their story through the design and flow of their wedding day. It’s such a privilege to witness such a special day in so many people’s lives. I love the people, both the couples, the creative partners, and the incredible team we have built, that I get to build relationships and community with. It’s been an incredible journey and I can’t wait to see what the next 6 years will bring!”
We have coordinated on 164 weddings, 52 special events including 2 multi-day nonprofit cycling events and 25 styled shoots. So as a company that’s over 240 events.
It’s incredibly humbling to look back and see our team starting with two assistants and paying them with chipotle burritos to our amazing wedding pros we have now. We can’t wait to create more unique celebrations and celebrate our couple’s love!
