How was 2019 for you? What were your wins and losses? Did you hit your goals? What are your plans for 2020?

On today's episode, Megan and Jason Gillikin talk all about chaos, transitions, wins, fails, goals, and more in the last episode of 2019!

As you heard on the show, we have a BIG announcement coming soon, and the best way to hear about it first is to join our mailing list at weddingsforreal.com or text "wfr" to 33777.

Today's guest is Margaux Fraise from Harmony Creative Studio in Los Angeles. Margaux has been planning weddings and events for 8 years. She's also a cancer survivor, which in 2014 knocked her out of running her business for about two years. Through that experience, she learned to appreciate life, the little things, and the gestures that go a long way. So today we talk about gifting for both clients and vendors – why that’s the right thing to do but can also be used as a strategy to get more business.

On the episode, you heard Margaux talk about a Client Gifting for Wedding Pros Cheat Sheet, and you can find that at bit.ly/weddingprogifting!

Aneesa Glines can best be described as a force of nature with a huge smile and even bigger laugh, whose kind nature is matched by her business drive and desire to grow professionally. She's the owner and lead consultant of Harmony Weddings and Events, the owner of Forest Hall at Chatham Mills, AND the owner of the upcoming venue The Graham Mill. And she only got into weddings - while still in college - in 2015! So with the growth, she has become a master at building her team - all very different, but all with shared values

Cindy Novotny has been called "The Radical Mentor" for good reason. She is a no-nonsense, call-it-like-it-is, whether-you-want-to-hear-it-or-not speaker and hospitality consultant. Today she comes on the show to talk about her upcoming book, The Secret to My Stamina, and her previous work, Living with No Balance and Loving It.

Cindy has run her consulting business Master Connection Associates with her husband for over 30 years and tours internationally 50 weeks out of the year. She is a keynote speaker at events like Engage, Wedding MBA, and many more conferences (not just in the hospitality field). 

In the episode, you heard about the She Creates Content Calendar from Kinsey Roberts. By clicking on this link and entering coupon code WFR at checkout by December 1st, you get 10% off an already ridiculously priced $127 for a year-long content calendar! With the calendar, you get:

- 10 Page Welcome Guide with Your 10-page welcome guide that includes marketing channel ideas, best practices, daily prompt ideas, and monthly themes to keep in mind as you're creating content.

- 365 Days of Content Prompts for Wedding Business Owners. If you're in the wedding industry, serving engaged couples, this content is for you.

- 30 Day Sample Strategy Prompts to boost your creativity when it comes to creating a consistent marketing strategy for your wedding business.

If you're anything like Megan, 2019 has been all about personal and professional growth - how to be a better boss, friend, partner, and mom. And one of the most fascinating ways that she has found to analyze how she can improve overall is the Enneagram personality assessment. So on today's show, Megan talks to Joanna Kenney (also of Jo's Paper Kitchen in Montgomery TX) about what makes the Enneagram different from other personality tests, the nine numbers, their strengths and weaknesses, and how you can use your number to better yourself!

In the episode, you heard about the She Creates Content Calendar from Kinsey Roberts. By clicking on this link and entering coupon code WFR at checkout by December 1st, you get 10% off an already ridiculously priced $127 for a year-long content calendar! With the calendar, you get:

- 10 Page Welcome Guide with Your 10-page welcome guide that includes marketing channel ideas, best practices, daily prompt ideas, and monthly themes to keep in mind as you're creating content.

- 365 Days of Content Prompts for Wedding Business Owners. If you're in the wedding industry, serving engaged couples, this content is for you.

- 30 Day Sample Strategy Prompts to boost your creativity when it comes to creating a consistent marketing strategy for your wedding business.

Jo's Paper Kitchen on Social Media:

Instagram: @JosPaperKitchen

Facebook: @JosPaperKitchen

Pinterest: @JosPaperKitchen

If you’re a member of the Rising Tide Society Facebook Group, you might have seen a post (since deleted) a few months ago from a photographer who said that when a wedding planner is involved, it makes other wedding vendors’ jobs more difficult and it messes up the flow of a wedding day. From his perspective, it’s better to have a wedding WITHOUT a planner. Well as you either saw or can imagine, this sparked a lot of debate, and shockingly, many people agreed with his perspective. Danielle Pasternak, wedding planner at DPNAK and co-host of the Put A Ring On It Podcast, has some thoughts, and she shares them on the show today!

Jose Rolon is the lead wedding planner at Jose Rolon Events in New York City. Jose is a single father of 3 children, a 6 year-old and 5 year-old twins, and today he shares such incredible insight into how his children have helped him grow his business in this touching, funny, and emotional episode.

Among other incredible accolades, Francie Dorman and Britt Cole of 42 North Weddings in New England have been named one of the top planning companies by Brides Magazine in 2019. With their success, they wanted to mentor up-and-coming wedding planners in the New England area. And so they founded a completely separate brand to do just that - Mavinhouse Events.