The Homestead Wins 2011 Best of Weddings Editors' Pick Award from The Knot

Longtime local favorite The Homestead has been recognized this year by The Knot as a top pick amongst wedding venues.

As the leader in wedding news and information, The Knot surveys thousands of brides and grooms every year to find the very best of everything for its newly-engaged readers. Between its national and regional magazines and its dominant online presence, The Knot has become the go-to resource for wedding planning throughout the US and in parts of Canada.

The Homestead offers several sites for picturesque wedding ceremonies and receptions for up to one hundred and eighty guests. The Leelanau County resort has hosted scenic weddings along its private Lake Michigan beachfront for over thirty years, but has grown exponentially as a wedding destination since adding the top of its ski area, Bay Mountain, to its list of venues, as well as building both Mountain Flowers Lodge and Camp Firefly, two private event facilities that host scores of newlyweds and their guests in celebration each season.

The Knot awards its “Best of Weddings” status every year to the select vendors that have proved themselves standouts either by earning the endorsement of the brides surveyed, or by actually being selected as an “Editors’ Pick.” Having received one glowing review after another from happy newlyweds, The Homestead is a 2011 Best of Weddings pick not only according to former clients who rated venues for The Knot, but also according to the publication’s in-house experts, who have deemed the resort an Editor’s Pick in the wedding venue category.

Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming task, so many brides and grooms rely on the ratings and reviews in all of The Knot’s categories as they pin down the details for their own ceremonies. The magazine rates vendors of even the tiniest of wedding products and services so its readers can learn all they want about local caterers, cake makers, dress shops, jewelers, bands, bartenders, and anything else their events require. Having two full-time wedding planners on its team, The Homestead also helps brides-to-be with the planning process, sharing inside information and recommendations for a number of area experts like photographers and florists. The resort has developed special relationships with several of its favorite local vendors, which can help couples to negotiate as they contract for services at one of The Homestead’s venues.

The resort’s owner, Robert Kuras, was thrilled with the recognition, which he says his team has earned. “The Knot is the industry leader in rating wedding services, so we know how well they understand what makes a great wedding venue. We’re just incredibly honored that they’ve selected us,” said Kuras. He went on to say that in-house wedding planners Barb Ellis and Lindy Kellogg have always “gone the extra mile” for brides and their guests to be sure everything goes according to plan. “Our outdoor views of Lake Michigan are incredible,” Kuras commented, “but when someone’s big day arrives and the forecast isn’t cooperating, I’ve seen them move everything inside totally seamlessly and then move it back outside again when the sun starts to shine, no questions asked. We’re really lucky to have such great people here, and I think that personal touch has been important to a lot of couples.”

Both Ellis and Kellogg were elated at the news of The Homestead’s honor and are anticipating a very busy 2011 season.

For more information, visit www.thehomesteadresort.com or call 231.334.5000.