The last place I last left you was
here. A few months back in November, Justin asked me to be his wife.
Well, now that he asked (and I accepted), we begin the exciting process of planning that beautiful day that we commit to each other forever in front of our family and friends. A lot of planning goes into every detail, and I thought I would share those details with you here.
First, let me be completely honest with all of you, we began our search for our wedding ceremony and reception site a couple of weeks before Justin even proposed. While I was unaware of Justin's plan to propose in such an amazing way and when he might do it, I was fully aware that we had planned to spend forever together. I always thought I would be surprised - but in reality, this is a decision we made as a couple. We began to plan our future together in many other ways before we chose where we would hold our wedding.
We thought that we would like to have our wedding in 2014, and it was clear that our time to book a venue was getting short.
As Justin and I began to discuss what we desired for our wedding, we both agreed that we wanted an intimate and natural setting with our closest family and friends as the center of it. The wedding is a beautiful celebration and it's the only time that we'll have with our family and friends all in one place, so we want to cherish this day and days leading up to it.
But we'd also like to come out of it with our heads still above the financial waters.
We wrote down our ideas for our wedding and listed what was most important to us (where we would spend our money) and what was least important to us (where we could trim the fat to save some pennies).
And the search for a beautiful, unique venue with a stunning backdrop began. A venue that guests could fall in love with...with out boarding a plane. A special place that we could go back and visit year after year, and share with our future family.
Justin and I have spent several of our vacations visiting wineries and touring around Michigan - and it was clear that a winery would be perfect for us. My first idea was Traverse City (since I already had amazing memories there from growing up), but we wanted to first search a place closer to home. We considered options between Pennsylvania and Michigan (since Justin's family lives in PA) - focusing on the Niagara region, yet it would've required that our guests have a passport. We didn't want a place too far away, so anything where we would have to board a plane would be out. And so, we circled back to Traverse City.
We dreamed of a resort area that offered guests a wide variety of activities to indulge in. We wanted to support our home state and show our guests the true beauty of Michigan - and we agreed that Traverse was the perfect spot for us. It's the travel destination of Michigan and offers beautiful scenery, crystal clear water, activities for everyone.
When it came to us narrowing down venues in Traverse City, it was a very easy decision. We researched many wineries, and walked through 3. Our final destination for venues was Black Star Farms Winery. BSF is located on Leelanau Peninsula and is nestled in a valley between rolling hills of trees and vineyards. Although it is a working horse farm, the estate also offers a beautiful Inn, a café that serves the best brick oven pizza, a cheese store (Leelanau Cheese), and the winery and tasting room.
As soon as we pulled into Black Star Farms drive I felt like it was the perfect spot. There were horses grazing in the fields, a gorgeous red Inn with a grand marble entrance and rolling hills packed full of vines surrounding the estate. As we toured, I mentioned to the wedding coordinator that other than the scenery, our main concern was the food. I clenched my teeth and said quietly and carefully (slightly concerned that I was about to offend her)...we don't want "wedding food." And she lit up and replied that they don't
allow "wedding food."
Sold.
Not only does Black Star Farms have a beautiful estate and gourmet food, they offer several other perks which makes life a little easier for a bride (planning from afar).
- There are 6 ceremony sites and 6 reception sites to choose from (so if the weather wasn't ideal, we would have plenty of other last-minute site options)
- We are given exclusive use of the venue all weekend long. Which means we can set up on Friday afternoon for our Saturday wedding.
- There are 9 rooms at the inn on site (which we have already reserved). Very convenient for getting for getting ready with my bridesmaids, mother-of-the-groom, and mother-of-the-bride.
- We provide our own beer and liquor (which allows us to get creative...and save some dough). We must use their wine - which isn't an issue since their wine is outstanding!
- Tables, chivari chairs and linens are standard and included
- Surrounded by natural beauty
We didn't mind what date we got married on, as long as it was far enough away to give us ample time to plan. By the time we decided on the venue, there were only two dates left in 2014 to choose from. Which made choosing a date very easy...
August 9, 2014
We couldn't imagine a better place for us to share our day with family and friends.
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