Bear Mountain Inn

My husband proposed at the end of December, 2010. By January 2011 I was almost ready to give up planning a wedding, I was so frustrated with the high costs, minimal offerings, rules, red tape, & "snootiness" of venues. Finally, I started researching state parks & ran across Bear Mountain & never looked back. My mom & I met with Ann Marie the end of January & had the contract signed soon after. Ann Marie met us with smiles, friendly conversation, openness & a willingness to show us around the park & the many different venue rooms Bear Mountain offers.
During the wedding planning process I was living in Illinois, then North Carolina, planning from afar. It did not matter, because the staff was always available via a short phone call or email. I never waited more than 24 hours to hear back, no matter how big or small my question was.
One of the things I liked most about the wedding packages at Bear Mountain is that nearly everything is included. The paperwork & packet you get explains everything clearly & simply. There's no fine print or legal jumbo I saw in other contracts. The package we chose was for the Merry-Go-Round Pavilion, which is such a unique & special place for a wedding, both my husband & I fell in love with it right away!
The package we chose included the ceremony, the cocktail hour with h'or d'eurves, the reception with dinner & even the cake. It was great not having to research & book separate vendors for all these things. Ann Marie & her staff were so friendly the wedding weekend. It was such a relief to know the wedding was in good hands & eliminate my stress.
The morning of the wedding I showed them where things went & they took care of the set up. When I walked in the room I had to hold back tears, it was exactly as I'd pictured it in my mind all those months.
The staff during the night was SO attentive, my husband & I were in shock. We had staff members come up to us, introduce themselves & wait on us with the utmost care & attention. At one point I put my drink down by the cake. Later when I made my way to our table I realized I forgot it there. Imagine my surprise when I reached our table to sit down, it was there at my plate setting waiting for me!
At the end of the evening the room was cleaned up so quickly, but despite their speed, very special care was taken with all our belongings. A framed photo we had brought was carefully wrapped with protection on the corners. The votive candles I'd provided for the tables were neatly placed back in their compartment boxes. Nothing was out of place or broken by the staff, they took care of it with so much respect.
At the end of the night the staff all congratulated us, complimented me & some even gave me hugs & wished us luck. It was such a personal, heartfelt feeling. I felt that the staff really cared about us & our wedding, instead of being stiff & treating it like a "job."
We also rented many rooms at the Overlook Lodge & the Summit Stone Cottage for ourselves, family members & guests. Everybody loved the atmosphere, the accommodations & the service provided here as well. The facilities were so clean & the maintenance staff came & fixed a small problem we had with our fireplace right away. They delivered wood for the fire daily, free of charge.
My family & I had a blast the whole weekend. We roasted marshmallows, loved the gorgeous views, visited the zoo, ice skated & went on walks by the lake.
It was everything I always pictured, I loved every minute of it!