Event Planner Jennifer Saucier Restarts a Love in her Life
By Meg Hale Brunton
When Wedding Coordinator, Event Planner and Venue Owner Jennifer Saucier graduated from high school, she expected to go into a vastly different field. “I had family in law enforcement, so it kind of ran in my blood,” she explains. “I was afraid to do it and my husband didn’t want me to do it. So, I pursued a different path.”
Originally from Madison County, North Carolina, Jennifer got married and had children very young. “I had my son twenty days before my twentieth birthday. I was a youngin’ raising a baby,” she says. Unfortunately, after getting married at eighteen, Jennifer became a victim of domestic violence within her marriage. She remembers a Buncombe County police officer, telling her, ‘Ma’am you have to get out of this before he kills you.’ “I was finally brave enough to get out of that relationship and got a divorce. I ended up working on the same patrol squad with that same officer years later.”
Jennifer went on to become a police officer for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. “I felt like I had taken the victimhood of domestic violence and gotten rid of it,” she says. “I overcame and became a better person. I was able to take care of my son and be a good role model for him.” After divorcing her husband, she became a single mother and raised her son in Weaverville, NC. Her son, who she is so proud of, has since grown up to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a correctional officer in Tennessee.
Jennifer recalls those years as some of the best of her life. “Being a mom and officer, and being in my community, and helping people overcome like I had, that was healing to me,” she says. Though she adored her job, she always kept her side gig as a wedding and event planner going. Prior to getting divorced, Jennifer had a career in hair and makeup, which led to connections in the wedding industry. She started planning her own events and found she really enjoyed it. “It kind of tumbled into a passion I loved to do on the side. It was fun putting things together for other people. That was a happy thing in my life.”
At this point, Jennifer entered a really dark point in her life. She was injured in the line of duty, an event that put her into a downward spiral. “I had become a police officer and regained my life, and then it was taken away from me,” she explains. “So, I felt like I went from victim, to hero, back to victim. I went down a really dark hole.”
Jennifer had suffered multiple injuries that had to be treated through surgeries and still left her disabled. She temporarily lost use of her right arm and was in physical therapy for two years. She was forced to take medical retirement because she was no longer able to perform the duties of a deputy sheriff. “It was devastating,” she recalls. “When they finally said to me that I was done and I couldn’t do this anymore, my entire world fell apart. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to be a productive person again. I really had to dig deep for a while.”
When things seemed at their worst, a much-needed blessing came into Jennifer’s life. She met her current husband Darrell, also a Deputy Sheriff. On a visit to his family’s home in South Carolina to visit his family, the couple started a discussion of what their retirement would look like. Jennifer’s brother-in-law suggested they tour a 32-acre lot for sale in Sumter. “Well, the minute we stepped on the property, I fell in love. When I walked into the building that was there, I realized I could make this a wedding venue, and this could be amazing,” she says. Even though her husband was reluctant to move to South Carolina, he couldn’t help but fall in love with the property as well. “So we bought the property, and we turned what was a warehouse into a wedding and event venue.” The couple also built their home on the back of the property.
The land became The HIVE @ Lavender Estate, known for its tranquil, modern farm vibe and simple, beautiful style. Jennifer and her husband opened the full-service venue in August of 2020. “In three years, we have won the Best of Sumter 2022 Wedding Venue, and the Best of Sumter 2023 Wedding Coordinator, Event Planner, and Banquet Facility. I was shocked, and I was in awe, and I felt so blessed,” Jennifer shares, adding that the venue is already booked into next year. “What we love is for our clients to come in, share their vision with me, and I provide a personalized proposal, and we become a one stop shop for the client. We literally do everything for their big day from start to finish.”
Now a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, the owner of a successful wedding venue, and happily married, Jennifer cannot help but think of what a difference can be made in a short period of time. “I was so depressed and lost that my job had been taken away from me,” she remembers feeling. “The one thing I could remember that made me happy was events and wedding planning. And I thought that could restart a happy place in my life.” Not only did it restart Jennifer’s happiness, but it gave her the opportunity to help bring other lovers together in wedded bliss. Whether a simple, or extravagant event, Jennifer delights in helping couples design and host their dream weddings at The HIVE @ Lavender Estate, making it as much of a dream-come-true for them as it has been for her.
For more information on The HIVE @ Lavender Estate, or to book your event today, visit their website: www.lavenderfieldestate.com/contact