One passion branched into another opportunity for wedding photographer Meg Velez who, along with her husband Joseph, took control of the Stagecoache event venue in April of this year.

“We took over Stagecoache April 1 so it’s brand new to us, but we have definitely hit the ground running,” the 29-year-old Velez said. “We hosted a really big event out here in June and we’re trying to offer a lot more things for the community. It’s a venue that people can rent out for personal use but we want to bring more to the community. We’re looking to try and do a community-wide event at least once a month where we can bring in local vendors to help support other small local businesses, family activities where people can get their kids out and enjoy doing something as family.”

Velez further elaborated on the decision regarding her vision for Stagecoache.

“I’m a wedding photographer and I love all things wedding, that’s where my heart it,” she said. “Whenever the opportunity was presented to take over the venue that was definitely where my mind was, thinking about weddings and how it went hand in hand with what I already do. I could assist the bride and groom in so much more than photography, I have so many resources already, I could help with caterers, wedding planners, things like that because I have been in the industry for a long time. It seemed like a good fit for me and my family to jump into. Then as we decided to take that on we realized this venue is more than just a wedding venue. It can used for so many things to serve the community.”

Among the plans for the Stagecoache, Velez said, is October’s Stagecoache Pumpkin Palooza, which will be reminiscent of the old Brownwood Reunion.

“We have a really big event coming up the last weekend of October called the Stagecoache Pumpkin Palooza,” Velez said. “It’s going to be a pretty large event similar to how the Brownwood Reunion was. It’s going to be a three-day event – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and we’re going to have a pumpkin patch, a concert, a carnival, a lot of vendors. We’re pushing for that to be a really big hit.

“We are planning some outreaches at the Stagecoache as well. My husband has done mission work in the past and our goal is to reach families in our own ‘backyard’ now.”

Velez, a 2011 graduate of Brownwood High School, developed her love for photography during high school.

“I’ve been doing photography for about 12 years now and wedding photography about 10 years,” she said. “It actually started in high school for me, I’ve always had a love for photography and graphic design. I always carried around a digital camera and the night of graduation at Project Graduation I won a pretty nice digital camera. Then when I went to Howard Payne I started offering photography to help out financially as a little side gig. It took off from there and is something that has always stuck with me throughout life. I went into full-time photography two years ago.”

As for what she enjoys most about photography, Velez said, “The most rewarding thing is being able to support my family with my passion. It never feels like work for me and one thing I’ve always said is I want that for everyone. I want people to be able to find their passion and make a living off it because it never feels like a day of work. It always feels like you’re doing what you’re supposed to do.”

Velez and her husband Joseph have two children, ages 6 and 4, and they’re members of Heartland Church. The children are home-schooled under the C.O.F.F.E program – Christians Offering Fellowship to Family Educators.