016: Real Planner: Margaux Fraise of Harmony Creative Studios

Hey planners! Today I have brought on award-winning boutique wedding planner, Margaux Fraise of Harmony Creative Studios. Margaux is based in Los Angeles and has a really interesting story of overcoming a huge challenge. A few years into her business, she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. She tells us about what it was like going through this and the biggest lessons she learned while navigating through it. We talk about the importance of community, getting your legal contracts in order and why you need to set up processes for your business if you want to grow. 

 

What’s in this episode:

• How Margaux got into wedding planning
• Margaux’s experience with being diagnosed with cancer and how this affected her personally and professionally
• How she pushed through a challenging time
• What she learned from going through cancer
• Why you need a solid community
• What made her gravitate toward weddings
• Why you need to have a properly drafted contract 
• The backend processes she’s set up in her business

 

About Margaux:
Hi there! I'm Margaux, and I started Harmony Creative Studio in 2011. Couples are always telling me how calm yet 'in charge' I seem on wedding days - and that is music to this Type 'A' personality! If there is one word that I love above any other - it's 'Harmony', so I went ahead and put it right in our name. I really think Gandhi had it right when he said "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." We strive for that everyday. 

Truth be told - I wasn't always a wedding planner. Working from a retail consulting background gives me a unique perspective on events: I know how people instinctively tend to move through spaces, and how they respond to different signs or prompts. I'm more aware of how guests interact with objects or touch and feel things, or why people respond to different textures and textiles. I've studied how language, colors and even shapes affect how people perceive design and value. I use all these tools plus my 10 years in the wedding industry to help build our events to be the best possible version of whatever you have in mind. 

I live in Santa Monica with my husband Chad and adorable terrier mix Clarence. I'm a SoCal girl born and raised, having lived just about everywhere from Santa Barbara to Temecula.

 

Connect with Margaux:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

 

Today’s sponsor for the Planner Life Podcast is Honeybook. Honeybook and LVL go way back, and that’s because we were one of their first beta users. Honeybook is an online business management tool that organizes client communication, bookings, contracts, invoices and so much more - all in one place. They’re offering listeners of the Planner Life Podcast 50% off your first year. That’s a savings of $200 when you visit http://share.honeybook.com/lvlacademy. Membership options are flexible and this promotion applies whether you pay monthly or annually so simplify your to-do list and stay in control with Honeybook. 

 

Links mentioned:
The Road Less Traveled, Timeless Edition: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

Your Legal BFF

Honeybook

Basecamp

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Evaluation Guide

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

 

Can’t wait to hear more? Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you can be the first to know when we release a new episode! Get to know us even more by following along with us on Instagram @lindsaylongacre and @heatherhoesch. We’d love for you to visit us online on our website. Ready to uplevel your wedding planning business? We have so many resources and goodies available for you at The Planner Life Academy.