United with Love - Fresh Inspiration For Washington DC-Area Weddings

The question of where and when your Maryland wedding will take place may not be the easiest of wedding planning tasks, but today we’re giving you a glimpse of all that Maryland has to offer in the venue department. We gave you this this list of 10 places to get married in Maryland, but we are following it up with 10 more places! Whether you’re searching for a home for your elaborate celebration in Baltimore, or an intimate affair along the Chesapeake Bay, there are plenty of unique locations to choose from in the place that I like to call home!

Photo Credit: Studio Juno

It’s a colonial retreat when you’re walking among the magnificent gardens at Governor Calvert House, a charming boutique hotel in downtown Annapolis. Vintage charm and modern luxury come together at this Maryland venue, along with a few other local spots in a collection of quaint boutique hotels by the Historic Inns of Annapolis.

If you want to feel like you’re having a destination wedding without leaving the Old Line State, then the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay is your venue! This Eastern Shore luxury resort is the perfect setting for an elegant, nautical celebration.

Milton Ridge, a non-denominational church and reception hall, is located on the rolling hills between Frederick and Washington DC. Originally constructed in 1875 and beautifully restored in 2002, this Clarksburg setting is oozing with romance!

Are you looking for a hotel exudes silver screen romance? Meet The Inn at Perry Cabin, where movies like The Wedding Crashers and The First Kiss have taken inspiration in this Saint Michaels getaway. Exchange vows in within the surrounds of a colonial mansion or on the lawn by the water’s edge!

Make your own history with the breathtaking beauty rich history of Maryland’s Tidewater area at Sotterly Plantation. Sotterley offers a sweeping view of the Patuxent River and encompasses nearly 100 acres of meadows, gardens, and shoreline.

The scene is set for a truly romantic affair at Gramercy Mansion in Stevenson. From the Mansion and grounds to the charming Carriage House—what’s not to love about this Baltimore-area wedding venue? And as an added bonus for local foodies:  guests enjoy a breakfast served from a menu each morning using ingredients from Koinonia Farm, Maryland’s oldest certified organic farm, located on the property.

Running Hare Vineyard offers a stunning view and a beautifully unique setting that’s reminiscent of Tuscany and the Napa Valley—in Prince Frederick! You will fall head over heels in love with the custom pergola, charming walkways and the Tuscan reception villa.

Located on Kent Island, the Historic Kent Manor Inn sits at the end of a mile-long tree-lined drive on 220 acres along the shores of Thompson Creek. This venue, just outside of Annapolis, features a glass-enclosed octagonal Garden House and stunning waterfront views.

Harwood Farm is truly one of the most scenic farms in Howard County. Overlooking abundant fields and featuring a three-acre pond, this country setting will be a perfect fit for your outdoor nuptials.

One of the most beautiful settings in Prince George’s County, Newton White Mansion is located in an divinely picturesque setting in Mitchellville. The Mansion is a Neo-Georgian-style brick estate sits on 586 acres of lush lawn, including the Enterprise Golf Course.

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Maryland has SO much to offer and we hope you enjoyed just a glimpse of all that it has to offer in the wedding venue department. Be sure to also check out our previous posts on Baltimore wedding venues and round-up of Maryland wedding venues, too! You can also see our full list of wedding venues in the entire Washington DC area. Happy venue hunting!

What do other couples in the DC area splurge on and what do they save on for their wedding? Well, now you’ll know, because we are back with part two in our little splurge vs. save wedding budget series. Did you see part one here? Washington DC area wedding planner Margo, owner of Bright Occasions, interviewed a few of her past clients for a little bit of insight into their priorities. We all know that a wedding in the DC area costs a lot of money. Hopefully, seeing how others broke it down will help you as you begin to lay out your wedding budget plans. Take it away, Margo…

Photo Credit: Carmen Wang Photography

N and J were married in March at the Carnegie Institution for Science…

Where did you splurge on your wedding, what was the area/expense?

Probably the biggest “splurge” were the chiavari chairs for the wedding ($7 a pop for 101 guests = $707, which I consider a splurge since they are only chairs after all). The Carnegie chairs are not that nice and I wanted the space to have an elegant feel. My thought process was, “We spent money on the Carnegie, why take away from it with ugly chairs?” It was the one “decor” item (other than centerpieces) that we really spent money on because we knew it would tie the space together. (See: Full list of DC area wedding rental companies.)

Other important areas included the actual venue itself, catering and alcohol. Photographer was also very important. If you add all of these main areas together, they would account for about 75% (maybe more) of the wedding budget. (See: Full list of DC area wedding venues.)

Where did you save on your wedding, what was the area/expense?

We saved on all paper goods, including invitations, signs, etc. Most of it was handmade. Our invitations were from Michael’s and we used a laser printer to print them off. They were formal and people enjoyed them! They were so cheap that we spent so much more on postage than on the actual invitations. (I believe we spent around $42 with some Michael’s coupons for 80 invitations!) Invitations are not something that people end up keeping anyway, so we did not think it would be worthwhile to spend here.

The veil. I wanted chapel/cathedral length and those can run a couple hundred dollars. My mom made my veil from tulle purchased from Jo Ann Fabrics for $15, and that included the 6-7 yards of tulle left over for a backup!

Having my mother in law do the wedding cake/homemade desserts. I can imagine a cake running upwards of $700-800 if purchased from a professional wedding cake bakery.

We did not end up having a videographer. We did not really see ourselves watching the wedding video in the future. Not sure that we won’t regret this decision though!

How did you decide where you would splurge? Save?

We basically considered what was important to us, what is important to the average guest, and what was in the interest of guest comfort. Is good food important to guest comfort? Yes, so therefore we made sure we got good food. Same with good, plentiful alcohol. We knew people did not care about invitations or place cards, so we made those ourselves. I knew I wanted a veil, but also knew I would be wearing it for all of 30 minutes, so we saved on that. I also knew I wanted good photos to cherish for life, so I made sure to hire a photographer I really enjoyed.

Photo Credit: Carmen Wang Photography

Thank you so much, Margo, for checking in with your past clients! This is so helpful! If you are looking for a wedding planner in the DC area, please do check out Bright Occasions. And, don’t forget, we are going to do one more of these next week. In the meantime, check out part one here.

From fashion and beauty to planning and budget, we’ve got it all covered, so take a look around the blog and read more tips and advice from local wedding pros in the DC area! And, you can find all of the best Washington DC wedding vendors in our guide!

I can’t even handle how much fun Olivia and Patrick’s reception looks, thanks to these photos from Rachael Foster Photography! (First, did you catch their ceremony?) They hung a canopy of paper lanterns above, chose vibrant lighting, but that’s not even the best of it! They asked their guests to paint canvases for their new home and they had a fun, prop-filled photo-booth guestbook. It was clear guest had a blast at this big celebration, and I’m kind of jealous I wasn’t in attendance!

From Olivia: We provided blank canvases and paint for our guests during the cocktail hour. The instructions were to paint something for the newlyweds. Our family and friends went to town and created such fun and thoughtful paintings. We can’t wait to hang them up in our new home!

A tent wedding seemed fitting because it gave us a clean backdrop to bring our color palette and style to life. We were inspired by many beautiful tent weddings on United With Love and other wedding blogs.

One detail that we were most excited about were the round paper lanterns that we had hanging from the ceiling of the tent. There were close to 70 lanterns of varying shades of purple and pink. We also had purple uplighting and chandeliers installed to accentuate the lanterns. The result was absolute perfection.

The memory that stands out the most is when Patrick and I were taking photos in the photo booth. Everyone had cleared out of the tent and ready to send us off. It was just the two of us, behind a closed curtain, and we just looked at each other, smiled, kissed and took a series of really goofy photos. It was so special and pure joy.

Our cake toppers were custom and handmade. Everything was spot on from my dress to Patrick’s glasses. Our tuxedo cat Momo was created too, which made us both so happy since he couldn’t attend the wedding.

Olivia’s advice to other DC-area couples:

If you’re thinking of hanging paper lanterns, just do it yourself. Paying a vendor thousands of dollars to do it is just not worth it. It’s easy to do and can be done very quickly with some help from good family and friends. It was one of the best decisions we made. Remember to ask members of your bridal party to remind you to touch up your makeup and hair throughout the night. You’ll be grateful for this once you see your wedding pictures.

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Olivia and Patrick’s wedding:

Ceremony Venue: Ashton United Methodist Church
Reception Venue: Woodlawn Manor
Caterer: Putting on the Ritz
Photographer: Rachael Foster Photography
Wedding Planner: Unforgettably Yours Events
Floral Designer: America’s Beautiful Florist
Ceremony Music: Cleon Beittel
Reception Music: C&J Entertainment
Lighting: Max Powers
Cake: Carey’s Cakes
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas
Transportation: Nationwide Transportation
Makeup: Blush DC
Wedding Dress: RK Bridal
Veil: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: Rachael Foster Photography

Today’s Maryland wedding from Rachael Foster Photography starts off with a classic, chic ceremony and ends with a fun and flirty reception (you’ll have to wait until later for that)! Olivia and Patrick had a simple all-white church ceremony with a few punchy pops of purple. I love Olivia’s ceremony dress, and her quick change into a sleek, floral-adorned reception dress too! Ready to hit the dance floor, coming up in just a bit!

From Olivia: We wanted our wedding to be classic and romantic with a few rustic chic touches.

I loved the moment when I first saw Patrick as I walked down the aisle.

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Olivia and Patrick’s wedding:

Ceremony Venue: Ashton United Methodist Church
Reception Venue: Woodlawn Manor
Caterer: Putting on the Ritz
Photographer: Rachael Foster Photography
Wedding Planner: Unforgettably Yours Events
Floral Designer: America’s Beautiful Florist
Ceremony Music: Cleon Beittel
Reception Music: C&J Entertainment
Lighting: Max Powers
Cake: Carey’s Cakes
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas
Transportation: Nationwide Transportation
Makeup: Blush DC
Wedding Dress: RK Bridal
Veil: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: Rachael Foster Photography

I need your help to make this blog even better! I want to hear from you, your thoughts, your wants, your everything when it comes to planning a wedding in the Washington, DC area! No, I can’t make it more affordable! But, I can make the planning process go more smoothly by giving you lots of real wedding inspiration and locally helpful advice from the top professionals in the the DC area. So, lay it on me and let me know what you want (or don’t want!) to see on the blog! If you are a general reader such as a bride or a wedding lover, here is the general reader survey. If you are a wedding vendor, please take this separate vendor survey.

Photo Credit: Audra Wrisley Photography from Jenni and Razor’s wedding

Thank you so much for reading United With Love each day and everything you do to make this blog awesome! I can’t wait to hear from you! Remember: here is the general reader survey and here is the vendor survey.