Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather & Carl Chambers
Hi Heather & Carl, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We bought our little slice of the hill country in 2018, with no intention on of starting a wedding venue. I (Heather) am a physician, so we moved around several times over the last decade during my training, and my husbands (Carl) dream was to someday own a piece of land, run buffalo, and let our children grow up with dirty feet and home grown meat! 🙂 When we bought this ranch, it was definitely a hidden gem (like hidden beneath a lot of overgrown cedar and neglect). Carl worked for the first two years almost everyday cleaning, clearing, and creating…. It was however, unfortunate that the cattle and hay business he started did not even come close to the price of owning land in the Texas Hill Country. Although we loved the city and the people, we really came to a point where we were discussing with Realtors about possibly selling the ranch… With our fourth baby on the way and a large piece of land that was taking more than it was giving- it just seemed impossible. Which I guess is where God always loves to work- In the Impossible! So we were throwing our two oldest daughters a birthday party, and invited our family and friends out… They were in utter awe of how beautiful the ranch looked with the swaying hay fields and grazing cattle. Were not sure who, but someone mentioned, “you know its a perfect spot to get married”…. And thats where it started. That night we discussed options, prayed and decided that we would give it a go! Either the ranch could help pay for itself through weddings, or we would be forced to sell and move our 4 kids onto a smaller piece of property where we wouldnt be in so much debt…. That birthday party was in June, and by July- Carl had the spot picked, cleared and building ordered. So over the next 6 months, we spent almost every day (and night), working together to build a beautiful, quiet, destination wedding venue. All in the mean time welcoming our 4th baby!!! We decided to debut our wedding venue and open January 2020!! (which if you can remember what else happened that year, you can imagine what happened next!!) COVID hit! So with only being open 3 months, we were faced with closure once again! Sell or wait! We prayed, and decided to wait out the storm and we are so grateful we did! It turns our 2020 was a great learning year for us- we used the time to learn the business, iron out the wrinkles, and perfect our ideas and dreams! 2021- we were completely booked!! YEAR ROUND WEDDINGS!! We have continued since then to add on to our amazing venue and make this a perfect spot for any young couple to get married (outdoor ceremony site and seating, chapel, cabins, bridal suite, grooms suite, wine room) while trying to maintain a reasonable price! We got married when I was in medical school so, to say we were on a budget is really an understatement… So we know how expensive this one day can get, and not to mention the stress of it all! We offer full weekend packages where the couples can add on Friday and Sunday to their wedding Saturday for a weekend- for just $1000. So they can relax, enjoy, decorate and make memories with their family and friends! Were so incredibly proud and blessed to have this secret hideaway where our dreams for a country upbringing for our kids can come true! Not to mention when we started our venue, we transition all of our cattle to Buffalo, and have been blessed to have multiple “blonde” buffalo born on our ranch, and most recently a pure WHITE baby buffalo! Unatsi! She did make national news and we are so excited to watch her grow along side our wedding venue!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe I answered some of this in the last question. We started in 2020, so immediately, that year was a completely chaotic year- regulations changing constantly. Couples wanting to rebook or cancel… you name it, we say it that year! But we did come out on the other side with WAY more knowledge of the wedding business which we can now look back on as a blessing! We had NO clue how to operate a wedding venue, and quite honestly still see this as a learning path for us! Every year different challenges arise, but we come out on the other side, stronger and smarter and more determined!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wagon Springs Ranch?
We specialize in weddings, and offer so much for the price that you pay! We have the best view of the Texas Hill Country, and offer simple full weekend packages that are so affordable! Our packages also include a week of coordinator that helps make the wedding day EXTRA special and perfect!
We are very proud of our beautiful ranch, but our Buffalo definitely set us apart! We have a strong and beatiful heard of buffalo, but our greatest member is Blano, our “Great White Buffalo” bull. He has had several “blonde” baby buffalos over the last several years and this year, Unasti was born! Shes our first fully white baby buffalo- and she is thriving!
We offer everything at our venue you could possibly want! A beautiful ceremony site with a great view, an indoor A/C chapel with a great view for back up if needed, an indoor reception hall fully air-conditioned, on-site lodging for over 30 guests, exotic ranch and buffalo for the perfect Texas ambiance and get away from the city! Were less than an hour from Austin, and have a ton of local beautiful lakes and activities that could make this a perfect vacation spot as well as a wedding venue! Our Wine room is the perfect place for a private rehearsal dinner on property and included when our couples book the entire weekend!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We would love to spread the word about our wedding venue and Wine Room! We did open our ranch to the public recently, for special events at our Wagon Springs Wine Room. They can share our story, spread the word, and come out to see our ranch during our private events! (They can follow us on Facebook or Instagram for details about events at the Wine Room) Wagon_Springs_Wineroom.
Pricing:
- Saturdays $4950
- Full Weekend packages $5950
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wagonspringsranch.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wagon_springs_ranch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WagonSpringsRanch/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wagon-springs-ranch-burnet
Image Credits
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/rare-white-bison-born-at-central-texas-ranch
(white buffalo story)
All other pictures are private and personal picture from us, the owners Carl & Heather Chambers
