Black Sheep Shelter

Black Sheep Shelter Black Sheep Shelter is a modern rustic wedding venue in South Haven, MI, highlighting organic practices, minimalist designs, and eco-friendly events.

Post #8This week is all about the extras: those special touches that make you pause and say, "how thoughtful!"Mug walls...
01/12/2025

Post #8
This week is all about the extras: those special touches that make you pause and say, "how thoughtful!"

Mug walls check off boxes for being both thoughtful and practical. Guests can use their cups all evening and leave with a gift that reminds them each time they fill it up of that wonderful day.

and used the slatted wall across from the bar to display their gifts for guests. They scoured thrift stores for the perfect mugs with each guest in mind and attached a special handwritten note to each one.

Candace is a ceramics teacher so she went to work making mugs for her wedding (and got her students involved in the process too!). She and Neil found the perfect door, added hooks and presented their mugs next to the flagstone path near the garden gate.

I needed to post something today that had blue skies in the background to remember that Michigan does actually have sunshine (just not in the winter) 🌤



Post One more post. Because there is simply an abundance of beautiful dessert photos. Photographers: B.Photography
01/06/2025

Post
One more post. Because there is simply an abundance of beautiful dessert photos.

Photographers:

B.Photography

Back to our series! Post :Indulging in dessert is probably not a focus for many right now-after the holidays, the new y...
01/06/2025

Back to our series! Post :

Indulging in dessert is probably not a focus for many right now-after the holidays, the new year resolutions are always to cut back.

And yet...if you do have a moment when you want to ponder what may delight you and your guests on your wedding day, take a look at these delicious options.

Photos by:





Vendors:



Family update from Black Sheep Shelter! We have a big family trip to the Dominican Republic scheduled for most of Februa...
01/01/2025

Family update from Black Sheep Shelter!

We have a big family trip to the Dominican Republic scheduled for most of February and March. Providing our children with an intercultural immersion trip has been a dream of ours since our first child was born way back in 2008 and it's finally coming to fruition! We are so excited 😀

Tsepo, Naomi, and McKenna started at a Spanish Immersion school and we've kept up their Spanish when, many years later, they transitioned to homeschooling. This will be a great opportunity for them to practice and enhance their language skills and learn how other people live. We are volunteering with Students International for 6 weeks and will each have a specific site to work at in the morning (medical clinic, teaching preschool, etc) and the kids will keep up their schooling in the afternoon.

We have someone staying at our house while we are away but we wanted to pass this information on to all of you so that you won’t be surprised by our delayed communication. You are still free to message us during February and March, just know that our response time will be slower. Thanks for understanding!

And if anyone has been thinking of setting up a tour, reach out to us so you can visit this month. We're booking 2026 and have 3 dates still available for 2025 ❤️

Family photo taken by our good friend Cassidy at

Here's another glimpse of before and after! This was initially a field of overgrown weeds but we saw a canvas for us to ...
12/26/2024

Here's another glimpse of before and after! This was initially a field of overgrown weeds but we saw a canvas for us to experiment on. So after mowing everything down, and committing to lots (lots!) of wheelbarrowing and shoveling and planting, this field has come alive as we'd hoped.

We wanted people to experience a blend of tame and wild in this space so there are natural touches like the wild purple bergamot in July and the mustard color goldenrod which August and September usher in alongside over fifteen species of ornamental grasses we have planted.

Abbey Moore Photography
Hallie Hulst
Kimberly Hibbard Photography


Some venues require that you pick your caterer & bartender from a limited list of options. We think it's more meaningful...
12/16/2024

Some venues require that you pick your caterer & bartender from a limited list of options. We think it's more meaningful to chose whichever licensed caterer and certified bartender you'd like.

From pizza or taco trucks to buffets of fresh, local fare...from BBQ's to grazing tables, your day can reflect your tastes and can set the table for the type of celebration you'd like to share with your guests.

Vendors highlighted in these pics:




(plateware by )

Photos by:






Post #5We obtained these pews from a church in Lansing with the plan to give the space a formal touch in an outdoor/inf...
12/11/2024

Post #5

We obtained these pews from a church in Lansing with the plan to give the space a formal touch in an outdoor/informal setting. They were a blonde wood so we stripped them down and painted them to match our vision of what we wanted the Shelter to look like. With padded seats, they make a comfortable place for people to enjoy an outdoor ceremony.

Some people like the minimalist look and keep the pews as they are. Others add simple or more elaborate touches. The choice is yours. Here are some ideas from the 2024 season....








We recently stumbled upon an 2017 photo of the venue driveway (when we bought the property and it wasn't a venue). Take ...
12/06/2024

We recently stumbled upon an 2017 photo of the venue driveway (when we bought the property and it wasn't a venue). Take a look at two current photos thanks to kelly jo photography and Christopher Deau and the 3rd is the "before" picture.
Crazy! 😂😮

Isn't it fun to be a part of a transformation?

Post :A few more backdrops for you....
11/29/2024

Post :
A few more backdrops for you....



Post :So many great shots of family and friends. Here are a few more places to explore to capture your memories! photo
11/29/2024

Post :
So many great shots of family and friends. Here are a few more places to explore to capture your memories!


photo

Post On this Thanksgiving day where you may be gathering with family and friends, think about your wedding. Wouldn’t it...
11/28/2024

Post
On this Thanksgiving day where you may be gathering with family and friends, think about your wedding. Wouldn’t it be special to gather your guests for a photo to remember who celebrated with you on your big day?

There are no shortage of places in the venue to get just the right backdrop for your group size. In fact, we have so many photos, we’re doing a triple post today so you can see them all 😮
photo



Post #3: Such a variety of ways to decorate your ceremony space in the Shelter!Photos by: RodammerBridgettekphotoKrysta...
11/25/2024

Post #3: Such a variety of ways to decorate your ceremony space in the Shelter!

Photos by:
Rodammer


Bridgettekphoto


Krystal A•B Photography


Post #2: Continuing on in our new series to give you ideas for your wedding 😀The 2nd arch we offer is a wrought iron ga...
11/18/2024

Post #2: Continuing on in our new series to give you ideas for your wedding 😀

The 2nd arch we offer is a wrought iron garden arch that we purchased from Jonker's Garden in Holland (one of our very favorite places to explore as we are continuously adding new plants and flowers to the landscaping here!).

Whether you use the arch in an outdoor ceremony like Cassidy Bernhardt & Eric or in a ceremony under the Shelter like Cory & Jake and Kristy Kaufman Cranston & Ben, this arch gives all the feelings of a garden wedding.

Photos:
Abbey Moore Photography
Mae Stier Photography
Jaymi Rodammer

Florals:
Golden Hour Farm
Hyssop Floral
Mitten Floral LLC.

Here's the first post in our new weekly series to give you ideas for your 2025 or 2026 wedding ❤️We have two arches that...
11/15/2024

Here's the first post in our new weekly series to give you ideas for your 2025 or 2026 wedding ❤️

We have two arches that you may gladly use (no extra cost).
The first one is a triangular wooden arch that we bought from a couple who was married here last year. The groom's dad built it and used the same walnut stain as our slatted wall so it would match perfectly.

This beautiful arch lends itself well to a variety of options!

Photos by:

photo






"When you think you are too old to do something new remember you will never be younger than you are right now." James Cl...
11/10/2024

"When you think you are too old to do something new remember you will never be younger than you are right now." James Clear

📸 by:


nallys

Come and take a peek! We've received more photo galleries this year than ever before and are excited to present them to ...
11/05/2024

Come and take a peek! We've received more photo galleries this year than ever before and are excited to present them to you (we love this creative close up of and Jake by )!

In the coming months, we'll be sharing a series of weekly photos.

We'll offer ideas of how to:
-set up your ceremony
-add decor on your reception tables
-decorate the arches we offer

And give you suggestions for:
-places to do your sendoff
-areas for photos with a large group of friends/family
-vendors who are awesome
-special ways to get your guests more involved in the fun

Follow along for inspiration and share with other couples you know getting married!

Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful season! We had the opportunity to meet amazing couples as they prepared to wed, ...
10/27/2024

Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful season! We had the opportunity to meet amazing couples as they prepared to wed, entered into great conversations with guests, and delighted in finding ways to make couples' days memorable.

We end the season with this fabulous shot from
Does everyone else love drone shots as much as I do? ❤️

Let the dancing begin...🌙🎵🎶
10/21/2024

Let the dancing begin...🌙🎵🎶




Address

342 62nd Street
South Haven, MI
49090

Telephone

+16163350797

Website

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Videos

A little video from this afternoon to show you what colors mid-October brings us. What a gift!!

Yogi and Moses celebrated their wedding this past week and it was a perfect day! Since we live just 15 minutes from the beach, they headed there before the ceremony to get some photos in the sand and then came back here to get some more shots with greenery in the background. @kellyjophotography captured it all beautifully ❤️ Moses and Yogi, we wish you all the best!

This is what June 7 looks like at the venue! Photographers, a quick reminder that this Monday, June 10, we’re opening up the property in the evening. Come anytime 7pm or after. Take your clients and do a session or mini session or take a friend and get some new shots for your portfolio. If you haven’t been here before, this would be a lovely time to visit. And if you have been here, we’d love to see you back! $100/hr or $50/half an hour, no deposit. Just pay via check, credit card or cash when you come. Send us a message if you’re planning on coming. Thank you! This is a beautiful time of year and we’d love to share it with you 😊 #photographer #photography #venuephotography #westmichigan #southhaven #southhavenmichigan

Days away from the 1st wedding of 2024 🎉 Here’s a sneak peak by our fire pit. Things are looking GREEN! 🌱 So much mulching has been done to give everything a fresh look!! Our wheelbarrow has definitely been the most used piece of equipment this week 😆 Curtains were hung yesterday. Tomorrow, the chairs and tables come out of storage and get cleaned. We’re buying some flowers tomorrow for the venue entrance and we just planted a few new trees by the venue driveway this evening. Everything is coming together. We’ll be ready to go for Friday!

We’ve been wondering whether our 13 hour work days are making us old or keeping us young 😝Grateful that our girls helped lay the sod! This area was formerly a tree nursery. Last fall, Jeff and I dug up and replanted all the trees around the property. This spring, we prepped the area for sod by removing all the wood chips, ground cover and a spigot, then raked and tamped the ground to make it nice and flat. We added in a row of edging and bricks to separate the birch trees and wood chips from the new grass. This area will be the new space for outdoor games! We’re now just weeks away from the start of the 2024 season 😍 #outdoorweddingvenue #gardenwedding #westmichiganwedding

Behind the scenes as we get ready for the 2024 season 😀

Wedding Venue Drone Shots
Wedding Venue Drone Shots

Come get a bird's eye view! Kent Esmeier from Framelight Visuals got some fabulous footage this past June. Sometimes it's hard with photos to show the placement of various elements of the venue so here are some aerial shots to help you get a glimpse! You'll have to forgive me. I was able to add audio when I posted this clip to Instagram but I can't for the life of me, get it connected to this Facebook post. So, you'll just have to just enjoy the scenery 😆 #gardenwedding #gardenweddingvenue #outdoorvenue #WeddingVenue

Date suggestion #7-Go through our Marriaging Curriculum! #dateyourspouse #marriage #dateideas

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