And Then She Was Born (Jubilee Occasions)

Hello and welcome! 

My name is Amanda Monk (aka Miss I Do) and I own and operate Jubilee Occasions. The story of how Jubilee Occasions came to be. It's a long, beautiful and complicated story. I'm here to share my vision as I journey through my career as an all inclusive event planner, photographer, and space! Although I have been in the Las Vegas wedding industry for a decade, I am proud and excited to announce the opening of my space, Azul! 

But before I begin, that part of the story, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how I got here and how this career has taken me on such a beautiful ride. 

It all started when a brand new company asked me to join them after their first two weddings. At the time they were so new that they could not pay anyone to help them. And so it began that I was offered leftover wedding cake as payment! I'm pretty sure I have eaten over 1000 different wedding desserts since 2014. 

Through my time with them I started by simply setting up furniture, making sure that the two photographers/planners were supported in any way I could provide. That included serving couples and their guests. The work was grueling, long and exhausting. We specialized in desert weddings. The Vegas heat and sun was intense all on its own, add the fact that three women were setting up, photographing and tearing down all while hauling a trailer and filling cars full of wedding decor to a place with no running water or power! It is there that my true love for the great outdoors and especially Valley Of Fire bloomed. It is where I would grow from an inexperienced assistant to learning all the backend business, then, becoming a full fledged planner with a team of my own. I was eventually trusted to vet and hire each future employee that joined as well. I pushed the company through social media in a more personable direction that proved to propel it into a place it had lacked in before. Authenticity shining as a company of women who were 100 percent real, in love with love and in support of weddings for the non traditional couples.

Over the decade there I was highly encouraged to learn, spread my wings, take challenges and learn from my mistakes; all in the best way from the best two owners. The odds of ever landing in the hands that I did, will be slim to none and I am forever grateful that I experienced it with them. 

The company was bought out in 2023 and although I knew this could be a possibility one day, it felt weird to acquire my own business license. I felt the push to do so during the pandemic. If that taught me anything, it was to spread myself in multi directions. The idea of losing a position or an entire small business going under for reasons out of anyone's hands was something I wasn't willing to see myself doing. I loved the world of weddings and couples too much not to make sure I would be in business no matter what happened in this world. And that folks, was the birth of Jubilee Occasions!

By 2022 I had been invited and worked for multiple companies in various positions. It was my most successful year as a planner, photographer and officiant! I didn't know another Vegas photographer who was also a planner and an officiant. A hybrid role I had been playing since 2018. It has since gained traction in the Vegas wedding scene as of the last year.

Most couples and industry personnel will tell you that I am hard to miss! They know me for my energetic, non-stop talk, stories or crazy gold boots and hats! But most of all..the couples I have the privilege of working with. The extra mile I go to make sure they feel heard and that my commitment to them is felt during a very stressful time of wedding planning. So much so that I continue to this day to meet their new bundles of joy, visit them in their home state or countries and continue a friendship long after we leave the work of their wedding day behind. It's where we no longer know each other for a single event but so much more. We grow to share heartache, triumphs, surprises and new memories created together. Whether it's called a job or career, work is more than something I do. It's part of who I am and the reason I believe that connection is the ultimate luxury. It's how I've been serving couples since 2014.

The idea of Jubilee Occasions being a company wasn't enough for me. I wanted a place specially curated, loved and available to my couples. A third space. A place in between work and home.

If the "second space" is the workplace—where people may actually spend a majority of their time, then a third space is an anchor of a community and usually a public setting that hosts frequent, formal and informal gatherings. Most people are loyal to their third space and return regularly to unwind and socialize. It's best if it's located close to your home or work. 

And that's when I decided in 2023 to design, build and take a HUGE leap of faith (and financial demand) to build Azul. Azul is the third space of my dreams and the place society is yearning for. That patch of grass you and your friends met up on,  before school started. The local coffee shop that you find yourself going to, knowing someone you know will be there. Or that local video or book store that doesn't exist anymore but you remember spending countless hours just searching the titles for something but a lot of times you ended up just wandering it's small aisles.

Today's indoor wedding venues have become white walls, high ceilings, and square boxes that shelter you from the elements of weather and enclose the human spirit. Azul is an open concept of outdoor space. When I walk out there often I envision how each new event will decide how they want to make this a place where it feels....familiar. 

How the stress and worry of curating and entertaining people has become a heavy and expensive burden. Weddings used to be a celebration of the individual couple, their style and life. Today's social media has tipped the scale for many to fill their day with trending decor, name brand vendors and financial pressure to fit in. 

Azul comes with the inviting curation of natural elements you'd find in the Nevada desert. Naturally, it would feel like a well loved home, Nevada's home.  And home means Nevada! This is a space where you would want to spend your time. Like coming to your childhood home during your holiday break. It's the feeling of comfort knowing you can relax and don't have to think about the work and even a little pampering as you notice that your parents left little touches around the house to make you feel at home and welcome. 

Azul is not a venue and you will not hear me use that term to describe it. It is a space for Jubilee clients who hire us to be a part of their most special days. A celebration of life, when a church was never something your loved one wanted, or a place where a family reunion could be held.  It's a place of connection, openness, sharing, individuality, comfort and most importantly a place where all your friends and family can gather and celebrate together. There are no promises of perfection here. Instead you will find me and a staff who want to help you turn Azul into a place you hope to see again, just passing through. Maybe with your first new fur baby or on your 5th anniversary, an unannounced stop to see if you could have one more dance. The answer will be yes. Yes you can come in for a minute, maybe stay a little longer while we grab you something sweet. 

It is with my heart wide open that I invite you to experience Azul, through Jubilee Occasions located beyond the glittering lights of Las Vegas Nevada.

Miss, "I do!"