TLDR: We were not satisfied by the services the DYC provided FOR OUR WEDDING. Our contract was not met, help we were told would be part of our wedding services were not included, the grounds of the DYC was not maintained, and a couple other challenges arose.

Lack or service & staff incompetence: It was very hot that day and our families were taking wedding photographs near the water. Denied bottled water, for members only. The staff said a pitcher was ok but that they wouldn’t bring the water pitchers to us. NO ONE TOLD US THE BRIDGE WOULD CLOSED AT MIDNIGHT. We ended up having several guests get stranded at the DYC with us and had to make emergency plans, including additional costs, to get everyone out in a safe manner. The bridge closure is not listed on the Belle Isle website, nor any other documentation we were provided. Our banquet director was kind and pleasant, but she also had never gone to the east end of the island where the ceremony was taking place and wasn’t able to provide much help while the ceremony set-up was happening. Thus, she was not effective as our day-of contact.

Contract/ Agreement Violations Security tried to kick us out early. Yes, the bar package was set to go only until 11pm, but they knew per our timeline that the band would play until 11:30 and breakdown would begin at midnight. Instead, we were rudely told we needed to end early and get out so that staff could go home. According to their wedding guide: “Your Wedding Package Includes ❖ Cake Cutting and Serving of Wedding Cake.” Later, we were told we would receive no support or service for the cake. So my wedding party had to set that up as well. Then the day of, we were told the cakes could be restocked if we put them on trays ourselves - something that would have been very useful to know before. That night, to add insult to injury - we found out that the staff ate some of our cakes! It would be one thing if leftovers were consumed after the party then we wouldn’t have cared. But the staff were eating them with our guests during the party meaning some of our guests were not able to have the dessert we purchased for them. Coffee and tea was listed as to be served with dessert, but many of our guests were not served or offered any coffee or tea. The Wedding package included valet. But apparently that was only for parking the car! The valet left early and guests needed to retrieve their keys and find their vehicles at the end of the night by themselves. Candles - we were told the DYC would help us light 5 candles per table and would light our decorative candles. Later we were told that union rules had changed and the agreement they made with their wedding clients no longer stood. Lack of maintenance/ care for Gar Wood Suite & Grounds. The east end of the island (where we held our ceremony) was not maintained between when we first saw and signed our contract and when we got married. There was geese poop and feathers everywhere. In the BEO it specifies maintenance would clean up the ceremony area - but they did not fully. When DYC did send out “lawn care” the morning of for final cleaning, it consisted of two men with leaf blowers. Leaf blowers do not do well for sticks and goose poop. That has to be raked. As such, members of our wedding party had to spend HOURS cleaning up the location. The DYC was also supposed to move a series of wooden pallets out of the space and only shifted them 2 meters back - so our groomsmen had to carry them out of the ceremony space. We paid $800 to rent this outdoor space for our ceremony under the pretense it would be maintained like the starlight circle area - it was clearly not.