Business Spotlight: Dearly Beloved

Athena Gideon got married Sept. 16. Before then, she’d been involved in hundreds and hundreds of weddings. This time was different, but the venue was the same.

Gideon owns and operates Enchanted Hills Weddings & Events LLC, an outdoor venue about 10 miles north of Springfield on the western fringes of Fellows Lake. The 16-acre estate has been in the family for years.

“We always knew we’d have the wedding here at my dad’s property where I grew up,” she says.

She didn’t know it would rain – and rain and rain. But Gideon knows the business and the unpredictable elements. She knows how to roll.

Weddings are in her DNA, having moved to the property at the age of 10 and growing up in the venue business her mother started.

“When I was young, I was pouring punch and picking up trash,” she says.

Gideon took over operations in 2009. Under her watch, Enchanted Hills holds 26-29 weddings a season, typically May-October. And the last few years, she’s been reinvesting in the property: a 1,000-square-foot pavilion adjacent to a natural spring, lights around the pond and a dock for the rowboat. The $55,000 in annual revenues isn’t enough to show a profit on the books, but Gideon expects the improvements to make that turn.

“We’ve been putting pretty much every last penny back into the business,” she says. “Now, we do have a lot of competition. There are some beautiful wedding venues in the area. We’ve got to keep ahead of the game.”

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Land of love
The family says the property was the site of a working mill in the 1800s and a Springfield attorney built the home in 1932. The two-story structure sits atop a tiered hill, overlooking the ceremonies to the north. Steps too many to count trickle down to level ground where ceremonies are often held, and a man-made pond rests on the other side of the rows of white wooden chairs. Gideon says most brides make their grand entrance down the stairs. “It feels like this place was just made for weddings,” she says.

With the scenery set, Gideon focused on the operations.

A key part of her business plan was contracting with select vendors to provide photography, floral and cake services. A few years ago, Gideon brought together Mike Wingo Photography, Little Shop of Flowers LLC and Style By The Slice to offer brides inclusive packages.

Sandi Alba of Little Shop of Flowers says the Enchanted Hills packages are rare in the local wedding industry. The Bolivar shop provides flowers mainly for weddings and events, and Enchanted Hills is its only contractual relationship with a venue. She consistently works with a half dozen area wedding venues.

“I cannot think of any other venue that does that,” she says. “There are a couple of groups that go together to do things, but as far as venues, no. People have their preferred vendor list with a bunch of people to choose from.”

Alba sought out Gideon over four years ago after being enamored with the beauty of the land.

“I had seen the pictures. I talked to Athena and we clicked,” Alba says.

Now, weddings at Enchanted Hills represent the majority of Little Shop of Flowers’ bridal business. Alba’s shop supplies no more than 30 weddings a season, and 15-20 are through Gideon.

“Enchanted Hills always comes first,” Alba says. “She gives me the calendar of everyone she’s booked, and we go from there and book the others.”

The cost of marriage
Gideon set a wide range of pricing, but the full wedding and reception packages start at $4,100 for up to 75 guests and increase to $6,700 for 225 guests. Each vendor has a set cost worked in.

Gideon sees wedding budgets from $1,000-$30,000, but the average wedding is in the $4,000 range, she says. According to TheKnot.com, the average wedding budget nationwide is over $31,000. It is a $60 billion industry, after all, according to IBISWorld.

In February, WalletHub.com identified Springfield as the fifth-best city to get married in out of 150 considered for cost-effective, convenient and enjoyable occasions.

“Weddings are very cost effective in the Ozarks,” Gideon says, noting brides and grooms have traveled from Alaska and California this year. “They don’t even have family here sometimes. It’s just this is a great destination for them because the Ozarks are beautiful – and it’s more affordable here.”

The demand also raises the supply, and Gideon says there now are over 25 private wedding venues in the metropolitan area.

“When we started 20 years ago, we couldn’t name one,” she says, outside of sites in Branson and Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

As for recent trends, Gideon says pastels are fading, bold colors are in, and mason jars are everywhere.

But brides are not lacking in new ideas in today’s Pinterest society. Gideon knows. Her wedding was “gypsy boho” themed, and she wore a royal blue dress.

“Gone are the cookie-cutter wedding days,” Gideon says.

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