All photos in this blog are credited to Austen Diamond Photography

When Caroline, one of my best friends, got engaged, I was over the moon. Five months later, she hadn’t done anything related toward wedding planning. She said she was so busy already & the idea of organizing an event like that seemed stressful and unenjoyable. Caroline had been leaning toward eloping in a destination location, but her soon-to-be husband wanted to have a more traditional wedding day.

That’s where Caili comes in 😉

I’m not a wedding planner, but I threw my own wedding recently and enjoyed the process. While doing that, I had recently done all the work of finding the best Utah wedding vendors. I also adore this friend and she would be supportive of anything I pull together haha. So I had the privilege of being heavily involved in all her wedding planning.

We decided to host Caroline & Edward’s wedding at Timber Moose Lodge in Heber, Utah. This is a massive lodge that sleeps 58 people overnight and has a banquet room where we can hold a reception. Our dream was that this place would not just be the wedding venue, but also where family and friends would stay for a wedding weekend. It worked out well for the bride and groom since they have enough out-of-state guests who would need to find lodging in Utah anyway for their wedding. And it was so much fun to have an extended reunion/party.

And after her wedding weekend, Caroline told me that she sobbed while driving away from the lodge because she had such a wonderful time and it hit her that it was over. So she is ONE vote for having a more traditional wedding with friends and family versus eloping haha.

Timber Moose Location:

10000 Timber Moose Way
Heber City, UT 84032

This is about a 60-minute drive from Salt Lake City and 40-minute drive from Park City.

Timber Moose Cost:

Things always change, but as of Spring 2021 when I’m writing this… In order to have your wedding at Timber Moose Lodge on a Friday or Saturday, they require that you reserve the lodge for a minimum of 3 nights (price per night can be found on their reservation calendar online) and pay an event fee. If your wedding is on another weekday, they require a 2-day minimum stay. The event fee is based on your number of guests (listed below) and includes rental of tables, chairs, and tablecloths, plus the assistance of our Wedding Host on day of ceremony.

• 50 guests or less – $2,500
• 51-75 guests – $3,000
• 76-100 guests – $3,500
• 101-125 guests – $4,000
• 126-150 guests – $5,000

Timber Moose Capacity

If you’re planning a wedding at Timber Moose, the venue policy says you can host up to 150 guests. But please keep in mind that their banquet room (where most host their receptions) can only fit 100 people seated for dinner. So I would hesitate to invite more than 100 guests. And this lodge is able to sleep 58 guests overnight.

Timber Moose Ceremony Site:

Weather permitting – most ceremonies are held on the south balcony, which overlooks a pond and mountains. As of Spring 2021, Timber Moose will provide chairs for your event but the ceremony chairs and reception dining chairs are the same, so you will have to figure out a way to relocate chairs during cocktail hour to the banquet room (or rent other chairs).

Timber Moose Reception Site:

Receptions are often held in the Banquet Room. This is a beautiful, wood-y space and can fit 100 guests for a seated dinner. Weather and guest count permitting, you could also set up reception-events on their outdoor decks.

Weddings per Day

Timber Moose Lodge is a private venue and dedicated solely to your event for not just the wedding day, but also the minimum stay required in order to host a wedding here (3 nights if your date is a Friday or Saturday & 2 nights if it’s another weekday).

Timber Moose Vendor Flexibility

You are allowed to bring in pretty much any vendor you’d like!

Timber Moose Venue Coordinator

Timber Moose Lodge offers an on-site wedding assistant to help coordinate your wedding day.  Couples are encouraged to hire a wedding planner to assist with other details.

Timber Moose Food & Alcohol 

Catering Options

Timber Moose has multiple fully functioning kitchens. And Timber Moose allows you to bring in any caterer you please. Which allows you a lot of flexibility if you’re looking for a specific type of cuisine or if you’re looking to be more money-conscious about dinner, desserts, and drinks.

Alcohol Options

You are allowed to hire any type of alcohol vendor or even provide alcohol straight from the liquor store! As of Spring 2021, supplying alcohol just requires you pay Timber Moose an alcohol fee.

Timber Moose Lodge Parking

There is room for 20-30 vehicles to park, depending on configuration

Timber Moose Lodging

You can invite 58 of your guests to stay with you overnight at the lodge. Which can be so much fun and a way to spend more time with friends and family. More details about their available rooms can be found here.

Just More Details about Timber Moose Lodge

CABIN SIZE:

• 26,500 square feet interior
• 9,300 square feet decks & balconies
• 12 acres
• Large indoor swimming pool (50′ x 22′) — heated year-round to 86 degrees

GENERAL INFO:

• 13 bedrooms
• 17 bathrooms
• Parking for 20-30 vehicles depending on configuration
• Huge Timber Moose tire swing
• 7 fireplaces
• Outdoor volleyball court (grass)
• Outdoor basketball court
• Washing Machine & Clothes Dryer
• Enterprise-grade Internet & WiFi
• Towels and Linens provided
• Landline telephone service (cell service is spotty)
• Hair Dryers
• Irons & Ironing Boards

ENTERTAINMENT:

• Air Hockey (Dynamo)
• Foosball (Tornado)
• Ping Pong (Butterfly), padded paddles & 3-star balls provided
• Pool Table
• TVs with AllWest Cable service
• Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon, HBOmax
• Lincoln Logs ($3000 worth!)
• Nintendo switch console, video games
• Sound system in main floor and balcony
• Electro-Voice powered speakers in Grand Room
• QSC bluetooth powered speaker in pool room

POOLS, HOT TUBS & SAUNAS

• Large indoor pool heated to 86 degrees
• Large hot tub on outdoor deck
• Dry sauna

OUTSIDE:

• 9,300 square feet of decks and balconies
• Giant Timber Moose tire swing
• Basketball court (balls provided)
• Lawn and volleyball court (net and balls provided)
• Picnic Tables
• 1 mile of trails through Timber Moose woods

Timber Moose Lodge Upsides:

1. It’s gorgeous
2. Many of your friends and family can spend time together for an extended period of time instead of just 1 day and there is so much to do at the lodge.
3. You have full flexibility about all vendors which allows you many options and ways to be more budget-conscious if desired.

Timber Moose Lodge Downsides

1. You pay to reserve the lodge for 2-3 days and will have to foot the bill even if rooms aren’t filled by family/friends
2. If you have the wedding on Friday or Saturday, you have to reserve the lodge for 3 days and often out-of-state guests only want to be in town for 2 nights instead of 3 (then see point #1 above)
3. You have to move chairs supplied by the venue from the ceremony area to the reception area (or rent other chairs)
4. Many of their bedrooms sleep 4 people (2 in a bed and 2 on a sleeper sofa) which may not be the best arrangement for your guests if they don’t know other guests to room with.
5. Parking potentially may be difficult depending on how many cars want to arrive to the venue

Where to Reserve/Get Information Yourself: 

https://www.timbermoose.com

Are you still searching for the perfect wedding venue in Utah? Sweet, you’re in luck. I’ve pulled together information and costs for multiple amazing Utah Venues here: Utah Wedding Venues