Testimonials & Videos

This is a great place to get married. Don't take our word for it, though. Just check out our reviews on The Knot.... You'll find a selection of reviews below and links to some of our favorite wedding videos.   

Sanchez - Conner, 2022 

Voegeding - Gagneau, 2019       Brown - Leversee, 2019       Polsinelli - Wilcox, 2019       Weil - Gurman, 2019   

Shallop - Hoffmeister, 2019        Lenchner - Frensley, 2019       Bennett - Woolsey, 2019             Wyman - Mullins 2020   

 LaCroix - Eppeheimer, 2020       Stanley - Abate, 2020        Brondyke - Flynn, 2020       Lyons - Peet, 2020 

    Hopfinger - Kozuch, 2021           Turek - Wilson, 2021         Nowak - Weaver, 2021           Holecek - Barbier, 2021      

 

 

The Homestead went above and beyond to make sure we had the wedding we wanted! Sandy is a godsend and works way too hard, but we couldn't have been more thankful for her help in making our day happen just the way we wanted it to!

  •  Chloe B; married August 2022

Most beautiful place in Michigan to have your wedding! Everything was awesome! Sandy did an amazing job with all the details. Camp Firefly was the perfect spot for our welcome party. Mountain Flowers lodge was the most beautiful venue for our wedding! Seeing Lake Michigan while getting married says it all…. ❤️Best weekend ever!!!

  • Alyxandra B; married August 2022

My husband and I had a weekend getaway wedding “up north” for all our friends and family. We could not have been happier with how everything turned out. Sandy, the on-site coordinator, is an absolute dream! She is so so organized, sets up and breaks down for you, and is everywhere you didn’t know you needed her. She is the sweetest human ever! Did I mention guests (and bridal party) get to ride a chair lift up to the Bay Mountain venue?! (i.e., cutest photos ever) Such a fun surprise for everyone involved. Absolutely zero regrets booking here and we wish we could relive this weekend over and over again!

  • Chelsea N; married August 2022

Looking for a destination wedding for all to enjoy?! Look no further than The Homestead. There’s something for EVERYONE (beach, trails, bars, restaurants), all of your guests are able to stay right on site, and The Homestead provides many things that ease finding multiple other vendors. You also can’t beat its close proximity to Glen Arbor and Traverse City. Working with Sandy, the head on-site events coordinator, was great and I would highly suggest anyone to have their wedding here!

  • Laura F; married July 2022

My husband and I did our whole wedding weekend at The Homestead and it was the best decision we could’ve made!! The resort in general is GORGEOUS, and we got married at Bay Mountain which overlooks Lake Michigan. Our guests loved taking the chair lift up to the ceremony. It was the most perfect spot to get married! The reception hall was perfect for our 140 guests. I also cannot say enough about how amazing the whole staff was!!! They did all our set up and were so organized. They were also all so so so friendly. My husband and I and our guests just had the best weekend ever and I’m so glad we picked the Homestead for our destination wedding.

  • Catherine G; married July 2022

My husband and I got married at Camp Firefly, it was the perfect pure Michigan wedding! The Homestead is such a beautiful place and at Camp Firefly we had the perfect reception for our nature loving friends and family. Our day of coordinator, Sandy Luthardt, was so incredible! She is so nice and on top of things, she was like my wedding fairy godmother! Sandy and all of the staff who worked our wedding were so professional and kind. We wish we could do it all over again! If you get the chance to work with Sandy at The Homestead, we highly recommend it!!

  •   Anna H; married July 2022

If you appreciate the true beauty of Michigan, The Homestead is the perfect place to have your wedding.

With beautiful landscapes, lakes, and an amazing staff, we could not have imagined a more perfect place to get married!

  • Annah and Gage

I highly recommend the homestead for a summer wedding. The views and the atmosphere was so perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

  • Lindsey E; married June 2021 (reviewed twice; The Knot & Wedding Wire)

The Homestead made all of our wedding dreams come true. We would get married here again and again. The event coordinators became family and The Homestead feels like our home. We can’t wait to celebrate with them for years to come! Thank you

  • Kelsey K; married June 2021

The Homestead in Glen Arbor is an absolutely beautiful place to have a wedding! Bay Mountain has a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan, which you arrive at via chair lift - so unique and fun! The team at the Homestead are excellent to work with and seem to truly care that your day is extra special with an eye to every detail. I truly could not have been happier and I am so glad we chose them for our wedding 3 weeks ago. Our out of town guests loved their stay and raved about the meals, not only at our reception at Camp Firefly, but also at Cafe Manitou. Our wedding was the best day of my life. And we are so happy we went with the Homestead.

Our wedding was scheduled for 2020 but we postponed a month prior due to the pandemic. The team at the Homestead worked with us through two years of planning and re-planning, and were so encouraging and patient every step of the long journey. I was not looking for our day to be perfect, life isn't... but it ended up being absolutely so! I can't thank them enough! We plan on returning annually for our anniversary. Our out of town guests loved their stay as well and raved about the dinner not only at our reception but also at Cafe Manitou as well. Thank you for a dream come true! The Bay Mountain location with chair lift to the top is the most beautiful, fun and memorable experience for everyone!

  • Wendy P; married July 2021 

Originally, we had our wedding scheduled for June 2020 but due to the pandemic we decided to postpone. The staff were extremely understanding and helpful during this time, especially since restrictions were just beginning to lift the months leading up to our wedding. We are so happy we chose the Homestead as our wedding venue! We could not have asked for a better day or a better event coordinator (we loved Sandy!). We had our ceremony on the Top of the Mountain and our reception at the Mountain Flowers Lodge. The view on the top of the mountain in summer is absolutely beautiful. You will have a stunning background for your photos here. The Mountain Flowers Lodge is beautiful too with the gorgeous wooden beams, fireplace, and waterfall right outside the side window. Many of our guests said it was the most beautiful wedding venue they had attended. They also loved staying at the Homestead—many of our guests went to the beach, pools, and hung out at Whiskers—the outdoor bar. It was really nice to bump into our guests around the resort in the days leading up to the wedding. The food was also delicious! I have many dietary restrictions and the staff were very helpful making sure that we had options, including vegetarian and vegan options. The only issue we encountered was communication. They are a very busy venue for weddings in the summertime so don’t expect prompt responses. However, they will always get back to you in time and this was not enough of an issue for us to warrant anything less than 5 stars. We highly recommend choosing the Homestead for your wedding.

  • Ashley G; married July 2021

5 stars is NOT ENOUGH to describe what a wonderful experience we had here for our wedding day!!!!!!! Sandy and Alex were the most wonderful, helpful, and kind people I can imagine working with on our wedding day. My husband and I grew up vacationing at the homestead, and it was the only venue we toured when deciding on our big day. We saw some less-than-positive reviews from several years ago, but our love for the venue outweighed any fear we might have had. Our initial tour (in peak covid times) involved Sandy leading us in a chain of cars behind her with us on speakerphone, while she told us what the venue would be like 9 months later. Unconventional? Yes. Helpful and exciting? Absolutely! Beyond the booking day, she continued to be helpful and responsive. The Homestead, like the rest of the world, appears to be shortstaffed, with Sandy (and Alex) taking the brunt of that work. I cannot imagine working 6-7 days a week all wedding season like those women do, and still showing up with the joy and enthusiasm that they had every time we met. They helped us coordinate trips up from our home in Ohio to do socially distant tastings, hair and makeup trials, and final decor decisions. Planning was way easier than I imagined it would be, without my own wedding planner and living 7 hours away! On our big day, these women were so attentive and helpful, and I don't know what they could have done better. That includes set up and tear down, where the morning after my wedding, my dad only had to pull his truck around while employees helped load all of our decor into it. Simply incredible. Besides the staff, this venue is awesome. Great rehearsal at Camp Firefly, beautiful outdoor and indoor spaces at mountain flowers lodge, people raved about the food, and everyone loved their lodging. I would give this 100 stars if I could, and I am so glad I chose to spend the most important day of my life here.

  • Allie S; married September 2021

If you're looking for an iconic and magical place to get married, this is it. Our big day was utterly amazing thanks to the beauty of the Homestead Resort and the experience it brings to not only the couple but the guests alike. We originally planned to get married in 2020, however COVID had other plans. The Homestead was EXTREMELY accommodating and worked with us to postpone our big day and find a date that worked. Sandy, Tony, Alex and the rest of the Homestead team worked tirelessly to ensure we had an amazing experience. From the number of accommodations to the natural Northern Michigan scenery, this resort will give your guests the true "Up North" experience. Some of our family and friends have never been this far north in the state or in the country and they were in awe at the beauty and serenity the resort and Glen Arbor brings. We had our wedding in October and had the perfect back drop of Fall colors throughout the area. It was stunning. As stated in the beginning, if you're looking for an iconic and magical place to get married, this is it. Happy booking!

  • Dina L; married October 2021

A pandemic miracle! The Homestead was not our original reception venue, and with just a couple months left before the "big day" our existing venue had to be cancelled. Enter The Homestead - the literally perfect venue we were looking for all along. We wanted the beach pictures, the woodsy pictures, and even the ski-resort esque pictures, and we got it ALL. They made me feel at ease through the whole expedited process, were GREAT at communication (we're talking same day minutes after or next morning at the latest) and made me and our guests feel safe without making pandemic safety awkward. I would recommend The Homestead to anybody, anywhere. - The LOCATION: Beautiful, clean, and truly gives guests the feeling of being away and at a resort. If you do the fall or winter, pro-tip: have your guests opt for a King bed to get the fireplace in the room - amazing! - The FOOD: People are still dreaming about the spring roll appetizers, the filet mignon and the salmon, including me. I had multiple comments about this being the best wedding food guests (and our DJ who has decades in the biz) have ever experienced. Also, Cavanaugh's has shockingly good grab and go breakfast sandwiches. - The STAFF: Thank you LeAnna, Sandy and the rest for being amazing, supportive and fun. - For the bride+groom: Stay at the Inn - we stayed in room 3. GORGEOUS view, balcony, fireplace. It's perfect. 

-Rachel L;  married October 2020


Tony, Sandy and Megan did everything they could to make our wedding perfect and let me tell you it was!!! The Homestead is the most beautiful location and I could have not been happier.

-Krista R; married September 2020


We had our wedding at Camp Fire Fly at the end of April and could not have been more happy with EVERYTHING. It was truly the best day of our lives. Sandy was our Coordinator and she was an absolute pleasure to work with. She was responsive, knowledgeable, detailed and kept everything running smoothly. We were BLOWN AWAY by how wonderful the staff was and our guests all said it was the best wedding they have ever been to and cannot wait to come back to the area! The rooms were all very comfortable and the food was very delicious. Every person we encountered went above and beyond and anticipated all our needs before we even asked about them. We did not worry about 1 thing - they all had it covered! It was the most perfect setting for a wedding and we plan to come back every year for our anniversary. I would HIGHLY recommend this location! It's perfect! 

-Lauren C;  Married April 2019


You guys! I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful our wedding was at The Homestead in Glen Arbor, MI. We had about half of our guests traveling from out of state and we knew we wanted a vacation setting for them to enjoy - our guests RAVED about The Homestead and so do we. After many hours of research and a few other site tours, we got to The Homestead and we instantly fell in love. We chose to have our ceremony and reception at Camp Firefly, a stunning but more laid back venue, which was perfect for our smaller wedding. We stayed at the gorgeous Stony Brook Lodge, which has its own pool and is right up the hill from Camp Firefly, so my husband and I were able to walk back to our suite the night of the wedding. Because we had our ceremony and reception (and even our rehearsal dinner) all at the same location, we did not have to worry about transportation between venues and it simplified things for our guests who had all already traveled so far. Sandy and Tayler at group sales, Liz who set up the venue, and ALL of the staff at The Homestead were so accommodating for us. They gave our guests who traveled the farthest (from Australia), an upgraded room, they allowed us to use a treasured family brownie recipe as our dessert at our reception, they took our decorations and made the venue even more beautiful than I could have imagined, and most importantly - they were attentive, responsive, and supportive when it was our time to get married. These staff work with people at the happiest, but often the most stressful times in their lives, and they do so with grace. I never knew that The Homestead existed until my search for wedding venues, and I have lived in Michigan my whole life. I continue to tell people - it is a GEM of a place. A magical place where we literally had our dream wedding. We will never be able to thank the staff at The Homestead enough, especially Sandy and Tayler, for all of their help in planning our wedding, but we DO look forward to MANY trips back to The Homestead with our family and friends in the future. THANK YOU!! Full of love and gratitude, Lizzie & Steve 

-Lizzie & Steve H;  married August 2019


We absolutely love The Homestead! It will definitely be a place we visit and stay at for years to come . The entire team works together to create a wedding of your dreams. They are extremely accommodating and definitely were helpful in the planning process, especially as the big day was getting closer! The food is amazing and the service is exceptional. The resort is a pet friendly place and we were able to include our two dogs in our ceremony. Many of our guests were new to The Homestead and they had nothing but amazing compliments about the resort and stated they would visit again. Thank you for everything you did for our wedding. We are very grateful!! 

-Ashley C; married October 2019


Tony, Sandy and Megan did everything they could to make our wedding perfect and let me tell you - it was!!! The Homestead is the most beautiful location and I could not have been happier.

-Krista R; married September 2020


A pandemic miracle! The Homestead was not our original reception venue and with just a couple months left before the "big day" our existing venue had to be cancelled. Enter The Homestead - the literally perfect venue we were looking for all along. We wanted the beach pictures, the woodsy pictures, and even the ski-resort esque pictures, and we got it ALL. They made me feel at ease throughout the whole expedited process, were GREAT at communication (we're talking same day minutes after or next morning at the latest) and made me and our guests feel safe without making pandemic safety awkward. I would recommend The Homestead to anyone, anywhere.
- The LOCATION: Beautiful, clean, and truly gives guests the feeling of being away and at a resort. If you do the fall or winter, pro-tip: have your guests opt for a king bed to get the fireplace in the room - amazing!
- The FOOD: People are still dreaming about the spring roll appetizers, the filet mignon and the salmon, including me. I had multiple comments about this being the best wedding food guests (and our DJ who has decades in the biz) have ever experienced. Also, Cavanaugh's has shockingly good grab and go breakfast sandwiches.
- The STAFF: Thank you LeAnna, Sandy and the rest for being amazing, supportive, and fun.
- For the bride+groom: Stay at the Inn - we stayed in room 3. GORGEOUS view, balcony, fireplace. It's perfect.

-Rachel L; married October 2020