I absolutely loved everything about our July 15th wedding at Ciccone. I grew up on the Old Mission Peninsula just across the bay from Ciccone and now live in Los Angeles. I always knew I wanted to get married in the Traverse City area, and my p...arents and I visited dozens of venues. When we visited Ciccone, we booked it immediately as it had everything we wanted--gorgeous views of the Grand Traverse Bay AND sweeping vineyard views. The barn is also one of the most stunning I've ever seen in the area, with windows that open out to the bay and slats that let the light stream in. This is also essential because if it rains, as it very well could, even in the summer, you then have a great backup option. All of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue was and enjoyed taking pictures in the gorgeous sunset; even one of my bridesmaids who got married in Napa said that Ciccone was far more beautiful.
Some things you should know before booking...
1. Your bridal party can get ready on-site, which is super convenient; guys don't have much room to get ready on-site. We had a large group (13 in total) and had to start at 6:45 AM! Tracy, Ciccone's wedding coordinator, was wonderful and walked us through the entire process.
2. Read your contract carefully. As soon as you get over 120 guests, you will pay more money for the site. Guests can park on-site, but once you get over 120 people, you must arrange for shuttle transportation, which is a significant expense. At 120 you also must purchase an additional $500 in wine (not a problem, though--they have some excellent options!). 128 is the maximum guest capacity for the barn, so at that point, you must get a tent for dinner, which is another expense. We had 116 guests, and the space felt just right.
3. Ciccone is also strict about which vendors they allow on the property. We had originally wanted a different caterer, but he was not on the approved list. We had to go with a different caterer (Grandview Catering), which worked just fine, but this is something to keep in mind.
4. Leelanau County requires weddings to end at 10:00 PM, no exceptions. We worked around this by starting our ceremony earlier, at 3:30. It can be quite warm at this time, and many of us got a little sunburned, so be sure to apply sunscreen before heading out for pictures! This also meant that the bridal party had to be ready for pictures at 1:30. If you get married in June-July, it will just be starting to get dark when the reception ends. Super pretty!
5. You must bring in your own toilets. We used Houdeks, and Ciccone required that they be a slightly higher-end model...we had to do the princess ones.
Again, no regrets in choosing Ciccone! The price is comparable to other venues in the area, and we didn't find any other spot that offered both vineyard and bay views. I would choose this spot again in a heartbeat!