Weddingbee boards

I need the hive's help! So after looking at literally a bajillion places online, I went with the FI to visit one of our top choices, Brookside gardens in Wheaton, MD (which we loved!). But it turns out they have a pretty crappy rain plan (i.e. NONE!) especially for our group of about 160. So we are looking for something that can has that really garden type feel to it but with a contingency plan. I posted a picture of the Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. I saw this and thought it was just the perfect place (until I saw the outrageous price tag and distance from Baltimore). I looked at the Botanical Gardens at Druid Hill but I think it'll be a bit small for our group. Does anyone have any suggestions for places with this kind of an indoor/outdoor feel to it that I might have missed?

EDIT: It wouldn't let me upload the photo so you can check it out here

We also loved Brookside Gardens but yea... no rain plan.

We're getting married at Irvine Nature Center because of all the venues we saw, this one's plan B was pretty and not from the '80s!  It's located in Owings Mills (just west of Bmore).  It's an outdoor ceremony with a tented reception (tent included between April and October).  If it rains, the ceremony will be held in the vaulted atrium of the Nature Center which has a huge window covering one wall that faces the forest.  The only drawback is that if we have to move inside, people will have to stand...

Go check it out!  Ask for a tour and they'll show you around.  =)

These are great suggestions! Unfortunately we are paying for the wedding ourselves and thus we are working on a very tight budget. We're hoping to find a place that the rental price would fall under $3500 (but only if they allow outside caterers -- much less if they do in house catering, which is bound to be expensive) so that makes the search much harder. I'll definitely have to check out that Irvine Nature Center since I wasn't overly excited by their website the first time. Maybe I'll stop by and be wowed! thanks guys!

Irvine falls under your budget, and I think especially in September (btw, your wedding day is my birthday!) their rates would be lower.  We're paying around $3,000 and ours is in peak season.  They definitely allow outside caterers.  They have suggestions to accomodate a lot of different tastes, but as long as the caterer you have in mind abides by their requirements, they're ok with caterers not on their list.  Chairs, tables, shephards hooks, and tent are included.

Have you checked out the Cloisters Castle in Lutherville? http://www.cloisterscastle.com/index.cfm

Depending on if they consider September a "premium" month (which they probably do unfortunately), it might be within your budget.

We actually did go to visit the Cylburn arboretum and the new visitor's center is pretty neat...but they wanted an extra $1000 just to do a ceremony outside on a plot of land 100 yds from the center (nothing special about that plot, just flat ground) and you HAD to rent the ceremony space for 4 hrs in addition to the 8 hrs of center rental. I'm sorry but I'm not having a ceremony for 4 hours. That would put even me to sleep. They did have a little grassy area directly next to the building that they said we could use without the extra charge but it's more of a big hill. Actually it kinda has an amphitheater feel to it with "levels" built into the hill (which if it had been done right with wedding rentals in mind would have actually been a neat way to have a ceremony). But it's not quite stable looking enough for my tastes and the "levels" aren't quite wide enough that we could put benches on for people to sit down. 

@hopewell : I actually had put Liriodendron on my "too small venue" list back when we had 200+ people coming and had forgotten about it but now that we've cut a bunch of people out and have it much closer to 150 it might be doable. I'm not a huge fan of the separate rooms for everyone to eat in but I'll have to check it out and see what the exact setup is. Thanks!

@weddingsos I can't remember exactly because it's been a little while ago since we visited and all my paperwork for that is back home (I'm away for a few months due to school stuff). But the information they sent me online says about $1400-$1900. I'm almost 100% positive that the price had increased when we went and visited, but I don't remember off hand what it was. Sorry. If you just want to do a reception there, I seem to remember it was reasonable and their visitor center was pretty nice. Their auditorium had a big wall that was completely glass. I just thought it was a little much to add $1000 for a half hour ceremony.

I am getting married at Swan Harbor next July and I just think it so beautiful. Its got great landscaping, the farm house is gorgeous inside/out. you use your own cater. we are going with Bear Bros.

Im so excited i cant wait. For Rain, they put up the sidewalls to the tent. they can hold up to 250 ppl.

Good Luck!  www.swanharborfarm.org