Bear Lake Reserve

This location was beautiful, and Kelsie helped us in all aspects to get the details arranged. They were very accommodating, even making a custom cocktail, and assisting the DJ hook up to their outdoor speaker system. They had a rain plan for the outdoor venue use, which was actually just as beautiful. The capacity says up to 200, but that might be a stretch for the reception area, which I personally think would only hold a 120 to 130 comfortably. In addition, there is a honeymoon suite that is available to the couple that we weren't informed of until the day of, but everything else was perfect, with multiple site locations, good knowledge of local vendors, and a great price.

We were married here on Nov 3, 2018. Bear Lake Reserve is a great place to visit, get married, and celebrate. We had the pleasure of working with Kelsie and Matt for our special day/weekend, and the event was a huge success. There were some challenges during the planning process as with any project/event. However, we worked through the issues together and felt that Kelsie and Matt really had our backs and best interests in mind. Although we wish Bear Lake Reserve could be ours alone, we recommend booking a wedding or other special occasion here. We will also be retuning next year for a weekend getaway, and likely make a new annual tradition.

I was one of the first brides to book with Bear Lake Reserve, and I am so very grateful that I did! I worked with Matt and Adam at my original consultation, and they were really the deciding factor in my husband I signing our contract. They were so open and friendly that it was an immediate decision. Later on in the planning process I had the pleasure of working with Chef Josh. His cooking skills are impeccable! He worked with us to create a one of a kind menu that our guests are still raving about! Kelsie was my coordinator, and I do not have enough kind words to say about her! She was an absolute godsend, and I do not know how I would have possibly made it through without her! Overall, this package is reasonably priced, and the people who work there are the key selling point. If you book this vendor you will not be disappointed!

We had our mountain destination wedding at bear lake weekend of Oct 20, 2017 and I can't say enough about this beautiful venue and their staff. I worked with Events by Bella (our full service planner) who works closely with the venue and we had the most perfect wedding weekend. We fell in love with the natural beauty of the venue; the staff far exceeded our expectations by going above and beyond for us. We even had a custom menu and the chef worked hard to provide us with what we wanted served for food at the wedding. Our guests had a wonderful time and so did we! I would highly recommend this venue and also Amanda who owns Events by Bella because together, they work well together. Thank you all for making our wedding dreams a true reality!

Summary: Wedding turned out beautifully DESPITE lack of organization and some basic venue knowledge/preparation on the part of Bear Lake. I would HIGHLY recommend using a day-of coordinator (or week before really), making sure ALL promises are captured IN WRITING in your contract and being willing to put in a lot of detail work on your end. Pros: First, the venue is positively gorgeous. Can't say enough about the rustic spaces and the gorgeous views. Second, the price. I'd say that Bear Lake is very competitively priced. The venue fee was not huge, the buffet/passed h'ors d'oeuvres were really good and well priced and even our bar tab wasn't terrible. It may just be that the whole North Carolina region is more affordable as I'm mostly comparing it to our "home" market (Florida) and my sister's search in California. Third, the availability. Unlike some venues that wanted to kick us out promptly at 10pm, Bear Lake was great about letting us in early to set up, and then not rushing us out at the end of the evening. Cocktail hour started around 5 and I think they stopped the bar serving around 11:30. Fourth, tear down. While we did a LOT of the set up (to make sure it was right), they did tear it all down and put it all in storage for us to collect the next day which was really nice. Cons: First, we went through 3 different planning teams between when we first booked the venue to the day of the wedding. Initially it was REALLY hard to get consistent communication from them. It would take MULTIPLE emails and phone calls to finally get a response. Second, when we were first booking the venue there were a lot of things in their brochure (like available buffet items/configurations) as well as verbal agreements, such as that colored linens were included and that we could fit 100 people upstairs, that then turned out to be false. LUCKILY we had requested that notes about the venue having to provide enough seating/tables and COLORED linens of our choice be included in the contract, so it worked out for us, but had we NOT been so insistent we would've been paying to rent tables, chairs and linens. Third, speaking of tables... when we looked at the venue, we were looking for 120 people. That is the number that was in the contract. When we came back for our tasting (which they managed to first, mix up the day for and second forget to include the #2 item on our list) we were told that they could only seat a maximum of 80 people in the dining area and then showed us a highschool cafeteria style table layout with chairs pressed back to back etc. Once again, we took matters into our own hands, took measurements and then provided DETAILED visio drawings that managed to get 112 people in the dining room and on the deck at 60-inch rounds with room to move around (you may be noticing a pattern here). In the end, I had to be involved in EVERY detail, from the table arrangement to the tent rental for covering the deck area to setting up everything (place settings, decorations etc.). I had to find all of my own vendors for everything (I actually used the suggestions on Castle LadyHawke's website - venue down the road). Having a day of coordinator was absolutely necessary, more so because we were not locals. So I guess my point is that it was an absolutely wonderful wedding, it just took a lot of micro-managing to get there. If you are not able/willing to put that time in, don't use this venue. If you are, then it's an amazing find.

If you are looking to book your wedding here... One word for you: RUN! My Fiance and I currently reside in Ohio and vacationed in the Cashiers, NC region last Spring. I instantly fell in love with the area; therefore, we were on a mission to find a gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountain venue in the Fall to hold our destination wedding. After searching a variety of places online, I fell in love with Bear Lake Reserve right away. A few days later, we went on-site for a tour. It started out great - We toured the entire property, made some promising contacts, got our dinner and drinks comped, and walked out knowing that this was where we wanted to spend our special day. As soon as we left the property that day, it all went downhill from there. I won't go into too much detail, because I could sit here and write for hours about our issues, but basically... We have had COUNTLESS issues with the wedding staff, and customer service is absolutely HORRIBLE. The contacts either get fired, quit, go on sick leave, or there's some type of issue... and we are back to square one with no contact. They do not tell you that anyone leaves either, so you have to find out through the grapevine; It's pathetic. No one responds to e-mails or returns phone calls. Some of our guests have been trying to call in to book mountain homes for our wedding and the contact for that isn't calling back either. The Father of the Bride has even left messages with not a single call back about booking a home. How are we supposed to have guests attend our wedding when no one is calling back to book lodging?! Funny part is my Fiance and I aren't even difficult people to deal with. Various friends and family members of ours have been joking around stating that we have been so calm about this place from the get go. But, at this point, we are at our wit's end. We have given them way too many chances, and are currently in the process of re-booking our entire wedding. It's a complete mess on our end right now. Also, we are booked for October 8th, and most places in this location are booked solid for Fall... so we are scrambling to find a different venue now and will have to most likely re-book a different date. Moral of the story: Do not be fooled by its beauty. What should be a happy and exciting time for my Fiance and I, has turned into a complete and utter nightmare - thanks to Bear Lake. I can't say this enough: Do not book here. As if wedding planning isn't stressful enough, it is NOT worth all of the extra stress that we are now dealing with.

They were great to work with. The food was a plated dinner so unfortunately it was cold when it got to us. Good price for food though.