Eight miles inland from Saugatuck, where the Kalamazoo River runs quiet through evergreen woods and fruit orchards, you'll find a little white chapel that's been standing since 1889.

You're close enough that your guests can spend the afternoon at Oval Beach and still make your ceremony. You're far enough that you're not sharing your Saturday with downtown Saugatuck, its traffic and its parking.

We host one wedding a day. Yours. Up to 110 guests, and the whole of it in one place: the ceremony, the reception, the getting ready, and somewhere soft to sleep at the end of it.

Eight miles from Saugatuck, and a world away

Most Saugatuck wedding venues sit in town. We don't, and the drive out to us takes about fifteen minutes. Here's what those fifteen minutes buy you.

You get a private property instead of a shared downtown building. You get 45 to 50 parking spaces instead of metered street parking. And you get your pick of a Saturday in peak season, which inside Saugatuck itself gets harder every year.

The Kalamazoo River runs right past us. If your wedding party wants to paddle on the morning of your day, Water Trail Ventures sits about 500 feet from the chapel. Lake Michigan's eight miles west.

A wedding chapel standing since 1889

Whether you're a forest, field, or lakeshore kind of soul, the Saugatuck area has a venue for you. A barn. A golf club. A greenhouse. A hotel ballroom. What it doesn't have many of is chapels, and the few that exist tend to open seasonally, host ceremonies only, or come attached to an estate you'd have to book whole.

Ours has stood here more than 130 years. We restored it rather than replacing it. The stained glass is original to 1889, and so are the wood floors and the hymn board. The bell still hangs in the tower, and you're welcome to ring it once you're married. It's an old way of telling the whole valley there's been a wedding, and it still works.

What your rental includes

One rental gives you the whole property, not a room inside it.

     •  The chapel itself, with its ceremony chamber, entry hall and kitchen

     •  Your ready room, with sofas, lit mirrors, an efficiency kitchen and a full bathroom

     •  The grounds, wheelchair accessible throughout

     •  The reception tent, which holds up in weather

     •  The fire pit, in season

     •  Tables, chairs and linens, round and rectangular both

     •  A full kitchen: fridge, stove, sink, dishwasher

     •  45 to 50 parking spaces

Bring your own licensed caterer and bar service, or work from the vendor list we've built up over the years. You won't hit a food and beverage minimum, and you won't hit a guest count minimum either.

You'll never share the day with a second wedding. We only ever book one.

And if the thought of your family stacking chairs at midnight tires you out already, add our walk-away fee for $300 and simply leave when the night ends.

Where your guests will stay

We keep two apartments on the property that sleep up to seven between them. They come with our inclusive package, and you can add them to the overnight micro package too. You'll find short-term rentals within a few miles, and the inns and hotels of Saugatuck and Douglas sit about fifteen minutes away, so the guests who want the lakeshore town can have it while your wedding party stays right here.

Book an overnight package and the property's yours from the day before, which takes the rush out of decorating and rehearsal entirely. For a one-day booking, you're in from 10am.

Most of our couples have people travelling in, and Saugatuck gives them plenty of reasons to arrive early:

     •  Oval Beach, which keeps landing on lists of the best beaches in the country

     •  Saugatuck Dune Rides, forty minutes and genuinely good fun

     •  Mt Baldhead, if your guests fancy 302 steps for a view of Saugatuck and the lake

     •  Fenn Valley Winery, tasting room and award-winning wines

     •  Red Dock Cafe, right on the water with Saugatuck across the way

     •  Salt of the Earth and Root, both in downtown Fennville, minutes from us

Elopements and smaller celebrations near Saugatuck

Want the chapel without the whole wedding? Our elopement package runs two hours for up to 50 guests, and it gives you the chapel, your private bridal suite and a professional officiant. Add hours if you need them. We run elopements Monday through Thursday from April to October, and any day of the week from November through March.

We host vow renewals, commitment ceremonies, family gatherings and dinner parties as well. It doesn't have to be a wedding at all.

What it costs

Couples who marry here usually work with a total wedding budget somewhere between $12,000 and $25,000, depending on your guest count and who you hire. We'd rather tell you that now than after you've fallen for the place.

We ask for a third of the rental to hold your date. Booking within four months of the day? Then we ask for two thirds. The rest falls due two months out, along with proof of one-day liability insurance. Cash, check or credit card, whichever suits you.

Come and see it

We publish every open date on our website and we keep it current. Book a tour whenever you like, or RSVP to an open house and walk the grounds with nobody selling you anything.

If you're after a wedding venue near Saugatuck that feels like yours for the whole day, come and see ours. Love big, celebrate small. We'd be glad to host you.

Frequently asked questions