Sammamish wedding venues profit in summer
August 26, 2008
By Emily Keller
Private clubs and public parks top the list of popular spots in the city
Megan and Tyler Snow have a toast at the Plateau Club.
When Karen and Mike Policar were planning their wedding reception, they wanted to pick a place where guests could stand outside, rain or shine, near the church where they held their ceremony. They also wanted on-site catering.
The Policars became one of 30 couples to book the Plateau Club for a wedding reception this year. Three-quarters of those weddings will take place from May to September. Last year the club hosted 20 weddings.
Sammamish couples do not have to look far to tie the knot. The city has several wedding venues that draw brides from around the region.
Price and value are some of the differentiating factors between venues, which draw in the majority of their profits in summer.
Couples pay a minimum of $2,500 to hold their weddings at the Plateau Club during the off-season, and $12,000 for Saturdays during the summer.
The club offers on-site wedding coordinators and food, beverages, tables, chairs and candles for additional cost.
“When we looked at the Issaquah, Sammamish area there really weren’t that many places. When we went to the Plateau Club we just absolutely loved the feel of it,” said Karen Policar, who is a teacher at Carson Elementary.
She particularly liked the covered outdoor balcony, where about 40 of her guests smoked cigars toward the end of the day.
The Klahanie couple, with the help of Karen Policar’s father, Jim Wirtz, paid $17,500 for their July 25 wedding reception at the club, which followed a ceremony at the nearby Mary, Queen of Peace church on 228th Avenue Southeast.
The Lodge at Beaver Lake, a city-run facility on Southeast 24th Street, is also a popular wedding venue.
Joanna Puthoff, facility coordinator for the city, said there are one to three weddings per week at the Beaver Lake Lodge from mid-June to mid-October, and about two weddings per month at other times.
Sammamish residents pay $175 per hour for a minimum of six hours to rent the lodge on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the summer.
Non-residents pay $200 per hour. The 1,847-square-foot lodge can accommodate 125-150 people.
Couples can rent the pavilion in addition to the lodge for $25 per hour for residents and $50 for non-residents.
They can rent City Hall for the same price as the lodge but no one has thrown a wedding there yet, Puthoff said.
Profits from wedding rentals go into the city’s general fund. There were a total of 83 bookings at the lodge and the pavilion in 2007, including 53 weddings that brought in $35,000. There were 51 weddings at the lodge in 2006, which brought in a total of $34,700.
Couples who are planning to get married in and around Sammamish sometimes choose the Sahalee Country Club, the Pickering Barn and the Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club as well.
The Pickering Barn can accommodate weddings with up to 300-400 guests for ceremonies and receptions in its Dairy Barn. The Hay Barn can accommodate 160 people for a full reception and 225-350 for ceremonies. Couples pay$1,100 for a nine-hour rental on weekdays, $1,450 for Fridays and Sundays and $1,550 for Saturdays.
Four-hour rentals are available for $600-700.
Each wedding venue has its own distinguishing characteristics.
Puthoff said the lodge offers the unique attractions of having a log cabin in a quiet, forested area.
Kipp Johnson, food and beverage manager for the Plateau Club, cites the club’s service and value as the main attractions.
He said Sammamish residents book 40 percent of the club’s weddings, and people come from Seattle as well.
The space, which is located at 25625 East Plateau Drive, can accommodate up to 275 people.
Planning far in advance is imperative to securing a spot at the city’s wedding venues. Puthoff suggests booking the Beaver Lake Lodge one year in advance and said the city is now booking weddings through the end of August 2009.
Johnson said the Plateau Club is already booked halfway through 2009.
The Policars booked their reservation 11 months in advance.
Reporter Emily Keller can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or ekeller@isspress.com.
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