As a Southeast and Mid-Michigan wedding photographer who’s photographed 70+ weddings, I’ve traveled around Michigan and know the best areas to get married. Hi, friend! I’m Catie Eovaldi and I’ve been photographing weddings for the past 3 years. Heading into my fourth year of wedding photography, I believe your wedding day shouldn’t feel cookie cutter- it should feel like you. From the colors, the vibes, and details, you want a day you will make the most of and remember for a lifetime. The easiest way to wedding plan is one step at a time, and that first step (after your engagement of course) is to choose a venue. A little disclaimer: there are several lakefront venues in Michigan but I personally only write about the ones I have experience at. That’s not to say one that’s not on this list isn’t a good venue, I just haven’t worked there! As time goes on and I continue to photograph weddings I’ll add more venues to this guide!
About Michigan Estate Weddings
Selecting your venue is the first step in bringing your wedding day vision to life, and trust me when I say I know how overwhelming it can be. From historic homes, to museums, to barns, to vineyards. There are so many wonderful Michigan wedding venues, but there’s just something about the historic estates we have here. Michigan is so unique in that we have so many backdrops in the form of water, forests, and architecture. The beauty of these estate venues is that they actually combine a lot of these backdrops so you get a little variety of everything on your wedding day.
Estate wedding venues here just have a feel of refined elegance. If you envision a day surrounded by the beauty of architecture and gardens, you’re going to love these estate venues!
4 Tips for Hosting An Estate Wedding
Pick The Right Season
The best time for an estate wedding in Michigan is late spring, summer, or early fall. While these estates are beautiful, not all of them have the ability to host weddings inside the property due to size. Some have tents outdoors where the home itself is in view, and not all of them can use heat in the winter.
Keep Your Suites Clean
Estate venues have gorgeous getting ready suites. Often decorated to fit the era of the home, these venues provide spaces for you and your wedding party to get ready for the day in. My best tip for these spaces is to keep them clean. Designate someone in your party to clear the clutter away for photos that feel as refined and joyful as the space you’re in. When there’s a lot of clutter that can affect the vibes, the mood, and the end product of your gallery.
Embrace the Location
Take advantage of the environment around you to make your day unforgettable! Have your ceremony within view of the home onsite; host cocktail hour inside so your guests can tour and really experience the estate; lean into it with fun themes like floral garden party.
Work with a Wedding Planner
For a relaxing estate wedding, I highly encourage you to hire and work with a wedding planner. Planners are a godsend. Not only do they handle the logistics and moving parts such as moving the timeline along, communicating with vendors, and designing a gorgeous wedding, but they handle the problems, too. With outdoor weddings come weather. Wedding planners often will have a plan B or C to enact and fix things behind the scenes, so much so that couples often don’t know some things even went wrong in the first place.
Southeast Michigan Estate Wedding Venues
Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 350 Estate Dr, Rochester, MI 48309
- Cost: starting at $43,000
- Capacity: 150-300 guests
- Style/Vibe: Tudor Style Estate
- Catie’s Quick Tip: I would prioritize portrait time if you’re getting married at Meadow Brook. The property is so vast and if you want variety in where your portraits are I would schedule extra time!
The manor is absolutely stunning both inside and outside. Starting inside, this space has so much detail and art that add a historical detail to your wedding portraits. The basement inside has such a cozy atmosphere for these late night portraits. The grand staircase is a work of art with the crafted wood banister and red carpeting. Outside features include the expansive gardens and views of the golf course.
Meadow Brook Hall is truly an all inclusive venue. Included in its pricing is the venue rental, catering, bartending, linens, valet services for guests, and more. There are a few different options on where your wedding ceremony can be on property, but the receptions happen in a garden tent. Cocktail hour, in my experience, has guests roaming between the reception tent and the manor. Guests are usually able to tour the manor during that time.
The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
- Cost: Not listed publicly online, but an estimated minimum budget of $40,000 is recommended for large weddings
- Capacity: 450 seated guests
- Style/Vibe: Refined elegant manor situated on lakefront property
- Catie’s Quick Tip: For better water views, book the lakeview ballroom for a reception with a clear view. With windows all around the ballroom, you’ll have unlimited views compared to Alger House.
There are 2 parts of this property that make up this estate wedding venue. The first is the smaller Alger House. Able to host smaller events up to 70 guests, this house was the original structure of the venue and also functions as a museum. With different rooms your guests will be immersed in, they’ll be able to have views of the lake out the manor windows. This part of the estate is more historical and architectural in nature. Your day will have a coastal and opulent feel.
For larger wedding days, the lakeview ballroom is available for receptions. I also recommend incorporating the smaller Alger House by holding your ceremony on the lawn. Your backdrop will be the house while the waves softly crash in the background. The ballroom part of the venue feels more refined and modern than the home, but no less elegant! The War Memorial is similar to St Clair Inn as they also have in-house catering and bartending. I have a deep dive on this venue that you can check out below!
Adams Manor in Oakland Township
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 3800 Adams Rd, Oakland Township, MI 48363
- Cost: starting at $30,000
- Capacity: 150 guests
- Style/Vibe: English Tudor style estate
- Catie’s Quick Tip: Host an intimate rehearsal dinner on the back porch of the house. This porch looks out over the property and is a stunning view!
This estate was built in 1932 and was inspired in design by English Tudor-style architecture. With artwork and architectural work dedicated to Old World craftsmanship, this venue offers a timeless beauty you just won’t find anywhere else. It’s truly unique in design and will leave you with stunning wedding photos (which you can connect with me here about), impressed guests, and an experience truly rooted in preserving your love.
Adams Manor has the space to accommodate a reception both indoors and out. Starting with a speakeasy cocktail hour, guests will be able to grab a drink and socialize right outside on the patio. Moving into the dinner and more formal parts of the reception, you could host an intimate evening in the ballroom or keep the party outdoors. With a tent, you’ll be able to have an outdoor reception right up against the manor that is protected from harsh sun!
Longacre House in Farmington Hills
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 24705 Farmington Rd, Farmington Hills MI 48336
- Cost: starting at $875 for 6 hour rental
- Capacity: Under 130 guests
- Style/Vibe: Georgian Style Estate
- Catie’s Quick Tip: With how the rooms are laid out, I would recommend turning the library into your bar and using the room to the left for food and activities like a photo booth!
Longacre House is an old manor type venue that accommodates up to 130 guests throughout the summer. With winter events being limited to indoor only, the venue can only accommodate up to 106 guests for events entirely inside. Located in Farmington Hills, this space is definitely a hidden gem of a venue and is actually offered through the city’s parks department. Design elements for a wedding here include Georgian style architecture, a garden teeming with life, gazebo with ample yard space, and greenery around the venue.
This is probably the smallest of all the estate venues in this list. With its location right in the historical downtown area of the city, it’s property is small when compared to the rolling hills of Adams Manor or sprawling estate of Meadow Brook Hall. This venue is a great choice for those looking to have an indoor wedding during the winter season though! Compared to its predecessors, this estate has the indoor space to handle a wedding day that’s completely indoors.
Pine Knob Mansion in Clarkston
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 5580 Waldon Rd, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348
- Cost: $130 per guest
- Capacity: The Carriage House can host up to 280 guests; The Mansion can host up to 150 guests
- Style/Vibe: Historical Mansion on Golf Course
- Catie’s Quick Tip: The ceremony space at the Mansion is half shade, half full sun. I recommend providing parasols or fans for those guests sitting in the sun as it gets quite hot in the summer!
Pine Knob actually consists of two wedding venue spaces. The larger of the two spaces is The Carriage House. This venue can host up to 280 guests and is more modern in its design. With crystal chandeliers for an elegant touch, this space is ideal for couples with a larger guest list and a desire for a modern, elegant style wedding day.
The smaller of the two is the Pine Knob Mansion, and this is the space I have personally worked in before. I loved my time working here! The Mansion feels like a walk through time as it’s still decorated with period appropriate shields, swords, and artwork. The furniture gives this space a more homey feel and your guests will love the ability to choose whether they spend time on the patio or inside the air conditioned spaces. This venue is more historical in nature and features elements of your typical estate venue compared to its Carriage House counterpart.
Both venues share the same catering and bartending teams, so the menus and costs available are for both spaces. The venues also share garden spaces and the golf course. While The Carriage House and The Mansion are close to each other, there is enough space between the two that your guests won’t be confused on where to go! In my time working at The Mansion, I didn’t run into the other wedding party or vendors from the wedding taking place at The Carriage House. The properties are so expansive with so many options on where to do portraits that we just didn’t run into one another, which was great!
West Michigan Estate Venues
Belvedere Estate in Saugatuck
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 3656 63rd St, Saugatuck, MI 49453
- Cost: starts at $7,400
- Capacity: 250 guests
- Style/Vibe: Italian inspired villa
- Catie’s Quick Tip: Book the rooms inside the villa to make this wedding day a wedding weekend with your closest friends and families!
Belvedere Estate Saugatuck is just one singular wedding venue space. They only host one wedding at a time, ensuring the focus truly stays on you and your experience. The estate serves as both a ceremony and reception space, with guests able to explore inside and outside. This venue has a few different spaces (more on that below), but overall can host up to 250 guests outdoors and has the ability to host smaller micro-weddings of less than 80 inside the house itself. With Italian inspired gardens for a refined and peaceful touch, this space is ideal for couples with a larger guest list and a desire for a whimsical, garden inspired wedding day.
The smaller of the two spaces is inside the manor. The estate feels like a walk through time as it’s still decorated with period appropriate artwork and furniture. The architecture of the space is Prairie-style using masonry walls, quarter-sawn oak trim, and a green tile roof. The furniture gives this space a more homey feel and your guests will love the views of the outdoor terrace and pond.
Venue3Two in Grand Rapids
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 3232 Shaffer Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
- Cost: Starting around $5,000 – $9,000 for a single day
- Capacity: 200 guests
- Style/Vibe: Timeless mansion with a clean & elegant feel
- Catie’s Quick Tip: Take advantage of the furniture rentals at this venue! Add some different seating options like couches to add a fun touch to your overall design.
This remodeled mansion provides an exclusive experience for their couples and guests. You can enjoy the entire estate and its many rooms for yourself all throughout your day. The mansion is decorated in soft neutrals and elevated with rich dark wood throughout. The feel of the mansion is timeless and romantic with a touch of vintage. The outdoor patios are also soft neutrals to perfectly fit with any decor and colors you choose. Adorned with strands of Edison bulbs and stylish copper piping, the outside of the manor makes for the perfect wedding ceremony or cocktail hour space. Intimate wedding receptions are also ideal for this space as pictured below!
Venue 3 Two, while already gorgeous, offers some decor rentals that can be added to your package with them to further elevate your day. I find this unique- four years in to wedding photography and this is the first time I’ve worked with a venue that offers this! I’ve seen glassware rentals, but not furniture. Venue 3 Two weddings have an arch available to rent for your ceremony. A full rental list is available at the linked blog post below!
Southwest Michigan Estate Wedding Venues
Greencrest Manor in Battle Creek
Quick Venue Facts:
- Address: 6174 Halbert Rd, Battle Creek, MI 49017
- Cost: starting at $48,000
- Capacity: 200 guests
- Style/Vibe: Timeless European garden
- Catie’s Quick Tip: There’s a pathway leading from the manor to the garden tent and it’s lined with the most beautiful hydrangeas. You have to incorporate walking down that path into your day for a sweet, romantic look!
Greencrest Manor is the European estates of your dreams. I’ve been to several events at Greencrest Manor and each one is more wonderful than the last. The heart of Greencrest Manor truly lays in the client and guest experience. The venue team has made it their mission to love on each person that walks through the door, and it truly shows. A Greencrest Manor experience is unlike any other venue I’ve experienced. This venue features lush green gardens, a private tree lined driveway, and an ivy covered estate. Architecturally this is a European manor that can host your wedding party overnight. There are many spots at this venue that could be utilized for ceremonies, but my favorite spot for receptions is the tent out front.
The team at Greencrest Manor really makes each event unique by focusing on you. Signature cocktails are crafted especially for you by the bartending team. Florals are sourced directly from the gardens on site. A planning team is there for you to handle all the day of details. With all of this at this venue, this is an exceptional venue to be married at!
I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing couples all over Michigan, and I’m just starting to branch out into traveling outside my home state. You can check out more weddings I’ve done here and also deep dives on venues I recommend here! If you’re looking for a wedding photographer I’d love to connect and chat about your vision for the day.
