Additional Resources

How the Groups Sales & Events Coordinator Assists you!

  • Acts as your primary hotel contact through the wedding planning process
  • Contracts the reception venue space, discounted lodging rates for guests, and the ceremony space (if applicable)
  • Receives nonrefundable deposits for all venue spaces
  • Makes all lodging reservations for you and your wedding guests
  • Assists in vendor referrals
  • Can schedule local guest activities at group rates
  • Oversees ceremony and reception room set ups
  • Ensures a smooth transition to the Blu’s Catering Manager immediately following the ceremony
  • We do not offer wedding planner services
Bride smiling on tire swing

Role of the Catering Manager

  • Primary food and beverage contact throughout the wedding planning process
  • Outlines deposit schedule and generates final bill for food and beverage
  • Schedules a tasting with the couple to determine a menu
  • Acts as menu advisor for all food and beverage selections
  • Works with couples to create a detailed timeline of the reception (including but not limited to: champagne toast, cake cutting, first dance, etc)
  • Main point of contact for the reception

FAQs: Vail Racquet Club Mountain Resort

  • What is your maximum occupancy?
    • Our Royal Elk Room can accommodate up to 64 guests for an indoor reception. If you plan on having a larger reception, we do require that you rent a tent to be placed on our Royal Elk Terrace which is adjacent to the Royal Elk Room.  The tent requirement is due to the ever changing Colorado weather and because there is not indoor space on property that can hold more than 64 guests. Both of these spaces are included in the reception venue fee.  The Royal Elk Terrace has a maximum occupancy of 130.
  • Do you allow winter weddings?
    • Our outdoor ceremony and reception sites (the Royal Elk Terrace, The Park, and The Meadow) are available from mid-May through Mid-October. We can however, host events of less than 64 guests in our Royal Elk Room throughout the year. The Terrace will not be available for tented events outside of the months of May – October as the weight of the snow is too much for any tents.
  • Do you require us to use specific vendors?
    • The only vendor we require you to use is our onsite catering – Heirloom Restaurant holds the food and alcohol license for the premise.  They are a private entity that is not part of the Vail Racquet Club Mountain Resort.  All other vendors are completely up to you.  We do ask that you let us know of any wedding planners before contracting.
  • Are tables and chairs included in the venue fee?
    • We have (12) five foot round tables and (30) 5’x2’ rectangle tables available for your use both in the Royal Elk Room and on the Royal Elk Terrace free of charge.
    • We have 75 banquet chairs available for you to use for a reception inside the Royal Elk Room only. If you plan on having a reception on the Royal Elk Terrace, you will need to rent chairs from an outside vendor.
  • How many people can be seated at these tables?
    • The five foot round tables can seat a maximum of 8 guests per table. This is a total of 96 guests.  Our 5’x2’ rectangle tables can seat 2.5 people per side.  These are a great option for head tables if you want to be directly facing your guests, as well as buffet tables, guest book signing table, gift tables, etc.
  • How long will we have the venue space?
    • The Royal Elk Room and Royal Elk Terrace are yours and yours alone from the Thursday evening before your wedding, until the Sunday morning after your wedding. This allows you ample time to transform these spaces into your dream reception venue and no one will need to stay late after the wedding for clean up! The restaurant staff will take care of much of the clean up after the reception so all you have to do is pick up your things on Sunday morning.
  • What is the cut off time for our reception?
    • There is a strict 10:00pm shut off time at the VRC due to Town Of Vail noise ordinances. But don’t worry – if you don’t want the party to end you can move it to the bar within the restaurant! Be sure to speak with the Restaurant Manager about having an “after party” in the bar.
  • Are we responsible for moving chairs from the ceremony space to the reception space?
    • There are two options for this. The first is to rent two sets of chairs from a third party vendor (normally the tent company) – one set for the ceremony, and one for the reception.  The second, more economical option is to hire the VRC staff to move the chairs from the ceremony site to the reception site for a fee of $1/chair ($50 minimum).
  • When can we have the tent arrive?
    • The tent can arrive as early as the Thursday before your wedding day. This is a great option since it will allow you to start decorating first thing Thursday evening when the reception space becomes yours.  Tents should be scheduled for pick up the Sunday or Monday following your wedding day.
  • Do you have speakers or AV equipment we can use on the terrace?
    • We have speakers inside the Royal Elk Room that are great for receptions that take place inside the Royal Elk Room. If you wish to have speakers on the terrace, you will need to rent those through a third party.
  • Do you have speakers we can use for the ceremony?
    • Both The Park and The Meadow do NOT have electricity and we prohibit the effort of bringing electricity to them. A small, portable speaker may be used for ceremonies but they must be kept at a low volume and cannot exceed 1 hour in duration. Remember The Meadow area is meant to be a natural environment.
  • Will we be able to have a ceremony rehearsal?
    • You will have 1 hour to rehearse your ceremony the day before your wedding. There can be nothing set up in the ceremony space (including but not limited to: arbors, chairs, aisle runner, speakers, etc) during this rehearsal.  Absolutely no food or drinks of any kind are allowed in The Meadow at any time.
  • When can we start setting up the ceremony space?
    • The wedding party or a day of wedding coordinator will be able to set up the ceremony space after 10:00am on the day of the wedding. This area must be completely cleared out no later than 5:00pm the day of the wedding. This breakdown is also the wedding parties’ responsibility unless otherwise decided. The VRC staff can assist in this breakdown if informed in advance.
  • Will the Group Sales Manager be there during the rehearsal to help with the ceremony
    • The VRC staff will NOT be present at your rehearsal. It is therefore incredibly important that you practice line ups, counting off, music, etc.  The day of the wedding, The Group Sales Manager may be in the Royal Elk Room assisting with vendor arrivals.  There may also be VRC staff members near the ceremony sites directing traffic and guests.
  • Do you allow ceremonies only?
    • We do NOT allow ceremonies only.
  • Do you require wedding guests to book lodging accommodations with you?
    • Depending on the size of your wedding we will determine the number of rooms we require in order to have your event on property.  Our hope is to not charge wedding couples for a room block.  If you do not meet the required room night minimums due to guests renting units through outside sources, you may be charged additional fees for your ceremony space(s).
  • Do you require the bride and groom to pay for a block of room?
    • No! Although that is an option if you want to block an exact amount of rooms, the more common option is for us to offer discounted room rates that your guests can book up to 30 days prior to your wedding date. After these 30 days, guests can still book but at the going hotel rate.
  • Will booking through sites like VRBO and AirBNB count towards the number of required rooms?
    • No! Booking through third party sites will not count towards your required number of rooms. In fact, if your guests book through these third party sites, they will incur an additional $30/day per person to use any of the club amenities. The discounted lodging rates we provide include free access to the club, free parking, and all other taxes and fees such as departure cleans and such.
  • Can we request that all of our guests be put in the same building close to the club?
    • We cannot take requests for location, specific units, or specific buildings. There are over 300 units on the 20 acre property and the VRCMR manages approximately 100 of them.  There will be enough rooms for all of your guests, but due to the layout of the spacious condos, there are typically no more than 3 units in the same building and these units might range from 1-3 bedrooms.
    • We CAN take requests for elderly guests to be located on lower levels. Just be sure to tell your Group Sales and Events Manager about these reservations well ahead of time.
Bride and Bridesmaid posing on deck with mountain view

Catering Q & A

Coming soon…