General Information

Thank you for considering Bittersweet Grand Receptions for your upcoming event. The Bittersweet has been in the wedding business a very long time. Our experienced staff provides the best service in the area. We even assign a person to oversee and manage the event and eliminate your worries. Our cooking crew is also very experienced and includes certified chefs who are more than happy to customize your menu upon request. In addition to providing the best food and service in the area, we also offer several rental items at much lower rates than you’ll find else where.

That’s all great, but what you’ll find most surprising about working with us is the honesty and helpfulness that we offer throughout the entire process. We make suggestions, help you avoid costly pitfalls, and help you understand how to tackle this monstrous task of planning your wedding and reception.

Our banquet hall can seat up to 800 guests, comfortably. It was designed in such a way that we are able to make adjust the room size to better fit your event's needs. We generally define the rooms as follows:

Each room has its own bar, restrooms and dance floor. Although they share a lobby, they each have their own entrance. The facility is handicapped accessible. Illinois law requires events to be no smoking. Smoking is allowed outside as long as smokers are at least 15 feet from the front door.

Yes, the Bittersweet also offers on-site ceremonies. You can have your ceremony in the yard and simply walk into the reception afterwards eliminating the need (cost) of a limo. The cost for the ceremony is $250 plus a $.50 set up fee per chair. We provide up to 200 chairs at no additional cost. We will even make recommendations for your officiate. View the outside ceremony site by clicking on this link. http://www.dbq360.com/bittersweet_bluff/

As you go through this guide, you’ll be looking at services that we provide. You may not realize that there are a number of things we provide at no cost. These are things that you cannot get at other places or pay a fee for if you can get it. Make sure you ask about the following as you make your event site selection:

Once you have booked your event with us, you will be invited to our Spring Bridal Fair and Food Tasting. At this event, we will discuss many different service options available, you will see different room set ups, meet the recommended vendors for other services, and most importantly, taste some of the food. This event is only offered to wedding couples that have their reception booked with us.

To book your party, you will need to give us the date, time, estimated guest count, bride & groom name and address, phone numbers, and the first deposit. A second deposit will be billed and is due 6 months prior to your event. You can reserve the date over the phone by putting your deposit on a credit card. The deposits are non-refundable but will be credited to your final bill. Because of the high demand for our facilities, we cannot hold a room without a deposit. Deposits are as follows:

Room	First Deposit	Second Deposit
Garden Room	$400	$10 per estimated
Grand Ballroom	$750	guest less
Entire Banquet Hall	$1000	First Deposit

At the Bittersweet, we have several rooms available. Because of this, we are able to fit your party to the right size room (not too big or small). Hall rental fees vary based on the room and the length of time for your event. A minimum of 5 hours rent is charged for each room. The rental fee covers the cost of running the room and includes table linens, bartenders, servers, cleanup and other basic services (which other facilities will typically charge extra for).

Room	*Hourly Rate*
Grand Ballroom (375 maximum seating)	$ 80.00
Garden Room (225 maximum seating)	$ 30.00
Entire Banquet Hall (800 maximum seating)	$ 110.00

The Bittersweet offers Rehearsal Dinners and Gift Openings through its restaurant operations. Both types of events include a private room at no charge. Several menu options are available for each type of event. If interested, please ask us about the details.

After booking your reception with us, we can help you plan most aspects of your event. Upon request, we will recommend DJ’s, photographers, florists, bakers, decorators, videographers, and rental companies. We work with these people regularly and can help you get in touch with those who offer the best price/service combination. Don’t hesitate to ask since we offer this service for free (and we do not accept kickbacks).

We also allow you to look at other wedding setups to get ideas for your event. During the planning process, feel free to call or email us anytime with questions. Our only request is that you schedule a planning session with us four months before the big day so that we can start getting plans finalized and work out a list of items that need to be decided and when they need to be decided by. This session takes an hour to an hour and a half. Final guest count is due 2 weeks prior to the event.

We add a service charge to all fees and services as well as applicable state sales tax (6.75%). The service charge for beverage service is 15% and for food and setup is 12% for buffet, 15% for family style, and 20% for plated meals.

Quoted prices are subject to change based on market fluctuations but rarely change. Pricing for next year (2009) will be reviewed and minor price adjustments up and down are made and become effective after Easter of the new year.

If you should need to cancel your event, please notify us in writing as soon as possible. We will do everything we can to rebook the room. Your deposits will be refunded only in the event that we are able to rebook the room. However, the closer we get to the date, the more difficult it will be to do so. If the event is cancelled with in two weeks of the event date, the entire amount of the projected bill is due.

All charges must be settled at the conclusion of the event. We accept cash and checks. Checks should be made payable to the Bittersweet. If you must pay your bill with a credit card, a $30 per $1,000 service will be added to the final bill.

No later than 2 weeks prior to your event, you will need to give us a final guest count. This is the number that we will be using for food and beverage ordering as well as set up. This is the least number of people you will be charged for. This number is not subject to reduction after the two-week mark. If no count is received we will assume that the number given to us during the planning session will be your guarantee.

In booking one of the rooms above, there is no minimum guest count. Instead, we require a minimum amount of dollars spent. This dollar amount is the minimum sum of all fees, services, taxes and gratuities that you pay to the Bittersweet for the reception. We will closely monitor the minimum so that we do not run into a problem at the end of the event. The minimums are as follows:

We offer three types of sit down meal service. Buffet Style, Family Style, and Plated Service. You could also select to do an appetizer and/or Sandwich event. If you have any questions about our services or don’t like the menu options you see, let us know. We will be more than happy to help out.

You will be allowed access to your room to decorate the day before the event after 2 pm. The exception to this will be if there is an event the previous day, then you will be able to come at 8 am the day of your event. We allow 2 hours for decorating after which we will charge $45 per hour for additional time.

All set up information must be received 7 days prior to the event. We work very hard to make sure the set up is as agreed. When you arrive to decorate, the room will be set up. If changes in the set up are required after the set up is finished, an additional set up fee will be charged at $50 per hour (minimum of $50).

No Sparklers No Bubbles, Koozies, Confetti, glitter, silly string, or other projectible materials

Hourly Rate