Black Star Farms

s Barn reception - it is a truly unique place to celebrate a wedding. The team at Black Star Farms is incredibly attentive and helpful in ensuring that they are there every step in the planning process. We worked with Dustin in the months leading up to our wedding and he was incredibly responsive and prompt in making sure that he made our every wish become reality. On our wedding day, Sasha was a great help in ensuring everything ran on-time, smoothly, and that ours and all of our guests' needs were met. We had such a wonderful experience at Black Star Farms and have no regrets about our wedding day. We would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a magical winery wedding in the Traverse City area!

ed. Our wedding day was rainy and Black Star Farms adjusted plans accordingly. Everything was smooth, fun, and beautiful. We highly recommend this venue as well as working with Dustin Schaub!

ty Northern Michigan has to offer. We had such a great experience with the event planner. Dustin, was super patient with all our questions during the entire year of the planning process and during the days just prior to the wedding. He was attentive to us and every detail, easy to work with, incredibly down to earth and so personable. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better team of professionals to make the day the most amazing day ever! Thank you so much BSF and Dustin, what an amazing experience!

s delicious, and our guests still talking about it! And let's not forget about the wine! Dustin and his team did a wonderful job to make sure our wedding day went better than we could ever imagine. I would highly recommend Black Star Farms for your Northern Michigan wedding.

us feel like family. Communication and attention to detail were first-rate. The food was fabulous, our guests couldn't stop talking about how delicious everything was. And the service was top-notch! We could not have asked for anything better than the experience we had at Black Star Farms. It is a beautiful venue with incredible service that sets it apart from others. You will not be disappointed if you choose this venue for your wedding.

Schaub is an absolute Rockstar! He was so incredible to work with, and made sure our daughter's vision became a reality! Our guests haven't stopped raving about how beautiful this venue was! The ceremony site in the vineyard is absolutely stunning, and the Inn and the Pegasus Barn offered our guests a magical experience! If we could give the food, venue and staff at Black Star Farms 10 stars we would!!!

SF was. We've wanted to get married at this place because of the beautiful surroundings and vineyard vibes for a couple of years now (we spent a lot of time when we first met in Norther Michigan), and the BSF staff made the day perfect. We also now live outside of the state of Michigan in Boston, and BSF was easily able to accommodate us planning this remotely from out of state. The one time we did come back to figure out logistics at the venue, we had the most amazing tasting for the food, and the process only got better from there. We rented out the entire 10 rooms in the inn for the weekend (would highly recommend this option), and everyone at the inn (shoutout to David + Mitchell) were extremely helpful. Karen took care of us on the food front all weekend, as did the others making the breakfast. Dustin Schaub was incredible to work with throughout the process - answering all of our questions whenever we had any. He not only adjusted on the fly when we had changes, but went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. He also was great at helping our parents understand the process when they had questions. Sasha was also great at making sure we had everything we needed. We decided to do pieces of the wedding ourselves (i.e. DIY flowers instead of florist) and BSF made it incredibly easy to mix and match their services with our own unique plans. They also provided a list of recommended vendors, all of whom ended up being great. We ended up provided a few types of additional alcohol other than wine we bought through BSF, and the bartenders were excellent throughout the night. The ceremony was absolutely stunning thanks in part to the BSF team making sure that everyone was guided to the right spot at the right time. Truly, if we could rate BSF higher than 5 stars, we absolutely would. I don't understand why anybody would get married anywhere else. Truly a stunning venue. We will be making a tradition of coming back every so often to taste wine and reminisce on the best day of our lives so far. Thank you BSF team!

joy instead of a chore. The day of went exactly to plan and my vision was executed to perfection. The grounds provide plenty of beautiful photo locations. The food was excellent and provided many vegan and gluten free options. The bridal suite with private bathroom was just the right size for my group to get ready in. All my vendors were familiar with Black Star and didn't have any issues during set up. Overall this venue was everything I hoped for and more. Thank you Black Star Farms!

aff went above and beyond! We stayed at the inn and it was such a great experience. The food was so good and the staff was even better. If I could get married all over again there if I would. Dustin made sure everything was perfect for our special day and the waitstaff and bartenders were spectacular! All our guests commented how great everyone was. I would definitely recommend for anyone getting married!

ect. Dustin held our hand every step of the way and was so on top of everything. I could not recommend them more, they are all outstanding!

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ntire BSF team made the process seamless and enjoyable. From the manager of the Inn where our immediate family stayed, to the friendly staff, and of course Dustin Schaub who helped from the early stages of planning all the way through execution we were always supported by a helpful and positive team. Their support for the day of was top notch and could not have run as smooth without their flexibility and expertise. We placed all our trust in them and the team at BSF delivered. Thank you to Dustin and team for creating the most memorable and incredible wedding for us!

le as possible. I appreciated that Ingrid and Dustin were always available to answer any questions. The venue itself is gorgeous, and I loved the ability to have the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception on the same property but in different locations. I highly recommend having your wedding at Black Star Farms.

lack Star was truly a dream to work with. My husband and I are from Florida and Black Star was a destination for us. The team worked with us regarding our traveling dates to comes visit, held meetings over Zoom, and every time they were so kind, welcoming, and paid attention to every detail and request. Dustin was incredible the week and day of the wedding, our guests raved about how kind he was, how smoothly everything flowed, and his calming energy helped ease any and all of our nerves. Everything was more than we could have dreamed of and we can't wait to visit again. :)

ceremony outside on the breathtaking hill overlooking the vineyards and a glimpse of the water. The Cocktail Hour had a lovely inside/outside feel in the Arcturos Room. Guests were then treated to a wonderful dinner in Aquarius Room. Finally, the night ended with Dancing and Desert in the Pegasus Barn. Our guests raved about being able to see so many different parts of the Black Star Farms property. The food was also outstanding, and not your typical 'banquet' meals. The staff the entire day was superb!! Everyone was so great to work with and we can't say enough good things about Dustin and Ingrid. They both made the planning process and the day an absolute dream! Black Star Farms also offers so much for the price, that it can't be beat! They also provided a list of preferred vendors which have all worked together and at Black Star for years, which just added to how special and seamless our day was!! If you are thinking about having your Wedding at Black Star Farms, DO IT!! It will be one of the truly most magical days of your life!!

e is spectacular and clean. There are so many areas on property for photos and different portions of wedding. Our ceremony on top of the vineyard hill overlooking the water and hill tops, the cocktail hour within the Inn, the first look in a cobble stone tree house area, photos with horse barns, the reception within Pegasus Barn. love Blackstar so much and appreciate the hard work and dedication and professionalism of all staff members. They make your day so special and go above and beyond to make sure every detail is perfect as they can. I highly recommend Black Star Farms!!!

who relieved all stress and coordination. Black Star Farms was not only the best choice for food, drink, entertainment space, and overall atmosphere, their staff, particularly Ingrid and Dustin, are the most helpful of all my vendors! They answered all my questions, even when I had massively long emails with very specific questions. On the day of, I expected to get constant calls from vendors about where to set up or what to do, and Ingrid and Dustin took it all off my hands and allowed me to truly enjoy my wedding. Beyond them, the service staff and Inn staff provided a friendly atmosphere and made each guest feel like the center of attention. I don't know how they do it every week! I can truly say that Black Star Farms is the best wedding venue in all of Michigan!

r than we could have Imagined. And the staff and food was top notch. All our guests were raving about the venue, food, and service. We are so thankful to everyone at Black Star. I highly recommend Black Star Farms!!! Five Stars plus!!

ngrid was smooth and easy. I appreciated how quickly she responded to questions. Our wedding day was quite hot and they did a great job adjusting to the heat - they had a water station for guests at the ceremony and moved cocktail hour inside to allow quests to cool down in the AC. The barn is not air conditioned and was quite toasty. But again we used the outside space after dinner and had a great evening. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious and lived up to our expectations! Guests were raving about both and we were so happy to get this feedback. My only bit of feedback is if you want a truly stress free day hire a day of Coordinator. Ingrid and Dustin do a great job managing the day of for BSF but I expected a little more attention and help for me as the bride - for example, help with doing our first look and answering day of questions, and making sure we didn't miss signing our marriage license (thank goodness for my MOH!) and other little details that I thought I'd have more help with. But again that might have been a miscommunication on my part about what kind of day of coordination they provide. They sure made the guest experience top notch and we couldn't be happier with that! Thank you BSF for our memorable wedding day!

thing a breeze! The grounds were beautiful and was the perfect backdrop the get married. In addition, Black Star Farms served some of the best food I've ever had at a wedding. I couldn't be more pleased to recommend them to anyone looking for a venue in the Sutton's Bay area.

e had many people comment on it as well. Dustin and Ingrid and the entire service staff were great to work with. Very organized and responsive to any questions you have from start to finish. I also really liked having multiple spaces on property to chose from and knowing we had a weather backup plan that would be just as beautiful as the other locations were it to come to that. They only book 1 wedding too which we really liked. Oh and I can’t leave out the food and wine- simply delicious. We had so much feedback on this. This was not one of the cheaper venues we looked at but for what you get and the service they provide it’s worth every penny. I can’t recommend Black Star enough.

e selection is one of the best in northern Michigan and the food? PHENOMENAL! Our guests could not stop talking about how it was the best wedding they’d ever been to. Ingrid and Dustin were so helpful and made our vision into a reality; we did a small wedding around 40 people and they were able to pull off a feasting table set-up on the back patio that was SO dreamy and SO romantic. If I could re-do my wedding all over, I’d pick Black Star every single time. The pricing is very fair for the level of elegance the venue brings and the planning process was seamless. Did I also say we literally planned this in LESS than 3 months?! All with the help of an amazing staff. I can’t wait to come back to stay for our anniversary and I will ALWAYS recommend Black Star to all my friends and family getting married. In fact I may beg them so I can experience a wedding there again :)

lutely blown away by the hospitality and service for our wedding weekend. We rented out the 10 room in for our bridal party & parents of the bride and groom. David, the Inn manager, made everyone feel so welcome the entire weekend. Check in and out was a breeze even with guests arriving at different times. He was very efficient and allowed early check in for anyone whos rooms were ready early, which was almost all of them! Dustin Schaub & Ingrid Olson were absolute ROCKSTARS! From meeting them initially at our catering tasting, all throughout the wedding planning, and the entire wedding weekend these two incredible coordinators were by our side making things run like clockwork. Every question you have, they have an answer for. Any snag you run into, they have a fix for it. Any idea you have, they help you execute it beautifully. They both have a great vision for what the wedding day and weekend should look like and putting my trust in them was the best possible thing I could do for the success of our wedding! We had about 120 guests, and every single person was raving about the staff, especially the always cheery and attentive Karen! She was a server/bartender/jack of all trades for our rehearsal dinner, wedding, and morning after brunch. Our guests were also raving about the catering provided by black star farms. Rehearsal dinner, cocktail hour, dinner, and brunch the next day were absolutely exquisite! The vendors we worked with for florals, cake, DJ, shuttles, and photography were unanimous in saying that they love working the the team at black star farms when we booked them. This gave me peace of mind because professionals like to work with professionals. The team at Black Star Farms made wedding planning an absolute breeze and helped us create the most beautiful memories with our closest friends and family members that we will cherish forever. If you are looking for a great party, beautiful scenery, incredible food, a stress free wedding day, a passionate wedding planning team, and a one stop shop for an amazing wedding weekend please look no further! The entire team is committed to making your wedding exceed your expectations and your entire experience at Black Star Farms one of a kind. I cannot say enough great things about this spectacular team! Thank you Black Star Farms!

h!! They both were easygoing and professional from the start, and made us and our whole bridal party and family feel very welcome. Second, Black Star Farms has an amazing location that overlooks the West Bay for the ceremony, beautiful inside area for cocktails and dinner, and the barn area is perfect for dancing. It was a dream venue and we enjoyed moving to the different areas on site for our magical day. Finally, food was amazing, service even better but nothing beats the ambiance at Black Star Farms! You will not regret using them.

the views, the atmosphere...everything was perfect. Dustin and Ingrid went above and beyond for us and I wouldn't change a thing! We had right around 100 guests, which fit perfectly into the barn for our reception.

o certain things asked but other attendants allowed. There were several things not mentioned to us prior to signing the contract such as we needed to rent the entire hotel to have our reception in the Arcturos room. We found out a week before that we were not able to have our celebration in one room. I believe there was a lack of communication on Dorothy's end. There were so many little things that happened prior to the wedding that are just too much to list. Nothing went how we had originially planned but the food and ceremony were absolutely stunning. Dustin was so kind and helpful. He seemed to be handling all the ins and outs and making things run smoothly

ange, Dorothy was accommodating to help me find a new date (from a cancelation) to have a very small and intimate ceremony and dinner. The inn on the other hand was not & outed me lots of money for cancelling…like it was my choice. So we will start with that day’s BIGGEST mishap (there was more than one)— our best man asked for a drink PRIOR to the ceremony & Dustin allowed it to happen, never once asking myself or my husband. He then proceeded to let them bring it into the ceremony space and guests had drinks sitting on the floor during the ceremony. This is suppose to be a high class establishment, Dustin allowed it to be trashy. I was appalled. I was about to walk down the aisle and I am fuming over this, not something I should have gone through. Fast forward a year to my one year anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, covid put a change in plans for that as well and I was stuck having it in a tent off the back of the barn. I showed up about a week before my event to look at the tent with Dorothy, that day- it was nearly empty, but a couple tables pushed to the side for me to get the picture. Fine, I accepted the fact that once again I wasn’t getting what I wanted and I am paying an outrageous amount to use a tent. I ask to bring items the morning of and a time, the time is okay’d by Dorothy. Well, show up and there is Dustin and says he will “be right down to the tent” and for us to head down. We do and THIRTY minutes later, he comes down on the golf cart. No tables are set up, there is a HUGE ugly black stage (that wasn’t there the week prior when I okay’d the tent), and Dustin is short and snotty with us, looks hungover & acting like he rather be anywhere else as we are trying to set up right behind him doing the table settings because again, nothing was done. He’s pulling table cloths out of bags, so they have giant creases down them. We get everything set up and it’s a little windy so he said he would be down prior to the even to check on things and set up the place cards. While my parents get there 30 mins prior to the event and of course, Dustin hasn’t done anything he promised and one of my frames from my memory table is now shattered on the ground. Great. We are told to have our guests walk down and around to the back of the barn, well that path is COVERED in horse manure. It was so embarrassing and frustrating- I was told when we booked how they clean everything up, even inside the horse pens, yeah right- what a lie. So it starts off frustrating, just like the year before, but I decide to let myself have a good time because I deserved it. Dinner was fine- but they passed it out ridiculously. They started with table 1 (their numbering system not mine) instead of thinking, I bet we should do the parents and close relative tables first that are closed to the guests of honor (again, this was all run by Dustin). The night goes on, everyone is having a good time and we know the ordinance states we need to be done by 10pm, no problem. But I am not exaggerating when I say Dustin had his team start clearing tables AND moving them before 9pm. They shoved things into boxes & ruined over half my painted vases that my dad spent so much time on. If Dustin doesn’t run the special events portion of BSF into the ground, I will be shocked.

mazing. Everything exceeded our expectations. We would recommend Black Star Farms to anyone as a wedding venue with no hesitation whatsoever.

imultaneously. The food was great. We had the duck, walleye & lasagna. The walleye was a little on the salty side but people kept telling me that it was the best wedding food they ever had. The vineyard site was so beautiful too. I suggest hiring Blue Lakes by the Bay shuttle service to get you and your guests up and down from the site to the reception. Thank you again!

did a virtual tour with Dorothy, and exchanged many emails through 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!

seamless, large in part due to the amazing staff and coordinators. We had many guests compliment the beautiful spaces and helpful staff. We would highly recommend BSF as a wedding venue.

on the patio behind the Inn, and reception in a tent behind the 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!

ned out beautifully and we couldn't have asked for anything better! 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.

up to the wedding, in helping us plan our perfect event. Dustin 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!!

rom downstate during Covid; but Dorothy and her team were exceptional. 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! :)

thing was boxed and was ready for us to take away. Our day was perfect.

t easier. I felt like we were in good hands and taken care of the whole time -- a stress free bride! We loved every second of our day -- the food was a hit; LOVE the late night snacks.

absolutely loved Jackie!! She was amazing! She was very prompt 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