Every wedding is full of compliments to us but few take the time to write them down as these people have.

Erica Stewart:

"9/19/2019
My husband and I came to Coldwater, MI this past weekend
to attend a wedding.
The wedding was located at artistreEscapes!
This is the most beautiful wedding venue I've ever seen!
It's an island that sits off of a lake and it is huge.
It looked as though the owners spend decades
making this place to be a destination for wedding perfection.
The event tent is massive and the gazebos are magical.
The landscaping is practically like they took a page
out of a princess fairytale storybook!
One of the guest fishes on the lake,
several others enjoyed the boat ride,
and many took advantage of walking on the trails
and strolling around the venue.
I have never seen outhouses that looked like real in home bathrooms before;
this made the usual dread of going to the restroom
at an out door event so much more pleasant.
Like I said every detail is covered!
All in all the place is MAGNIFICENT!!!"

Shannon; Shannon's Photography:

"I typically don't write about Wedding places I have been
because most people know them.
But this artistreEscapes Island Garden Venue I can now say is one of my favorites.
It is a little piece of Heaven out in the middle of what this city girl calls 'nowhere'.
It is located in Coldwater, MI and has the most gorgeous setting.
First off, it is on a beautiful lake but the endless photo opportunities are amazing!
This couple know what they are doing
when it comes to their landscape and decorations.
I hope to come back there soon, I am still amazed by their venue."

Melissa; ML Photography:

"Kathy's place is absolutley GORGEOUS!
I have photographed Weddings there,
and even with all the pictures she has of her establishment,
they don't do it justice!
I cannot wait to get back out there.
And working with Kathy was AMAZING! Truly professional.
If you want an outdoor wedding, with gardens, greenery, water, privacy
. . . this it IT!"

Rachel, 2019 bride:

"The perfect secret garden.
We are so grateful to you both!
Every single picture was perfect
and the island was picture perfect. 💜
Thank you for your beautiful secret garden. "

Melody:

"You will have the new hot spot for Weddings.
Your place is beautiful and people are just finding out about you."

Clint Colborn:

"Hi Kathy,
I wanted to say thank you for all you did
for the Kreps wedding a couple weeks ago.
As a DJ, and vendor, I see a lot of events every year,
but I want to Congratulate you on all you
and your husband do with artistreEscapes,
I love the venue, and thought you guys did an amazing job.
You are for sure a class act among vendors,
and I really enjoyed our conversation.
Thanks."

Callie

"Your hard work and dedication has paid off!
Brides are going to have an amazing Wedding and Reception.
You're so attentive and pay attention to the tiniest details that make everything extra special."

Brittany; Brittany Snook Photography:

"I'm so happy I got the opportunity to shoot at your venue!
IT IS GORGEOUS!"

Laura, caricature artist:

Kathy Hemker,
you make memories ❤️❤️❤️
at your special slice of heaven!

Kassie:

"I have nothing but nice words for you two,
you have been so wonderful through this whole process!
It's no wonder you've made such a successful business.
No other venue would go to the great lengths you guys do
to make sure the weddings are so amazing.
The closer it gets the more confident I feel
that we made the perfect decisions to go through you!"

Mindy:

"I just have to say your property is jaw dropping gorgeous!
And although I was only a bridesmaid in a Wedding on your property,
I can honestly say you make the experience stress-free and
were above and went beyond the brides's expectations.
You are amazing people and truly care!"

Shabre:

"Zach and I enjoyed you & your husband very much!
And your Island . . . We still talk about it to people!
Absolutely breathtaking! And I love how it changes as the seasons progress!
Thank you for hosting our wedding!
It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever been too!!"

Melissa:

"This place is pretty amazing! Kathy and John are the sweetest people ever!
I highly recommend their venue to ANY future brides,
not only because of how beautiful the Island is,
but also because THEY are so awesome to work with!"

Melanie:

"I would like to say Thank You So Much once again.
I've already started recommending you to everyone who will listen.
Out of EVERY person I have talked to about Venues,
you are the only one who has taken me seriously.
I've felt so much stress lifted since I've fouind you. :)"

Callie:

before . . .
"You have been great and think of everything.
I know I will not have to worry about a thing! And I thank you for that."

after . . .
"There's no other place we would have wanted to
celebrate with our friends and family than your island.
Thank you for taking such good care of us.
Everything was perfect, all your special little touches made everything
even more special and beautiful!
To anyone who is considering having their Ceremony/Reception here,
stop thinking and book your date!!
You won't be disappointed,
but you will regret not jumping on such a spectacular venue!!"

Lauren & Larry:

"We were so blessed to be able to have our special day
at your absolutely gorgeous secret garden!
I truly believe it was magical! Out of a fairy tale!
It is way more than I could have dreamt of!
It truly was everything and more than I could have ever imagined!

You are a beautiful soul and I wish you success
and blessings in your future endeavors.
You made a girl on a very minimal budget feel like a millionaire!

I believe I found out about you because of divine intervention!
A miracle I will be forever grateful for!
The memories made will never be forgotten!
You are a piece of our lives and forever in our hearts!
I love you, Kathy, and hope we can stay in touch!"

Kim; The Inner Light Photography & Design:

"Every time I drive by your lake
I always look at your little Island!
You have the most beautiful venue around!"

Kortnie & Zach:

"We want to thank you very much for allowing and
helping us have our wedding on your beautiful Island.
It is the perfect place for us!
You have been so great to us and my family and
made the Wedding planning experience go smoother.
Thank you for everything."

Jan & Dave:

"We can never thank you enough for all you did!
Everyone I have talked to has told me how beautiful 'the venue' was.
You both are the best!!
The rain brought us a double rainbow and the most beautiful sunset!!
Everything was perfect!!
And Sara never took that smile off her face all day, that's all we could ask for!!
Thank you with so much love!"

Melissa & Eric:

"We thank you so much for helping to make today special.
Never would I have thought
I could have my wedding at such a beautiful place,
and YOU made that come true.
We will never forget the generosity of your hearts.
There are just no words for how thankful we are."

Sara & Michael:

"We feel unbelievably blessed and
lucky to have had our wedding at your venue.
We know you put a lot of work into making sure
everything was ready and perfect that day -- you did an amazing job!
You helped to make it the best day of our life
and for that we will be forever grateful!
We love you and thank you! Love!"

Brittany; Brittany Snook Photography:

"BY FAR, artistreEscapes Island Garden Venue
IS THE MOST GORGEOUS WEDDING VENUE I'VE GOTTEN TO SHOOT AT!
KATHY'S GAZEBOS AND FLORALS ARE AMAZING!
I DON'T EVEN NEED TO DESCRIBE THEM . . . JUST LOOK AT THEM!"

Lauren & Jon:

"Thanks so much for a beautiful wedding.
Love all the extra work and little touches . . . what a great surprise!"

Sherri & Dennis:

"Thank you so much for making our day so wonderful!
The two of you do a great job and all the little details made it perfect!"

Linsy & Tyler:

"Thank you for making our special day come to life. With love."
(with a gift of 2 bottles of wine from my favorite winery)

Lisa:

"Your place is beautiful and you & your husband are amazing to work with."

Amanda & Dillon:

"Thank you again for allowing us to get married
in such an amazingly beautiful place! Memories we will cherish forever."

Bonnie:

"Most beautiful place for a Wedding.
I'm glad Cassie chose your beautiful island! It was just perfect!"

Amy & Chris:

"Thank you for everything! We had a perfect day!
And we couldn't have been married at a better location!
We are blessed to have found you. XOXO"

Lauren:

"This is the perfect place for a wedding!
A beautiful canvas to create your special day!
Anyone who appreciates beauty, nature, hard work
and God's amazing creation will forever fall in love
with the magic of the Island and the loving people
who share this gorgeous piece of the world with everyone."

Kassie & Bryan:

"I really don't know of any other venue owners
who would still care so much about their past couple."

Kim:

"I would like to Thank you and John for all the hard work
you did to get everything ready and perfect.
Everyone had nothing but good things to say about the Island.

Jim and I had a great time and have great memories we will cherish of our Vow Renewal!
I will recommend you to everyone I know. :)"

Nikita:

"I love all the work you put into your venue. It's so nice!
You've got a beautiful venue, you really do."

Meagan & Walter:

"I recommend you to anyone I know wanting pictures or a wedding venue!"

Tanya:

"Thank you soooo much for sharing your Island
with us on our special day yesterday!
It was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for anything different." :)

Sherri:

"Thank you for letting us celebrate our union of two lives on your beautiful Island.
Your graciousness and hospitality are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for making our day so special."

Danni:

"We loved your place. I will spread the word. Beautiful spot!
Thanks for taking good care of my sister. You thought of everything!
I am really glad we were able to have her Wedding Ceremony there.
Thank you for everything."

Samantha:

"I absolutely loved your Venue! It was so beautiful!
Even the candid pictures that Danika took were amazing!
I will definitely be telling my friends all about your Island!"

Deanna:

"It was a beautiful and amazing day! Thanks so much for everything, Kathy!
I would absolutely recommend you to others!"

Barb:

"OMG Kathy, your garden is beautiful! Everyone raved how pretty it is.
I will recommend it to anyone wanting an outdoor Wedding. Thank you!"

Brittany & Brian:

"Couldn't have asked for more, everything was so beautiful by the lakeside. :))
Couldn't have asked for a better venue. xox Thank you so much!"

(photo by ML Photography)

  • photo by ML Photography