Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy and Charlie Cole.
Nancy and Charlie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
A Dove’s Nest was founded in 2004 as a white dove release and dove display company.
Christmas Eve ,2004, I went to bed feeling despair about a job I hated. The job was very physical and demanding and the company showed no appreciation. I prayed that one day I could quit and never look back.
That night I dreamed that an angle handed me a white dove that I released over a beautiful field of wildflowers. The dove glowed in the sun and her feathers were soft as silk. A feeling of calm and peace came over me. I woke from the dream like a little kid on Christmas morning, happy and excited.
I had just received the best present that I could ever wish for, but it was only a dream at the time.
I was eager to tell my husband Charlie about my dream, when I did, he just smiled and said “A Dove Release” I was a little surprised, to hear that my dream had a name. I’d never heard of a dove release.
Charlie who has been raising doves since childhood told me that he knew of dove keepers that were in the business of releasing white doves for weddings, funerals and special occasions. I thought this was a wonderful idea and I was feeling very blessed and wanted to share my experience with others. Charlie turned my dream into reality when he named our business A Dove’s Nest on New Year’s Eve.
We had our first dove release for a wedding in January 2005. I quit my job in May and years later we continue to have a successful dove release business in the Atlanta metro area.
Floral has always been a part of our business. I’ve always loved floral design and gardening. since our first wedding I’ve decorated the baskets and dove cages in silk or fresh flowers to match the colors of the event. I never thought of offering a separate service, to me doves and flowers go together like peanut butter and jelly, not to mention the flowers were a part on my amazing dream.
In 2009 I started taking floral design classes to learn the art and technique of design. I completed a floral certification program and will always continue my studies in this field.
Charlie and I are committed to each other, our dove release and floral business. We love what we do and it shows.
Has it been a smooth road?
The business was just meant to be. When you are on the right path all the obstacles disappear.
Our biggest challenge was setting up the business. We had to put together a webpage, which we’ve never done before. We wrote all the text, took the photos and videos.
We had to find cages to display the doves and release baskets. It took a while of going store to store in search of the perfect items for events.
We had to do market research on pricing and register our business with the state and county.
Having to do all it takes to run a business can be very stressful at times. But we set goals every year and work hard to accomplish them.
Having our name as a registered trade mark was also a challenge, due to the fact we had no clue how to go about it.
As business owners, we will always have obstacles and challenges but we have a great team to handle anything that comes our way. Our Challenges have only been opportunities to grow as people and as a business.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the A Dove’s Nest story. Tell us more about the business.
A Dove’s Nest releases white doves, dove displays and floral for weddings, funerals and special occasions. We release doves for all of life’s celebrations because of their gracefulness, beauty and the symbolism associated with them.
A Dove’s Nest is the only dove release company in the Atlanta area that is committed full time to the dove release business. The care and safety of our doves is our number one priority.
Our dove lofts are certified with the ARPU National Loft Certification Program which means that we offer the doves the most humane care possible. All doves are trained to return home but on very rare occasions one might get lost, for that reason we have two leg bands on each bird we release. One band is a National I.D. band and the other has our name and phone number.
We are a family owned business that holds the highest standards of fair business practices.
We made a commitment from day one that we would always provide exceptional service for the families or individuals who have chosen A Dove’s Nest as their service provider. We know our clients have other choices, and we are honored that they have placed their trust in our company.
We customize each event to assure a unique and memorable experience.
A dove handler attends all events and remain there until the doves have been released and are flying home.
Our clients can choose the number of doves they want to release and how they want to release them.
We offer a hand release, basket ,chapel or cage.
The flowers on the baskets or cage can be customized to color.
A song of choice can be played while the doves are in flight, we provide the song and sound system.
We offer readings or poems that can be read before the doves are released.
We give the family members memory cards with a photo of the doves, and the reading they’ve chosen for funerals and memorials as a keep sake.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The industry is definitely growing and diversifying. A few years ago, the doves were mostly released for weddings and funerals, Now they are released for all events including graduations, music videos, sporting events, movies, commercials, baby showers, house warming, veterans and police ceremonies, grand openings, charitable events. outdoor concerts, etc.
In our own experience, our first year we did 19 dove releases, in 2016 we provided doves for over 3oo events.
Pricing:
- Our dove releases range from 150.00 – 500.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adovesnest.com
- Phone: 770-575-0616
- Email: adovesnest@yahoo.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/adovesnest
Image Credit:
Nancy and Charlie Cole
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