In the dictionary next to the word "eclectic" is a drawing of Jackie Freeman along with her home and business in the Village of Suttons Bay.

Not really.

But if you’ve ever been to Freeman’s house – located near the intersection of Race Street (M-204) and St. Joseph Avenue (M-22) – you may be in for a treat, and perhaps even a surprise.

Jackie Freeman at her B&B

Known for a number of years as the “Fig Leaf” bed-and-breakfast, Freeman’s shake-sided and pink-trimmed house has been renamed “The Honeymoon Cottage.” She still offers bed-and-breakfast packages to visitors, but is now deliberately targeting a particular crowd – newlyweds and lovers.

Just give her a call at 271-LOVE.

And if the lovers aren’t married, it’s okay with Freeman – she’ll marry them on the spot in her wedding chapel, doing business as “And to Cherish.” The name comes from the popular wedding-vow phrase “to love and to cherish.”

Speaking of wedding vows, Freeman will custom ghost-write wedding vows to suit her customers’ needs, wishes and personal values.

Then, as one of only 200-or-so ordained Humanist ministers in the U.S., she will perform the wedding ceremony, either in the on-site chapel or outside on the deck near a natural waterfall along a creek behind her house.

Humanist ministers believe that marriages between committed, loving people should be honored regardless of religious affiliation, sexual orientation or many of the other factors often taken into account by more traditional ministers.

“I do about 40 marriages a year,” Freeman said, “and then I stay in touch with couples to offer guidance and support – that’s one of the aspect of this that I enjoy most,” she said.

Then there’s the law office.

In addition to the honeymoon B&B and the wedding chapel, Freeman also operates the “Bankruptcy Clinic of Northern Michigan” out of her home in collaboration with Traverse City attorney Paul Bare.

“I negotiate settlements on people’s debts as a way of avoiding bankruptcy,” Freeman explained. “I try to negotiate debts down to 30 cents on the dollar, and we’ve been very successful in helping a lot of people out of financial trouble,” she said.

In fact, Freeman spends much of the regular work day operating her bankruptcy clinic, employing an office assistant part-time.

The rest of Freeman’s day is devoted to running the B&B and the wedding chapel – and keeping an eye on the Suttons Bay village and township governments.

“I’ve always been deeply interested in politics,” Freeman said.

She became even more interested a few years ago when the Village of Suttons Bay was preparing to write an ordinance that could impact the owners of rental properties throughout the village including, possibly, bed-and-breakfast owners.

Freeman began regularly attending meetings of the Village Council and its Planning Commission, making her presence known by supporting the establishment of a village Human Rights Commission, a ban on smoking in public places, a “term limits” amendment to the Village Charter, and several other efforts, many of which have gone nowhere – so far.

Freeman herself ran for a seat on the Village Council last year but lost. However, the Village Council appointed her to fill a vacancy on the village Planning Commission, of which she is now a member.

The interior of Freeman’s home is decorated in what she calls a “fantasy, fairy tale” style.

“Frankly, it’s all over the top,” Freeman said.

Her home sports an outdoor shower, complete with a chandelier. The interior furnishings are cobbled together from a variety of “collectibles” she gathered at antique and junk stores – with lots of bright paint and sayings inscribed on walls and ceilings.

One of the bathrooms in the house utilizes twinkling, multi-colored glass and lights, emblazoned with the message: “we can’t all be stars, but we can all twinkle.”

The dining room includes a pair of headless “bride” mannequins seated at the table.

The “bridal suite” is decorated with dozens of antique photos of brides, grooms and bridal parties – all long dead and all complete strangers.

Freeman herself is the divorced mother of one son, 38, who holds a Ph.D. and formerly taught at Central Michigan University. She has one four-year-old grandson.

Originally from Lake City, Freeman moved to Traverse City as a young woman and went to Northwestern Michigan College before transferring to the University of Michigan where she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree. She taught art to patients at the state hospital in Traverse City and then sold real estate for a number of years before going into the interior design field.

One of Freeman’s more noteworthy professional accomplishments locally involved doing much of the interior design work on the former Reef Energy building in Greilickville.

Freeman then moved to the Washington, D.C. area and earned a master’s degree in organizational development from Marymount University. She then worked for a number of years as a trainer under contract with the federal government, returning to the Suttons Bay area regularly on vacation. She returned home permanently in 2002.

“I appreciate living a life that is simple and uncomplicated,” Freeman explained.

And, one might add, “eclectic.”

Favorite food, saying and book:

Favorite food: “I’ve seriously gotten into wok cooking lately, so I do stir-fry practically every day.”
Favorite saying: “Dance like no one is watching. Love like you’ll never be hurt. Sing like no one is listening. Live like it’s heaven on earth.”
Favorite book: Class, by Paul Fussell, which is described as “a painfully accurate guide through the American status system.”