MyNorth Wedding 2023: Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms

Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms

BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS PHOTOS BY MEGAN HANNON PHOTOGRAPHY

Danielle Parker & Alex Solis

BAY VIEW WEDDINGS AT GALLAGHER FARMS, TRAVERSE CITY | MAY 28, 2022

Romances that begin as close friendships are generally very blessed. Such was the case with Danielle and Alex, who met as undergraduates at Ohio’s Bowling Green State University. Alex is two years older and graduated first, heading off to start his professional career. Several years later, after Danielle had graduated, the two both ended up working at their alma mater, where Alex is now chief of staff to President Rodney Rogers and Danielle is a senior director of development.

With so many shared interests, values and experiences, a romance bloomed. In January of 2021, eight years after they’d met as undergrads, Alex proposed on a hike in a nearby Toledo Metropark. Danielle was all in. The only decision left before they started their lives together was what kind of wedding they wanted.

When they started imagining their big day, Danielle recalls that Traverse City kept coming up. Alex, who is from the Detroit area, had vacationed across the state with his family throughout his childhood. But Danielle, who is from a small town in Ohio, had never been to Northern Michigan. When Alex found that out, he made plans for them to take their first trip away together to Traverse City. Smitten with the area, Danielle remembers thinking, “Where has this been all my life?” After that, the couple escaped to the Traverse area a couple times a year getting acquainted with the wineries, restaurants and scenic beauty.

With their busy careers, the two knew that if they were going to pull off a destination wedding, they’d need help, and began contacting Traverse area planners. One phone call with Meaghan Kenny of Fox & Fern Events had them sold. “We can’t speak highly enough of Meaghan and her team,” says Danielle. “We just felt really inspired by her vision for our special day. We were instantly comfortable with her and she has such great connections and relationships around Traverse City.”

After interviewing them about what kind of wedding they wanted (outdoors and hopefully on Memorial Day Weekend), Meaghan set up tours of several venues on a weekend in early March. They liked the other venues, but when they drove up the hill to Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms, they were blown away by the beautiful grounds that include working cherry orchards and the horizon-filled view of Grand Traverse Bay. “I thought, if it looks like this with an inch of snow on the ground and no leaves on the trees, imagine what it will look like in May,” Alex remembers.

But it was Bay View Weddings owner Rose Gallagher who really tipped the scale. “Rose is incredible and has fostered such an unforgettable venue. She is just fantastic to get to know and to work with—she is like a rockstar of the wedding world,” Danielle says.

The plans came together harmoniously for the Saturday of Memorial Weekend 2022. Danielle and Alex booked The Guesthouse at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery (their favorite Up North winery) to stay in, while some of the 150 guests stayed in rented properties and hotels in Traverse City and others opted to camp. Before and after the wedding, guests toured wineries, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and some even headed to Mackinac Island and the Upper Peninsula.

The festivities kicked off with a Friday evening rehearsal dinner at outdoor tables set in Gallagher Farms’ cherry orchards under lights threaded through the trees. With a pasta buffet and plenty of local and West Coast wine catered by The Flying Noodle in Traverse City, the meal felt warm, rustic and Old World.

The ceremony the next day, under a blue sky, was officiated by President Rogers of Bowling Green State University. “It was really meaningful to have someone who is so important to us and could really speak to who we are,” says Danielle. The couple exchanged their own vows: “I was nervous about mine knowing Alex is such an incredible writer in his career. But it all turned out perfectly,” Danielle says. The Unity Ceremony was also very intimate; the couple combined colored glass, which they later took to a glass blowing studio where they created a symbolic glass bowl to cherish for years to come.

With the Bay View Weddings’ beautiful outdoor bar just steps from the ceremony site, happy hour commenced immediately. Boathouse Restaurant, which catered the entire event, kicked off the appetizers with an oyster bar (Alex’s big wish). The plated dinner was as memorable with duet servings of beef tenderloin with tomato jam and chicken with saffron pasta. And the cake? Alex nixed that in favor of pies (his favorite dessert) from Sister Pie in Detroit.

The newlyweds started off the dancing to Beyoncé’s rendition of “Moon River,” and from there 2Bays DJs got the floor hopping. A special bourbon and cigar bar added even more fun. Before the couple knew it, The Boathouse staff was bringing in the late-night eats—fried chicken and wagyu beef sliders as the pitch perfect event was winding to a close.

Alex sums it up by thanking three women. The first, of course, being Danielle: “I am the luckiest guy on the face of the Earth,” he says. The second and third? Rose Gallagher and Meaghan Kenny. “Your wedding is the most special day in your life and Rose and Meaghan really made the whole wedding experience for us,” Alex says. “They will always have a place in our hearts.”

resources

Venue Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms bayviewweddings.com

Photographer & Videography

Megan Hannon Photography meganhannonphotography.com

Wedding Planner Fox & Fern Events foxandfernevents.com

Catering Reception: Boathouse Restaurant boathouseonwestbay.com

Rehearsal Dinner: The Flying Noodle flyingnoodletc.com

Dessert Sister Pie sisterpie.com

Bartending Tonic & Lime Boutique Bartending tonicandlimemi.com

Rentals 307 Events & Tents 307events.com

Event Theory eventtheory.com

Florals Bittersweet & Co. bittersweetandco.com

DJ 2Bays DJs 2baysdjs.com

Hair and Makeup The Hair + Beauty Lounge teamhairandbeauty.com

Shuttles Blue Lakes by the Bay bluelakesbythebay.com

They will always have a place in our hearts.

Wedding Notebook

Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms

Wedding Ceremony

If you are looking for an incredible Ceremony Site that will take your breath away and leave your friends and family in awe - that is what you will find at Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms. Whether you desire a romantic site with lush grape vines and views of Grand Traverse Bay with close proximity to the tented

Northern Michigan’s Premier Farm Wedding Venue

Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms offers a romantic, breathtaking, beautiful, and elegant atmosphere surrounded with the most unforgettable natural Northern Michigan beauty. This family-owned venue nestled on a four hundred acre fourth generation family cherry farm which provides a stunning backdrop for your most special day. With gorgeous views of Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City, and Leelanau County with elevations close to 1000 feet, you and your closest family and friends will not only be blown away by the magnificent natural beauty of the views but also by the pristine vineyards and cherry orchards that romantically roll along the beautiful landscape. We believe that you deserve the wedding of your dreams and we are here to help make your wedding dream become a reality.

reception site for a beautiful transition from your dream ceremony to a relaxing cocktail hour on the lawn or an elevated destination that is so stunning it will take your breath away. Full of awe-inspiring romance, rolling hills, stunning bay views, and Northern Michigan beauty that overlooks Grand Traverse Bay, Downtown Traverse City, Power Island, and Leelanau County, it will create ceremony memories that will last a lifetime. With views so stunning and worthy of the journey, it is clear your happily ever after begins here.

Wedding Venue

Services

We are committed to providing a memorable experience for you and your guests. With a wonderful staff dedicated to supporting set up, maintenance, farmers focused on caring for the aesthetics of the farm and property, and event managers, we have the expertise needed to help and assist you. We also provide a wedding coordinator for the day of the event to assist with coordinating the rehearsal and dayof-the-wedding details in a calm and pleasant demeanor all with a smile as we are happy to help and serve you. We enjoy helping you relax, enjoy every minute, and celebrate each beautiful moment of your wedding day.

When we think of a wedding, we think of the most beautiful and unforgettable day of your life. That is what you will find at our Bay View Hill Top Venue. An infinitely gorgeous destination venue on our multi-generational family cherry farm. Our tented venue for up to 250 guests provides the outdoor grandeur and elegance that every dream wedding or event may desire. After taking in this spectacular view of Grand Traverse Bay, we believe that dreams do come true.

Customize Your Day

Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms appreciates and values each client in selecting their own vendors that can meet your custom needs for food, music, photography, decor, and beyond. We are grateful to share the natural beauty of our multi-generational farm and venue overlooking Grand Traverse Bay, a beautiful tent with lovely concrete underneath, tables, chairs, golf carts to get around the property, restroom trailer, caterer's tent, dance floor, wood bar, bonfire and fire tables to enjoy all evening long, and an exceptional staff to assist with providing your family and friends with a wonderful and pleasant experience as they work to bring all the details together for the wedding of your dreams.

Beautiful Traverse City

Much of our farm is located within Traverse City, Michigan. Traverse City is a four-season playground for anyone who loves to be outdoors. With nearly two hundred miles of beaches, an array of delicious and enticing restaurant options, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and excellent hotels and inns, motels, resorts, or rental homes, there will be accommodations and activities to support everyone. Wedding guests will also enjoy inviting shops in historic downtown Traverse City in addition to the many downtown activities, including the National Cherry Festival that Traverse City hosts each summer, along with stunning sunrises and sunsets to start and end each day. These are just some of the many unforgettable opportunities that can be enjoyed in beautiful Traverse City.

8629 E. Lincoln Road Cedar, MI 49621

Located on the west end of Traverse City, Michigan 231.645.2732 bayviewweddings.com info@bayviewweddings.com

Wedding & Event Coordinator

Rose Gallagher

Reception Capacity Up to 250 Guests

As a fourth generation family farm, we are committed to maintaining the agricultural strength and aesthetic beauty of the farm. We strongly encourage you to come visit and explore our farm as it is an unforgettable experience that you have to see to believe. Please contact us today to set up a tour. We are happy to help and serve you.

Photos by: Jefferson May Photography

Photos by: Jefferson May Photography