WEDDING VENUE
PLAN YOUR WEDDING AT KANDAHAR LODGE
Kandahar Lodge is a perfect venue for small destination weddings
WEDDINGS AT KANDAHAR MOUNTAIN LODGE
Kandahar Lodge is a perfect venue for small destination weddings. Overnight wedding guests receive a 15% discount. The Lobby is available for your wedding ceremony if you have overnight guests staying at Kandahar Lodge. Seating for some or all of the guests may be arranged and the traditional lobby furniture removed or rearranged for the event. There is about 800 square feet so depending on the number in attendance some guests may have to stand during the ceremony. You may decorate as much or as little as you want. The east side of the Lobby that functions as the continental breakfast area for guests can be used as a dance floor with a DJ or musician positioned on the landing above. Use of this space is included in the Lobby fee.
For larger weddings, Kandahar Lodge is a great lodging choice. The cozy lobby, large outdoor hot tub and comfortable rooms provide a place to stay, gather and get to know one another. This is a particularly perfect option when you plan to have your wedding at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
Book the Entire Lodge!
Kandahar Lodge is available to rent out exclusively for your wedding party in the spring (after first week of April - May), and fall (October - most of December). Booking the entire lodge allows you and your guests to enjoy all spaces in our lodge for only your wedding party. The sky is the limit for decoration, receptions, food catering, food trucks, outside, or inside ceremony, DJ, or live music.
To rent out the entire lodge during the spring or fall, you will need a minimum of 10 rooms rented. Depending on what your wedding needs are, our Sales & Marketing Director can work with you to get a custom quote.
Contact us today, for a complimentary property tour to discuss options for your wedding day!
We offer catering for wedding groups of 20-50. We work with the wedding party to create a cuisine based on your desires and budget. We can accommodate a sit down dinner reception for up to 50 people in our beautiful, Northern Lights Room. For larger wedding parties, food can be set up at stations and served banquet style.
You may also choose to use an outside caterer for your wedding dinner, or any other part of your ceremony. The Northern Lights Room located in our Wellness Center is a beautiful space for wedding dinner and receptions. You can decorate the room however you'd like. We have rectangle tables and rounds with white linens that are provided, including new chairs, tables, and linens.
TESTIMONIALS
Hailey's Wedding Reception at Kandahar Lodge
The old saying “Home is Where the Heart Is” rings especially true for me as the Kandahar Lodge was my childhood home since I was six months old.
It was the wedding of my dreams. Literally, I dreamt about having a wedding in Kandahar from the time I was a little girl. Growing up there I watched many brides have their special day in the hotel I called home but I always knew exactly what my big day would be like.
Bryant and I met in early 2009 and Kandahar quickly became one of our favorite getaways. When we got engaged last Christmas there was no question in our minds that Kandahar would be where we would host our closest friends and family the following September.
Last spring we attended the Northwest Montana Wedding Fair at the fairgrounds in Kalispell and we were lucky enough to meet some amazing professionals would could provide everything we needed for our wedding.
September came quickly and family and friends started to arrive from all around the country. We checked into the spacious executive suite at Kandahar on Tuesday and Bryant quickly went to stock the “Men’s Lounge” for his groomsmen. The staff at Kandahar took very good care of us and our guests. They were flexible and willing to work with every request. We had the entire hotel booked for our wedding which created a festive and fun tone for the week of events. Our guests got the opportunity to really get to know each other which made our wedding day even more special because by then people were celebrating with new friends.
Waking up each morning in the room which used to be my home was surreal. It was so special to see all of the preparations taking place and all of our closest friends and family gathered in one place. We were so fortunate that people made this a fall vacation destination so we were able to spend multiple days with our guests.
Wednesday night we gathered in the lobby by the fireplace for greetings and a pizza party. The Snug Bar was a cozy, welcoming watering hole for our guests who had spent the day traveling to Big Sky Country. On Thursday the guys went fly fishing on the Flathead River while the ladies enjoyed lunch and shopping in Whitefish.
Friday morning came quickly and the entire lobby was being transformed into a dance floor. It started to seem so real to us and walking through the lobby that day was very emotional for me. The decorations in the lobby were gorgeous and I couldn’t believe that this special time was finally here. I remember walking outside and Celebrate Party Rentals was setting tables in front of the lodge. My mom was standing out there and we were able to share in our excitement and emotions while taking a moment to just soak everything in. Everywhere I went in the lodge that morning I saw special people from our lives and I couldn’t stop asking myself, “Is this real?”
Friday night’s rehearsal dinner at the Hellroaring Saloon was an amazing party followed by many late night laughs in the outdoor hot tub at Kandahar.
When we left the bridal suite on Saturday morning I was overwhelmed at just how beautiful everything looked on the day of the wedding. While the girls got ready at the my parent’s house on the lake, the guys met in the Kandahar Men’s Lounge for some pre-wedding “guy time,” telling fish stories, watching football, shooting pool, and smoking cigars. The excitement of this day was captured by Brian Bistodeau and his assistant Seth with B2 Photography. Because there were two photographers they were able to simultaneously catch the laughter and emotion for both the girls and guys that morning.
After the ceremony at the Presbyterian Church in downtown Whitefish the wedding party led the guests up Big Mountain Road to Kandahar Lodge in six convertible sports cars. When we arrived, we were greeted by beautiful piano music being played on my grandfather’s Baby Grand piano underneath the lighted ivy. Café Kandahar was passing hors d’oeuvres and wine to our guests. The Lodge looked magical. The mountains in the background and the flowers at Kandahar were the most beautiful backdrop you could imagine.
Dinner was prepared by Café Kandahar and was exquisite. Our guests raved about the food. We had perfect weather which allowed us to have seating indoors and outdoors for the entire evening. After dinner, the Kandahar staff transformed the seating in the lobby to the dance floor while we had speeches and toasts outside under the beautifully lit portico. After the toasts everyone mingled back inside and our DJ, JJ Holden, got the crowd dancing with his upbeat musical selections, light show, and music mixing. Cotton candy, late night snacks, and a candy buffet kept our guests celebrating late into the night. Our guests danced non-stop for over four hours!
The next morning everyone met for breakfast in the lobby to reminisce about the week’s happenings and to say their goodbyes. It had been an unforgettable week of merging two families together through shared experiences, laughter, and the celebration of marriage. The memories of such a special time in my childhood home will be with us forever.
"I couldn't imagine having our wedding anywhere else besides the Kandahar Lodge now. The price for the Lodge was by far the best we had seen for venues and was very affordable. The timing also worked out that it was your off season month, so the Lodge was exclusively ours. Our guests were able to book their own rooms and I didn't have to worry about blocking off a set of rooms at another hotel. We also really like that we could do our wedding, reception and dance all in the same place. When guests were done partying, they could go to their rooms and sleep.
The fact that the Lodge is at the Whitefish Mountain Resort also was a bonus. The scenery was beautiful. Our guests loved that they were a short distance from Whitefish and the Lake. They also loved that there were different places to hike and be outdoors. There's nothing quite like waking up and going out on a balcony or looking out your window and seeing Fall colors and mountains. We took our wedding party pictures down at Les Mason State Park, a short ways away from the Lodge. It was nice to have close access to the Lake and we got some gorgeous photos.
The transition between ceremony to reception to dance was fairly easy. We had chairs and couches out during the ceremony around the fireplace. Once the ceremony was done, some of the groomsmen cleared the area so we could use it as a dance space later. Our guests made their way from the main room to the Northern Lights Room/dining area. It was a tight squeeze, but the perfect size for our event. We were able to fit 100 people into that room. Our food was in a buffet line just outside the Northern Lights, which made it easy for guest to file in and out to get their food. We then transitioned back down to the main room for the dance where our DJ had set up lights so we could have a rockin' dance party.
Guests raved about the rooms. The beds were comfortable. The rooms large, yet cozy. The fireplace in the main room was a draw for many guests to sit and read a book, chat, or knit. The hot tub was another big draw. The fact that there were several other amenities available to us such as a gym and even a masseuse (if we wanted) was phenomenal.
I liked that the Lodge let us bring in whichever vendors we wanted. It happened to be that our caterer had worked with the staff at the Lodge before, so planning how to set up the food was a bit easier. Our DJ was able to come in a day before the wedding to see the venue and envision how he wanted to set things up, which was helpful.
I can't say enough good things about the staff at the Lodge. Everyone was very warm and welcoming and made our event flow so much smoother."
- Joanna Brammer
"Planning a wedding seems like a daunting challenge. In fact, most Brides and Grooms shudder at the thought of trying to create the “perfect day.” For us, I must say we felt the exact same way when we began our wedding preparations. Since both my fiancé’s and my family lived out of state, we wanted to have our wedding become one of those amazing destinations weddings. The problem was finding a place that incorporated everything. Of course we wanted to go to a beautiful resort that had all of the amenities and also served amazing food. We figured since most of our guests were traveling over 2,000 miles for a wedding, they needed to be pampered and to enjoy every moment.
Luckily during our search for the perfect place, we found the Kandahar Lodge. From the moment we first saw the Kandahar Lodge, we knew it was precisely what we wanted. The lodge itself is simply gorgeous. Everything about the building is wonderful. It is kept in immaculate condition, even in the winter. The foyer, the seating area and the bar make a fantastic place for your guests to mingle and enjoy a cocktail. The rooms themselves are tremendous. Even the outside of the building is magnificent. In the summer, the flowers are utterly beautiful. The best word to describe them is wow!
The food is truly indescribable. Not only do the Chef and his staff work with you directly, they are willing to create your vision for your meal. All I have to say is that after the meal; our guests kept telling us that that was the best meal they had ever had. Believe me, this is not your typical wedding food. It is gourmet!
What truly was the selling point for Marty and I was the staff at the Kandahar Lodge. They were so courteous and professional. These are the kind-of people you can trust when planning your “perfect day.” Not only did they work hard, they performed to a level that was above outstanding. Whether it was scheduling rooms, providing information to our guests about the local area or just willing to listen to a relative that is a little pushy, they were willing to do anything to make our wedding spectacular. The best part about it is that they did. They made it perfect."
~~Kandahar Lodge is simply the “perfect” for your “perfect day.”~~
"We are Dan and Jamie Lachman. We stayed at the Kandahar from September 29th-October 4th. We were also the ones that got married.
We just wanted to let you know that we had an excellent time at the Kandahar. The service we were given by all of your staff was outstanding. Every one of our guests (about 37 of us total) was amazed and impressed. We just wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you and your staff did. You all have made our stay at the Kandahar both memorable and rewarding.
We would also like the thank Andy Blanton for an excellent dinner that he prepared for us for our reception. Everyone is still talking about it. My aunt, who lives in Polson, has told everyone she has talked to since the wedding. My mother had heard he was the best on the mountain…and he definitely proved that on Saturday. His staff was excellent also. They were always helpful.
We wanted to thank you for the excellent service we received from you, your staff and at the Café Kandahar. We appreciate everything that was done for us. Dan is already talking about when we will return to the Kandahar."
- Dan and Jamie Lachman
Rehearsal Dinner - August 17, 2007
Greetings Dalise,
I want to thank you, Andy, and the rest of the fine staff of Cafe Kandahar for the fantastic job you all did to make our son's wedding rehearsal dinner a memorable and enjoyable experience for the Wamplers and our guests. Despite the road construction and you having to do two back-to-back large party dinners, you pulled it off without a hitch. The lobby area was a great place for our cocktail hour. The elk and cheese dishes were terrific. Everyone loved his or her dinner. We are so happy that we chose Cafe Kandahar for this event and especially appreciate your patience and assistance during the planning stage. Thanks again for everything. The next time we come back to Big Sky country, I hope to be able to try one of the wine dinner events. Best of luck to you and Andy for continued success for your fine restaurant.
Sincerely,
Rob and Tammy Wampler
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