Michillinda Lodge

eviewed with the wedding planner, Ashley, as I found her to be informative, friendly and helpful. I communicated with her via e-mail and phone, and we did play some phone tag, but I never felt as if I was being neglected. In addition, all of the staff that myself and any of our guests came into contact with were friendly and helpful, so much so that we invited our bartenders to the bonfire and one of them came! The entire night before and day of my wedding I felt comfortable knowing that all I had to worry about was my nerves! The menu and bar selections were fantastic and the quality was too, there were tons of compliments about the food. We have been married for almost a year now and we still have guests tell us that “it was the best wedding I’ve ever been to” (several guests also have said the Michillinda reminded them of the movie Dirty Dancing). The property was wonderful for pictures both before and after the ceremony. We were able to get some beautiful sunset pictures looking over Lake Michigan. In addition, with the Lodge being so close to the lighthouse, we took some beautiful pictures there and out on the pier and beach. I couldn’t have asked for better backgrounds and options. Immediately after the reception, staff were ready to escort our guests to the bonfire, which was a little bit of a walk, so the escort was great. The fire had already been started and it was just a great end to a wonderful day. The only downside to Michillinda is that it is not very elderly and handicap friendly. Our elderly guests had a little difficulty maneuvering the stairs, but there is a back entrance to the dining/reception area, so it is workable, they just weren’t aware of that at the time. Overall, I would definitely recommend the Michillinda Lodge for your wedding and reception, it was such a relief to have your decisions all made ahead of time. After the ceremony you retreat to your bridal suite (which was awesome) to catch your breath, and then when you’re ready all you have to do is walk down the hall to your reception. I know our guests appreciated not having to drive to a separate location for the reception as well.

entrees. The chef/kitchen manager was very nice and accommodating, as was most of the staff in general. Additionally, our cocktail hour was held during sunset and my guests LOVED being by Lake Michigan and watching the amazing sunset over the water before dinner. The only sour aspect to my experience was the "wedding coordinator" at Michillinda, she was difficult to work with. She was rather set in her way of doing things and very slow to respond to emails and phone calls. Those two attributes combined make the planning process rather stressful rather than easy. Additionally, my mom's room at the Lodge was dirty when she arrived - there were used towels on the floor and the sheets were ruffled. When she brought the attention to Ashley's attention the following Monday, Ashley was defensive and annoyed more than apologetic. It is the principal of her response more than anything and a great example of her customer service skills. Again, the rest of the staff was a total pleasure to work with and they went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure our guests were happy. All in all, Michillinda was a wonderful place to hold a fall wedding on the Lake and to host most of our guests for the night. We really enjoyed waking up the next morning and seeing our guests at breakfast before saying good bye.

ppy with the rooms, the staff was rude, pool filthy and the grounds are not kept up well. Great food. Horrible management.