Inn at Harbor Shores

iful Inn at Harbor Shores!

food and drink was fabulous and the staff did a great job attending the guests.

was able to accommodate us, to the finishing touches which included her help and expertise during the reception itself. Everything else in between was handled with care and precision. The venue is beautiful, and having the ability for our guests to stay at the Inn made everything easier annd less stressful. Elizabeth is very responsive and thorough. Such a pleasure to work with.

I needed. I met with Elizabeth on a few separate occasions to discuss wedding plans, and she was incredibly accommodating to whatever request we had. Everything went more than perfect. The setup was absolutely beautiful. All of our guests were amazed over the food, decor, and organization of the entire day. AMAZING!

of our dreams come true on such short notice. All of our guests commented on how amazing the food (we didn’t even get to try before hand), the staff (we just crossed our fingers for good staff), and the beautiful location (we didn’t really have much of an option at this point) was. It was almost like we had originally chose this place to begin with. It was all I could’ve asked for and MORE. Please head to their social media pages to check out our wedding day :) xoxo, JS.

It ran smoothly and Molly Cashen-Celmer was a huge help in moving the wedding services along. 10/10 recommend to any bride!

s and the setting is beautiful! We had to make a couple of changes because of COVID (went from 250 guests to 100, moved most of the event to the patio outside), but the staff was responsive and the whole weekend went really smoothly!

s. We were able to postpone from June 2020 to August 2020. Elizabeths flexibility and creativity allowed us to move forward and remain sane! We couldn’t be more thankful for picking this venue and would recommend without hesitation. The planning process and our big day was everything we could have hoped for and more. Easy to plan, amazing vendor referrals, perfect destination venue, and beautiful ballroom and guest rooms, not to mention an amazing staff all around!

ring in tons of decorations for my Harry Potter themed wedding (and they were excited about it)

ater views, great food, and an elegant ballroom. The Inn delivered on all of these. Planning process: having no other event planning experience to compare this to, I thought the pre-wedding planning went fairly well. I worked with ElizaBeth Hacker. She was extremely professional and helpful. I did experience some frustrations throughout the process, but I honestly don't think everything can go absolutely perfect. ElizaBeth was very accommodating, changing around the seating chart multiple times and giving a lot of flexibility when it came to submitting the entrée choices - 3 days out! That gave us incredible accuracy which I appreciated. Another notable accommodation ElizaBeth made for us was finding and hiring a vendor to bring in a stage for our band. The wedding: Our wedding was on a Saturday. The reception room was completely set up by Friday night which was incredible. I had access to the room all day Friday and very early Saturday to set out the final items. We brought our own linens and the staff set that up for us and broke it down. The Boardroom is AMAZING for the bridal party to get ready - a HUGE perk. We had food and beverages set up around 7:30 am and our makeup and hair people had a ton of space to do their services. We also had a wonderful staff member Rachel who was servicing the room the entire morning, and did so many small things to make the day smoother. It was invaluable being that close to the reception hall for when the florist came and any last minute changes. Our guests absolutely loved the venue. The outdoor area overlooking the river was a huge plus and our guests were out there all night when they needed a break from the dancing. The speed of service was incredible. Gage was our coordinator during the event and he was always around if we needed anything. I really can't believe how quickly the food was served, it was really seamless. It's unusual to see the entire room eating at the same time but they did it and the filets were cooked PERFECTLY. I highly recommend this venue, and working with ElizaBeth and Gage was a great experience. I could not have imagined a more perfect venue and location for my guests to enjoy an entire weekend away. The resort has the amenities to match the price point and all the guests that stayed at the venue did not regret that choice. Very thankful to the Inn and its staff for providing a wonderful wedding experience for myself and our guests.

the service was great, the food was delicious and the outlook was gorgeous. We even got pretty dusk pictures right outside by the water with pink skies. Highly recommend this place.

on the river in Saint Joseph. The event space is incredible, a lot of muted/ neutral colors, that way it can work with any color combination an event may bring in. Having the entire second floor, including balcony, gave plenty of space for guests to enjoy the evening. They had the option to be at the center of the action on the dance floor, or step outside the ballroom and catch up with relatives and friends they rarely get to see. Though the venue was incredible, the true hero of our celebration was Elizabeth, the Inn's event coordinator. I knew from the moment I met her, she is the kind of person, that will do whatever it takes to pull off an event. When we arrived to our reception, the cake had failed to be delivered, knowing that at this point, the bakery was closed for the day. Elizabeth went out to a local grocery store and got a small cake for us to be able to cut, and enough cupcakes (in our color scheme) to feed all 170 of our guests! Not to mention all the things she did for us, leading up to the wedding. She answered emails promptly, she was more than happy to have you come in for a meeting, or email back and forth. It truly seemed as though she was there only for us. Obviously she had other wedding planning at the same time, but that's the attention she gives her brides/ hosts. Our guests still reach out to us to let us know how much they enjoyed our wedding, and how beautiful the space was! I truly could not have pulled of our wedding without Elizabeth and her staff!

l. The only complaint I have for the rehearsal dinner is that the salad option was not given to everyone and you had to ask for it. The dinners were quite expensive and that should’ve been an option up front. I didn’t get one and wanted one, but wasn’t asked. The food took a while, but was very good. The day of, the employee helping us was sooo amazing and I wish I remembered her name. She helped with a lot of last minute details and really appreciated her. The day of I noticed when guests were waiting for the ceremony to start there was no direction from staff for them to go into the bar, which we had already started the open bar before the ceremony. When I looked out from the bride’s room I saw everyone standing there not knowing what to do and that was a bit irritating,. The food was amazing, we got the pasta bar and our DJ was a great person to give flow to the evening. Once the first song started I was hoping the lighting would go down because I had expressed to one of the managers that that was important, but almost the entire time of dancing the lighting was very bright and half the time I wasn’t sure where the event manager was. That would probably be my biggest complaint, other than that, it was a great wedding and we had a blast. The hotel staff was so nice and it all went very smoothly. They weren’t overly controlling or anything and I really appreciated that because we did have a group of guests who like to have their cocktails.

so easy. She is a wealth of information, very responsive and made sure that all I had to do during my reception was enjoy myself. The food is delicious, the rooms are cozy and all of the staff members from the front desk to the catering team are friendly, helpful and courteous. The shuttle driver, in particular, went out of his way to drive several of our foreign guests to the Rehearsal Dinner when their taxi did not show up. I would recommend the Inn to anyone considering St. Joe as a wedding destination.

a million questions and Elizabeth would answer my emails even on her personal vacations. The venue was beautiful and I can’t imagine getting married anywhere else.

d very nice to work with. She really does go above and beyond for her couples, and that's very obvious from day 1. For our modern, simple decor plan, the ballroom worked very well. The hotel is definitely the nicest one in the St. Joseph area that could accommodate the 200-ish guests that we had (indoors especially), and was perfect for that purpose. Our guests still talk about how good the food was, which of course is nice to hear! The many truly incredible vendors in this area that we hired worked perfectly with Elizabeth, especially because most of them had worked at The Inn in the past for weddings. St. Joseph is a perfect place to get married, and there are so many incredible vendors in the area to choose from...when it comes to a reception hall for a crowd, The Inn should be one of the first ones considered, especially thanks to Elizabeth's expertice!

wife and I decided that we wanted to have our wedding back in Michigan, despite having moved out-of-state for work. Planning a wedding from a distance can be incredibly difficult at times, but the staff, and Elizabeth and Chef Elton particularly, were very thoughtful and worked hard to help us organize and plan for the big day. In hospitality and planning, we could not have asked for a better location and service. My wife and I were searching for locations in Southwest Michigan when we happened by chance onto the Inn at Harbor Shores. From our first meeting with them, we were ingratiated by their hospitality. I will say again that planning a wedding from a different state is extremely difficult without help. Elizabeth and the staff at the Inn were wonderful in trying to work with us during our limited windows being back in Michigan to work on planning, and made sure that we felt as comfortable as possible leading up to the big day. Elizabeth was incredibly patient with us, which was great as we got closer to our wedding date and our stress levels and anxiety started to skyrocket. The day of the wedding, Elizabeth made sure to keep everything on track, and went well beyond anything we would have expected or asked of her and her staff to help set up and keep things moving smoothly throughout the course of the day (including being just behind my wife while she walked to the aisle to make sure her dress didn't drag too much). We didn't ask for such incredible service, nor did we really expect just how far beyond our expectations the Inn would go. We could not have asked for better help though. Now food. One word: Phenomenal. Absolutely Phenomenal. My wife and I would both soundly define ourselves as "foodies." We both agree when evaluating a wedding (ours or others) "you can forgive a lot, but bad food just makes for a bad wedding." My wife works in the industry, and many of our guests spend an inordinate amount of time examining flavor and composition of food. The food prepared by Chef Elton and the staff at the Inn was some of the best food we've had, wedding or otherwise. I still salivate a little thinking about the trout entree I had. It was perfect. Commentary from guests ranged from: "absolutely delicious." to "this was, literally, the best steak I've ever had. And I love steak." (Yes, this is an actual comment from a guest. They have repeated this statement to us a few times since the wedding, so the veracity is definitely there). I am not lying when I say I will judge future weddings based on the food I had at my own wedding. I will also admit that it will be difficult to surpass just how excellent the food was, so it is a tough bar to beat. To close, my wife and I would just like to say a heart-felt thank you to the people from the Inn who helped us. From the Elizabeth and Chef Elton, to the front desk members and service staff, we literally could not have done it without your support. Common advice to engaged couples is to remember that "something will go wrong, you just need to be ok with that." That is true. But the people at the Inn at Harbor Shores made sure that nothing even remotely in their control went wrong, and that is saying a lot.

al. We could not have asked for a better place to get married!

and a perfect place to get ready before my wedding. Even the weather cooperated with my day, which was absolutely magical. The ballroom is the perfect room for an elegant reception. The best part was at the end of the night all of my guests just had to go upstairs to their guest rooms rather than leave the hotel. We had brunch the next morning in the restaurant Plank's Tavern, which was right downstairs, and it was so good. The food at the reception was better than any food I've ever had at a wedding, it felt like the chef made the dish personally just for me, I thought it was just because I was the bride, but my family said the same thing. They were all really impressed by the food. The servers did a great job. I was impressed by how quickly they served everybody!

dn't have asked for a better day. The gorgeous ballroom was the perfect setting for my reception and I felt like a princess. I loved that the wedding was outside on the water, but the reception was inside a nice air conditioned room. The food was tasty and the bar service and bartender were the best!

ry accommodating and did a great job staying on track to the time table of the evening so we didn't get too far behind. The facility is clean and was the perfect setting for our guests to help us celebrate. The food was hot and delicious. The best perk was the deck outside of the reception room--it was the perfect spot to get fresh air, take a break from the dance floor and take in the view of the water. I could go on and on about our night--because it was perfect. If we could do it all over we'd choose the Inn at Harbor Shores hands down!

for versatile seating to make the dance floor the center. The balcony was perfect for cocktail hour and gave our guests the opportunity to wander out and watch the sunset after dinner. It was perfect having many of our guests stay in the hotel and have the opportunity to have brunch together the following day. The entire hotel is top of the line and the staff served with a smile the entire weekend. Would definitely recommend for any bride looking for an easy and beautiful wedding planning experience!

to the bakery, everything was exceptional. The servers were so timely with the food, which was cooked exactly right! All of our guests have raved about their experiences at the dinner. The Inn was a perfect choice! Everything was right, the day was perfect and will be happily remembered.

aff at the Inn and to be honest, for the prices that we paid, we expected a lot more. There were multiple issues that were told would happen or could happen only to be told by a different staff member that those things could not occur. The bar options that we were told were going to be available (specifically the ones the bride and groom wanted) were MIA on our wedding day. The elevator was broken, which caused confusion for our vendors. The staff ate the extra dinners that were available instead of bagging them up for us. There were multiple favors "misplaced" by the staff (women said that they were taken off of purses, coats, shoes). Our extra pastries also were taken by the staff to which I was told is the normal process but was never mentioned before. I was also accused of misplacing my cake cutting set--the manager even told me that I was lying and that someone took it and I would find it later-I did not back down and he eventually "found" my personalized set in the kitchen. Overall, we are happy that we had our wedding there for the location but for the prices that we paid, the hotel room costs, and the upgrades that we did, I would not suggest this venue to another bride unless you are willing to follow their every move.

recommend using the Inn at Harbor Shores and Elizabeth. She sold us on the space and came through with every promise she made to us, answered every question we had, and even made a few drinks while the bartender was away. The entire staff was fab including the man in charge of the dinner service for our rehearsal dinner but, I can't recall his name. We had brunch in the Plank the day after the wedding and it was great too. Thank you Elizabeth for making every thing so easy and for being so easy to work with.

ery ugly coal/salt piles on the opposite side of the marina, which made it difficult to get good pictures. Additionally, there was a very loud kitchen exhaust blower right next to the ceremony space. We brought this to the Inn's attention many times, and were told there was nothing they could do. Our guests complained that they couldn't hear our ceremony, despite having a PA system. We enjoyed work with Elizabeth and her team; however, overall, the entire place seems to be poorly managed. It may be due to the hotel's inexperience. I specifically requested a harbor view room, and the hotel gave us a parking lot view, and the front desk refused to allow some of our guests to check in because their names were not on the reservation. I was never contacted regarding this issue, despite the guests being listed on our room block. On the day of the wedding, everything was executed perfectly, and we enjoyed our time. All in all, this is a beautiful place, and we plan to stay here in the future.

ning the initial contract, we unfortunately were off to a rough start as the wedding coordinator at that time, Lisa, omitted and gave us misinformation information in many different areas and was nearly impossible to get ahold of. We were actually quite unhappy for a few months, and Lisa even attempted to have us cancel our contract as she felt "we were not a good match for the Inn." However, we decided to stick it out as we really felt there was no other venue that came close to being able to provide all we needed all in one place in St. Joseph. Fortunately, a few months later we were notified that the banquet coordinator Elizabeth would be taking over. We cannot explain in words how happy we were to have her take over. She is truly a wonderful coordinator and person. She righted as many wrongs as she could and truly made us feel cared about. She brought back our love for the venue. She was very easy to communicate with and meet with whenever we came from out of town. She is very polite, kind, articulate, and wonderful with remembering even the smallest of details. When it came time for the big weekend, Elizabeth and her team took so much stress off of us, as we knew everything would be ok in her hands. Her assistant Melissa and Gage (who was in charge of set up) were also awesome! I have a history of near passing out in weddings I had previously stood up in and was concerned about for my big day. Melissa and Elizabeth were always close by with water for me and brought a chair for me to sit on leading up to walking out. I truly cannot thank these amazing people for making my big day all that I had dreamed of. Our guests loved the venue and couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was even months later! I highly recommend this venue especially with Elizabeth, Melissa, and Gage on the team! Thank you so much!!!