I used the local board a LOT when I got married in August 2011. There used to be a lot more people posting, but I think Pinterest has sort of taken over, which is too bad because there were always a lot of people taking part years ago.
I do a lot of research in my job so am pretty capable of finding things on my own, and did so during my wedding planning days. Now I'm asking for help because my son has finally proposed to his lovely fiance and they want to get married here in Michigan next fall (ie September or early October). They live in DC, her family lives in Kansas, and yes, they have decided on Michigan as a venue.
They are VERY particular:
- Beachfront ceremony site, with maybe an indoor option, preferably on Lake St Clair or Lake Huron. This is actually the bride's one strong opinion
- Able to bring in your own food & alcohol (I'm very familiar with caterers and alcohol suppliers from my own planning)
- No "cookie cutter" venues like golf/yacht/boat clubs. They've already said Silver Shores in Wyandotte does not fit their style
- Small wedding of about 50
They just got engaged last week during our vacation to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore. They are super frugal because they will be buying a house in the DC area also, and houses there cost 4 times the cost around here. We have primarily been looking at large home rentals from the top of the thumb down, and there are a few in the running. But I know the ladies here often find "out of the mainstream" places that aren't published or routinely found.
We've been through all the Huron Metro park system locations, this is not what they want. Ideally they want a place close to where several people can sleep. They've seen all the city/county/state parks along the Lake Huron shore, not to their liking because they want it to feel charming and home-like. I've even just recently recommended some inland lakes in the counties surrounding Detroit. They didn't like Lake Nepessing (sp?) either. Go figure!
I have read all the posts on this local board for vendors, I have looked at all the postings back to when I was planning, which was a LONG time ago! So I guess what I'm asking is if any of you have run across something that fits these specifics while planning a similar style wedding? Don't bother checking vrbo.com or any of the other home rental sites. We've probably looked at each of them 3 times each ourselves, LOL. This would be something you have found on your own along the way.
Thanks for any assistance you can offer. Like I said, I used to answer lots of questions here, and still check back to see if there are any I can answer. But I suspect we've either found what they want from the searches we've just done. or there is something out there that is buried in another couple's wedding search we have yet to find.
Happy Planning!