We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Hobbs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I recently bought a Wedding Chapel in Nashville Tennessee. I had been a corporate controller for years prior and lived in California since birth. I normally vacationed out of the country every year but Covid had put a hold on that life. So, instead I visited my sister in Tennessee. After that visit, I was hooked. My husband had been trying to get me to consider other states to relocate to but I was steadfast on staying in California……until I went to Tennessee. I then begin to imagine doing something I wanted to do for a living and not just looking for a job. I wanted to find something that inspired me as a person so I looked up wedding venue’s for sale in Nashville. I happen to find a listing for a Wedding Chapel and off I went!! After a second visit with my sister a few months later, I basically bought the chapel and found a home to be built. Imagine my husbands shock, when I announced both of these pieces of news. I have always been one to shake and groove and move mountains. My husband is a slow and steady, over thinking and almost gets paralyzed in decision making kind of person. I would have to take the lead and execute this new chapter for us both.
Thankfully the amazing current owner of the Chapel was gracious in agreeing to run the business till I could get a home built there later that year.
Moving from one state to another is like pushing a cruise ship from one location to another on land and by hand. It’s not easy task and I was still working full time, orchestrating buying a business, packing up a home, selling off furniture, organizing what remained, purging junk, finishing an investment property remodel, selling that investment, getting numerous cars and trailers pre-moved to the new state, finding places to store these items, securing roommates for my current home (we still live there too) and then getting dogs, a car, a horse bar trailer, a truck and my aging parents (my mother needed to see where I was moving to) to Nashville in a 4 day period. I left my job on a Tuesday and we left for Tennessee on that Thursday. Our home stuff was packed and ready to be shipped to us. I just needed a house. Did I mention the delays in building? The good news was my son had moved to Tennessee too and we stayed with him for 4 months while we waited on our house to be finished. I was also, landing in Tennessee and taking over the Chapel immediately. Anyone tired yet? Because i was exhausted. I also had plans for a slight remodel at the Chapel so we had to get that done ASAP. We didn’t get here and breathe a sigh of relief, we dropped off our stuff and ran to remodel the Chapel!
Fast forward a year later (almost), it has profoundly changed me as a human. My no nonsense, get this thing done personality has softened. I marry (yes, me) people almost every day. It has reminded me of the good in people again. I had been so programmed to get results, I had forgotten about people and their goodness. Now I listen to my couples stories and tear up at their tears. We hear so many amazing stories of love and triumphs. I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was always interested in Weddings. I knew in my heart I was destined to do something with them, I just didn’t know what. Even before I bought the Chapel everything I looked at, was through these eyes of “I need to be doing weddings”. It was my fate and I knew it long ago, it just never fit into my life, until now

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

The Wedding Chapel has proven to have multiple streams of revenue. I have capitalized on almost every opportunity that has come my way. 1. The remodel I did was a oversized two car garage located in the back of the lot, I knew when I saw it, it would be the home of my new reception space. It needed glass garage doors, painted black ceilings and a brick look to finish it off. I have used it now for many receptions. It has proven to be a good idea and has expanded my reach.
2. I revamped a system that had limited certain ceremonies for certain days and opened them up to all days. That has been huge. It is also the one ceremony that I will do (I have officiants who do the others for me). I can fit them into my schedule almost every day and can now take last minute weddings. That was not possible very often with the old system.
3. I have gotten calls to shoot music videos and do reality TV. The music video has panned out and I’m loving the song and video (I posted on my social media for my couples to see a glimpse of inside of the chapel). I basically got paid to have a professionally shot video made. The reality TV is still being shopped around, that might take some time to come to fruition. I am also considering doing a version myself and starting my own series on YouTube/TikToK. I have the real love stories at my Chapel. The ones that were against all odds.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was once a young single mother raising two kids and working full time. I knew that was not going to get me too far too fast, I needed a college education. So I set out on a journey (took close to 10 years) and got my Bachelor’s degree. I worked, raised my boys and put myself thru college. The day I graduated was one of the most proud days of my life. You go girl! It definitely taught me to endure long pathways to achieve my goals. Sometimes things just take time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rhinestoneweddingchapel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instragram.com/rhinestoneweddingchapel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhinestoneweddingchapel
• Linkedin: Rhinestone Wedding Chapel