Rising Stars: Meet Heather Docherty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Docherty.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
When my now-husband, Scott, and I were engaged and planning our wedding, we found out the owners were looking to sell the venue. We had already put a deposit down to have our wedding reception here. Scott asked me, “What if we bought it?” After some discussion, we told the owners we were interested in buying the business and the venue. We took over management a couple of months later, in January 2016. At the time, we had been engaged for just over three months. We were planning our wedding while building our brand and helping couples celebrate their weddings. That gave us a unique perspective and informed much of how we run our business. Being engaged ourselves, we wanted to focus our services on making weddings easier and less stressful for couples and their families. Our packages include a DJ, bartender, and on-site coordination services. We also set up tables and chairs in advance and do most of the cleaning for our clients.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think growing a business is ever smooth. We had a huge learning curve and a short time to prepare to take over operations. Fortunately, Scott had worked as a bartender for the previous owners, so we had a small knowledge base. The venue itself only had minimal maintenance done for about a decade and needed lots of repairs and upgrades. We spent most of our spare time working on it the first couple of years at the venue.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
When Scott and I first got engaged, I remember being overwhelmed by the prospect of planning an entire wedding. Once I started wedding planning, I found that I enjoyed it. After a couple of years, we decided to expand our services. I became a Certified Wedding Planner in early 2018. We began offering wedding planning services and decor rentals as a convenience because of the need in the area. To date, I’ve coordinated over 100 weddings and many other events. Helping couples and families enjoy their celebrations without worrying about the little things is why we do what we do. No one should have to empty the trash or clean in their wedding attire.

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Everything doesn’t have to be perfect for a wedding celebration to go perfectly.

Pricing:

• Event packages start at $1200
• Wedding packages start at $2200

Contact Info:

• Website: CarbonCreekEvents.com
• Instagram: @carboncreek
• Facebook: @carboncreekvenue
• Other: Facebook & IG @hdeventsbycarboncreek

Image Credits
Kenny Felt Photography, Kristen Golden Photography, Most images are my own.