Meet Jody Hafey

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

Jody , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

At Nantahala Weddings & Events, we’ve always believed that every inch of the venue should feel photo-worthy—which really means every inch deserves care and attention. We spend a lot of time walking the property slowly, noticing the little things, and asking ourselves, What could be better here? It’s almost meditative—a kind of grounding, or feng shui, expressed through design. Then, little by little, we act on what we notice.

That way of working has led to some of our favorite spaces, especially the whimsical Secret Garden overlooking the lake. Before it existed, there was just dirt—but the view was clearly asking for something more. We added a flagstone path, layered in plantings along the way, and set a small table for two where couples can sit and take in the incredible lake view. We even tucked in a wishing well, where newly married couples can drop a stone with their names and wedding date written on it and make a wish.

We also moved a Japanese maple from another part of the property into the Secret Garden. This past fall, it made it clear just how happy it is overlooking the water, turning a brilliant, flaming orange, edged with yellow and red—the most stunning color we’ve ever seen from that tree.

While we’re always thinking about how to creatively enhance the venue, we also spend a lot of time listening. Couples who choose to get married here have often been planning for nearly two years. They’re drawn to Nantahala not just because it’s unique, but because it gives them the freedom to create experiences that truly feel like them.

That freedom shows up in so many ways—through their décor, their food choices, the music they choose (live band or DJ), the outdoor adventures they share with family and friends, and, maybe most importantly, the emotional tone they set across their multi-day celebration. Our role is to support that creativity and help bring their visions to life.

The care, intention, and love that couples and their families pour into these celebrations make it easy to stay inspired—and to keep finding ways to make every part of the venue even better.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

From the very beginning, we haven’t looked to wedding-industry “experts” to guide us. Instead, we’ve listened closely to the couples who feel drawn to this place—first for the extraordinary scenery (“like Narnia,” as one delighted bride put it), and then for the freedom of an unconventional, multi-day wedding experience with very few rules.

Of course, we do have a handful of practical guidelines—real candles need to be placed in hurricane lamps for fire safety, for example. But beyond that, there are no noise restrictions, no mandatory end times, and no limits on access to the venue. Couples have exclusive use of the entire property for the length of their stay, typically Thursday through Sunday. That means they can host as many formal dinners, casual gatherings, or late-night celebrations as they like, all without added fees.

It also means they can create shared experiences for their guests—whether that’s hiking, boating, fishing, ziplining, whitewater rafting, or horseback riding. Here, the wedding is part of the experience, not the only focus.

What feels especially meaningful right now is watching a younger generation rethink what a celebration is supposed to look like. Many of the couples who choose Nantahala aren’t chasing tradition, perfection, or performance. They’re drawn to something that reflects their values and their love of nature. They want to feel grounded, surrounded by their favorite people, and often far removed from the noise of everyday life. Most of all, they want time—real, unhurried time—for the people they love to truly connect.

At Nantahala Weddings & Events, we don’t offer a formula. We simply create the space for couples to bring their own vision to life—authentically, meaningfully, and in a way that is entirely their own.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Learning to really listen—and then doing something with it

One of the most important skills we’ve developed along the way is learning how to listen—actually listen—without jumping in to defend an idea or stick to a plan we already had in our heads. We pay close attention to what couples are truly asking for, not what the wedding industry says a venue should offer.

Almost every meaningful improvement we’ve made over the years (and there have been many!) has come from noticing patterns in feedback and responding thoughtfully.

Advice: Try to resist the urge to prove you’re right. Ask good questions. Take notes. Look for what keeps coming up again and again. Your clients will tell you exactly how to improve—if you’re willing to listen without ego. Sometimes you have to ask directly, but often you can simply sense who wants to share. More often than not, those conversations become the catalyst for the changes that matter most.

2. Getting comfortable with uncertainty—and a little risk

When we first started, a very successful businesswoman told us, “A wedding venue will never work in a place as remote as Nantahala.” She was wrong.

Very few of our decisions came with any real guarantees. We bought land without knowing what the views would be. We expanded without knowing for sure that demand would follow. What we learned is that bold decisions often look calm and measured from the outside, while feeling deeply uncomfortable on the inside.

Advice: If you wait for certainty, you’ll probably stay stuck. Learn how to make thoughtful decisions with incomplete information and trust that clarity often shows up after you move forward. Expect sleepless nights and second-guessing—and celebrate both the small wins and the big ones. Not every expert understands your space or your vision. Sometimes your intuition is the best guide you have.

3. Being willing to do the unglamorous work—over and over again

Running Nantahala Weddings involves far more maintenance, problem-solving, and physical labor than vision boards, social media, or even building a website (which, honestly, is unglamorous most of the time too). The success of the venue has come from showing up for the small tasks—again and again. And again.

We blow leaves, restock toilet paper, pick up bottle caps, and dig ditches to keep rain from washing out gravel roads. We also cry during wedding ceremonies, make sure guests feel comfortable at receptions, and build genuine, almost family-like relationships with our couples and vendors.

Advice: Early on, don’t rush to outsource the work that teaches you how things actually function. The unglamorous tasks are where competence, confidence, and resilience are built. And staying close to those “small” details—consistently—often reveals the clearest opportunities to improve systems and make meaningful changes.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Even though Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara comes from the world of fine dining, its ideas translate beautifully to any customer-facing business—especially wedding venues, where emotion, memory, and personal connection matter more than almost anything else.

One of Guidara’s biggest points is that hospitality isn’t just good service; it’s a powerful way to stand out. Wedding venues often compete on price or square footage, but the ones people truly remember are the ones that create meaningful, memorable experiences. Those are the venues couples can’t stop talking about—and recommending.

The book also reinforces something we already believe: going above and beyond leaves a lasting impression. For us, that means being fully responsive and present for our couples and their vendors—not just on the wedding day, but throughout the entire planning process and across their multi-day celebration.

Our favorite line from the book is, “People feel perfection.” That quote has quietly become our unofficial mission statement. It guides how we care for and continually improve the venue, how we support our couples, and how we treat everyone involved in making a wedding happen—from caterers and photographers to landscapers, housekeeping, and the crews setting out chairs.

When hospitality is done this way, it creates real emotional connection. And that naturally leads to glowing reviews and heartfelt referrals—which matter enormously in the wedding world.

In the end, Unreasonable Hospitality gives us both a philosophy and a mindset. It reminds us that our work isn’t transactional. It’s transformational. We’re not just offering a place to get married—we’re helping create a cherished chapter in a couple’s love story, one they can return to as their family grows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nantahalaweddings.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nantahalaweddings/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nantahalaweddings
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3F4DmTkBQWEFAbMyntLiFg/videos

Image Credits

Molly Harris Photography, Appalachian Wedding Photography, Kay Salera Photography, Dewitco Photography, Hunter Kittrell Photography