Traverse City Wedding Venue: Timberlee Hills

Timberlee Hills Wedding Venue

Timberlee Hills, a Traverse City wedding venue

Nestled into Northern Michigan’s rolling green hillside, Timberlee Hills is a Traverse City wedding venue. This lodge inspired venue has such a cozy warmth to it that give you the warm fuzzies when you walk in. With patio doors that open into the evergreen outdoors, this venue is truly the epitome of “going up north” in Michigan.

Timeberlee Hills is open year round for weddings and events. However in the winter time, this venue also doubles as a snow-tubing center for families. This property is incredibly well maintained with manicured lawns and flower beds throughout the summer months. Some features to this lodge inspired wedding venue include a cozy fireplace, an outdoor dancefloor, and the most perfect outdoor ceremony space.

reception space inside Timberlee Hills wedding venue

Traverse City Wedding Venue Ceremony and Reception Spaces

The beauty of Timberlee Hills lies in the nature of Traverse City. With this venue, you can plan an outdoor ceremony with no fear of inclement weather. Timberlee Hills has the space to use their back patio or inside space in the event of inclement weather. You can still get that perfect view of the rolling hills while indoors!

This Traverse City wedding venue ceremony space is one of my favorite spots I’ve worked in this year. I’ve already mentioned the amazing view this property has, but the ceremony spot is gorgeous. With towering pine trees, a ceremony arch, and the greenest fields, your guests will feel at peace in this space.

wedding dress hanging outside a Traverse City wedding venue

After your outdoor ceremony, your guests will be ushered to cocktail hour. This is typically held both on the patio and inside the lodge. The patio and nearby lawn space features games such as cornhole and a nice bonfire pit. Guests can lounge and socialize on nearby lawn seating or under the patio roof. Cocktail hour is a time for you to socialize with your guests or for you to have portraits done. There’s nothing better than eating some appetizers and having conversations with friends or family. This is your time to see your people and start celebrating! If you’re working with me for photography, I strive to be finished with portraits with plenty of time left for you to attend your cocktail hour. Sometimes we have to do portraits during this time, especially if this is the first time in the day everyone has been together. If you can though, I highly recommend attending your own cocktail hour!

Moving into the reception, I always recommend couples make a grand entrance. Whether you’ve already socialized with guests or not, a grand entrance is the mark of the beginning of the reception and gets your guests excited about the rest of the night. Entering through the patio doors, you’ll walk into the spacious lodge space right to your head or sweetheart table. Throughout the evening, I suggest your friends do their toasts right before dinner.

A neat little detail from Kelsy and Matt’s wedding reception: Kelsy is originally from New Orleans where toasts and a structured wedding reception just aren’t a thing. A Southern wedding is typically rolling appetizers throughout the night without a formal, sit down meal. It was fun to hear Kelsy’s sweet family members give a toast and learn about their own Southern wedding traditions during my time working with them!

Throughout the reception at this Traverse City wedding venue, guests will be able to leisurely stroll in and out of the lodge as they wish. I recommend (if possible) to have your first dances outside on the patio like Kelsy and Matt did. This area has ample space for your dance floor and for your guests to watch this sentimental moment for the newlyweds. In the summer, the party can take place outside all night under the stars. During cooler evenings, bonfire pits are available for guests to take advantage of. I recommend having a s’more station like my couple did! They were a hit for guests of all ages.

wedding toast at Timberlee Hills, a Traverse City wedding venue

My Favorite Things About This Traverse City Wedding Venue

I worked at Timberlee Hills for an August 2025 wedding. My experience at this venue was amazing- the views are just breath-taking. The experience of Timberlee Hills really starts on the drive through town. As you leave the hustle and bustle of Traverse City, you’re transported through lush green fields and rolling hills. The outdoor ceremony location overlooks all the pine trees and fields across the hills.

This property was incredibly secluded and private in the best way. Sometimes with weddings in busy cities, you hear the outside noise in the venue or have to be finished by quiet hours in some places. Timberlee Hills is secluded in the country side of Traverse City, so it’s wonderfully quiet with no worry about disturbing local residents. A little special touch my couple did for their wedding, was to pre-load Uber/Lyft cards with money for guests to transport themselves back to the hotel if they carpooled or had a little too much to drink. It was an incredibly thoughtful detail. One that I know guests appreciated.

The staff at this venue was also so wonderful. My couple had hired Jessie and her team to coordinate throughout the wedding day. To my understanding, this is an add on service Timberlee Hills offers. Jessie’s team was quick to tear down the ceremony space and flip the bridal suite around as a private spot for the wedding party to tuck away when needed.

wedding reception hosted at Timberlee Hills, a Traverse City wedding venue

Timberlee Hills Wedding Costs

For weddings at Timberlee Hills, I recommend couples budget $9,000 for this venue. This is the average cost to rent for a Saturday wedding for 2027 and also includes access to the bridal suite, ceremony set up/tear down, table linens, guest activities, and more. Bartending services are through the venue as well since no outside alcohol is permitted. At this time catering services are not included, but Timberlee Hills is happy to give recommendations for catering teams they frequently work with!

Timberlee Hills Venue Details

Location: Just 6 miles north of Traverse City
Address: 10484 S Timberlee Dr, Traverse City, MI 49684
Phone: 231.944.2196
Website: timberleehills.com/event-venue
Capacity: Up to 200 guests for a seated ceremony and reception; can accommodate more intimate celebrations under 70 guests
Events: Ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception
Amenities available: Couples get access to getting ready suites, furniture & linens, access to property!