Mynorth Wedding 2016: The Homestead

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Homestead STORY BY HEATHER JOHNSON DUROCHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN AND MELISSA PHOTOGRAPHY

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Meaghan& Doug MEAGHAN HOWE DOUG STOINSKI AUGUST 22, 2015 During a hike on Empire Bluffs Trail, with its majestic and sweeping views of Lake Michigan, Doug Stoinski and Meaghan Howe decided to spend the rest of their lives together. That outing also led the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, couple to decide to have their wedding, nearly two years later, at Glen Arbor’s The Homestead resort.

“The Homestead is the closest resort to the trail where we were engaged,” says Meaghan, who like Doug, vacationed in Northern Michigan as a child. “It was really special that we picked this place … We just felt that The Homestead had all of the elements of the atmosphere we wanted to create,” says the bride, adding that she loves the resort’s connection to the outdoors combined with its upscale amenities. “It feels magical when you pull in,” Meaghan says.

Having a vacation-worthy location for guests was also important—many of them stayed on site and for multiple days.

To welcome guests to The Homestead, Meaghan and Doug provided a sampling of local treats. They offered delicacies from Grocer’s Daughters’ Chocolates, a gourmet chocolatier based in Empire, and tasty items from the Glen Arbor–based cherry-themed business, Cherry Republic.

The couple also provided information about hiking and places of interest in the beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that embraces both Empire and Glen Arbor.

Meaghan Howe, granddaughter of hockey legend Gordie Howe, and Doug Stoinski were married August 22, 2015. The 1 p.m. ceremony took place at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Empire, where bunches of lavender adorned the pews.

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After making the short drive from the church to the resort along the acclaimed scenic highway M22, guests were treated to an outdoor cocktail hour followed by the reception at The Homestead’s elegantly rustic Mountain Flowers Lodge.

Gordie Howe’s appearance at the reception was an emotional high point for the bride. “He had a stroke a year ago and wasn’t doing very well,” she says.

“We didn’t think he could be there. But he came—just to the reception—and having him be there was one of the best parts of the day. When he saw me, he started crying … it was so sweet. I think it hit him and it hit me at the same time, how great it was that he was there.”

The remainder of the evening carried on that intimate feeling. “Our goal was creating for our guests an experience showing what we love about being Up North, and having them be able to celebrate that with us,” Meaghan says.

One memory the couple will always cherish was when staff at The Homestead drove them to the top of the resort’s ski hill to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan. “It was an unplanned, lastminute thing,” Meaghan says. “One of our wedding coordinators drove us up there herself in a golf cart just as the sun was setting. We had the videographer and photographer there. Northern Michigan is known for its sunsets, we were lucky to experience such a beautiful one on our wedding day.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN AND MELISSA PHOTOGRAPHY, DANANDMELISSAPHOTOGRAPHY.COM VENUE: THE HOMESTEAD, GLEN ARBOR, THEHOMESTEADRESORT.COM

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Opposite: The bride’s simple, elegant strapless gown set the tone for the wedding. This page, clockwise: Centerpieces included wine bottles in burlap, dried roses from past bouquets given to the bride from her groom and plenty of candles; the wine bottles came from Chateau Chantal on Traverse City’s Old Mission Peninsula—a winery and inn where the couple stayed the weekend they got engaged. More dried roses on a homemade decoration for the place-card table. The red couch was a photo prop a bridesmaid bought at an estate sale for $60. The wedding cake,

by Top Tier Cakery, was iced to look like birch bark and featured a heart with the couple’s initials, as if carved into a tree. Doug’s sister made the bride-andgroom cake toppers.

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This page: Meaghan and her grandpa, hockey legend Gordie Howe, shared a tender moment at the reception. Inside, The Homestead’s Mountain Flowers Lodge is outfitted with details like knotty pine trim and a massive stone fireplace (not shown). Outside, a waterfall cascades (not shown) through the wooded grounds.

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This page, clockwise: Dancing and music capped off the beautiful day. Cocktails on the patio of the Mountain Flowers Lodge. Meaghan and Doug slipped away to soak up the sun setting over Lake Michigan.

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Wedding Notebook THE HOMESTEAD

accommodations

You’ll feel at home in one of our thoughtfully appointed guest rooms or enjoy the spaciousness of a privately owned condominium and exclusive setting of a vacation home. Stay in an historic Inn, a rustic retreat inside a modern, hilltop lodge or a romantic getaway nestled in the woods or on top of a lake-facing hillside. Choose a level of luxury that suits your mood and your means. We offer a seasonal range of rates, attractively priced packages and no minimum stays.

A ceremony at Bay Mountain

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 islands, souls stirred by watercolor sunsets over Sleeping Bear Bay and the world’s largest moving sand dunes. Here, at The Homestead, you’ll feel waves of emotion wash over you, as you discover the most wonderfully romantic and luxurious setting for your destination wedding. We’ve borrowed nature’s gifts to create three wedding venues with unmatched natural beauty. Each promises a succession of memorable moments you’ll treasure forever.

To learn more, we invite you to 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 your love, can begin with a look and a touch.

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A suite at Little Belle

catering

We’ve carefully paired our menus with our wedding settings, creating cuisine that complements your style. To award-winning local wines, fresh food from local farms and pastries made from “scratch” in our kitchens, we add sparkling table settings and expert service from unassuming staff. These are The Homestead’s ingredients 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 majestic Lake Michigan, Glen Lake and the Manitou Passage. Guests of up to 180 can be seated here for a ceremony followed by a cocktail reception on another beautiful terrace.

When it’s time to dine and dance, we’ll whisk you and your groom from the peak to the valley below where you’ll find Mountain Flowers Lodge surrounded by country gardens and a sparkling waterfall. This timbered great hall seats up to 180 guests.

Camp Firefly captures the charm of the north woods, inside and out. Celebrate your day with up to 90 guests on a landscaped patio overlooking a pond, surrounded by a lush lawn, friendly forest and wildflowers, then dine in the rustic Great Hall of an Adirondack-style lodge set beside a waterfall and pond.

Camp Firefly

You and your guests will spend each carefree moment enjoying the resort’s many amenities while surrounded by the beauty of nature. Beach. Pools. Tennis. Golf. Kayaks.

Fitness facilities. Ski runs and trails. Men enjoy “swinging” bachelor parties at our Orvis® fly fishing school or our Dave Pelz Scoring Game School. Ladies find bliss at Spa Amira, overlooking Lake Michigan, offering therapeutic massage, and lighthearted fun for bridesmaids around a spa pool. Then, bathed in natural light beside Lillyjade Salon's reflecting pool, their locks will be coiffed and colored, their nails and toenails luxuriously buffed for the Big Day. You can welcome your guests with a beachfront bonfire–S’mores and sunsets are included! Or with a pizza party at Beppi’s, a sports bar. Your rehearsal dinner, family get-togethers and wedding party luncheons can include sophisticated restaurant soirees or picnics to go. And, you can send your guests home with a bon voyage brunch.

Wood Ridge Road Glen Arbor, MI 49636 231-334-5000 231-334-5300 Events Phone thehomesteadresort.com Event Coordinators Barb Ellis: 231.334.5131 Lynzie Gotshall: 231.334.5129 Camp Firefly

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Reception Capacity Up to 180

Event Rooms 2 Guest Rooms 225

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Viewtiful Weddings

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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.

Glen Arbor, MI 49636 | thehomesteadresort.com | 231.334.5000 2016_WED_HOMESTEAD.indd 16

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