We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Conley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
In the fall of 2022, my now-husband and I got engaged and began planning our summer 2023 wedding. Living in a small town, and being a naturally creative person, I knew I’d be handling most of the planning and design myself, which I was completely okay with. We wanted an intimate ceremony followed by a fun celebration with our closest friends and family.
I worked at a local golf course (and still do today), so it felt fitting to host our reception there but we decided to host the ceremony in our own backyard. We poured our hearts into bringing our vision to life — building custom backdrops, renovating the yard, and paying attention to every detail.
When it came time to secure vendors, we quickly realized how limited local options were. Finding a DJ and photographer was easy, but when it came to basics like chairs, it became clear that our small town lacked quality rental options. We ended up renting garden chairs from a vendor 90 miles away — the chairs were beautiful, but the delivery fees were outrageous. To save money, we drove to pick them up ourselves the day before the wedding.
Then, just a month before the big day, disaster struck. A major storm destroyed the entire backyard setup we had worked so hard on. We had to completely reimagine our plans and move the ceremony to the golf course, holding it out on the practice green. The space was gorgeous but wide open — with nowhere for me to “hide” before walking down the aisle. So, back to the drawing board we went. My husband built a stunning set of double doors for my grand entrance, and those doors ended up being the first pieces in what would become our rental collection.
After the wedding, we realized there was a real need in our community for quality, accessible event rentals. We decided to start by renting out the arch and double doors we built, and before long, we added tables and chairs to our inventory. We took a leap of faith — maxing out credit cards and investing every extra penny to buy enough to get started.
We launched with 120 garden chairs, 100 fanback chairs, 20 rectangular tables, and 10 round tables. In just two years, that has grown to over 600 chairs and 50 tables. We’ve also expanded into luxury slumber parties, full-service event decorating, rental décor, and event planning.
This business, Soirée Events, has been an incredible investment not only for us but also for our community. And in the past year, we’ve launched a second venture, Splatterley, a fully mobile splatter room party bus that brings an interactive, paint-splattering experience right to your location.
What started as a solution to our own wedding challenges has turned into something much bigger – a thriving pair of businesses that bring joy, creativity, and convenience to celebrations all over our area. The thing that makes this journey even more meaningful is that both my husband and I still work full-time jobs while running our two businesses – a true labor of love that has strengthened our work ethic and creativity.
Stephanie, 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’ve been in the event industry for about a decade now, though my love for planning started long before I ever had a title. I used to plan carnivals and special events for the daycare where I worked, and that’s really where I discovered how much I enjoyed creating experiences that brought people joy.
Not long after that, someone I knew from high school recommended me for an internship at our local fairgrounds. I interviewed, got the position, and quickly went from intern to full-time event manager. I handled everything from weddings and trade shows to concerts, rodeos, and the annual county fair. That role taught me how to stay calm under pressure, think creatively, and manage every detail from start to finish.
From there, I transitioned into promotions with a local radio station — another fast-paced, creative environment that kept me connected to the community. Then came COVID, and like so many others, I suddenly found myself out of work. During that downtime, I took a receptionist position to stay busy, but I knew my heart was still in events.
When gatherings started happening again, I was offered a position at Colonial Park Golf Course, where I’ve now worked for about four years. I love it — it allows me to continue working in hospitality and events while also growing my own businesses, Soirée Events and Splatterley, on the side.
Soirée Events specializes in event rentals, décor, luxury slumber parties, and full-service event design and coordination. Splatterley is our creative twist — a completely mobile splatter room party bus that brings a colorful, interactive art experience right to the customer.
What sets us apart is that we know what it’s like to plan events in a small town where options are limited. We’ve built our businesses around solving that problem — offering quality, convenience, and creativity close to home. I’m proud that our work helps people celebrate life’s best moments without the stress or long travel that used to come with it.
At the end of the day, I just love helping people make memories. Whether it’s a wedding, a birthday, or a community event, I want every client to walk away feeling like their day was effortless, beautiful, and uniquely theirs.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
From the very beginning, my husband and I agreed that if we were going to start this business, we were going to do it right. That meant having professional social media pages, a website, Google profiles — all the tools that show customers we’re legitimate and trustworthy.
But reputation isn’t built just online. It’s built in the details. Every rental item that goes out is cleaned, polished, and ready to use. I’ll never forget our own wedding — the chairs we rented came dirty, and we spent extra time wiping them down before the ceremony. We knew we didn’t want our customers to ever face that frustration.
I think what really sets us apart is the combination of quality and service. People know they can trust our rentals, that delivery and pick-up are easy, and that we genuinely care about their event. In a small town, word travels fast, and we’ve been fortunate that our customers share their experiences — from our friendly delivery crew to how beautiful and well-maintained our rentals are. We involve ourselves in each event because we want every client to feel supported and have the best day possible. That personal connection, combined with professionalism, has been key to building our reputation in the community.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Absolutely. Our mission is to build something that lasts — a business we can pass down to our kids and, hopefully, their kids one day. Right now, the ultimate goal is to grow this side hustle into our full-time careers, but even more than that, it’s about showing our children the value of hard work, dedication, and building something from the ground up.
With two kids, ages 12 and 17, they’ve been right there alongside us — helping clean chairs, make deliveries, decorate, and set up events. They see firsthand that effort, persistence, and attention to detail pay off. For us, it’s about more than just business success; it’s about creating a legacy they can be proud of and giving them a real example of how passion and commitment can turn an idea into something meaningful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soireepartyrentals.com
- Instagram: @soireeeventsclovis
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soireeeventsclovis
Image Credits
Some photos by myself, a few by Jillianne Campbell, and one by Micah Thompson