“While each and every dove release is beautiful, the best part of my job is seeing the doves return home to their loft. I am still thrilled each time I see them fly through my backyard, knowing that these amazing birds navigate home...” It isn’t every day that a vendor brings something to our event that we’ve never seen before, let alone a live dove release. Holy City Doves truly brought The Big Fake Wedding Charleston to the next level with this stunning spectacle – leaving our guests, vendors, and staff mesmerized. It was such an honor working with Pam at our fourth Charleston event, and we hope it won’t be the last time!
“This was so fun. We’ve never done anything quite like this – it was truly beautiful to watch and Pam does an incredible job making it happen smoothly. They added so much to our event.”
The Big Fake Wedding Charleston Team
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Tell us a little bit about the story behind Holy City Doves.
It’s the classic story of girl grows up on farm, moves to the big city to get her Ph.D. in biology, gets burned out running a lab after her kids are born… and then gets the brilliant idea to start her own small business! I’m the type of person who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty, but also enjoys putting on a nice dress once in awhile — and this business is a lot like that! The doves look so beautiful and perfect when they are released, but there is a lot of work behind the scenes to get them there.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken?
The moment when I really had to take a deep breath was when I arrived in Florida to purchase my first set of baby doves. All the planning – buying supplies, reading books on training techniques, building their loft — it all became very real when I had 40 young birds in the backseat of my car for the ten hour drive back to Charleston!
Who is your biggest fan?
Without a doubt, my biggest fans are my family. I joke with my friends that my husband is blissfully supportive — he just never seems to have a single doubt that my business and I will succeed. He’s also my biggest promoter — he gives business cards to everyone he meets! My kids are amazing too… they rock Holy City Doves t-shirts and are willing to help with all the dirty chores — they make their Mom proud!
What is the best part of your job?
While each and every dove release is beautiful, the best part of my job is seeing the doves return home to their loft. I may be showing my true dorky biologist colors, but I am still thrilled each time I see them fly through my backyard, knowing that these amazing birds navigate home from completely novel locations using a combination of information including landmarks, cues from the sun and the Earth’s magnetic fields, olfactory cues, and even ultralow frequency sounds.
What is your favorite part of the Big Fake Wedding Experience?
The Big Fake Wedding was the most streamlined and efficient way I can even imagine to introduce my new business to the wedding community in Charleston. I made great connections with other vendors, received gorgeous photos of my doves in action, and learned lots of tricks from the fabulous Big Fake Wedding staff about promoting my brand new business. And, best of all, like my Dad said after seeing the video from the event — ‘that looked like a really great party!’
Photo Credits:
Carmen Ash Photography (1 + 3) | Shutter Sweet Photography (2, 4 + 5)
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