We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Goodchild recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
You could say it was by coincidence! Months after losing my job during Covid, I was driving around the Sommerset Region in search of petrol and all of a sudden with my car on empty and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign out the front of the Church… which sparked an idea. As the saying goes, there is no such thing a coincidence; everything in life leads to your “next big thing” and ultimately your purpose, which I believe is to impact not only our own lives but the greater community around you. Sometimes you feel your purpose before you actually know exactly what it is and that was certainly the case with Holy Red Deer Estate. Needless to say, we purchased the property. Then I started renovating “with love” the rundown 1876 church property and posted the journey on Instagram. And as a result, five months later, in April of 2021, Holy Red Deer Estate hosted its first wedding. I am still filled with the same passion to this day as we continue renovating and restoring the property around weddings.
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?
Holy Red Deer Estate is a family-owned, historical 1876 church property in the beautiful Brisbane Valley town of Esk. We offer a unique DIY destination wedding experience just over an hour from Brisbane, where couples have the freedom to create and celebrate their way on their wedding day. The Estate provides a perfect, flexible space for celebrating weddings, from classic white weddings in the chapel, to romantic outdoor settings against the scenic backdrop of Glen Rock. The best thing is that we created a one-stop, DIY destination for weddings with everything from pre-wedding preparation & photo opportunities, to the ceremony, reception, post wedding festivities & accommodation, all within our charming estate. What makes us unique in the industry is total freedom and flexibility of all our buildings and greens, furniture and anything you see on the property for your big day. This allows our couples to start with a blank canvas, pursue their dream wedding which in turn means no two weddings at the estate have been the same. HRDE weddings are as unique as every couple’s love story. For me personally, the what’s special about the business is that the estate is continuing to celebrate love stories, which it’s down since 1876. All you need is love!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
We bought the property spontaneously without a business plan and I remember one day waking up thinking, “what have I done, I know nothing about weddings”. But as I said before sometimes you feel it in your spirit before it makes total sense and that’s where the magic happens, you step into the unknown, you walk with total faith and you get to see what comes to pass. And perhaps you discover your purpose that may have remained dormant if you didn’t act with courage. At least that’s how I feel about Holy Red Deer Estate, so my advice for people is to give things a go. You actually have everything in you that you need to succeed and if you fail that’s ok too, you learn what doesn’t work and you move on to the new next. There’s always a next.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Because of our unique spaces, history & location, HRDE has been used for different purposes and ideas outside of weddings, whether it be photoshoots, branding location, markets, mother days festivals, bike festivals and most recently filming music videos. Even in the past the church property lent itself to book clubs, soirées, fetes, ping pong tournaments, poetry recitals and in the 1980’s they even did a beer commercial in church which I would love to re create today. Even the famous Esk garden & lifestyle started at HRDE. We love to connect with creatives, artists, musicians, crafters, photographers, chefs, collectors and interesting folk. We are always open to great ideas and can always be contacted through social media, email or phone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.holyreddeerestate.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holyreddeerestate?igsh=aXd1bmN1cnoyZHV1&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holyreddeerestate?
Image Credits
All photos by Hannah Redman Images
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