There’s no better place to get married than the Leelanau Peninsula.
No matter where you are tying the knot, make it a Leelanau wedding.
Trendy themes at The Homestead America’s Freshwater Resort, The Homestead in Glen Arbor, celebrated its first weddings of the busy 2026 season in February with a fun “murder mystery” wedding.
“People are trying to do more out-ofthe- box things instead of just a traditional wedding ceremony. They’re looking for little special touches that they can add that are going to truly make their wedding unique, and I’m really liking that,” Homestead Event Specialist Jennifer St. Onge said. “I don’t want to say it’s an icebreaker, but it’s another way to get your guests up and mingling and kind of blending the families and friends together.”
St. Onge knows too well that the best weddings are the ones where everyone is involved.
The Homestead has had a couple of murder mystery weddings, while a special Jeopardy themed is slated for this wedding season.
The Homestead is gearing up for a busy season, but there is slight availability in June if people are still looking.
“The newest thing that we’re offering is family-style dining.
We had a couple of requests last year, so we’ve added it to our permanent offerings. We do buffet. We do plated, and we do family styles that seem to be a big thing right now,” St. Onge said. “People want a little more intimacy for their dinners, that’s one of the main things that we’ve added. We are redoing our menu right now, and we’re really trying to elevate that menu.”
The Homestead is known for its worldclass views atop the hill, where people take a ski lift to the special wedding spot.
The Homestead has upgraded its electrical infrastructure on the mountain over the past year to ensure amenities remain available.
The Homestead is also focused on getting brides and grooms to use local services, especially when coming from downstate.
“We had a lot of downstate vendors bringing things up for weddings, but this year our brides are really valuing our opinion and going with more of the local photographers, florists, and stuff like that ... We can bring in as much local business as possible,” she said.
Beauty at Black Star Farms
One of the many memorable weddings at Black Star Farms near Suttons Bay in 2025 was a National Park-themed wedding featuring the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The Suttons Bay winery is solidly booked throughout the 2026 season with some room for off-day weddings.
“We’ve expanded our beverage menu, and we are all in-house. We were limited in the past,” Black Star Farms event manager Danny Simmons said.
Black Star Farms has been doing weddings for 20 years, and one of the newer trends is couples doing micro-weddings with fewer than 40 people, leaving behind the extra baggage.
“We were lucky enough to be one of the first weddings of the season at Black Star Farms. We had a fantastic time, and the event staff helped make our special weekend go smoothly. The food and drinks we served were a huge hit, too. All in all, a great experience, and we cannot wait to come back to visit,” newlyweds Caryss and Elizabeth said after a May 2025 wedding.
Simmons reports that wedding parties are also using the rehearsal dinner as another opportunity to host a welcome party, turning the wedding into a full weekend of events.
The Black Star Farms Inn sleeps 24-26 people and is fully booked most weekends throughout the summer for weddings.
“We show them the best Leelanau has to offer,” Simmons said.
Black Star Farms sits on 160-acres with a variety of indoor and outdoor venues to tie the knot. The winery even host “elopement packages’ designed for a group of 15 people or fewer.
Get married at French Valley Vineyards
When you are doing a wedding at French Valley Vineyards in Cedar, be prepared to be swept off your feet.
As wineries grow the Leelanau wedding industry, most are focused on providing a true up-north experience.
“We push our ‘Cloud 9’ bubbly wine. It has a pretty pink color that is a great compliment along with our cider and beer products,” French Valley event coordinator Josie Coggins said.
To set up the bride, Coggins and the crew will have a tasting before the big day.
“They choose how much they want and they go from there,” Coggins said.
The winery located on French Road in Cedar has not been slowing down wedding- wise, as they are mostly booked up this summer and are looking ahead to 2027.
French Valley added a bridal suite in the basement of the barn, along with other cosmetic upgrades for the 2026 season. The winery also owns North Farm, a small lodge located roughly 15 minutes away from the winery.
Find love at Aurora Cellars
Aurora Cellars has been booked for 2026 since last year, and there are only a few spots open for 2027. There is still space for an off-day wedding for the lovers who can’t wait another second to read those vows.
“Not everybody wants to wait as long,” Simpson Family Estates Director of Sales Missy Check said. “If you do a wedding here, you have your own private space, two-acres, surrounded by beautiful trees and vineyards. The magic of northern Michigan. It’s a fantasy wedding land.”
Surrounded by walnut trees, vineyard rows, and Aurora’s iconic willow beside the pond, the Estate offers a timeless backdrop for intimate moments and unforgettable celebrations.
Another aspect that Aurora is focusing on is engagement parties.
“This is a returning trend from the 1900s, having a celebration immediately after the engagement. This is a special place to have all your closest friends in one space,” Check said.
Other wedding locations:
There are plenty of other places across the county that do weddings, including the Willowbrook Mill (Northport), Foxglove Farm, Cherry Basket Farm, Starry Night Barn, Fountain Point Resort, Crooked Creek Ranch, Noverr Farms, Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms, The Ridge at Verterra Vineyards, Timberlee Hills and Kirkbride Hall, to name a few.
