Historic Bowens Mills — Attraction in Yankee Springs Township

The grounds are beautiful--really, truly beautiful. Our overall experience was wonderful & the place was a big part of that.

However, Carleen (who handles the bookings) was difficult to communicate with. Neither she nor Owen use email and rarely return calls. This made planning very difficult. It also led to other simple miscommunications. For example, the horses were unbridled during family photos, 45 minutes before the hayride was supposed to start. The communication was not a huge issue, but created enough small issues to be frustrating.

As mentioned, the venue is beautiful. However, it could be even better with simple upgrades--for example, the shed down by the ceremony site had canisters of bug spray, an old broken arch, & a garbage can sitting in view of the ceremony. These things should have been put away & stored properly. Further, the chairs on the porch have rips & duct tape--small investments in things like new chairs would make a huge difference. The bathrooms near the ceremony site were not cleaned or kept up, so we had to clean them.

The thing that was most unacceptable was Carleen's handling of the home we were supposed to use to get ready in (you start getting ready in a small room attached to the barn, then move over to a house to finish up before guests arrive). Our hair & make-up people arrived about an hour late (to be fair, not Carleen's fault), but it meant our timeline was thrown off & Carleen was not willing to accommodate. She came over with her golf cart to throw our (bride/bridal party's) stuff out & carry my mother-in-law's dress back to the barn to make her change there even though guests were already arriving. My sister-in-law put her foot down and said 'no, you can wait 10 minutes so that my mom can get ready with the rest of us & out of view of guests.' I can appreciate that we were supposed to use it from 2:30-4:30, but when we weren't able to go over until 3:45, I don't think it was unreasonable to expect use until 4:45, or not to have our belongings thrown onto the porch. Who does something like that minutes before a wedding?

In a similar manner, she yelled at my aunts decorating the morning-of for coming in the front door instead of the side door. They didn't know they were supposed to use the side door. Frankly, it was weird that no one was allowed to open the front door and that doing so warranted such an angry response.

We also were told we would have to clear our things out at the end of the night because we would not be able to come back to clean up Sunday morning. I took this to mean tear down our decorations & take them out. I did not expect to have to stack tables & chairs and do more extensive cleaning, but we did. In spite of our full cleaning, we still never received our security deposit.

Additionally, be aware that you need to use their caterer for beverages. They advertise as charging per person, but charge by the bottle/keg & add 18% gratuity. All of this would be fine, but they put out a tip jar as well, which is tacky. I asked them to take it down, noting the 18%, & they flatly refused.

So, bottom line, incredible grounds, beautiful venue, reasonable price; but, could stand some basic updates and cleaning by the hosts between events. Owen was also very kind & let us purchase donuts & cider (delicious!), & gave us samples ahead of time. We really appreciated that perk. Biggest drawback: uncommunicative & one rude, unaccommodating host, which can be a huge detriment to your big day.

Update I am removing a star because I received a harassing email from the owner (three years after getting married), asking me to be "honorable" and take down my review, and saying that she is "sorry for me" because I am "so critical." This is wildly unprofessional, but frankly in line with the service and poor attitude delivered on my wedding day. I might have recommended the place in spite of the service because it is so beautiful, but with more country venues opening up in Michigan all the time, it's not worth it. Receiving a nasty email years later...

The grounds were beautiful and we were able to provide the bride's vision for her wedding. However, communication with the ownership is poor at best. Very frustration to work with. Also be aware you have to use their designated caterer and bar service.

There was no events except the wedding over the entire weekend, yet we could not start decorating until the morning of the wedding. We barely made it home to shower and return in time for the wedding.

Don't enjoy yourself to much during the reception as you have to have everything cleared out by midnight, not practical to put your guests or yourself, on ladders after a few adult beverages.

What you are paying for is the use of the property. Be prepared to set up and take down the chairs at ceremony site, immediately following the ceremony. The table cloths are folded on the tables, you have to place them.

The caterer told the DJ he could not announce last call??!! Be aware, the bar service requires an 18% gratuity up front, then puts a tip jar out for your guests to use.

I have done weddings in different locations, this by far would not be my first choice.

Added later today: to show you how out of touch the owners are, the response that I was the coordinator was true, but it was our son's wedding, I was family, I was there for every meeting. I do not have a business. Also, after writing this truthful review, our son was called on his honeymoon by the owner Owen. Really?!! And I got a horrible message from Carleen. It was almost amusing that, she found my message address quickly when I couldn't get a response on any of my pre-wedding questions. After send me a message, she then blocked my response so I will respond to her here. To Carleen; First, tell me one thing in my review is not true. Secondly, it is sad you could find me so quickly when I had sent numerous questions before the wedding that went unanswered. Lastly, I don't own a business, I have coordinated weddings for many family friends, so obviously your statement you have "heard things" about me is untrue...now who is the bully? I assure you I will never be back to your place, as anyone I know will be fully aware of our experience and won't book your "venue" And for Owen to call our son during his honeymoon is totaling unprofessional. Why don't you use your reviews to improve your business, because once again...communication isn't your strong suit EDITED AFTER OWNER RESPONSE show you how much the owners attend to details, I am not a wedding coordinator, I was the mother of the groom. Someone needs to lay...

Truly a hidden gem! Me and the fam loved coming out here and walking the beautiful grounds of the privately owned historic site. The best part of the grounds is the still operational grist mill, but they have many other amazing amenities that we enjoyed. Petting the farm animals, sitting in a horse-drawn trolley from Mackinac Island, touring an old schoolhouse and sitting at a desk President Gerald Ford carved his name into are just some of the unique finds we found. It was also a pleasure to meet the owner who shared some interesting details of the grounds. We are also looking forward to their fall festival that they throw every Sunday in October. So if you happen to be in the Yankee Springs area, you need to check...