Exploring Life & Business with Heather Pleskach of Elegance by Heather

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Pleskach.

Hi Heather, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire adult life, but my drive started long before any business did.

I became a mom at 16 while I was still a sophomore in high school. It was a moment that could have taken my life in a lot of different directions, but for me, it gave me clarity. I knew I wanted to build something for my child and create a life I was proud of. I combined my junior and senior year, took on a full academic load, and graduated early so I could be home with my son. That season of my life taught me discipline, responsibility, and how to keep going even when things feel overwhelming.

From there, I started my first business at 18 and I’ve never really looked back. I’ve never clocked in for someone else, but I’ve also never really clocked out. When you’re wired this way, your work becomes part of who you are. I’ve always been focused on how to grow, how to build, and how to create something meaningful.

For the past 17 years, I’ve been in real estate here in Ohio. I’ve owned a brokerage, helped clients buy and sell homes, and spent the last 12 years investing in properties. Real estate taught me so much about people and about showing up in really important moments in someone’s life.

But alongside all of that, there was always this other side of me. I have always loved hosting. Any event, any gathering, I was the one focused on every detail. The way a space feels, how everything comes together, how people experience it. It never felt like work to me.

At some point, I realized this wasn’t just something I enjoyed, it was the thing I couldn’t stop thinking about. That’s when Elegance by Heather was born.

Now, I get to do what I love every day. I get to create meaningful, beautiful experiences for my clients, and I care about every detail just as much as they do. I’m also a wife, mother of two incredible boys, and now a grandma, which is still surreal to say. Everything I’ve built has always been rooted in creating a life for my family, and that’s still what drives me today.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road, but I think the biggest struggle as a small business owner (or maybe just in life in general), is yourself.

I truly believe there is enough business out there for everyone. I don’t spend my time worrying about what the competition is doing. The real challenge is internal. It’s your own discipline, your own self-doubt, your own drive. On the days when things feel hard or uncertain, you’re the one who has to push through that. I think that’s something every entrepreneur faces, whether they talk about it or not.

Another challenge is the financial side of being self-employed. I’ve never had a steady paycheck, and that comes with a different kind of pressure. I always say it feels like walking uphill with a yo-yo. You’re growing, you’re moving forward, but income can come in waves. Learning how to manage that and stay focused through it takes a lot of discipline. At the same time, I think that’s also what pushes you to work harder and keep evolving.

With Elegance by Heather specifically, there’s also the investment side of things. I’m very decor focused, and I provide the pieces that bring each event to life. That means I’ve had to invest heavily into inventory and materials. Instead of taking income out of the business, I’ve put a lot of it right back in so I can grow and offer more to my clients. That part can be challenging, but it’s also what allows me to create the kind of experiences I truly believe in.

None of it has been easy, but every challenge has shaped how I run my business today and pushed me to be better.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Elegance by Heather is a wedding design company at its core. Everything we do is centered around creating a wedding day that feels intentional, elevated, and completely personal to each couple.

I’ve always believed your wedding should feel like you, not like something pulled from a template or recreated from someone else’s day. My process is very design driven. I focus on how everything comes together as a whole, not just individual pieces. The textures, the colors, the layout, the way the space feels when you walk in. Every detail matters, and it all has to make sense together.

What truly sets us apart is that we don’t just design the wedding, we bring it to life. We provide the decor, the styling, and the full execution. Our couples aren’t left sourcing from multiple rental companies or hoping everything shows up the way they envisioned it. We handle it all, which creates a seamless experience and allows everything to feel cohesive and elevated. It also removes a lot of unnecessary stress and expense for our clients because they’re not juggling multiple vendors, delivery fees, and minimums.

My goal is always the same. I want my couples to be able to let go. You’ve spent so much time planning, and when the day comes, you deserve to be fully present in it. I want you to walk into your wedding and feel it, not manage it.

As the brand has grown, I’ve been intentional about creating different ways to serve clients at different levels. The Social Edit by Heather is where we take on events and more intimate celebrations, while Elegance by Heather remains focused on weddings. And now, I’m in the process of launching Atelier Elegance, which is a more refined, luxury extension of the brand, focused on bespoke and destination weddings. To say that I’m excited about this next endeavor would be a huge understatement.

It’s important to me that I’m able to provide the exact level of service that the client needs whether that consists of full planning and design support, day of wedding coordination, design only assistance or simply celebrating a milestone birthday party. Life is always worth celebrating. No matter how large or small the event, my team and I are here to bring your vision to life in a way that feels intentional and elevated.

One of the things that makes our approach different is the experience our clients have with us. Traditional planners often help guide the design and then coordinate multiple vendors to bring it all together, and communication is usually structured around set meetings or limited time. What we do is much more hands-on and personal. We create the design, we provide the pieces, and we execute it, all under one roof, so nothing gets lost along the way. And just as important, I don’t believe in limiting access or putting boundaries around support. I’m their wedding bestie. You wouldn’t wait three days to ask your best friend a question, you’d reach out in the moment, and that’s exactly how I want my clients to feel. Of course we have organized meetings to walk through the big things, but I’m also there in between for the quick questions, the opinions, and the reassurance.

That’s also why so many of my brides become more than clients, they become friends. I’m in it with them through the entire process, and I care about every detail just as much as they do. That connection is a big part of what makes this so special to me, and it’s something I never take for granted.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to believe in yourself, even when it takes you longer than you’d like to get there.

For years, I had this idea in my heart to start a wedding design business, but I held myself back. I told myself I lived in too small of a community, that maybe there wouldn’t be enough business, or that maybe I wasn’t good enough to do it at the level I envisioned. Looking back, none of those things were actually the problem. It was me getting in my own way.

I would like to think of my past businesses as successful, but this is different. You can build something that works and still feel like something is missing. What I’ve learned is that real fulfillment comes from doing the work you feel called to do. The work that excites you, that challenges you, that you genuinely care about. Real business success isn’t defined by a bank account. It’s about waking up excited to go to work and being proud of what you’re building.

Once I finally took that leap and trusted myself, everything changed. It reminded me that sometimes the biggest growth comes from getting out of your own way and trusting yourself enough to chase your dreams. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But it feels right. There’s a difference.

People say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and I used to think that was just something people said. Now I understand it. This isn’t just a business to me. It’s something I’ve poured my heart into, and that’s what makes all the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elegancebyheather.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elegance_by_heather/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elegancebyheather