Whitefish Lodge & Manhattan Beach Lodge

Whitefish Lodge offered and delivered on everything we wanted for our wedding! Their wedding package was extremely flexible and customizable, even up to the day of the wedding, and Crystal was especially great to work with. She answered our multitudes of questions and requests from start to finish, and showed incredible professionalism and efficiency. They offer a very competitive and reasonable price, especially for the quality of services provided.

The venue itself is reserved for the whole weekend, and we were able to arrive and start decorating immediately on Friday. Being able to have early access to the venue allowed us breathing room and preparation time, which was a huge bonus. We could choose whether we had the wedding indoors or outdoors on the day of, which alleviated any stress that could be caused by weather. The tables for the dinner and the chairs for the ceremony are set up by the venue staff as well, so there was not a lot that needed to be done for decoration, aside from setting up minimal decorations and flowers. Further, Whitefish has a great Rehearsal Dinner option, and the venue was very flexible with providing food for all dietary restrictions.

The only, very minimal, concerns we had the day of were that the main stairs between the floors were a little difficult for our more elderly guests to walk on, and one of them did accidentally slip down the stairs. No one was seriously hurt though, and ultimately there is an elevator between all floors, which was very convenient. We would encourage elderly guests to book lower floor rooms or use the elevator. Additionally, the bridal suite’s lighting was a little harsh for hair and makeup, though that could be resolved with bringing in your own lights as well.

We really wanted a centralized venue that guests could stay at, as half of our guests traveled from out of state, and we wanted them to be able to enjoy the experience fully and easily. Since the guests were able to stay at the lodge, we got significantly more time to spend with everyone, and all our guests expressed gratitude toward that convenience. Guests were able to enjoy the outdoors, the pool, the arcade area, the dance floor, etc. All guests had somewhere where they could go and be comfortable, which can be difficult to find at a wedding venue. Further, if guests wanted or needed to go outside the venue to explore, Whitefish Lodge is right by the Town Square, within walkable distance. We were also able to easily add guest entertainment such as a DJ, a slideshow, a photo booth, a dessert table, a late night snack table, places for games, etc. The venue also has a large selection for drinks, alcoholic or non alcoholic. By the end of the night, our guests had gone through the majority of the selections! Further, our guests raved at the late night snacks and s’mores bar, which many say made the wedding one of the best weddings they attended! We closed down the dance floor at 1:00 am, and it was a wonderful night!

In conclusion, as many know, wedding planning can be very stressful, and the venue is honestly half the battle, but Whitefish made planning and the wedding itself feel very easygoing, and we knew we could trust the venue from the first meeting we had with Crystal. We highly recommend Whitefish Lodge and Suites as a venue, as they have so much to offer, and are truly a gem in the Lakes Area!

Crystal is amazing at what she does! Very organized and knows what she is doing which made us feel comfortable and confident in having the Whitefish Lodge and Manhattan Beach Lodge for our ceremony and reception. Manhattan Beach was a beautiful ceremony location and we were luckily able to have wonderful weather! We even took off in our pontoon right after the ceremony for a fun “get away”! Whitefish Lodge was such a fun up north feel for our reception, elegantly rustic fit us perfectly! All the staff, at both locations, were so amazing at making not only my husband and I but all of our guests feel so welcomed and treated with so much happiness. Truly made our experience exceptional! I would recommend this venue to everyone!

We had a June Wedding at Manhattan Beach and it was amazing. The view was stunning, the location was perfect, it was truly more than we even pictured or expected. After the ceremony we had a reception at their other location Whitefish. Everything flowed smooth and went off without a hitch. The staff was amazing and the food was out of this world. Normally wedding food is just so so, understandably when you are serving 200 people at the same time. All of our guests loved the food. They kept raving about the flavors and were surprised how fast it was served. Most importantly, everyone was impressed that everything came out hot, it wasn’t like it was sitting waiting to be served. The night was absolutely amazing, everyone had a great time. It was so nice to have the Lodge to ourselves so people could use the grounds, the pool, the game room, just everything felt like being at a big cabin with your family for the weekend. It was also great that everyone could stay and no one had to worry about driving after the wedding. Throughout out whole experience Crystal was THE ABSOLUTE BEST to work with. We had some crazy ideas and her answers were ALWAYS “let’s do it” “of course” “yes!” We would ask her random questions and within minutes we would have an answer. We had other friends getting married at the same time of year and they did not have the same experience with their wedding planners. Every time I would hear stories about wedding planning, and the obstacles they encountered, I was so happy that we had Crystal! Truly a blessing! She made the entire process so stress free and easy! She really knows what she is doing!