Meet Heather Spencer | Owner & Certified Wedding Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Spencer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from Castle Rock, Colorado and grew up there with my sister, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Family has always been a central part of my life and has provided me with incredible support for anything I set out to do. From a young age (approx. 5 years old to 18 years old) my sister and I participated in 4-H, a youth program built to teach children and teens the importance of caring for animals and others, record keeping, creativity, healthy competition, community service, responsibility and self-motivation. Being in this wonderful program, while raising and showing hundreds of sheep on my grandparents’ farm is probably the largest part of my upbringing that has made me who I am today. I have the confidence to take risks when needed and the skills to plan, organize and execute my goals.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Weddings by Heather Renee specializes in wedding day coordination. The services I provide are designed to give couples peace of mind throughout the planning process, the resources they need to plan their dream day and above all, a stress-free wedding day. The focus is to provide an experience worth remembering, making each couple feel confident in their designs and decisions, and excited about their celebration. Many venues require a professional planner or coordinator to be there on the wedding day, but many budgets cannot fit in a full service planner – that’s where I come in!

My experience leading up to owning a wedding planning business is what really sets me apart from other planners. I began my career as a banquet server at a family-owned venue. Quickly working my way up to banquet captain and shortly after that transitioning into the sales office – this gave me the full picture of what planning and executing a wedding from start to finish looks like. Beyond that I worked part time as catering staff for a company that brings in all the equipment and food from offsite while working front desk part-time at a hotel. Once I had the hotel experience, I was hired as an event concierge at the largest convention hotel in Colorado, working as the liaison between clients and every department of the hotel (banquet, front desk, housekeeping, engineering, A/V, transportation, etc.). It was such a fun job, but I knew that corporate luncheons and conferences were not what I wanted to invest my time and energy in… weddings were my true passion! My work family at the hotel threw me a going away dinner party as I made my next move to Arizona working as a catering manager for a nationwide wedding venue company. This is where I fine-tuned my coordination skills and started creating some long-lasting vendor friendships.

Over the past few years I have become exceptionally attuned to coordinating private residence and backyard weddings. There are special details that come into play at homes, that otherwise wouldn’t be a concern at a wedding venue. I am a one woman show who takes great pride in what I do. Being a wedding coordinator is more of a lifestyle than a job and I LOVE IT!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The one person I owe my current success to is my phenomenal husband, Brad. Throughout COVID he watched me struggle through working at a wedding venue, which at that time was barely floating above the water just like everything else. The company truly did what they could for their couples and employees, but the stress and frustration piled on from every angle. Near the end of 2020 I made a joke to Brad, who was my boyfriend at the time, about leaving my job and starting my own company and he immediately, quite seriously said “Why not? Do it.” It had been something I had thought about for almost 9 years, so I did and he helped financially with the branding and website design. That’s how my success began… all thanks to one man who completely and whole-heartedly believed in me.

Once I got passed the administrative tasks of starting a business I knew I needed a support group or a place to go for advice and resources. I came across the most caring and coordinated organization called The Certified Wedding Planner Society. The CEO, Laurie, and her second in command, Krisy, really love what they do and have worked hard to create a community of planners that build each other up and perform at their best. I recommend this group to any planner who wants to have a positive impact on the wedding industry!!!

Website: https://www.weddingsbyheatherrenee.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingsbyheatherrenee/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeddingsbyHeatherRenee/

Other: @weddingsbyheatherrenee https://mediazilla.com/mKfCbemHb0

Image Credits
Fireplace reception: Mallory Munson Photography Walking down aisle: Hillary Lacy Photography Tall centerpiece reception: Helena & Laurent Photography Colorful reception: Trevor Dayley Photography Petals in air: Charlotte Francis Photography (also photographer for single image for personal photo) Black & white table closeup: Madi Robison Photography White & green table scape: Vanessa Kruse Photography “The Taylors”: Kelly Erin Photography