Black Star Farms

ugh the planning process. Dorothy was so helpful and patient with all of our questions. We never visited the venue in person beforehand nor did we do a menu tasting. We could not have been more pleasantly surprised though. The entire experience exceeded our expectations. The venue is absolutely beautiful. The staff was wonderful. The food was amazing. We were wowed by the entire evening, as were our guests! As to vendors, we used Andra Krista Photography, Blue Lakes by the Bay Transportation, Field of Flowers North, Weddings Your Way, The Hair + Beauty Lounge, and Top Tier Cakery. Excellent experiences all around!

s. We had many guests compliment the beautiful spaces and helpful staff. We would highly recommend BSF as a wedding venue.

event barn (could not use the barn due to Covid restrictions). It was a perfect day. Dorothy and Dustin were so helpful, and took care of so many details to make sure everything was wonderful. We rented out the entire Inn for the weekend, and it was so fun to have some guests stay right on site with us. This venue really has everything you need for a fun and memorable wedding!

er! Great views - ceremony site at the top of the vineyard with a view of West Bay. Food was delicious. Staff was attentive and courteous. Dorothy was so helpful with coordinating vendors, creating the timeline, and making sure the event went smoothly. We had zero day of stress or worries. Highly recommend.

was so helpful the weekend of on site. Our guests are raving about how beautiful the wedding was. We are so happy we decided on this venue!!

ional. Our small wedding went beautifully - all our guests were blown away with how beautiful and nice it was. All our emails were responded to in a timely fashion and all of our endless questions were handled. Also the chef went above and beyond to create a meal for me with my specific dietary restrictions (low FODMAP diet- it's quite limiting) so that I could enjoy the wedding. I cannot say enough good things about them - everyone should get married here! :)

perfect.

e whole time -- a stress free bride! We loved every second of our day -- the food was a hit; LOVE the late night snacks.

with answering any emails/calls and was so good about helping us make choices during the process. Then not too long after, Jackie left Blackstar for another job and we were left with Dorothy. There were so many inconsistencies between the two. What we were originally told by Jackie was different when Dorothy took over. For example: 1) we were told by Jackie that We were allowed to bring in a food truck for late night snack and it could pull up right next to the barn in the back. So we put a down payment on a food truck just to be told by Dorothy that we could not so our money was a lost. So instead we had to choose their pretzels and cheese which were clearly frozen pretzels and very hard. 2) we were told by Jackie that we could decorate the night before to help out time wise the morning of the wedding as long as there was not another event there that night before. So, we booked our rehearsal night dinner there the night before the wedding so we would be able to decorate. I then got told by Dorothy that was also a no and thus we were left scrambling to get all of our decorating done the morning of since you’re can’t start until 9am while Dorothy was out on her golf cart giving tours of the grounds to possible future wedding interests. ON THE DAY OF OUR WEDDING!! And that is just a couple of the things that were inconsistent and caused us to loose money. The food that we tried at our taste testing WAS NOT the same food we had at our wedding. Overall significant decrease in portion size and overall quality. Dorothy was very rude with several of my bridesmaids along with my parents. The morning of while we were all scrambling with limited time to decorate three different areas (the barn, the Arcturos room and the vineyard) Dorothy made several rude comments. For example: my mother had asked for a table to be able to put our flowers on and Dorothy responded “You people have taken every table I have” while rolling her eyes. “You people”? Complete lack or professionalism. After our dinner around 5pm, Dorothy then went up to my father and told him she was leaving “I have kids at home I have to take care of”. We were not made aware that she would be leaving so short in the evening as she had previously told us she would be there to help throughout the night. We also received several complaints from our other vendors on how rude Dorothy was with them both during conversations prior to the wedding and in person on the day of the wedding. At the end of the night, you are suppose to get any left over bottles of wine that were not completely drank. This did not happen. When we booked with Jackie she had told us that there was never a wine bill greater than $1000 and ours with Dorothy was $1800 and just so happened to be not even a drop of an open bottle left over... seems odd. The bathroom in the barn was disgusting by the end of the night. There were no staff members checking in on anything. By the end of the night all the guests and wedding parties dresses were soaked on the bottom because there was an inch of water on the bathroom floor from the toilet sweating and leaking. Both myself and my parents contacted the manager regarding all of this and nothing was done to address the problems. STAYAWAY

mind that we were a little rambunctious. I mean - it is a wedding, right? The entire staff was great, I imagine for a larger wedding it would be the same. We are already planning to return to celebrate our anniversary. Thank you, Black Star Farms, for a wonderful weekend.

rows a lot of the produce on site. We felt cared for through the whole planning process, with Dorothy answering every email I sent (even when they each contained 20+ questions). We planned for our ceremony to be in the vineyard, but the day of was cold and rainy so we had to move the ceremony to the Aquarius room. Dorothy delivered the news in a light-hearted manner and told me everything would be taken care of. She was right! Despite the change in location the setting was beautiful and made for an easy transition to the Pegasus barn for our guests. We've received so many compliments on the venue and our pictures on location turned out beautifully. In fact, this really is the perfect venue because we took pictures at multiple spots on location and they all give different moods and evoke different feelings. I'd highly recommend doing your first look photos between the vines in the vineyard!

s in the Arcturos Room/Covered Patio, dinner was served in the Aquarius Room and ended with dessert and dancing in the Pegasus Barn. I was worried that the moving of the guests to the different locations would be difficult but Dorothy and the staff made it incredibly smooth. The food is phenomenal and everything is prepared fresh by the chef. Also, the fruit, vegetables, meat etc. is all from local farms within miles of BSF. I would recommend Black Star Farms to anyone who is looking to have their wedding at a Northern Michigan Vineyard. You will not be disappointed!!!

le Inn rented to us and our guests, as it felt like the whole farm was ours for the weekend. It was a bit pricey (our wedding was in August), but at the end of the day it was worth it!

ickly solved it and it turned out just as beautiful in the barn. Dorothy was the most amazing coordinator who was always available to answer questions. This team is fabulous!

erve the World's Best Dry Resiling at our wedding! Thank you Black Star Farms and Dorothy!

ck Star Farms made it a breeze! She truly is phenomenal at her job; from the first moment we met her at the site tour to our actual wedding day Dorothy was responsive to my many emails and questions, communicative with the vendors, and really took care of every little detail to perfection. We held our ceremony up in the breathtaking vineyard and our reception in the Pegasus Barn covered in twinkle lights and chandeliers. I would definitely recommend renting a room at the Inn for the weekend; it was such a great location for getting ready in the morning and later ending the night. Ah, and the FOOD! Absolutely delicious farm-to-table menu created by the most talented chef. To this day my guests and myself continue to rave about the venue, the food, the staff, and the overall experience at Black Star Farms. I would definitely recommend this location to any bride! Thank you Black Star Farms, Dorothy, and all the wonderful staff who helped me create these memories I'll hold on to forever.

here are kind and warm.

ible and helped make our wedding the best day of our lives. Dorothy and Jackie could not have been better. They were flexible, responsive and fun to work with. They made what could have been a stressful process so much easier than we expected, and because of them we were able to enjoy every second of our special day. The food and beverage team was amazing too, and our food couldn’t have been more delicious. Every single item they made was incredible, and Black Star Farms wine was great too! An amazing place to get married, we would recommend it to absolutely anyone and everyone. Thanks again for everything Black Star Farms!

ything! We live in the Detroit area so most of our communication was through emails which worked out well. I never had to worry about a late response- Jackie was always so prompt.. which trust me, you want while planning a wedding! The venue itself is seriously breathtaking.. we chose to have our ceremony on the vineyard, cocktail hour inside, and reception in the barn! I would highly recommend utilizing each space! However, barn did NOT have air- which shouldn’t be a deal breaker as northern MI is typically cooler.. well, on our wedding day (6/30/18) it was 94! So keep crazy MI weather in mind when planning.. Jackie even took me up the hill in her own car with AC so I wouldn’t melt away! Lol Despite the heat, the ceremony and reception were absolutely gorgeous. We chose the extra lighting package in the barn which was well worth the money; it really made the barn feel magical! On to the food- soo many guests raved about the food and said it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had.. only negative feedback is that the entree came out at least 30 minutes after the salad. The barn also has a big dance floor ( guests were dancing all night), a beautiful outside area with bonfire pit ( have the option for s’mores), a well maintained bathroom on the patio, and one bar ( you have to supply your own booze but they serve it), and of course farm animals!!!!! My guests loved everything about the wedding! My husband and I would highly recommend BSF for your wedding- I promise you, you will NOT be disappointed. From start to finish it was a flawless event. Oh, and the wine is delicious :) I cannot wait to stay here for our anniversary!

ur lives. Everything was perfect!

ng they had ever attended. Jackie was our coordinator and she was kind, responsive, detail-oriented, and beyond helping in planning our wedding. If you are looking for a beautiful venue that will give you extremely professional and the highest level of service, this venue is perfect. I highly, highly recommend Black Star Farms and cannot wait to come back to celebrate my anniversary!

to ensuring that our toddler flower girls walked down the aisle, she didn’t skip a beat. She was kind, supportive, organized and a pleasure to deal with every step of the way. If we could give her more than 5 stars we would! The food was amazing, the venue was beautifully set up and we honestly can’t say enough - get married here and you’ll be as over the moon as we are!

throughout the planning, rehearsal, wedding day, and day after. The service and food at BSF is impeccable. Our guests are still talking about what an amazing dinner we had. The wine was top notch and the venue is beautiful. The best part about BSF though is the team of people who will care for you as if you are family and ensure your dream wedding comes true.

the event stand out. For example, we got married in the vineyard and she made sure the netting covering the vines behind the arbor were taken off so they didn't show up in our pictures. The venue itself is stunning - and they have everything you need. No need to work with a ton of vendors or rentals. We planned our wedding here from out of state, so this was really helpful to us.

goes above and beyond in so many ways. I was worried about having a destination wedding and Jackie and her team work closely with all of your other vendors on making the day run smoothly and flawlessly. I found her to be very personable and professional throughout the whole process... I only wish I could use this venue again! Overall, very pleased and impressed with Black Star Farms.

me and my vendors at th appropriate times, but also kept tabs on them for me, as well. She provided a comprehensive list of everything we needed to do and have the venue do for us so no detail was missed. I highly recommend this venue! If I could go back, I would of specified what I wanted to come back for the next day with better detail. They knew we were coming back to pick up leftover dessert that we provided as well as some decor items that I purchased and brought. I had assumed they would collect and keep leftover floral arrangements - but I shouldn't have. Unfortunately, many of my (very expensive) arrangements were thrown out/dumped. Just be very specific as to what you want to come back for the following day!

ect! Dorothy was a pleasure to work with, responded to my many emails quickly and worked hard to make my dream wedding come true!

enue. I would not hesitate to plan another event there. They work with your budget, and make you feel like you are one in a million on your big day.

e waitstaff the day of the event went above and beyond serving our guests and the chef's food was SO good. There is not one bad thing that I can say about Black Star Farms - the wedding planning process and the day of were so easy and effortless for my husband and I because of the hard work of the staff there.

and turn key venue you could ask for and at for what all they do and provide you with a reasonable cost (in wedding terms). I could go into all the details and just how much they did for us, but I just want to say as the bride, my husbands and my wedding was the absolute best we have ever been to and it was so not stressful one bit, it was the total opposite and I have to say 90% of that is because we had our wedding at Black Star and worked with Stephanie and Emily.

best advice we've ever followed! Immediately when we pulled into the driveway, we were overwhelmed with the breathtaking scenery. We instantly fell in love with the beautiful landscape of grape vines and farm animals. Admittedly we are food snobs, but were completely amazed by the quality and composition of the food. We were hooked and ready to book the venue on the spot. With such a wonderful first impression, we expected a challenge or red flag to arise when waiting for pricing or dealing with staff. Having coordinated many events professionally, when something looks to good to be true it's usually because it is. However, Black Star Farms, event coordinator Stephanie, and the fabulous staff far exceeded even our highest hopes and best expectations. We chose the Pegasus barn for our rustic themed reception (we planned to have our wedding at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore). The venue was gorgeous, the pricing was very reasonable, and the food and wine were delicious. When it rained on our wedding day and we had to switch to plan B, Stephanie and her staff quickly converted the barn into a space for both our ceremony and our reception. The only hint of concern I saw on the faces of Stephanie and the staff when we arrived was for my husband and I. They wanted to be sure our day was perfect in spite of the weather. Although all may not have gone according to plan I can say our wedding day was perfect thanks to the staff at Black Star Farms. They went above and beyond to decorate the barn just the way we liked it using their own materials for center pieces and signage at no extra cost. Not only was this great for our budget, it also allowed us to focus on the things that mattered most to us, rather than getting fixated on center pieces. Our guests were very impressed by the venue and the friendliness of the staff. They loved playing yard games, saying hi to the farm animals, and snuggling the barn kitties. We were even lucky enough to have four piglets born on our wedding day, two of which were born at the end of our ceremony! :) In all, everything was perfect! I may have been disappointed by the weather earlier in the day, but Stephanie and her staff managed to make me forget every ounce of frustration I may have felt and we couldn't have asked for anything more.

g. Stephanie is the event coordinator at the Inn and she made life easy! She put up all the decorations, did all the chalkboard signs we wanted, placed our hand-made wine charms at each person's seat, made the cakes and desserts we served. She had everything under control! I did not worry once! I highly recommend checking this out. We had the ceremony in Pegasus Barn, cocktails in Arcturus, & reception in Aquarius. There are 10 rooms at the Inn so rent it out with 10 friends or family! You can after-party in the lounge or around the campfire. The weekend was perfect. And it felt like our home the entire time. Every morning the chef made breakfast for each guest. It was delicious. Do not miss it! If you're looking for a rustic, barn wedding with fantastic wine, look here!

felt like royalty all weekend as the staff treated us like we were their only wedding all year. I loved that we had exclusive use of all facilities and so many options to boot! I made special recommendations the day before the wedding (a s'more bar) and the girls got it done. They helped take the pressure off me as I tried to finish up last minute projects... They made signs and cut Rosemary to loop through the escort cards. They really went above and beyond to make our day so special. Even the staff at the Hearth and Vine cafe made us feel special and sent us pizzas as we got ready. If you are considering BSF for your wedding venue, I wouldn't look further. The food alone is worth it!!

all happen. I would have my events there time and time again!

ere able to design a ceremony/cocktail hour/dinner that fit our wedding vision perfectly. The best part was having an inside rain day alternative that was just as beautiful as the outdoor locations. No worrying about the weather! The event coordinator was super sweet and wonderful to work with too. If you are looking for a vineyard/farm/elegant/countryside wedding... look no farther!