Imagine exchanging your vows nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains, surrounded by towering pines and twinkling lights. At Pine Rose Cabins in Twin Peaks, California, magical mountain weddings have become a thriving business alongside the resort's traditional cabin rentals.
What started as a roadside cabin resort some 30 years ago by has evolved into a premier mountain destination featuring 20 cabins and lodges, with a total of 123 beds. The resort, owned by Tricia and David Dufour, hosts nearly 80 weddings a year. This expansion required significant changes to the resort's financial operations to keep pace with its growth.
"Wedding season runs May through October," explains Michelle Ranck, Business Manager at Pine Rose Cabins. "Florists, caterers, photographers, DJs, bartenders—we handle everything. We use BILL to manage those payments so we can focus on our guests, creating perfect experiences for their big day."
“Florists, caterers, photographers, DJs, bartenders—we handle everything. We use BILL to manage those payments so we can focus on our guests, creating perfect experiences for their big day.”
Pine Rose Cabins faces unique challenges in a remote mountain location. With just 25 staff members during peak wedding season and even fewer the rest of the year, the administrative team depends on a tremendous number of vendors to cover multiple events each weekend.
"We're constantly turning over the venue from one day to the next," says Ranck. "I might have 1,000 invoices in our system covering thousands of line items across dozens of events. We use BILL to track them all properly—all $25 million in payment volume."
“I might have 1,000 invoices in our system covering thousands of line items across dozens of events. We use BILL to track them all properly—all $25 million in payment volume.”
Before BILL, the resort's location made paying vendors by check even more challenging. "Up here in the mountains, we all use P.O. boxes since we don't have regular mail delivery," Ranck explains. "The postal service can make time-sensitive checks a harrowing affair, to say the least."
Unfortunately, using credit cards wasn't much of an improvement. "Before we adopted BILL Spend & Expense, we were using different corporate cards for employee purchases," Ranck remembers. "I used to spend an entire eight-hour day every month reconciling credit card statements and hunting down physical receipts."
Pine Rose Cabins has been using BILL Accounts Payable since 2015, automating vendor payments and streamlining financial operations. In 2022, they enhanced their financial tech stack by adding BILL Spend & Expense.
"The combination of these two solutions has transformed our financial operations," Ranck says. "With BILL Accounts Payable, I can process hundreds of payments efficiently, and nearly all our vendors receive electronic payments—I can send them the same day I receive their statement. That helps us take advantage of early payment discounts and maintain strong ties with our wedding vendors."
The addition of BILL Spend & Expense has further streamlined the resort's financial processes.
"Everyone uses their BILL Divvy Card* for just about everything," Ranck notes. "Snack supplies for the gift shop, coffee supplies for guest relations, tools and parts for the maintenance department. Everyone loves that they can snap a picture of their receipt and be done. With the BILL Spend & Expense app, the process is so simple that even our most tech-resistant staff members have embraced it."
“Everyone loves that they can snap a picture of their receipt and be done. With the BILL Spend & Expense app, the process is so simple that even our most tech-resistant staff members have embraced it.”
The impact of BILL's solutions has been particularly noticeable in three key areas: time savings, improved visibility, and streamlined tax reporting.
"The time savings with BILL Spend & Expense are incredible," says Ranck. "What used to take a full eight-hour day now happens automatically. Receipts are captured on the spot, transactions are categorized correctly, and our chart of accounts is already in the system."
“The time savings with BILL Spend & Expense are incredible. What used to take a full eight-hour day now happens automatically. Receipts are captured on the spot, transactions are categorized correctly, and our chart of accounts is already in the system.”
And the visibility has been transformative for financial management across the resort's operations. "With the old cards, I'd have to manually track down each receipt and reconcile it against these long statements. With BILL Spend & Expense, if there's a missing receipt, I get an immediate notification and can quickly follow up with the employee."
Most recently, Pine Rose Cabins has benefited from BILL's new 1099 filing capability, in having to file over 50 for various vendors. This has eliminated another time-consuming manual process.
"Filing 1099s through BILL was the easiest tax season I've ever experienced," Ranck says. "I completed the entire process in just 90 minutes, compared to the hours it would have taken previously. The system knows which vendors require 1099s and handles everything—from collecting W-9 information to electronic delivery."
“Filing 1099s through BILL was the easiest tax season I've ever experienced. I completed the entire process in just 90 minutes, compared to the hours it would have taken previously.”
"When I do my 1099s in BILL, I don't have to export vendor payment data to a spreadsheet or upload it to a different filing system. Everything is integrated, accurate, and efficient. It saves us so much time."
For Pine Rose Cabins, using BILL isn't just about efficiency—it's about enhancing the guest experience by helping the team focus on what matters most.
"Every hour we save on financial management is an hour we can dedicate to creating magical moments for our guests, whether they're here for a wedding or a weekend getaway," says Ranck. "BILL helps us focus on what we do best—creating unforgettable mountain experiences. That's what matters most."
The resort continues to grow its wedding business, with a goal of hosting over 80 ceremonies in the coming year. With BILL's financial automation solutions, they're well-positioned to scale operations while maintaining the personalized service that makes Pine Rose Cabins a beloved mountain destination.
“BILL helps us focus on what we do best—creating unforgettable mountain experiences. That's what matters most.”
*The BILL Divvy Card is issued by Cross River Bank, Member FDIC and is not a deposit product.
