wedding WEDDINGS WE LOVE
STORY BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN STEWART PHOTOGRAPHY
2021 MyNorth Wedding
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KAREY SEWARD & ANDREW MACDONALD | SEPTEMBER 7, 2019
Andrew and Karey met on Match.com. They were two singles living in Chicago—along with 2.7 million other people. Their first date was at a bar in Lincoln Park. It went well enough that he walked her home. That was when they realized they lived on the same block. Of course, it takes more than geography to make a lifelong commitment, and Andrew and Karey soon realized they had all of that. They both love to laugh, love to party, love their families and friends. She is an over-planner; he balances that out with spontaneity. They share a love of the outdoors, water and boats. And it didn’t take more than one visit for Andrew to feel as passionate as Karey about the Glen Lake area where her family has summered for generations. By the time they’d been together four years, marriage was a sure thing. But Karey had one request: To be surprised when he asked her. (Not an easy thing to do for a woman who plans everything!) But using her birthday as an excuse, Andrew pulled it off on the rooftop of their apartment complex in Chicago. The guy who hates scrapbooking (Karey loves it) surprised her with a photo book of the 10 reasons he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. She cried as she read it. He’d made the background on the last page green. “Green meant go,” he says. Before she closed the book, he was down on one knee pulling out the ring. And that ring? “Buying it was the scariest thing I’d ever done,” he says. But Andrew got it right. “He’d listened to everything I ever said I wanted in a ring and found the perfect one,” Karey says. “I’m still obsessed with my ring.” Thankfully for Andrew’s sake, choosing their wedding venue was easier. They both knew they wanted a destination wedding in the Glen Lake area. “I love out-of-town weddings because guests are invested for the whole weekend and you have more time to spend with everyone,” Karey says. That made choosing The Homestead, set on Lake Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Bay, the spectacularly obvious choice. The amenityfilled resort could easily accommodate their 185 guests—and provide a weekend full of scenic activities, beach time and water sports. Beyond that, The Homestead offers Bay Mountain for wedding ceremonies, an inspirational perch overlooking Lake Michigan, the Manitou Islands and even Glen Lake. The “weekend” began on Thursday when the bride and a few bridesmaids moved into one big, beautiful house on the resort property, and the groom and his groomsmen moved into another house nearby. That gave plenty of time for hanging out on the beach, a hike along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, golf and browsing the quaint shops in Glen Arbor. The rehearsal dinner was held at the resort’s casual, Northwoods rustic venue, Camp Firefly. Like all the food at The Homestead, the 4
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Italian buffet was overseen by the resort’s renowned chef, John Piombo. As the couple would find out, Piombo was just beginning to show off his culinary skills. With the help of Sandy Luthardt, The Homestead’s event manager, and wedding coordinator Stacy Horn of Juniper & Lace Events, the wedding day, says Karey, was absolutely seamless. “They were both so wonderful to work with,” she says. “Stacy went above and beyond what we paid for.” Karey often joked with Stacy that, “You have turned into my best friend, you should be standing up at my wedding!” Karey’s brother-in-law, Dr. David Duke, officiated at the intimate Bay Mountain ceremony. As he spoke, the sun came out and two hawks circled each other in the sky. Then it was back down the mountain on the chairlift for the reception at the resort’s Mountain Flowers Lodge for a plated dinner that included steak and salmon. Once again, Chef John Piombo’s skills were on display: “The steak was just unreal,” Andrew says. “Everyone said it was one of the best steaks they’d ever had—and we had a bunch of Chicago foodies there.” In lieu of a wedding cake, the couple ordered up donuts from Peace, Love & Little Donuts. Karey also surprised Andrew with a groom's cake, decorated with bagpipes complete with the Scottish MacDonald tartan and family crest. Andrew and Karey chose Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” for their first dance. The couple had taken dance lessons, “so we didn’t look like idiots,” as Karey says. But guests didn’t see the full extent of Andrew’s new moves until the end of the evening when the newlyweds found themselves encircled by their loved ones as they danced to Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” Near the end of the song, Andrew picked Karey up and artfully swung her around. When she hit the ground she caught sight of her father tearing up with happiness. No doubt, this couple knows how to entertain: They’d ordered up sliders to be brought in as the evening wore down. “Everyone cheered from the dance floor as they brought the platters in,” Karey says. Refueled, the bridal party kept the night going back at the groom’s house and hung out together until the wee hours of the morning. However, everyone was up in time for the farewell brunch the next morning. Once again, the couple says, The Homestead staff outdid themselves with the beautiful spread. “I was so energized I didn’t eat,” Karey remembers. “But everyone couldn’t stop saying how great it was.” Words they also used to sum up the entire, wonderful weekend and the start of their lives together.
resources
Venue | The Homestead, thehomesteadresort.com Photographer | Dan Stewart Photography, danstewartphotography.com Wedding Planner | Stacy Horn, juniperandlaceevents.com Videographer | LM Visuals LLC, lmvisuals.com Florist | Premier Floral Design, facebook.com/premierfloraldesign Rehearsal Dinner | The Homestead, thehomesteadresort.com Reception Dinner | The Homestead, thehomesteadresort.com DJ | Mr. Music DJ, mrmusicdjs.com Dessert Donuts | Peace Love & Little Donuts, peaceloveandlittledonuts.com Scottish Family Crest Cake | Aunt B’s Cakes & Desserts, find them on Facebook
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See more photos at MyNorth.com/TheHomestead21 Know an engaged couple? Send them MyNorth Wedding magazine at ShopMyNorth.com/Wedding21
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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
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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.
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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
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Reception Capacity Up to 170
Event Rooms 3 Guest Rooms 225
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Glen Glen Arbor, Arbor, MI MI 49636 49636 || thehomesteadresort.com thehomesteadresort.com || 231.334.5000 231.334.5000 Glen49636 Arbor, MI|49636 | thehomesteadresort.com | 231.334.5000 Glen thehomesteadresort.com || 231.334.5000 Glen49636 Arbor, MI|49636 | thehomesteadresort.com | 231.334.5000 Glen Arbor, Arbor, MI MI thehomesteadresort.com 231.334.5000 12/15/20 11:24 AM