Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
Belterra Casino Resort and Spa: Your Ultimate Destination Wedding Spot in Southeast Indiana
Discover why Belterra Casino Resort and Spa might just be the dream destination for your wedding! Join us as we tour this luxurious venue with Nicole, highlighting everything from a top-rated golf course perfect for bachelor parties to a serene spa ideal for bridal relaxation. With diverse dining options like the elegant 19th Steak and Seafood and the popular Copper Whisk, plus over 600 spacious hotel rooms, Belterra ensures a memorable experience for all your guests. Unique features such as the stunning Bride Suite and picturesque ceremony locations, including beautiful lawn areas and golf course views, make this venue truly special. Nicole also shares how Belterra's full-service offerings, including catering and decor, can simplify your wedding planning process, and we invite you to check out their upcoming wedding show on June 2, 2024, from 12 noon to 3pm, for a firsthand experience.
Curious about how to explore Belterra as your potential wedding venue? We've got you covered! Learn how to arrange a private tour through the wedding sales manager and utilize online resources like Belterra's Facebook page and website. We also discuss an upcoming photo shoot that showcases the venue's stunning offerings, ensuring you see what's available on-site. Nicole provides essential tips for planning a destination wedding, from hotel accommodations to local attractions, even sharing amusing stories about unique requests from headliners and performers. This episode is packed with insights and entertaining anecdotes, making it a must-listen for anyone contemplating a destination wedding at Belterra Casino and Resort.
To listen to more episodes visit www.yourdreamday.com
We are making our own story as we go as we go as we go. Hoping. We are hoping that we'll go so happy ever after.
Speaker 2:Happy, ever after.
Speaker 1:Hi, I'm Kathy Piech Lukas with Your Dream Day. Welcome to your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast and YouTube channel. Today we are at Belterra Casino and Resort and I am here with Nichole, who's going to tell us all about the property and different things that you can do to have your wedding here. Nichole, I learned something fun about you. Your maiden name is Wedding.
Speaker 2:I know what are the odds, I know right and now you work in weddings. I know it was like it was meant to be.
Speaker 1:Well, tell us a little bit about Belterra. I mean, it is an hour away from Cincinnati, but really this just happens to be an hour away from Cincinnati. This, but really this just happens to be an hour away from Cincinnati, this is really a destination wedding location.
Speaker 2:It really is. We have a lot to do here on property. We have a beautiful golf course that was voted in the top 30 golf courses casino golf courses in the US Wow, yeah, so that's amazing. It's really beautiful. A lot of guys like to have bachelor parties here or golf the morning of the wedding. A lot of guys like to have bachelor parties here or golf the morning of the wedding. We also have a spa where they can get couples massages or the girls can go get massages while the guys go golf. We have several restaurants here on property. 19th Steak and Seafood is our fine dining restaurant. We also have Stadium, which is our sports bar, and Copper Whisk, which is our newest restaurant that offers southern style food such as shrimp and grits pork chops. It's been very popular since it reopened. And we also have Nosh, our coffee shop, and then Out of Bounds, which is our seasonal bar and grill. That's next to the pool and the golf course.
Speaker 1:So basically, there's something for everybody here there really is.
Speaker 2:And then, of course, the casino. Oh, what is a casino.
Speaker 1:No, I purposely left my ATM card home today, so that I wouldn't go to the casino part of Belterra. Well, and we were talking before we started recording about the experience here, and I think that is one of the big things about Belterra that separates you from other venues, because it really is a weekend long experience.
Speaker 2:It really is, yes, and for guests who do want to go home that evening, it's only an an hour, so it's still within driving distance. But for those who do, we have over 600 hotel rooms, so there's more than enough space for all of the wedding guests who would like to stay well, and you have some nice little secret gems around this property too.
Speaker 1:The room that we're filming in is actually the Bride Suite, and it has this panoramic view of the golf course. That is just breathtaking, and you can have ceremonies out there.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, you can have ceremonies out on the golf course. We also have a lawn area in the back between the building and the casino itself. Both are really beautiful places to have weddings, and also the room we're in can be utilized as a rehearsal dinner space. So if you wanted to have your rehearsal dinner up here and look over the beautiful view of the golf course, it's really amazing. I always call it the million dollar view.
Speaker 1:It is a million dollar view. It's incredible. I mean you have the wow factor when you walk in. You just look at it and million dollar view. It is a million dollar view. It's incredible. I mean you have the wow factor when you walk in.
Speaker 1:You just look at it and go, wow, well, I think the other thing that's nice about Belterra is that it is a full service property. So not only can you get your hotel block at the same place, you get your catering, you get your alcohol, you get all the service team. It is a full service property.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is, and our new wedding packages that we've designed. They include a hosted bar champagne toast. Your cocktail reception includes a charcuterie board, which we do on this gigantic table-sized board which we will have at our open house on Sunday, if you want to check it out, and it's always very impressive. And then, of course, it includes your dinner itself as well, so it covers it all, and then we have lots of different linen choices to choose from here that are included, and lots of options for our centerpieces as well, if you're looking at using something that we already have here.
Speaker 2:Something you have a lot of things already here we do so.
Speaker 1:One of the things and you can check this out in our Instagram reel or TikTok reel there is a room. I called it a vault, because it really is like it's a vault of stuff, like there were vases in there and candles and centerpieces and bourbon barrels and all sorts of stuff that is included when you book Belterra, so you can use any of that decor at your event, which can also be a cost savings.
Speaker 1:And one less thing you have to bring into the property. I think that's one of the things that I'm seeing so much is there are a lot of brides who are going on Facebook and Facebook marketplace and they're buying a lot of their own decor, but then you've got to bring it all in and that's a lot of work unpacking that out of your circle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so it saves brides time, money, effort. They can just enjoy their day instead of worrying about, you know, wearing themselves out leading up to their wedding. They can get ready to just enjoy it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely. And you have a wedding show here this Sunday, June 2nd, from 12 to 3 pm. So if you would like to check out Belterra, please stop by. You do not have to register. All you have to do is show up at the door, tell them you're here for the wedding show and then we'll get you down here. You can take a look around. Yeah, and there's some really neat rooms. A lot of the rooms here have the entertaining rooms, I mean, have character to them, like one of them is where all of the headliners perform and you could have your wedding ceremony in the same place that you know, some famous names have been on the stage?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And how fun would that be to have your live band on the stage for your wedding? That would be very fun. Or your DJ, or you could have your ceremony up there. There's so many options for that room.
Speaker 1:Yep, and then there were other rooms that remind you of your traditional ballroom.
Speaker 2:Yep, absolutely. And then, of course, we have spaces like Aspen, which we're in, or the lobby bar that can be used for some of your smaller events that are associated with your wedding, like rehearsal dinner or if you wanted to have a bridal shower here, and those can be. It just gives you a different, a different, unique view.
Speaker 1:Well, and what's also nice too and it goes back to the destination piece of Belterra is if, like you said, with a wedding shower, you can make a weekend getaway of it, you could do that for a bachelorette party. I mean, there's a lot of options when you have that destination, and if you have a lot of guests who are traveling in from out of town, they're gonna be paying for a hotel room regardless, right? So why not give them something to do?
Speaker 1:and here how many holes are on the golf course here 18. 18 hole golf course. There's a pool. We actually got to walk up to the spa area and there was some very nice. There was a Spanish treatment in there.
Speaker 2:And I'm like what is that.
Speaker 1:But there's a lot to do and a few years ago my husband and I actually stayed here for a weekend and we went to, we got our steak at the 19th and it was a wonderful experience. It was yummy, yummy, yummy. And the funny thing was was when we were here, I actually ran into a vendor that I know who was setting up drapery for a corporate event.
Speaker 2:He had here.
Speaker 1:And so I got a sneak peek at what he was working on while we were here. So I'm like can I write off this trip now that I?
Speaker 2:had a conversation with the vendor, that's funny.
Speaker 1:So tell us about one of your favorite weddings that you've ever had here.
Speaker 2:Oh, one of our favorite weddings. We just had a wedding recently. Well, it was in December, so I guess it wasn't that recently, but it's just within the past year.
Speaker 1:Time flies, you know.
Speaker 2:But it was so beautiful because they just loved Christmas and I was just telling you how all of our rooms have large Christmas trees, so we had this beautiful 12-foot tree. And then they did trees around where they got married, on the sides of like what would be their altar, I guess, but it was just so gorgeous. And then they went out to the golf course and they had some beautiful pictures out on the golf course. Even though it was in December, it was a warmer day, so they got the greenery in the background and the dresses of the girls were all green. So it just it was beautiful, it popped. I've got some pictures in my office I'll have to show you when we go back down.
Speaker 1:Well, and in that vault there is Christmas stuff too.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:So if you have a, holiday themed wedding.
Speaker 2:We have all kinds of things.
Speaker 1:There were lots of ornaments and trees and all sorts of fun festive stuff. Yeah absolutely so. How can people get a tour of Belterra besides coming to the wedding show this weekend? What are some of the ways they can get in here?
Speaker 2:So if you want to call Belterra's main number, it is 812-427-7777. And just ask for the wedding sales manager. That would be me, and I'll be happy to give you a private tour anytime you'd like. I love showing off our property and letting people see what we have to offer. Oh wonderful.
Speaker 1:So, with the destination piece in mind, what would be some ways that people who maybe don't live in the area, how can they view the property? Do you just send pictures? Do you have live stream?
Speaker 2:opportunities. I'd be happy to send pictures. I think there's a lot available on our Facebook page Belterra's Facebook page and also on Belterra's website. There's a lot to view as well. And then we will have some new pictures on after this weekend as well, because we're doing a photo shoot on Saturday to showcase what we offer for weddings. So that'll those will be going up on the website and Facebook page as well.
Speaker 1:So Wonderful, yeah Well, and I think what's great about the fact that you're doing this photo shoot before the wedding show is people will be able to see exactly what your property offers as far as like linen, colors and centerpieces and whatnot. And I think when you have um, sometimes people uh, properties in particular will put photos of decked out weddings that they've done, which all of that was brought in. Right and so of course, something like that is going to have an upcharge, whereas, you know, with yours it's all inclusive.
Speaker 2:Everything that will be in the pictures and at the open house this weekend is all stuff that we have here on property, so I think it'll be impressive to people to show them what variety we do actually have available for them to use as well.
Speaker 1:What are some questions that somebody looking into a destination wedding location should ask.
Speaker 2:I think you should be looking at, well, how many hotel rooms does the property have? So, especially if you have a large number of people staying from out of town, a property like ours has, you know, enough to accommodate just about any size wedding, and then I think you need to look at, like, what's available in the area. Otherwise, to do so, we do have Switzerland County tourism coming on Sunday, and so they'll be able to show you some things that are in our local area as well. Well, so we are seven miles from the town of Vivi, so there's some fun, unique experiences to be had in Vivi, so, um, and there's a local celebrity that lives there.
Speaker 2:There is a local celebrity that lives there, Um, so we're currently well known for um, uh for as the home of Kat Von D. She bought a historical mansion in Vivi. If you followed her on our Hello Vivi page, you saw her field of black tulips that bloomed in April. So we've had lots of people that came down to Vivi just to check out the tulips and take pictures of the tulips with their kids and families.
Speaker 1:That's amazing that they were black like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know They've. I'm not sure where they flew them in from somewhere. Her husband and her and her family kind of got involved in planting them and really enjoyed seeing people come to visit Bebe just to check out that Wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and one other thing that people can have here is you have headliners, come in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we do, we absolutely do. When I first started working here, I used to set up the green room a lot, so I can remember some of the headliners and some of the unique things that they would want in their green room, so that was always kind of fun and interesting.
Speaker 1:It's very interesting, one of the first jobs, one of the first internships I ever had. I worked at this place called Art Park in upstate New York and they had we called them the headliners and some of the requests they would have were crazy and we were a state park and so, because it was a state park, you couldn't have vodka, like you couldn't have liquor. You could have beer, you could have wine, but you couldn't have vodka, like you couldn't have liquor. You could have beer, you could have wine, but you couldn't have hard liquor.
Speaker 1:And this one and I won't name names, but this one was, he was adamant that he had to have his vodka and we're like we legally cannot provide you with this vodka, and he was not a happy camper. But then we had another group and this is going way back and I'm sure a lot of our listeners won't know who this is, but we had the Smothers Brothers comedy group that came and they were just the nicest guys that you would ever meet.
Speaker 1:Like, the driver had a cold that day, they insisted that they stop at a drugstore and get her some tissues and, like, my mother was a huge fan and so they actually did an autograph specifically for her and, you know, wished her a happy birthday. They were just so humble and so nice. And it's interesting when you get these, you know entertainers that some of them are just the most genuine people and then some of them can get a little demanding with what's in their green room.
Speaker 2:What were some of the craziest things you ever saw, as far as green room requests I remember one was that they wanted matching wooden hangers and so I had gotten wooden hangers but they weren't matching. And so his assistant, I remember, said so. His assistant, I remember, said Nicole, these are not matching wooden hangers. So I ended up going up to the pro shop, because of course they have the nice hangers for all the golf polos that they have, and so I ended up getting matching wooden hangers. But I yeah, that's funny, I know. So that was one, yeah.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:So that was one, yeah, but that's something that you can get at Belterra, that you probably won't get at your typical hotel?
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. And that goes back to the whole destination experience thing that we talked about when we first started. Well, be sure to check out Belterra's wedding show this weekend, june 2nd, from 12 to 3 pm. If you come and you decide I want to have my wedding at Valterra, you can actually get a special deal up until July 31st of 2024. You want to?
Speaker 2:tell us a little bit about that, right? Yeah, so if you come to the show and you book by July 31st, then we will give you a 10% discount on your wedding package.
Speaker 1:So hey, every little bit helps to get that budget down?
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:Wonderful Nichole. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, instagram, TikTok. We tend to post reels of the different properties that we tour, so you can get a behind the scenes tour of Belterra's property. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and our YouTube channel for the latest and greatest on everything happening in greater Cincinnati, including Southeast Indiana and Northern Kentucky. This is Kathy Piech Lukas with Your Dream Day. Happy planning!
