JEN LYNNE PHOTOGRAPHY

JEN LYNNE PHOTOGRAPHY

bridal

Destination:

Bay Harbor

LYNNE KONSTANTIN ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

The Inn
at Bay Harbor
is an idyllic haven
for Northern
Michigan nuptials.

ABOVE: A couple marries under the
chuppah at the Inn at Bay Harbor.
TOP RIGHT: Lake Michigan’s Little
Traverse Bay laps the shore at the Inn.
BOTTOM RIGHT: A Dinner on the Bay
reception in the Sagamore Room.

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January 26 • 2017

M

agnificent Lake Michigan views. Rolling green lawns.
Luxuriously charming accommodations. Impeccable
service.
Sound like the makings of a gorgeous vacation?
Imagine gathering your family and friends at such a place to
witness you say “I do.”
An easy drive from Metro Detroit and Chicago with an airport
nearby, the Inn at Bay Harbor is an uncommonly idyllic location
for a destination wedding. A glistening jewel sprawling along a
pristine stretch of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay, just three
miles north of Petoskey, the Inn at Bay Harbor provides everything
needed for a breathtaking wedding by the water.
Fashioned after Northern Michigan’s romantic turn-of-the-cen-
tury inns — with all the luxuriously elegant trappings that went
along with them — the inn offers plenty of options for housing
guests, including cottages, cottage-like rooms and suites.
“There are not many destinations in Northern Michigan that
have the proximity to water that we do,” says Brie Kear, sales
manager at Bay Harbor, Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands.
“Couples can have their ceremony on our lake lawn, feet away
from Lake Michigan.”
Receptions are typically held in the elegant Sagamore Room,
which seats 150. A wall of French doors opens to a brick terrace

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with views of the water — perfect for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
“In the summer, we try to keep the doors open,” Kear says. “It cre-
ates an indoor-outdoor venue that flows from one area to the
next.”
Once a couple has booked, they are assigned an event manager
who assists with the coordination of every detail of the ceremony
and reception. The event manager can also make recommenda-
tions from a vetted list of local vendors, from florists to makeup
artists and more.
“Wedding vendors in Northern Michigan have gone through the
roof in the last few years,” Kear says. “There are so many to choose
from now, so couples don’t have to pay to have their vendors
travel.”
In addition to the area offering boundless activities for guests,
from shopping, water sports, golf (or skiing for winter weddings),
the Inn has an on-site spa for pre-wedding group gatherings for
men or women. Take in a relaxing treatment to calm butterflies, a
mani-pedi and more.
“Ninety-five percent of our weddings are destination,” Kear says.
“Couples love the food, the overall service, from housekeeping
to valet staff. Everyone feels so welcome. But I think the biggest
appeal is the water. The venue speaks for itself. You don’t have to
do too much decor — the water is your backdrop.”