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Weddings

Fieldguide Farmhouse Reviews

Fieldguide Farmhouse

Fieldguide Farmhouse

Central Lake, MI
3.7 out of 5 rating, 6 Reviews
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Reviews

3.7 out of 5 rating
6 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    3.7 out of 5 rating
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    3.7 out of 5 rating
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    3.7 out of 5 rating
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    3.7 out of 5 rating
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    3.7 out of 5 rating
66% Recommended by couples
  • Devyn
    Devyn Sent on 10/11/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Stop searching, choose fieldguide!

    Hosting your event at Fieldguide is so much more than a business to Lee; it's her home, her passion, her life. Lee not only welcomed us and 100+ of our nearest and dearest into her gorgeous home at Fieldguide Farmhouse, but she made it feel like our home from the very beginning. Lee is compassionate, genuine, and an overall extraordinary human being. I am so thankful to have met her, and I haven't even begun to describe the venue!

    You want a lighted tent on a big lawn underneath the most beautiful starry sky? You want your pictures backdropped by an adorably crafted farmhouse or a grove of gorgeous trees? You want a private estate wedding that overlooks a lake? STOP SEARCHING. You found it. And you will LOVE it.
  • L
    Laura Sent on 06/26/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
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    You would be crazy not to get married here!!

    I have been meaning to write this review for a long time, but I have been trying to think of the right words to do it justice. Everything about Fieldguide Farmhouse is what wedding dreams are made of. First of all it is a absolutely stunning piece of property perfectly located close to hotels and great shopping area. I never wanted to have an outdoor wedding, but seriously Fieldguide Farmhouse gave me a change of heart and made me an outdoorsy person (for that one day). The only thing that rivals the beautiful views was Lee, the owner of Fieldguide Farmhouse. Her service, and personality is unmatched and was the cherry on top of the perfect day. She helped through every step of the process and was always willing to work with me and my wedding planner on any ideas we had! You would be crazy not to have your wedding at Fieldguide Farmhouse! Cannot say enough great things!!!
  • B
    Boo Sent on 10/02/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
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    My husband and I got married at Fieldguide Farmhouse August 4, 2018. We can't express enough how perfect the venue was and received so many compliments from our family and friends. Its close proximity to Shanty Creek Resorts made it convenient for guests to lodge there, and Shanty Creek shuttled guests to and from Fieldguide Farmhouse for the wedding. The venue is picturesque with multiple places for a ceremony and reception. We chose to get married under a gorgeous oak tree facing the water, and our tent was positioned in a cluster of huge ferns also overlooking the lake. The house is decorated to a tee and looks like something straight out of Southern Living magazine. Lee, Jack, and Louie are the most gracious hosts. We are so thankful to have gotten married in such a special place and will remember what a joyous weekend it was because of Fieldguide Farmhouse and Lee for the rest of our lives!
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  • J
    Jen Sent on 09/27/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
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    The Fieldguide Farmhouse is such an incredible venue, location, and feeling. When arriving the feeling is that you arrived at home. Lee is the most welcoming, warm, kind soul around. The location across from the lake is so peaceful, especially on the front porch. The venue to host events is absolutely perfect! With grand open spaces and a tree lined ceremony spot it absolute perfection. I can't recommend the Fieldguide Farmhouse enough!
  • R
    Rachael R. Sent on 08/12/2021
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    Beautiful venue, unprofessional owner

    I want to start by saying the Fieldguide is a stunning venue. When selecting my wedding vendors, I picked the people I felt would ensure the best day. I thought Lee Maynard (LaLone), the venue owner, was someone I could trust with my special day, but I was very misled, and it breaks my heart knowing what I experienced with the venue owner, other brides have as well. This review is tough for me to write because it brings back so many negative emotions I experienced on my wedding day, but I hope that Lee changes how she treats her brides, grooms, and their wedding guests after reading this.

    Upon booking my venue, I had zero concerns with Lee as she came across as kind and warm. Unfortunately, things took a turn in the months leading up to my wedding. Lee became unresponsive, combative, went against items in our contract, and did not honor promises she made in emails, texts, and phone calls. I'll share just a few examples of what we experienced working with Lee at the Fieldguide Farmhouse.

    My wedding was on August 7, 2021. I sent several emails between June 14 and July 26, all with no response. I continued to reach out via phone and text, as did my husband, and Lee ignored us. We were honestly concerned something happened to her. Lee's unresponsiveness impacted various areas of the wedding planning process, which added unnecessary stress and contributed to many nights of no sleep.

    Lee was difficult and unprofessional with my husband, bridal party, professional team, wedding guests, and myself on the wedding day. We had an agreement documented in our contract and emails that the home would be used as guest bathrooms (because our guest size was so small). Lee locked us out of the house, didn't allow guests to use the restrooms, and didn't allow me to go inside and grab my personal belongings (purse and second wedding dress). My bridesmaid had to argue with her for at least 5 minutes before she was allowed to enter to gather my things. I expressed my concerns, said I would be writing an honest review, and then Lee told me I was "threatening her business."

    The contract clearly states that event tear down takes place the day following the event. This was also discussed with Lee in the week leading up to the event. At the end of the wedding, while my guests and I were waiting for the shuttle to pick us up, Lee crossed the line and took it upon herself to tell our guests that they needed to clean up the event space. Lee should have approached my husband and me before demanding my guests to clean up. My husband and I asked her to direct all communications to us and not our guests, and she refused and continued her demands with our guests. It was completely inappropriate to confront our wedding guests when arrangements were already made for venue clean-up. Our wedding guests were confused, and it was highly embarrassing.

    Everything about my wedding was beautiful, except every encounter we had with Lee, and it's such a shame. It was evident to our guests and us that Lee was going out of her way to be difficult, and I'll never understand how she could treat people that way on what is supposed to be the happiest day of their life. We spent our wedding day actively trying to hide what was going on behind the scenes with Lee from our guests because we just wanted them to have a wonderful experience. Others who had encounters with Lee were trying to hide the negativity they experienced with her from us because they wanted us to have a perfect day. The stress and anxiety she made us feel on our day is something I'll never forget. I don't wish my experience with Lee at the Fieldguide Farmhouse on any bride. I'm thankful for my friends and family who tried to distract me from what was happening, and I'm grateful for my other amazing vendors who blew me away and made my day what it was.
  • Bria
    Bria H. Sent on 08/12/2021
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    This place is gorgeous, but please look over reviews.

    When I first began my search for a wedding venue, I knew I wanted something Up North Michigan, unique, and beautiful. Fieldguide Farmhouse checked off those items for me. It was wonderful in every way -- the inside of the home, the grounds, the options of where to get married, and even the homeowner was so kind, warm, and helpful. I was a ‘covid-bride’ so I rescheduled my wedding from the year 2020 to the year 2021. The homeowner was great to work with and flexible during this change considering we had 10 other vendors we have to coordinate with as well.
    It wasn’t until a couple of months before my wedding that things started to shift. It was difficult to get in communication with the homeowner -- I would text, email, call and it would take days/weeks for her to respond. When she did respond, if by phone, she was always very kind. If it were by email, it always seemed harsh and never went along with her story over the phone. For example, we were able to use the inside of her home to get ready per contract, but she decided that she did not feel safe for us to be inside because her children were going to be there (which I had no idea about until 2 weeks before our wedding). I get it, I would never want to put her children in any situation she did not feel comfortable with. I offered that my bridal party and anyone in the home show proof of vaccinations and get tested. It was a hard no, yet on the wedding day the child was being held by my family members & very much part of the day. We agreed upon a discount because many of the things in the contract were being taken away because of how she felt, not because the CDC said so, considering at this time all restrictions were done. She told me she was going to send me a new invoice in the next couple days.
    About a month went by, I never received her invoice. Nearly two weeks before the wedding, she sent me an email verbatim, “Final venue rental fee payment, rush admin fee and all valid certificates for on-site vendors must be received before noon June 30th for your event to remain on our calendar.” This was sent to me TWO WEEKS before my wedding & as a bride hearing my wedding could be off the books if we did not pay her a $1000+ rush fee on top of the full amount was stressful and heartbreaking all at the same time. This rush fee was never mentioned in the contract and it felt like she was just making up a number. I emailed her back a very long, detailed email stating there was a miscommunication & I paid the full venue fee amount right away. I did not hear back from her (4-5+ days went by) until my husband called her and she played it off like everything was completely fine and that rush fee was only if I didn’t pay by June 30th, clearly not what she stated in my email.
    The communication was so strange to me, I knew something wasn’t right. I was so worried about the wedding day that I wasn’t sleeping, I had so much anxiety. Turns out, I was correct in my feelings. The day of the wedding, the homeowner was setting fires in every direction, which created a group of family members having to put these fires out all day long.
    The list is long for what was said and done on this day, my review could be 10 pages long. I will spare you with just a few things to give you a general idea of what my day with the homeowner consisted of. At about 11:05pm, the homeowner had unplugged my generator leaving the venue pitch black, this was her way of telling us to leave her property. She was telling my GUESTS to go around and pick up rose petals and dried flowers that were “everywhere” and saying “I will be sending Bria a littering fee for these things.” My entire bridal party, including their spouses, went around looking for these things and couldn’t find one cup, beer can, or litter. She was shouting to the 25-30 guests left cleaning to “PLEASE LEAVE” when we were waiting for the next bus to pick us up. We had the venue until midnight, which we have a photo of all of us on the bus leaving by 11:59. She was telling my guests to clean the trash cans out of the bathrooms (that were not even hers & my agreement with that vendor said do not do any cleaning with these). Her and her child ate my wedding food on her porch before my guests were even seated to eat & got seconds in the line with my mother who was getting her first. She locked the loft space & was telling my bridesmaids that they could not enter because the party was over, even though their belongings were still in there. They ended up getting them because they told her they were not leaving the venue without their items. Unfortunately, she spent most of her day making rude comments to my wedding coordinator who was mostly in charge of decor & walking around searching for things to cause upset.
    Like I said, these are about 4-5 things that happened the day of, but really the list is about 20-25 things and the actions listed aren’t even the most disappointing of what she did. It’s a shame that this is happening to such a beautiful place and I truly have a hard time writing this because I never want to hurt anyone’s business. Unfortunately, once multiple brides had said they experienced very similar stories, I knew there had to be something done. These actions have left brides disappointed, angry, sad, and down right confused after the biggest and happiest day of their life. Thousands of dollars are poured into this day and it is unbelievable what just one person can do to it. All we can hope for is that this review changes her behavior for future weddings. You cannot treat people like she is treating her brides and their guests.