About Fern Hill Golf Club Wedding Venue
As a Southeast and Mid Michigan wedding photographer who’s photographed 70+ weddings, I know a lot about Michigan wedding venues. 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 photos should truly showcase the emotions, the details, and you in your wedding day. Selecting the perfect venue is the first step in bringing your wedding day vision to life. Fern Hill Golf Club is a golf course and wedding venue in Southeast Michigan. Situated right in the middle of Clinton Township (which is a half hour north of Detroit), Fern Hill weddings are beautiful events both outside and inside.
This venue is a blank space for couples to infuse their personality into. I’ve worked Fern Hill weddings a few times now, and each time the space looks so different because of the details each couple uses. The wedding featured in this post used blues, purples, and golds throughout the space to create a sense of fresh spring for this May wedding. The interior spaces are naturally dark and lack windows, so if you love ambient lighting to set a mood this venue space is definitely for you. The colored lights are known as “up-lighting” and often times can be acquired either through the venue or your professional DJ.
Fern Hill weddings offer in-house catering and bartending teams, making this venue all-inclusive. I love when a venue offers this in-house for couples. Couples don’t have to manage talking to multiple vendors and worry about planning out the moving parts of a reception. With everything being in-house, the staff at Fern Hill is truly on top of everything. I love being a part of the Fern Hill vendor team, and you can check my availability for your wedding day here.
It’s important to note that Fern Hill can host multiple weddings in a day, dependent on guest count. This venue can accommodate up to 750 guests, meaning this space is huge. Each time I’ve worked at this venue, there was another wedding going on in the room next door. Each event stayed separate, with no guests wandering back and forth. We also could not hear the other wedding, so this isn’t something I would worry about when selecting this wedding venue.
Fern Hill Wedding Ceremony Space
Fern Hill wedding ceremonies can happen either outside or inside. The venue has recently completed renovations on their indoor chapel space (but important to note I haven’t seen or worked in this space). Most weddings I’ve worked at this venue have had the ceremonies outdoors on the patio, or at their home churches. Fern Hill’s outdoor space is easily accessible for those in wheelchairs or walkers with the concrete patio all on one level outside the restaurant. The space includes a garden arch that can be further decorated and trees surrounding the space.
To prevent guests from seeing the bride too early, a white fence is in place along the backside of the patio. The addition of this fence makes the space feel a little more private and secluded from the world. The fence is especially perfect for those couples who choose to not have a first look prior to the ceremony. I just love the photo I got of my bride with her dad right before walking down. If you want a similar photo for your wedding day, check my availability here! Wedding parties can line up easily behind it, and staff will perfectly coordinate this moment all away from the eyes of guests. This is an active golf course, so there will be golf carts and golfers nearby the outdoor space. In my experience, this hasn’t posed any issues and golfers respect the space!
Reception Space at Fern Hill Wedding Venue
Immediately following your outdoor wedding ceremony, guests will be ushered into cocktail hour. This is typically held inside the reception space and features hot and cold appetizers buffet style. The bar is usually open during this period and guests often spend this time socializing with others while the wedding party takes portraits outdoors. A fun little touch for your guests could be personalized drinks at the bar, served with custom napkins. This is your chance to name a drink after yourself and bring a smile to your guests’ faces as they order, especially if you incorporate your fur babies.
There are quite a few outdoor spaces for couples and their wedding party to take formal portraits. Fern Hill provides a golf cart for couples and parties to drive around the course rather than walk. My favorite spot for couple portraits has to be the bridge. The green of the bridge nicely complimented my bride’s white gown and groom’s blue suit. With their wedding colors being very springy, it just fit perfectly. The bridge isn’t located far from the venue and is nicely shaded with trees. The wedding day featured throughout this post had rain sporadically throughout. The trees kept the sprinkles away and provided the perfect cover! To check my availability for your Fern Hill wedding, you can reach out here!
A Fern Hill wedding is the perfect place for a grand reception entrance. With no windows into the space, guests can’t see what the wedding party and couple has planned as they enter into the space. Matt and Krista really wanted a fun entrance to kick off the party. The wedding party entered in with sunglasses and glow sticks to emulate a hyped-up party and the guests were smiling and clapping along. The couple finally entered the space after them and immediately went to cut their wedding cake. Toasts were made, guests laughed at the childhood references, and dinner kicked off quickly.
Dinner was absolutely delicious. Fernhill has the ability to do plated dinners, buffet style, or family style dining for guests. I work at golf clubs throughout the year for wedding days, and I’m oddly obsessed with the green beans at Fern Hill. I honestly don’t know how they are different than other wedding venue’s green beans, but they are easily my favorite vegetable side. So fresh. So green. So garlicky and delicious!
The receptions at Fern Hill go hard in the best way. This is a venue for partying. Weddings I’ve worked here have everyone on that dance floor with glow sticks, up-lighting, sunglasses, and more. I had a couple even do a t-shirt toss once (you know, like they do at basketball games). Guests have rarely been in their seats for long after dinner, which really make for a fun night! If you’re planning to have your wedding at Fernhill, I would love to connect and check my availability! You can contact me here!
My 3 Favorite Things About Fern Hill Weddings
In-House Catering & Bartending
Fern Hill, like most golf club wedding venues, offers in-house catering and bartending. I already mentioned the green beans and how amazing they are, but the staff is great. No dish ever ran out of food and staff is very quick to clear plates from your tables to help dinner move along quickly. I’ve had family style and buffet dinners while working at this venue! I also particularly love the bartending staff because they always kept our vendor table hydrated with ice water and diet coke. It’s an extra little touch that makes a big difference to the team working together for your wedding day, and if they kept us stocked up I can imagine how well the guests were treated.
Versatility of the Space
I’m always surprised when I work at a venue multiple times and the vibe of the day is totally different than the time before. Fern Hill’s reception space is incredibly versatile in how it can be laid out and decorated. I’ve seen the space transformed into a spring floral dream, a black tie soiree, and even a nightclub themed wedding reception. With how versatile the space is, couples can easily decorate Fern Hill how they wish to customize their day.
Outdoor Ceremony Space
I really like the outdoor ceremony space for Fern Hill weddings. The space is on the smaller side, but as a photographer I have so much room to move around. I love this because I can capture multiple angles of a wedding ceremony. I can watch your mom’s reaction to you saying vows. I can see your first kiss with your guests watching. I can get the faces of your groomsmen throughout the ceremony, too. If you value different angles to tell a deeper story of your wedding ceremony, this outdoor space is perfect! And if you’re on the hunt for a photographer, you can check my availability here.
Fern Hill Wedding Cost
- Outdoor ceremony space rental is $1,000.
- Most couples should expect to budget a minimum of $72 per guest for food and beverage.
The cost for a wedding day at Fern Hill varies, and it’s because of your guest count. With the inclusion of catering and bartending, cost is based around how much is being provided. These costs are usually per guest. This is why a lot of wedding planners (and I) suggest you have an idea of your guest list prior to searching for a venue. To get a true idea of cost you’ll want to present your guest count to the venue!
Fernhill Golf Club Details
- Location: Just 35 minutes north of Detroit
- Address: 17600 Clinton River Rd, Clinton Township, MI 48038
- Phone: 586.371.8262
- Website: fernhillgc.com/weddings
- Capacity: Up to 700 guests for reception; can accommodate more intimate celebrations under 50 guests
- Events: Ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception
- Amenities available: Couples get access to getting ready suites, in-house catering and bartending teams, on-site ceremony spaces
Looking for more venues? Check out this blog post I wrote about even more Michigan Wedding Venues! You can also check my availability for your wedding day here.
