Nature (a Michigan Retreat)

0/5 I began discussing my wedding w/Bryan back in Dec '19. He was willing to work with small payments to hold my weekend, which was a plus. The weekend was $12,000+ with the promise of 50% off for booking most of the cabins that were “in the process.” This was the #1 reason we booked him, because the idea of a camping weekend in the woods to celebrate us with our closest family/friends in N. Mich sounded perfect. I was in constant communication w/Bryan for 18+ months, and not once did I speak to him where he remembered us/the weekend. I can understand confusion happens, but after that long, I expected more. He constantly wanted to discuss things over the phone, but with the lackadaisical/forgetfulness, I wanted everything in writing. Throughout the entire experience, he overpromised that cabins were “coming along&everything was still on track.” We even discussed pricing so that I could include that info in my invites. I printed them in Mar '21; in April he had didn’t even have the professionalism to call me, I had to call after 2-3 ignored emails. During this convo, he had the audacity to say he was “on his 5th contractor & it wasn’t looking like he would have them in time for my wedding.” Not only did he never discuss the falling out of his 2nd, 3rd, or 4th contractor, but he tells me this 5 months before my wedding, in N MI, & as expected all of the Hotels in the area don’t take wedding block reservations/already booked. He assured me that “we would figure it out,” which turns out meant nothing. My guests were on their own to find lodging. The only thing he offered in return was a “glamping tent” which were overpriced, falling down canvas tents, with 1 bed that the guests had to bring their own bedding for. I had to ask him to pay for reprints for my invites, he didn’t offer, and once he agreed, it took 2+ months for him to send the money. During our whole weekend he lurked around, was in the back of pictures, & we always knew he was there. He lives onsite with his wife/2 kids. He was constantly asking us to “keep it down because his baby was sleeping,” which we tried to do out of human kindness, but shouldn’t have been expected to when paying this much. He assured me that he puts his wife/kids in a hotel for wedding weekends or they stay in a tent. In the middle of our wedding reception, his wife+kids were dressed up, mingling &his older daughter was following me around on the dance floor. She is in many of my wedding photos. After my wedding, I found out that he was giving as tour to another couple, during cocktail hour! I’m not sure why this was okay to him. On the day of, was that I, along with my bridal party, watched him take multiple plates of food up to his wife/kids from my buffet. We never discussed feeding him, or his family&it was not part of the contract. With how expensive weddings are, he should have known better, than to steal. There was afood truck in the front&we had to ask multiple times to move it. Our wedding was beautiful & perfect, & that had everything to do with my other vendors and the love/laughter our family/friends brought to our day. Our photographers and videographers got the most beautiful photos from the stunning scenery of the venue, and I remember nothing but love from the weekend, but the added stress could have been avoided if we had trusted our gut. He was by far the most disappointing part of my entire experience. I think the vision he has is amazing, but he needs to hire some sort of assistant.

We cannot say enough about how perfect Nature was for our wedding. This venue is absolutely stunning, both inside and out. The woods surrounding the reception hall are picturesque any time of the year and made for a beautiful ceremony site. The two ceremony sites Bryan and Emma commonly use back there are a very short hike which was great for most guests, but they also had multiple golf carts on hand that could take our less mobile guests up to their tents and to the ceremony sites. We had a large group (45 people) of our family and friends stay on site in the tents he provided and that really made our weekend so special. Most guests arrived on Friday morning and stayed until Sunday and having them all there with us throughout the weekend was something we will never forget. It really made our wedding feel so unique and guests loved being able to spend quality time with loved ones they normally don’t get to. During the weeks leading up to, and throughout the wedding weekend, Bryan and Emma were very responsive and went above and beyond to make our wedding perfect. They’re great people who did everything they could behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. The reception venue is also beautiful with great design throughout that gave a great outdoor vibe with a refined dining feeling to it. As we look at some of the other reviews, we see some people upset with Nature, but we did not feel this way at all. While there might have been a couple of organizational hiccups (that are to be expected with any growing business) it did not at all affect our weekend and the guests had no idea. We really cannot recommend Nature enough, with the drop-dead gorgeous woods, the fantastic hospitality from Bryan and Emma, the resort-like touches, and refined design inside and out the Great Nest, Nature made our wedding weekend absolutely perfect.

I’m always weary of a business that has defensive rebuttals for every critical review. Part of owning a business is being able to handle feedback, listen to people’s experiences, and own up to mistakes. We wish we had seen some of these less than positive reviews and the owner’s responses prior to booking,. Our wedding at Nature was beautiful, special, and filled with love. This had everything to do with our incredible community of family and friends who always bring good energy. Yes, Nature is a stunning venue, but in the end it’s not where you are but who you are with that really matters. In the lead up to our event, the owner at Nature was unorganized and unprofessional, frequently mixing us up with other couples and unable to keep track of previous agreements/conversations. The owner overpromised and underdelivered and never took responsibility for shortcomings. Throughout our wedding weekend, the owner failed to make himself discrete and lurked around while engaging in random conversation with us and our guests, often oversharing personal details about his life and interrupting fun and special moments. Our guests were polite at the time but expressed their discomfort afterwards - several even used the word “creepy” to describe their experience. The owner + family live onsite and their kid accidentally splashed our guests with a shovel of rainwater from their balcony while watering a plant. Cleanliness was a major issue, and we cleaned the tent pad and bathrooms on our own as the owner(s) was not maintaining them. None of this is what you would expect from a “luxury” venue. Writing a review like this is not something we ever wanted to do, but we hope that in doing so we can help other couples. Our advice - ask lots and lots of questions (then ask some more), read all the reviews, and don’t feel pressured to commit because dates are “booking fast”. If you do decide to move forward – get every tiny detail in writing and signed on a legal contract. If you have an uneasy or off feeling at any point – look elsewhere. We were so taken by the beauty of the venue that we ignored our gut instincts.

Our daughters wedding day consisted of “glamping tents” with stains on the mattress covers from previous guests , filthy freezer with black mold which was never cleaned by the owner, (there is no refrigerator) , a dirty food truck labeled “cracked”, which was an eyesore and should not be used for food service, and showers which we cleaned ourselves after use so that guests would have some level of cleanliness. The owner, Brian Cloninger blamed his cleaning crew, his contractors, and his computer for any obstacles and referred to himself a victim throughout the process of planning for this special day. Beautiful location but unprofessional experience all the way around.

The Nest is a beautiful venue and the views are great, but our experience beyond that was sub par. They continued to under deliver throughout the process from the cabins on site to ceremony site below that was over grown. We planned to stay the weekend on site with our wedding party so paid the weekend rate but when they were not completed Bryan was unwilling to budge on price, knowing it was over priced, they kept stringing us along and letting us down. This seems to be a trend among others who choose this venue. During our reception our planner spent most of the night cleaning and restocking bathrooms because the site provided no help. Extra money spend on tents, generators, etc for the property will blow up your budget. Just a mediocre, expensive experience, would not recommend.

My bride and I eloped in the middle of the pandemic and because of that we did not have many people with us. As the bride, obviously most of the attention was on her and I was in the groom's dressing room by myself. When Bryan realized that he came and hung out with me the rest of the time! He is a very kind, interesting guy and he runs an incredible business. I could not have been happier with the beautiful venue for our elopement and the attentiveness of Bryan and his wife.

Bryan and Emma are such a kind couple who truly seemed to care about us and our wedding. They were attentive to everything we could possibly need and so accommodating! Their venue is absolutely GORGEOUS and very clean. As a business owner myself, I appreciate their attention to every detail and the importance of making their guests happy.

If a beautiful and serene setting that portrays the essence of Northern Michigan is at the top of your “want” list when it comes to venues, look no further than Nature. We couldn’t have been happier with Emma and Bryan’s vision of creating multiple ceremony site options along with reception spaces! Even through the ebb and flow of COVID-19 changes leading up to our wedding, we felt assured knowing we had outdoor options paired with their help to truly make our big day not just happen, but but make it special, too! Being outdoor enthusiasts, we especially loved their dedication to zero waste. Our guests were very impressed with the gorgeous scenery, fun firepit for s’mores and the beautiful interior (although we had to move most everything outside due to COVID-19- but Bryan and Emma went above and beyond with extra cleaning and help to ensure this went smoothly). Definitely would recommend Nature- be sure to visit in person to appreciate all this venue has to offer!

We just had my sons wedding at this amazing venue this past weekend. I can tell you there is no place as special or intimate as Nature. From the owner Bryan and his wife to all the recommended vendors! Each and every one of them made this the most magical weekend in one of the most magical places. Thank you so much for helping making this such a special weekend.

Bryan and Emma were a dream to work with. Every detail was thought of ahead of time and the few things we forgot Bryan provided in the blink of an eye. The venue is gorgeous, and although we chose to go with a winter venue, we frequent the area often and you can’t go wrong no matter the season. Will definitely return anytime we can for camping and relaxation.

I fell in love with this venue the first time I looked at it and nothing compared to it. It had every bit of nature that we were looking for in a wedding. Bryan was able to accommodate everything we wanted and more. From being up in the high sanctuary, which is absolutely stunning, then shuttling us down for our reception. We also loved that we had it for the whole weekend so we were able to use the bonfire pits whenever we wanted which ended up being some of our favorite moments. Overall the venue and our wedding couldn’t have been more perfect.

Nature was the first place that my fiancé and I looked it, and it’s the only place I wanted her to become my wife. The property is a blank canvas with a team of dream makers. We had 30 days to plan our wedding due to the pandemic, and the execution and implementation of our dreams was turned into something even better than we imagined. The building on the property was designed with a true aesthetic intent and shapes any vision incredibly well. The owner adds a personal touch and is by your side every second that you need him, whether it is to light up the bonfire pit in the middle of a thunderstorm, to help as a bartender, to help with transportation, or anything that you may need at any time. This 80 acre property is one of a kind, especially in Michigan. We truly cannot wait to go back for our many anniversaries and to see how the Nature team continues to make the proper a land of dreams.

Nature made all our wedding venue dreams come true! My husband and I were set on having our wedding reception near our Glen Arbor family home, and were looking for a venue that would align with our vision. We wanted a modern, sustainable, functional space that gave us Northern Michigan vibes. Nature was everything we wanted plus more! The space is designed and decorated beautifully. All the windows allowed for the most incredible nature light. Our cocktail hour was outside by the pond, and diner/dancer floor was set inside. The fire pit and outdoor space were great areas for guests to hang out after diner! The space accounted for our 165 guests wonderfully. Bryon and his wife are extremely easy to work with and put so much thought into the space itself. THANK YOU!

We had our wedding here in June, and Nature made our day better than anything we could have imagined. The crew here is wonderful at communicating and helping to create your ideal experience. They go above and beyond. The property alone is stunning and every little detail has been thought of. Our wedding was a weekend event and we had every comfort and need met. I cannot recommend Nature more to any couple who is considering northern Michigan. It's a one of kind place. It truly felt like a fairytale. I had so many people tell me it was the best wedding they'd ever been to!

This place is magical! We eloped here in late December 2018 and couldn't have asked for a better experience. If you're looking for a place with both untamed wilderness and understated luxury, this is the place for you. We loved staying in the glamping tents, where the wood stoves and comfy beds kept us warm even through Michigan winter nights. We found a beautiful spot for the ceremony off one of the many trails on the property, and got married in a gentle snowfall in the woods - just perfect. From Nature it's an easy drive to the excellent restaurants in Traverse City and Glen Arbor, as well as breathtaking sites like Sleeping Bear Dunes - all stops on our elopement weekend itinerary. And the Great Nest is a gorgeous, airy space that we loved spending time in; we mostly used it for getting ready and a small post-ceremony luncheon afterwards, but we hope to come back for a bigger anniversary celebration soon. Bryan was wonderful to work with, super responsive and friendly - and very accommodating of our crazy plan to elope at Nature while it was still under construction! Finding an eco-friendly venue was really important to us (we're sustainability professionals), and we were gratified to find that Nature goes way beyond the basics. From ecologically restorative site planning, to the tasteful use of locally salvaged wood and energy-efficient design in the Great Nest, Bryan & team have a deep and sophisticated commitment to being good stewards of this land and its many living systems. (And they plant a commemorative tree for each couple that gets married here - yet another reason to return year after year.) We're honored to have been early guests at Nature and look forward to returning!

I toured Nature Michigan Retreat last month with clients and was so impressed, I returned this week with my team. Bryan is both visionary and welcoming. As a wedding planner who has worked in over fifty venues across two states, I really appreciate the thought that has gone into creating this retreat property, a space that has a breathtaking setting, is ecologically mindful, offers a rich, unique, and diverse guest experience for both the wedding event and the weekend stay in glamping tents, and is designed to accommodate vendors so that we can provide the best possible service. Incredibly well done. Bryan is also very responsive via phone (so important during the planning process) and well-connected in the community (he has partnered with area creatives in a styled shoot as well as an upcoming wedding planning giveaway retreat featured on mynorth.com). For the couple seeking a remote experience that's still close to some of Michigan's favorite natural attractions, for the couple looking for an adventurous relaxed vibe, for the couple who appreciates craftsmanship, family-owned businesses, and proprietors with a community minded approach, and for the couple who loves a great bonfire under the stars in summer or winter, this is a true winner! We can't wait to plan a wedding at this property.