Getting Married on Drummond Island: A Laid-Back Wedding & Elopement Guide
November 4, 2026
Imagine hopping on a ferry with your favorite person, spending the weekend exploring an island, and somewhere in between kayaking, eating ice cream, and wandering through the woods, YOU GET MARRIED!!! Yeah, I’m kind of obsessed with this idea, too.
If you’ve been dreaming about a wedding that feels more like a weekend getaway with your favorite people than a perfectly scheduled timeline, let me introduce you to Drummond Island, Michigan. Drummond Island is a place where I believe wedding weekends are elite.
Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Drummond Island is surrounded by the beautiful waters of Lake Huron, full of rocky shorelines, wooded trails, cozy cabins, and so many opportunities to make a little adventure out of your wedding day.
Whether you’re planning an intimate elopement with just the two of you or bringing a few of your favorite humans along for the ride, there are SO many ways to make this place your own.
So, let’s talk about getting (YOU) married on Drummond Island!!
How to Get to Drummond Island
Part of the fun of getting married on an island? You get to take a ferry!!! Drummond Island sits at the eastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and getting there involves a short ferry ride from DeTour Village.
The ferry carries both passengers and vehicles, so you can bring your car, your wedding outfits, and whatever else you’re packing for your little island adventure. The crossing only takes about 10 minutes.
My biggest recommendation is to give yourself some breathing room when planning your trip. Arrive a day or two before your wedding, get settled into your cabin, and spend some time exploring before the big day. The last thing I want for you is to spend your entire wedding weekend feeling like you’re racing from one thing to the next.
More about building a comfy wedding timeline here.
Where to Stay for Your Drummond Island Wedding
One of my favorite things about an intimate wedding is that your wedding day doesn’t have to be the ONLY thing you celebrate.
Make a whole weekend out of it!! Book a cabin, invite your favorite people, spend the evenings around a fire, and enjoy actually having time together. Here are a few ideas where you could stay on Drummond Island for your own wedding or elopement.
1. Cozy Cabin or Vacation Rental
If you’re picturing a slow morning making coffee, getting ready with your best friends, and ending the night in a cabin somewhere in the woods, I’d start by looking into Northern Properties.
They offer vacation rentals around Drummond Island, which can be a fun option if you’re looking to turn your wedding into a weekend-long getaway.
You could rent a place big enough for your closest people, spend the night before your wedding making dinner together, and wake up without having to rush off to a million different places.
If a smaller, more intimate cabin is more your speed, you could explore private cabin rentals around the island, too. Just make sure to check with your host about guests, photography, and whether any wedding activities are allowed on the property!
2. Drummond Island Resort
If you’re feeling a little more resort-style, Drummond Island Resort is another option. They have lodge rooms and private cabins perfect for weddings and other celebrations.
This could be really helpful if you’re inviting family and friends who would prefer to stay in one place rather than spread out across different rentals.
Plus, having a place to come back to after a full day of exploring the island? YES PLEASE.
Where to Get Married on Drummond Island
When I say Drummond Island has some ridiculously beautiful places to explore, I mean it!
1. Along the Shores of Lake Huron
You could plan a tiny shoreline ceremony, exchange your vows somewhere quiet, and spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around the island together.
Bring a picnic, take your shoes off, dip your toes in the water. UGH. SO GOOD.
Remember, your wedding doesn’t need to be complicated to be really freaking beautiful. Just remember to check property access and any necessary permissions before choosing a ceremony spot. I share more about this here.
2. Marblehead
Okay, my adventurous couples. This one!!
Marblehead is located on the eastern end of Drummond Island, and it’s where you can find insane limestone cliffs overlooking Lake Huron.
When I say insane, I really mean dramatic. I’m talking about rocky cliffs, endless water views, and the kind of scenery that makes you feel very, very small in the best possible way. Plus, it’s not the kind of scenery you think of when you think of Michigan…
Getting to Marblehead is an adventure in itself. The route includes bumpy roads with rocky sections, and water crossings, so you’ll definitely want to plan ahead and have an appropriate four-wheel-drive vehicle.
This spot is perfect for a couple who loves exploring and doesn’t mind getting a little dirty on their wedding day.
3. Maxton Plains
If you’re looking for something beyond the classic woods-and-water Michigan scenery, meet Maxton Plains.
This is a protected natural area that is home to an incredibly rare landscape called an alvar, where limestone bedrock and thin soils create wide-open grasslands. It’s unlike so many of the places you’d expect to find in Northern Michigan.
There’s wildflowers, textured limestone, big open skies, and a landscape that feels almost otherworldly. I especially love the idea of exploring somewhere like this during the evening when the light starts to soften.
Because Maxton Plains is a protected preserve, I’d visit this one as a potential portrait location rather than making it your wedding ceremony spot.
4. Drummond Island Resort
If you’re wanting the complete destination island experience, Drummond Island Resort is the spot.
The resort has waterfront ceremony locations and indoor reception spaces so you can still have a beautiful wedding with your guests without having to piece everything together yourself.
This is a fun middle ground between an adventurous destination wedding and a more traditional celebration. You can spend the weekend exploring Drummond Island and then come together for an intentional wedding day with all your favorite people. Win-win.
Things to Do During Your Drummond Island Wedding Weekend
Here at Drummond Island, you don’t have to limit yourself to a ceremony, dinner, and a first dance. You can build an entire experience around the things you love doing together, and I have a few ideas!!!
Skip the Cake Cutting and Go Get Ice Cream
Listen. I love a wedding cake. But do you know what else I love? The idea of two newlyweds walking up to an ice cream stand in their wedding clothes.
The Drummond Island Teepee is a fun local stop for ice cream, and I think skipping the traditional cake-cutting moment in favor of an ice cream date sounds like a pretty wonderful wedding memory.
Especially if you’ve spent the day adventuring around the island.
Do a Little Shopping Around the Island
If you’ve got some time before or after your wedding, spend an afternoon exploring the local shops!
A few places worth checking out:
- Sune’s Dry Goods: A fun spot for Drummond Island souvenirs, clothing, and gifts.
- The Old Cabin Gift Shop: A local shop worth looking into for special little finds and keepsakes.
- North Haven Gifts & Puddingstone Rock Shop: Another stop for unique gifts and something to remember your trip by.
Maybe you find a little piece of art to hang in your first home together. Or a souvenir that reminds you of the weekend you got married.
I love the idea of bringing something home that isn’t just another wedding decoration you’ll pack away in a box.
Get Out on the Water
Kayaking on your wedding weekend anyone??? Drummond Island is surrounded by gorgeous freshwater and getting out on the water is such a fun way to experience it.
You could rent kayaks or paddleboards, spend the afternoon exploring a quiet cove, or find another water adventure that sounds like you.
If you’re feeling extra adventurous, look into local boat and watercraft rentals. This could be something you do the morning after your wedding, with your friends the day before, or even as part of an all-day elopement adventure.
Let’s be so forreal, who decided your wedding day has to revolve entirely around wedding traditions?
Go Sailing on the Huron Jewel
This might be one of the coolest ways to celebrate. The Drummond Island Tall Ship Company offers sailing adventures aboard the Schooner Huron Jewel, a beautiful tall ship that explores the waters around Drummond Island.
You can book sailing experiences, and they even offer intimate weddings aboard the ship! This is such a fun alternative to the usual pre-wedding and post-wedding activities, especially if you and your people love being on the water.
Spend Some Time Exploring the Trails
Not every part of your wedding weekend has to be a big adventure. Sometimes the best moments happen when you slow down enough to notice what’s around you. The Clyde and Martha Williams Nature Preserve has a peaceful wooded trail that could be a calming place for a relaxed walk.
If you’ve been around here a bit you already know that I think there’s something really special about giving ourselves time to actually experience what the weekend means instead of filling every single moment with another activity.
A Few Tips for Planning a Drummond Island Wedding
Before you start packing your wedding outfits and heading north, here are a few things I’d think about!
- Give yourself extra time. Between ferry travel, exploring the island, and getting ready for your wedding, it’s worth building some flexibility into your plans.
- Think about what you want your day to feel like. Do you want a morning spent making breakfast together? An afternoon wandering around the island? A big dinner with your friends? Start there and build your timeline around the experience.
- Choose locations that actually fit your adventure level. Some of the most beautiful spots on Drummond Island require rugged travel. Make sure your locations are realistic for you and anyone joining your celebration.
- Have a weather backup plan. You’re getting married on an island in Michigan. Wind, rain, and changing conditions are all things worth preparing for, especially near the water.
- Leave room for the unexpected. Some of my favorite wedding memories happen in the moments nobody really planned. Give yourselves permission to wander a little, change your minds, and enjoy being together.
Your Drummond Island Wedding Can Look However You Want
Here’s the thing: You don’t need an elaborate wedding timeline, a giant bridal party, or a million carefully curated details to have a wedding that feels meaningful.
Your wedding can look like exchanging vows along the shore of Lake Huron and spending the afternoon exploring.
Or it can be a weekend in a cabin with your favorite people, a bonfire, and a whole lot of laughing.
It can also look like you getting married at a resort, spending the next morning kayaking, and eating ice cream in your wedding clothes.
ALL OF THOSE SOUND PRETTY FREAKING GREAT TO ME.
What matters most is building a day that actually feels like you.
Drummond Island Wedding Photographer – Hi, I’m Gabbie
If you’re looking for a Michigan wedding photographer who will happily wander through the woods with you, document all the in-between moments, and get excited about whatever slightly unconventional ideas you’ve been dreaming up, II’d love to help you make your Drummond Island wedding a little adventure you’ll want to remember forever.
