Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Dunlap.
Hi Gretchen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always wanted to do things a little differently in my life. I haven’t chosen a “typical path” ever. I decided not to go to college. One of my favorite days is high school graduation. The world was wide open to me now! Although I did take on a few “regular” jobs like restaurant work and a great hotel job, I quickly realized I was designed to create my path. The beginning of that journey started with my own house cleaning business when I was about 20 years old. I could create my hours, decide how much I got paid, and I was good at it. I had a great time getting to know my customers; many became good friends of mine. I enjoyed the business and continued it for about 10 years, so my Dad asked me if I would work for him at his chiropractic office. I was ready for a change and said yes, I was willing to try that out and see where it took me. Working with my Dad and family was an incredible experience. I started at the front desk working with patients, scheduling, insurance, and finances. I had the opportunity to learn how to take X-rays, do parts of the exams, and work in the therapy room. I loved the patients and am very passionate about chiropractic, so it was great, but then it came when I got restless and needed a change of scenery and activity. I had worked in the office for about 10 years, and I wanted to be challenged and grow more, so I took on the marketing aspect of the office. That put me outside of the office, introducing and educating people on the benefits of chiropractic, allowing them to experience it themselves, reaching people who may not have otherwise been reached, and changing lives. It was amazing. Then came the time to part ways with working with my family and getting out on my own again. That is where I am today. The story goes my husband, and I dated in high school but didn’t get married until many years and experiences later. When we dated in high school, we would go out and have picnics on his family ranch. When we started dating again years later, we picked up where we left off and did the same thing same place.
When we got married, I couldn’t find a venue that suited us, so we decided to get married on the ranch. There was nothing there but the beautiful hill country. We brought in porta-potties, a tent for me to get ready, some chairs, flowers, family, and friends, and we had the most beautiful wedding ever. After that, we would make frequent trips back out to the ranch to camp, work on clearing it, and dream about what it would be like to live there. We lived in San Antonio then. One thing led to another, and we made a way to move out there. My husband is a music teacher and was teaching in San Antonio while I was still working with our family practice in San Antonio, so our next dream was for Mitch to get a job teaching in our area.
We were also creating a way to share this beautiful property with others, which would be my next “job” adventure. Slowly but surely, these things fell into place. Mitch got his job teaching out here, and we opened our wedding venue, J-D Ranch, Texas. We built it from the ground up in every way and have already had some beautiful weddings. We have only been open for a short while. We are sharing this beautiful place that God has blessed us with, with many people, not only through our venue but in other fun ways. People love to camp and hike and ride horses out here. Sometimes people come out to get away from the chaos and relax. We are delighted we get to share that with them. So my “job” is to create a space for that for others. It is a dream come true.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It can be smoother. The struggles have been mostly mental. The mindset is a vital piece of this. That starts with believing I can even create a big dream and do all the necessary parts to get it off the ground. I was doing things I had never done before and was curious if I was capable. Then the “Will it work?” Are we doing the right thing? Then it happened, and seeing it did work, knowing what moves to make, when and when to take a risk, and when not. Of course, there are tedious parts of the business, but once I start doing them, I get into them and love all the parts. Again, most of it revolves around mindset one way or another. We can always figure things out if they go differently than we expect.
As you know, we’re big fans of J-D Ranch Texas- Wedding & Event Venue. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with the brand?
J-D Ranch Texas is our family-owned and operated wedding and event venue, just NW of San Antonio. We are atop a hill in Pipe Creek, overlooking miles and miles of beautiful hill country. People need to get more of the view. It is absolutely what we are known for. It is stunning. The ranch has been in our family for over 100 years, and when my husband and I searched out the perfect spot to build our venue, we knew we had found it when that view revealed itself through the cedars. We host weddings and other events for up to 200 guests. We have a crushed granite amphitheater for our ceremony space with limestone butter blocks for seating, a 4500 sq ft open-air pavilion for reception, giving you a nearly 360 view of the surrounding hill country, and a 1000 sq ft bridal suite for all the get ready. We are truly an affordable, natural, outdoor, and breathtaking venue.
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
Although I like the word luck and use it, I prefer to give God credit for those things. The people that have been placed in my life, whether friends or family, for good or for bad, are the ones that have helped guide me to the different steps I have taken to get to where I am today. Reconnecting with and marrying my high school boyfriend (and first kiss) after many years is a big part of my journey. And being blessed with this land, having been in the family for so long, and our strong desire to be on it in every way is also a huge blessing and allowed us to do what we are doing now in life and business.
Pricing:
- $3000-3700
Contact Info:
- Website: www.j-dranchtx.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jbardranchtexas/
- Facebook: facebook.com/jbardranchtexas/
Image Credits
Ata-Girl Photography Co., LLC Cupcake Photography
