Aurora Cellars Estate

THIS VENUE IS UNREAL AND THE STAFF IS UNBEATABLE! If I had an option to give them more than 5 stars I absolutely would. Throughout the entire process of planning the wedding we had constant contact and support with the Aurora Cellars team. They were able to assist in creating our dream wedding day while also giving us great recommendations for all other vendors needed. Cannot imagine getting married anywhere else, and trust me when I say, you will not be disappointed with anything if you decide to pick Aurora Cellars.

We recently got married at Aurora Cellars and cannot recommend it enough. To begin, it is absolutely STUNNING and the venue speaks for itself. Our guests were in awe of how beautiful it was (and we did very minimal decor). If you're looking for an elevated backyard wedding vibe Aurora Cellars is perfect. The lawn games and bonfire area were certainly a hit and our guests used them all night long. We did our ceremony and reception there and it was SO nice having everything in one area. It became our little home away from home for the weekend and really felt like 'ours'. Another HUGE selling point is the on-site farmhouse that you get use of for your weekend. The convenience of being right there to get ready and able to walk right out the door and into our wedding ceremony eliminated so many logistical factors and of course, stress! The staff at Aurora are amazing, the grounds are meticulously cared for and of course, the wine is delicious. If you're looking for a wedding venue we HIGHLY recommend checking out Aurora Cellars, we couldn't resist once we saw it.

Such a beautiful venue! Entire staff was great with handling everything despite the terrible weather. We ended up having our ceremony in the tent due to wind and rain, but it was cozy and intimate which was great. We stayed at the farmhouse for the weekend and it was absolutely lovely. The vineyard and venue grounds are breathtaking and everyone enjoyed the location. Also received many compliments on the wine!

Kristi was amazing and so easy to work with throughout the planning process. The venue is beyond gorgeous and so spacious! Loved everything about having my wedding here

My husband Tom and I love Aurora Cellars! We had our wedding at Aurora Cellars 8-1-2020 and it was truly the most beautiful and happiest day of our lives! I fell in love with Aurora Cellars the first time we visited. I remember having a moment during our first tour of the Estate Property where I could envision all of our friends and family there having a great time. That’s when I knew this was the place we were going to get married.

The ceremony site is so romantic! It was definitely one of the main parts of this venue that sold me. The big lush willow tree in front of the pond is breathtaking - I still get chills every time I see it! It was such an intimate and naturally beautiful place to say our vows and I do’s.

The reception tent is such a lovely setting for a large outdoor gathering. The bistro lighting and chandeliers are charming touches to enhance this outdoor space. Watching all our guests enjoying dinner together at the big beautiful farm tables decorated with floral was a wonderful thing to see. Luckily we had perfect weather for our wedding so we kept the sides of the tent off. But if it does rain, there are sides that can be put on the tent and heaters in the tent if it gets cold.

The farmhouse is amazing! This was another big part about the venue that sold me. The farmhouse was built in 1875 so it has a lot of unique history and character. It has been beautifully renovated to become this perfect mix of old world charm with modern day design. There are three wonderful gathering spaces in the farmhouse – the dining room, kitchen and living room, all of which are beautifully decorated. The dining room was a great place to eat breakfast with the wedding party the morning of and the morning after the wedding. The kitchen was the perfect place to do hair for the bridesmaids and myself – plenty of seating room, counter space, electrical outlets, etc. The living room was the ideal place for the wedding party to gather in before the ceremony. There are three big beautiful bedrooms upstairs that have plenty of closet space, extra pillows, blankets, towels, etc. I used one of the upstairs bedrooms to get ready in and do my first look pictures with my bridesmaids – it was very special. I loved the unique butler’s pantry - it was the perfect place to store all our extra wedding décor. There are also two very nice bathrooms in the farmhouse (one upstairs and one downstairs) and each one has a shower. The downstairs bathroom just off the butler’s pantry is bigger and had perfect lighting to do wedding makeup for my bridesmaids and myself. The best part about the farmhouse is that it is included in the venue price for you to stay in from Thursday – Sunday! I could not find another venue in Michigan that offered a deal as great as this! Having the farmhouse, ceremony site and reception site all next to each other made everything so convenient and easy!

All our wedding planning and communication with Aurora Cellars was handled through the Events Manager – Kristi Brown. Our experience with Kristi was so wonderful from beginning to end. She made us feel like part of the Aurora Cellars family ever since our first meeting with her back in December of 2018. She is so friendly, professional, fun, trustworthy, knowledgeable and resourceful. She really helped us in the beginning by giving us great vendor, lodging, and transportation recommendations. We had great communication with her every step of the way and she always responded in a timely manner. She really knows what she is doing and we were so lucky to have her! She is amazing and truly a special member of the Aurora Cellars team.

I really appreciated Kristi’s optimism, positive outlook and flexibility especially during the last few months leading up to our wedding in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Tom and I were really nervous we were not going to be able to safely have our wedding but Kristi assured us that we could and she made sure extra safety precautions were put in place for us to do so. Luckily the venue is very large and all outdoors so it was very easy for all the guests to social distance. Kristi provided us with a separate 20 x 30 dance tent at no additional cost. This was a great addition so that dancing could be kept separate from the reception tent and guests who did not feel comfortable being around the dance floor could socially distance from it. No more than 10 people sat in rows at the ceremony site and at the tables in the reception tent and each table/row was spaced apart by at least six feet. Sneeze guards were put up at the bar and appetizer tables. Extra bathrooms were put in place and they were cleaned every 2 hours. Hand sanitizer was provided on each table for the guests. Guests were required to wear their masks if not eating or drinking or if unable to stay at least 6 feet from others. Kristi even helped us make a last minute change for our rehearsal dinner when the governor announced new restrictions on gatherings the day before (no gatherings of more than 10 people indoors). She helped us change the location of our rehearsal dinner from the Aurora Cellar’s Tasting Room to the Estate Property in order to be in compliance with the governor’s new order. Kristi and the Aurora Cellar’s team were so amazing throughout this whole process. She stayed up to date on the COVID restrictions, made sure the venue was following all the precautions and ensured that we all still had a great time celebrating! I want to give a huge thank you to Kristi and the rest of the Aurora Cellars Team! You all are the best and we couldn’t have had a better wedding!

Last but not least I just want to say that Aurora Cellars has amazing wine! Our favorite sparkling wine is the Serata Demi-Sec. Our favorite white wines are the Pinot Gris, Luminous and Late Harvest Vignoles. Our favorite red wines are the Cabernet Franc, Radiance, Blaufränkisch and Rosso.

If you are interested in getting married at a winery in northern Michigan this is the one to do it at!

We just held our wedding for 140 guests at Aurora Cellars Estate and could not be happier with the entire process and how everything turned out! Kristi is the events coordinator at Aurora and she is top-notch. No question or inquiry went unanswered, she was present for every site visit and was truly an expert on not only the venue, but on the entire Leelanau peninsula and local vendors. It's because of her organization and meticulous planning that our day went over without a hitch! The on-site farmhouse was such a wonderful amenity to the venue package. I loved getting to watch my day come together from start to finish, all while getting pampered inside with my bridesmaids. The only complaint is that we got married during fruit fly season, so we had some unexpected guests at our rehearsal dinner and in the house. Nothing a few traps couldn't fix! Overall, highly recommend this beautiful venue for your wedding weekend!

The venue had us when we saw the beautiful willow tree nestled next to a landscaped brook of water over looking the estates gorgeous vineyard. The tent with concrete floors, twinkle lights and beautiful beaded chandeliers make for a lovely intimate setting for a reception . The team at Aurora is professional, passionate, and responsive. After a year of planning and every detail thought out with special care , the only thing we could not control was the weather . We had rain (pouring rain) hours before the wedding and back up plans in place to hold ceremony under the tent . Thirty minutes prior to the wedding the sky’s parted and our events planner Miranda from Sincerely Ginger walked in and asked us to make the last call. She said the team from Aurora were drying off every chair !!! Kristi was not going to have us be the first wedding not under the Willow.
The team , the venue , the cottage for getting ready make for a magical place to be married .

Aurora is the best place hands down to have a wedding, Kristie, Ava and the rest of the staff literally go above and beyond and they made our wedding day so special. Me and my husband joe keep saying we would relive this day over again and not change a thing! The venue is perfect and so beautiful and the wine is so good! If your indecisive on where you should get married look no further.. this is your place. I am so thankful for everything they did for us to make it such a seamless and beautiful wedding. I have gotten so many compliments from so many people saying this was the most beautiful and fun wedding they have been to, thank you so much aurora cellars for creating so many beautiful memories for us. We also rented out the beautiful cottage on the vineyard and loved it so much and are definitely talking about renting it out again next summer!!!

Allison and I had a wonderful experience with having our wedding at Aurora Cellars! Kristi and her team did a great job of making our day so special. Plus they have great wine, so we will be back on our next trip to Traverse City! :)

The setting was perfect!! Staff was extremely accommodating, easy to work with, and very responsive. Kristi from Aurora was always available and really made sure we had the best experience possible! She had a bottle of wine with a personalized note waiting for us in the farm house. Kristi even went to her house to get a Kitchenaid mixer so that our wedding cake could be made at the farm house the day before the wedding. Everything Aurora includes with their venue we could not find anywhere else. We cannot recommend and praise them enough!