Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

lt tremendously fortunate to have her coordinating at the venue day of. There's a special kind of magic that happens when you pair the beauty of SANC with competence and equally matched thoughtful kindness of their staff. A very strong and happy endorsement for planning a wedding or event here!! Photos by Cassie Rosch—who we also cannot recommend highly enough!

ng covered outdoor or indoor options if weather doesn't behave. The reception area inside was spacious for the meal and dancing and very aesthetic, fitting the nature vibe. Also, the staff at the Schlitz Audubon were super nice, extremely organized, and knew how to run the wedding like clockwork. They made things easy every step of the wedding planning process, and because of the rapport Schlitz has with the vendors they work with, it required little coordination with each individual vendor because they already knew how things work at the venue which was a major bonus. On the day of the wedding, the team at Schlitz Audubon went above and beyond to make it a super smooth process which far exceeded our expectations!

The staff, including Bridget and MaryBeth, were so responsive and organized. The coordination at our rehearsal and wedding day was seamless. The venue was stunning, and everyone commented on how unique and fun the owls at cocktail hour were. Schlitz stuck with us from the moment we toured it. We're so glad we booked it and had the wedding of our dreams: cozy, welcoming, nature-filled, and so fun!

list and using vendors that were BIPOC, LGBT and Disability welcoming. Staff are lovely. Questions answered fast. They worked really well with our henna artist #HandsofHennaAnita setting up her beautiful henna tent near the bar. They worked beautifully with #ShowtimeEventsDJ - with Tim Moon doing both ceremony and reception sound. Schlitz enjoyed #NoTagNeeded Photography Studio too. The OWL package was so memorable. We built it into our theme down to our logo, cake, table cards and graphics. Schlitz was amazing about changing their venue signage because none of it indicated that the all gender - accessible bathrooms were upstairs. That mattered to us and our guests. I would recommend LGBTQ, BIPOC couples use them. We also had a number of people with disabilities attend and we chose this location with that in mind.  The bartender they provided was great. The only thing we wished was that they had packages for folks who have a lot of non-drinkers. We know a lot of folks in recovery. Over 1/3 of our party did not drink. We also wanted hard alcohol for our signature beverage so our bar price with all the add ons was about $65/person. That felt outrageous for only about 45 people having 1-2 drinks. I can understand why younger people do well with their bar packages but for us in our 50's it was a lot. They did have a discount for the children which we also had many at our wedding.  The other thing to know about Schlitz is everything is al-a-carte. You will pay extra for every chair, every table and table cloth and napkin. It was a lot of decisions I would rather have not made. We did, however, do a few unique set ups that we and our guests loved. Long tables make conversation easier and really got guests to mingle. Our ceremony chairs were curved rows which were more intimate. We also recommend using real ministers who specialize in ritual arts for your ceremony. Many guests were blown away by how personal, interactive and meaningful our ceremony was. That space amongst the trees off Lake Michigan really adds to your experience. Our tree ceremony was great. We like where Schlitz planted it too and plan to visit every year on our anniversary if not more often. Speaking of the tree - we wrote a custom ceremony for folks to water our tree - guests loved that - rainbow cups and the chance to get photos with guests after they added their well wishes into the water. We loved our private owl greeting in the bridal room. Guests loved the owls during cocktail hour.

When our ceremony ended, our day of coordinator popped by to get my husband and I some drinks and to check in. Everything felt so personal and wonderful. I can't speak highly enough of Schlitz.

es! The beautiful grounds and spaces brought our cozy, magical winter wonderland wedding vision to life. Bridget, Beatrice and team were amazing to work with every step of the way. From the planning calls and all the guidance via email to running our rehearsal and making sure every aspect of our day ran smoothly to coordinating with all of our other wonderful vendors, we really appreciated having them in our corner. They provided such much reassurance and answered every question - big or small - in a timely and encouraging way. They truly are the best. If you are looking for a natural, cozy, serene and magical winter wedding venue, we cannot recommend the Schlitz enough. The variety of spaces and grounds are the perfect canvas to bring any vision to life - and we will never forget getting married by a roaring fire in the hearthside room, toasting under the lights in the main room, or dancing the night away in such a beautiful setting. Not to mention, our outdoor photos are absolutely gorgeous with the forest and Lake Michigan in the background!

ce comes with an event coordinator to help with timelines, room layout and ANY questions or concerns you have for your big day. I could not of walked down the aisle with a giant smile without Bridgets help keeping things so organized and fluffing my dress! We will never forget the beautiful venue space, people, and weather!!! So many compliments on the venue space. We feel very lucky to of secured a date.

compliments on the venue in particular and the knowledgeable staff during the Raptor Meet & Greet. I cannot recommend enough! Thank you SANC!

venue has weddings down to a science. They are truly excellent, thoughtful, and have a back-up plan to a back-up plan! The nature center was a gorgeous backdrop for our wedding day pictures. Our ceremony took place in the Pavilion which had some recent beautiful upgrades. We also had many compliments on our reception space. I’m so glad we went with Schlitz for our wedding venue. It was such a magical night!

ng- this venue had it all. Everything from the ceremony space, to being surrounded by trees, the beach, it was all perfect! Bridget is THE BEST coordinator, whatever she is being paid-she needs a raise. She was so professional, attentive, and quick to reply to all my questions. Rylie and Abriana were so helpful the day of, they helped coordinate my insanely large and crazy family for the rehearsal, and made sure everything was absolutely perfect without me asking anything! They make coordinating with other vendors so easy, and every guest that attended could not stop raving about how beautiful everything was. I would recommend this venue time and time again, our wedding was absolutely perfect with Schlitz, and we cannot be more grateful.

cocktail hour. Bridget was so attentive and great to work with through the whole process and our wedding day was perfect from start to end. Rylie and Abriana were amazing at helping the whole day run smoothly. The whole team really knows what they are doing and I can’t recommend them enough. Our guests loved not only the atmosphere, but also the convenience of parking and navigating the property from ceremony to reception. All around perfect, and we can’t wait to come back for hiking!

ld. Their event staff was responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and patient with all of our questions (of which there were many). If you want a gorgeous venue and an event staff that is easy to work with, we would absolutely recommend Schlitz! PS. Do not pass up the opportunity to have the birds of prey at your cocktail hour! It is a truly unforgettable experience for you and your guests.