Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Kerby.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In the late summer of 2023 I (Elizabeth) was planning my own backyard wedding at my parents home in Ionia. As my husbands family is from the east side of the state I was having trouble finding a close accommodation for them. We knew of a house 2 minutes down the road that my mom and I always loved and knew it was sitting empty at that time. We knew the family and asked if they were open to renting out their family home for a September weekend for my husbands family to stay at. They were super kind and mentioned they were finally putting it up for sale after 2 years of sitting vacant due to family heartbreak. My dad urged me and my mom (Laura) to go take a look before it was put on the market. My parents always knew I wanted my own business and knew I was itching to get out of my corporate job and find something I truly loved.
My mom and I went and visited and it was fate. The home had great bones, the kitchen was already updated, the grounds were well kept, the koi pond out back was an added bonus, the great room was huge, and the location was private yet not too out of the way. The first thought was “Bed & Breakfast”! My mom and I fell in love and jumped on the idea to renovate and restore the property.
The fall of 2023 through spring of 2024 was full of design, renovations, wallpaper, painting, lighting, tiling, flooring, etc. We did it all ourselves. My brothers ( Colin & Cole) were integral to the restoration of our floors, the new staircase, new flooring, and trim work with a family friend (Curt) being our general contractor to add 2 new bathrooms. But my mom and I did all the design, painting, wallpapering, shopping, project management, mortaring, cleaning, and sourcing of all our antique furniture from Facebook Marketplace and thrifting. We basically started everything off with a blank slate. We themed the rooms based off fictional estates, for example: Pemberley = Estate in Wuthering Heights, Manderley = Rebecca Estate and so on. We themed each rooms decor based off the vibe of each classic lit book. Everything except a few intregal items are all second hand and very old. We basically had to restore all the furniture too!
In spring 2024 we opened as a small event space and bed & breakfast. With 3 wedding venues in Ionia we thought those couples might experience the same issue I did with Ionia, there’s no place to stay. We booked lots of bridal showers, baby showers, work parties, and stays the first year, even hosted our own Supper Clubs with a private chef. But we were getting so many inquiries for microweddings!!! We hosted 3 in 2024, not full blown microweddings but custom to what the couple wanted. We felt that microweddings is what really might pull us full time and get us that profit we so desired. I wanted Le Home to be my future and nothing else, so in December of 2024 we decided to start making plans for a covered outdoor patio to host outdoor microweddings for a bigger group of 64.
In May 2025 we started our patio addition. My mom and I designed the concept hoping to match the home’s windows with it’s arches and hoping it looked like an old world pavilion. We wanted it to look like it had always been there. The stone for the fireplace was something we were super picky on, we didn’t want it to look to neat and patterned. Our contractors Mitch, Randy, and Terri were wonderful and brought our vision home. My mom and I stained all the barnwood and my brother (Colin) built all the lattice and the arbor. We really wanted to find lots of concrete planters and old chandeliers to bring it full circle. In June we finished the patio, and right after, we began the build of our groomsclub which was done by September. In 2025 we hosted 6 microweddings with our new patio.
This year we have 17! Not including full weekend stays we have booked for local venues and lots and lots of small events that we host on weekdays and Sundays.
Our microweddings are unique in that they are a package that includes a full house 2 night stay from Friday-Sunday morning. They get to check in, have their rehearsal dinner, get up the next morning, get ready onsite, have their wedding, party, and go to sleep at their venue all in one package. We welcome untradtional ideas and fun loving couples that value conversation, good food, sentimental details, convenience, old homes, and intentional moments. They don’t just follow a trend, they follow their values and quirks unique to their relationship. We have been very blessed with the greatest couples coming from areas like Iron Mountain, North Carolina, Chicago, Detroit, Ohio, and Grand Rapids.
2027 is looking promising! We hope to add staff in the future, as my mom is probably so tired of doing laundry like I am of cleaning bathrooms. We truly do everything ourselves, because we love what we do. We like being the caretakers of our 1880’s brick farmhouse. She treats us very well.
As a business built by family, specifically a mother-daughter duo, Le Home is our heart on our sleeve. And we put it out there for everyone to enjoy and hope that they see what we see in this old home. I am beyond blessed to call my mom 3x a day and never have any lull in conversation. We get along so well and our relationship and similarity is what really makes Le Home what it is. We are so excited to continue to grow!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Very few other than a few large trees deciding it was their time. We have lost 3 beautiful large trees due to old age. We were very fortunate they did not break anything. We did take them down ourselves, 1 was hanging over our koi pond and we didn’t want it to fall and crack the foundation. Other challenges have been just small things you never think to think of, like treating for mosquitos, dealing with high winds, trying to understand a new AC system, endless amounts of worn wallpaper, broken appliances, boxelder bug season, etc.
Major obstacle is just figuring out how to lure people to the middle of nowhere Michigan to host their wedding and how can we be successful in a more restrictive, less populated area.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I went to school for writing at GVSU, my mom currently does the books at CL Trucking & Excavating (her and my dad’s business).
I began my professional career in copywriting and learned corporate life was not for me. I grew up working in restaurants and missed it dearly. I started working at the Cheney Place and Leona Rd wedding venues in GR on the side during my copywriter career to tide me over. Then Le Home happened. Once the renovation was done I gained a job at Sherwood Custom Homes as part time interior designer assistant due to Le Home’s design being on my resume. I work both jobs currently, Le Home & Sherwood Custom Homes. My mom, does CLTE & Le Home.
I take care of all emails, events, couples, social media, tours, meetings, wedding coordination, florals, and general cleaning. My mom does the books, general cleaning, laundry, groundskeeping, and general organizing. We make a good team! We both idea generate together.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Truly nothing. Open book!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lehomestay.com
- Instagram: lehomestay_
- Facebook: Le Home
