2020 The Homestead

wedding WEDDINGS WE LOVE

STORY BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN D. SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

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ELIZABETH JENSEN & MARK BONAVENTURA | AUGUST 3, 2019

The day Mark proposed to Liz at The Homestead began with a massage at the resort’s Spa Amira, then moved to wine on the beach and wound up with the Big Ask under a tree that will always be their special tree. After all of which led the couple to ask each other: How could we get married anywhere else?

The next summer, 70 of the couple’s closest family and friends from all over the country gathered at The Homestead for the event. “Many of them had never been to The Homestead so this was our chance to show them our little slice of heaven,” Liz says.

The newlyweds-to-be kicked their wedding weekend off early, checking into the resort on Wednesday to spend a couple days chilling around the pool and browsing the sweet town of Glen Arbor just down the road from the resort.

It turns out that was as far from their slice of heaven as they needed to go for the next five days, because the staff at The Homestead took care of everything. The rehearsal dinner was at The Homestead’s petite and intimate Cafe Manitou—a glass-fronted venue tucked between the mouth of the Crystal River and the gorgeous Sleeping Bear Bay waterfront. A splendid sunset over the Manitou Islands came with the meal. After dinner, all the guests were invited to a meet and greet at the waterfront bar.

On the wedding morning, the bride and her party gathered at The Homestead’s small and luxurious Lillyjade Salon for hair and makeup, beginning a day that Liz says could not have gone more smoothly, thanks to The Homestead staff, including event coordinators Sandy and Taylor.

There are First Looks, and then there are First Looks at the The Homestead’s romantic footbridge across the Crystal River—with its deep blue peek-a-boos of Lake Michigan through the dunes. Add a beautiful bride in a beaded, princess-style gown, and a handsome groom in a dashing blue suit and well, call it storybook perfect.

From that First Look it was up the hill to The Homestead’s Firefly Lodge where the outdoor ceremony was on the edge of a waterfall-fed pond on the beautiful grounds.

Inside the lodge, Liz and Mark’s delicate color theme of an abundance of greenery and white, cream and blush pink roses contrasted with the knotty-pine paneled room in rustic elegance.

The sit-down dinner featuring salmon and chicken was, Liz and Mark agree, some of the best wedding food they had ever had. “Credit goes to The Homestead’s chef, John Piombo,” Liz says. “He is amazing.”

The newlyweds led off the dancing with “God Only Knows,” by the Beach Boys.

Then it was everyone out on the floor—and in the conga line! After the reception, the wedding party headed to The Homestead’s outside bar in the village, where, says Liz, the staff was unbelievable, staying open several hours past closing just for them. "It was the best day of our lives,” she says.

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resources

Venue and Catering | The Homestead Photography | Brian D. Smith Photography Flowers | 307 Events Cake | Sweet Tartlette Hair & Makeup | Lillyjade Salon, The Homestead

See more photos at MyNorth.com/TheHomestead20 Friend getting married? Get them a copy at ShopMyNorth.com/Wedding20

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Wedding Notebook The Homestead

Accommodations You’ll feel at home in one of our resort hotels or in the spaciousness of a privately-owned condominium or a home. Rates span a wide range but all are available on attractively priced wedding specials. So you can choose a level of luxury that suits your mood and your means.

Bay Mountain Ceremony

We invite you to visit a special place where generations of lovers have shared whispered promises, their faces caressed by Lake Michigan breezes, hearts touched by the vision of shimmering

A Suite at Little Belle

islands, souls stirred by watercolor sunsets over a vast bay and towering dunes. Here, at The Homestead, you’ll feel waves of emotion wash over you, as you discover the most wonderfully romantic setting in the place chosen by Good Morning America as the "Most Beautiful Place in America". You'll choose one of three wedding venues with unmatched style and beauty. Each promises a succession of memorable moments you’ll treasure forever.

To learn more, please call us. We will send you information filled with wonderful photos and warm reviews from recent brides. And, we will invite you to come for a visit. When you do, you’ll see that your perfect wedding, like Memories

your love, can begin with a look and a touch.

Catering

We’ve carefully paired our menus with our community. They include seasonally fresh food from local farms and awardwinning wines from nearby vintners. To that we add sparkling table settings and seemless service for fabulous dining on the most important day of your lives.

Event Facilities

Destination Services

Mountain Flowers Lodge

Almost touching the sky, and fresh as the flowers that scent its terraces, Bay Mountain offers panoramic views of Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. Your ceremony and cocktail reception can be there, dinner in the valley below at Mountain Flowers Lodge where you'll find the warmth of stone and pine logs with country gardens and a sparkling waterfall. Accommodates 170.

Camp Firefly captures the charm of the north woods with welcoming ponds, a pine-paneled great hall, covered porch with an outdoor fireplace and wildflower-lined patio overlooking a waterfall and pond. Accommodates 80.

A bouquet’s throw from the beach, Café Manitou inspires Thoreau-like vows in an intimate, shoreside setting with endless blue views of lake and sky from outdoor brick terraces a cozy café. Accommodates 40.

NEW! "Mountain Village" featuring an all new grocerant, restaurant, outdoor grill and bar, stage, dance floor and fire pits. And, a massive stone fireplace and curvilinear celebration table that's perfect for your rehearsal or brunch.

Lillyjade

You and your guests will enjoy the resort’s many amenities - beach, pools, tennis, golf, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, fitness center, skiing, and snowboarding. Your man and his groomsmen might enjoy golf at Manitou Passage Golf Club or Mountain Flowers Par 3.

You and your bridesmaids are sure to enjoy Spa Amira which overlooks Lake Michigan and offers lighthearted fun around a pool. Then, bathed in natural light beside Lillyjade Salon's reflecting pool, you and your bridemaids locks will be coiffed and colored, your nails and toenails buffed for the Big Day. You can welcome your guests with a beachfront bonfire–S’mores and sunsets are included! Your rehearsal reception, and brunch can feature sophisticated soirees or picnics to go.

Wood Ridge Road Camp Firefly

Glen Arbor, MI 49636 231-334-5000 231-334-5300 Events Phone thehomesteadresort.com Event Sales Tony Farragh Sandy Luthardt

Café Manitou

Reception Capacity Up to 170

Event Rooms 3 Guest Rooms 225

Choose One. You won’t be wrong.

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Come see. It’ll be love at first sight.

Shhh…

We’ve quietly created stylish new sites for weddings and receptions.

They meld the majesty of Lake Michigan with the beauty of Leelanau.

Choose one…flavors will swirl, wines will sparkle and your day, your perfect day, will be made.

Come see. It’ll be love at first sight.

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Glen Arbor, MI 49636 | thehomesteadresort.com | 231.334.5000 Glen49636 Arbor, MI|49636 | thehomesteadresort.com | 231.334.5000 Glen Arbor, MI thehomesteadresort.com | 231.334.5000

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