Helpful Information and Policies
Northern Michigan Wedding Guide
Our policies are designed to make your wedding a seamless event that is beautiful and enjoyable for you, your spouse to be, and your guests. We believe you will find them to be reasonable and thoughtful. To the extent that they are restrictive we ask you to understand that such policies came from experience, as there are individuals whose behavior can be irresponsible and intrusive, and can endanger themselves or others. Your cooperation will minimize the likelihood of such behavior arising at your wedding.
Planning Your Menus
Our menus feature the items that are most popular. Our Banquet Chef will, however, be pleased to work with you to create a custom menu. Special dietary options are available with advance notice. Kosher or halal meals are available.
Prices shown on our menus or quoted for custom menus will be honored for 30 days after the date on the proposal. After that time prices may change without notice. All prices are subject to 20% service charge and 6% Michigan tax.
Due to Health Department regulations, food that is not consumed may not be taken out of the building.
Purchasing
Except as noted in the next sentence, all food must be purchased from our banquet kitchens. With our prior written approval, specialty items such as wedding cakes or food for those with severe dietary restrictions may be purchased elsewhere. We will order and receive those items for you. There will be a surcharge for this service.
Periods of Service
For buffet and station events, the food and beverages chosen will be served for one and one-half hours.
Minimums
The guest and food & beverage minimums that apply for each of your events will be included in your Wedding Event Agreement.
Selections
Your food and beverage selections and your preferences for room set up must be made at least four weeks prior to the event.
Counts
Your final count of guests for each event must be received at least 96 hours prior to the event. When preparing your final count you should include children over the age of 10 and vendors, band members and others whom you wish to be served. Children under 10 will be able to order from our children’s selections.
Once your final count is received the number of guests may not be reduced. If we do not receive your final count, we will consider the count used for the Banquet Deposit to be the final count.
We will bill for the greater of the actual number served or the final count provided.
Seating
Your seating plan must be received at least 72 hours prior to your event. If you’ve chosen a plated dinner with more than one entree each guest must have a place card showing his or her choice of entree.
Service Schedule
Your confirmation of the service schedule for your food and beverage services must be received at least 72 hours prior to your events. We will prepare and serve the food and beverages in accord with your timeline. We will not be responsible for quality problems should you request or service to be delayed.
Ceremony Site
Ceremony site fees include the site, site maintenance, and set-up and take-down of chairs, and clean up after a ceremony. Site fees do not include audio-visual.
If you plan to hold your ceremony at the top of Bay Mountain you are asked to understand that we cannot guarantee the availability of the chair lift due to weather conditions and service schedules. The chair lift may not be available after the third weekend of October because of mandated lift inspections.
If the chairlift is not available we will provide alternate forms of transportation to take you and your guests to the top of Bay Mountain but will not make adjustments to the site fee.
Reception Site
The reception site fees include event coordination, vendor assistance and set-up and take-down of:
- Place card table
- Head table
- Gift table
- Cake table
- DJ / Musician table
- Table number holders
- Round dining tables, 8 -10 guests
- Chairs
- Ivory tablecloths and napkins
- Table service meaning dishes, stemware and silverware
- Standard decor
- Dance floor
- Bar
Function Space
Function space is held for two hours before a start of a planned event and one hour after the scheduled ending of a planned event. Failure to vacate within that time will result in a holdover charge per one-half hour.
Music
In consideration of other guests who will be at the resort, music that is to be enjoyed:
- Outdoors – is to be performed with acoustic instruments and no type of amplification
- Indoors – is to be recorded or live with sound not exceeding 80dbi. If deemed necessary we may ask that the volume of recorded or live music be lowered.
Music must end by 11:00pm and events must conclude by 12:00am.
Signs
We know that signs can add to the excitement and have no objection to your including them in your plans. Exterior signs are to be mounted on posts that can be driven into the ground. Interior signs must be free standing or placed on an easel as tape and tacks are prohibited.
Gifts & Personal Items
We are not responsible for gifts, gift cards, or personal items that are brought into our facilities. While we have not had problems with lost items, we suggest that you ask someone to be responsible for them and to take them at the end of your event. We also ask that you have someone pick up all decor on the day following your event.
Conduct
All of our rooms, restaurants and banquet facilities are smoke free. If you wish to smoke, we ask that you stand a generous distance from an entrance to any of our buildings.
For your safety and the safety of our guests we must be sure that your decorations and centerpieces comply with fire safety policies.
We ask that you refrain from attaching items to ceilings, beams, trusses, walls or floors without our prior consent. If you violate this, your master bill will be charged the cost of repairs.
Out of respect for our properties and our environment, we do not allow the throwing of confetti, rice or birdseed in our buildings or on our grounds. Bubbles and real rose petals are allowed outdoors. Sparklers and fireworks are not permitted.
We wish to ensure that no single group of guests behaves in a way that is disruptive. If the behavior of individuals at your wedding gives rise to complaints from other guests, we will notify you. If the disruptive behavior continues, we will charge your master bill an amount equal to concessions granted other guests.
If behavior of guests at your wedding leaves the ceremony or reception site in conditions beyond ordinary wear and tear, we will charge your master bill an amount equal to the additional costs of repairs and cleaning.
Alcoholic Beverages
We offer a wide selection of beer, wine and liquor. If you have a request that is not on our beverage menus please ask, as we will be pleased to special order for you.
If you would like to have a Top of the Mountain event, we ask you to understand that logistics cause us to limit service to beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. For safety, neither glasses nor plates that are breakable are used. There is a $1,500++ minimum for such events.
We also ask you to understand that Michigan law governs the service of alcoholic beverages. The law states that an individual must be 21 years of age to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. It also states that we are the only licensee that is authorized to sell, serve or otherwise furnish beer, wine, liquor or food at one of our licensed premises. This means that you may not bring or have others bring food (except as stated above) or beverages to such premises. Nor can you take or have others take alcoholic beverages from such premises as our license (like all such licenses) is for on-premise consumption.
As the licensee, we are responsible for enforcing all laws regarding the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. To do so, we will:
- Require picture identification of anyone who appears to be under 30 years of age.
- Not allow others to serve anyone under 21 years of age.
- Not serve or allow others to serve anyone who is inebriated or close to being inebriated.
- Not serve or allow others to serve contracted vendors regardless of who contracts them.
- Not serve beer that has not been opened, shots, or more than one drink at a time to any individual.
- Ask any individual under 21 years of age who appears to be under the influence of alcohol to leave the event.
- Ask any individual who becomes inebriated and intrusive to leave the event and, if necessary, to have such individual removed and cited for violations.
Here are the maximum and minimum number of guests and minimum food and beverage spend by venue by season. Please inquire with your sales representative for current site fees.