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Oh my goodness thank you so much! You just saved me a boatload of work - we are spending under $10K but since we're skipping a bunch of the normal stuff (florist, dinner, bm dresses, tuxes, video) and going super cheap on others (dress, photog, rings, cake) these venues (mostly under $2K? $3K? $1K? do you know?) should be a _great_ starting place. Like you, I want outside, one location, near Baltimore and DC.
Since you're so amazing, I don't suppose you've looked at student photographers/photographer's assistants at all, have you? I'm thinking of starting with MICA; I could test them out by having a few engagement photos taken.
Thanks again for posting this!!!
Most of the venues in the "realistic options" were under $4k (though many were much cheaper than that). And when I say under $4k, I think the most expensive I saw was like $3500 on a Saturday night during wedding season. But they had a cheaper option if you wanted to do weekday, fri/sun, or off season so I kept them on the list. Just keep in mind whether you want the place to cater or not, also. That might change your mind about a few places. Some places I could find their pricing information for that and others I couldn't. The venues that were at public government sites tended to be the cheaper options.
As far as photographers go, I am actually going to school with a girl whose husband is/was a professional photographer's assistant (I think recently he decided to stop working with him) and I love his work so I think we are going to try to use him. I don't know how much he's gonna ask to shoot our wedding yet, though. He told me that since he's just starting out on his own he probably won't charge a lot. I can pass along that information when I get it. If he doesn't work out, I'll probably try to use the guy he used to work for (his cousin). His cousin has much more experience and does BEAUTIFUL work but he'll end up costing more (his packages start at $1600). But we decided that pictures were one of the areas we wouldn't mind spending a bit more. I do have a friend currently in photography at MICA so I sent her an email asking if she knew of anyone she'd recommend or how you could go about requesting a student. When are you looking to have your wedding?
I'll pass along anymore info I get.
We _just_ got engaged on Weds - haven't even told the parents yet! But we don't want a long engagement; we're thinking sometime this year, not before April when my mom gets back from overseas assignment. I'm vaguely thinking August because that's when everyone in DC goes out of town so things might be cheaper. It also depends on when my grandmother could come from California; traveling's a huge deal for her. So, basically, I have no idea! I'd love to hear about your photographer info; I'll let you know what I find too when I start looking more seriously.
First off, CONGRATS!!! So excited for you!!! I can't believe you have told your parents yet. My FH made us call everyone we knew the minute after he proposed and I said yes...at 12:30am! 
Here is a link to my friend's husband's flickr site (he hasn't gotten a professional site completed yet) and if you like that then I can give you his contact info.
Also, here is the link to his cousin's website. Some of the pictures were taken by my friend's husband, but I have no idea which ones.
Both of those guys I believe are up in the Philly area, so I don't know if it would be any extra for travelling but it would be worth a shot.
And here are a few other reasonably priced ones (well, relatively speaking I suppose) that I have heard good things about:
http://www.brianraystudios.com/
http://www.meghanlynnphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1#/home/
http://julieeisel.smugmug.com/
http://www.sweetpeafotos.com/weddings/index2.php
http://www.lindseyburdphotography.com/live/
http://nicolenadiamartin.com/home.html
Btw, I think I have officially decided that I hate photographer's websites that don't have any pricing info. It is seriously annoying. If you have a decent price, put it up there! If you are a bit more expensive, put it up there! At least then I know where to start with you and if I even have a chance of affording you. Otherwise I'll just pass over you and go to the next one that has information. Sorry, minor vent after seeing lots of people who I liked but just don't have the time to inquire with everyone right now Good luck!
What information were you looking for specifically at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront? Their package info is posted on their website:
http://www.marriott.com/hotelwebsites/us/b/bwiwf/bwiwf_pdf/EventsMenu1.pdf
I fell in love with hotel but it wasn't a good for us. It is GORGEOUS hotel! You can also check out the Baltimore Renaissance (www.marriott.com/bwish) which is a little less expensive and has ballroom that overlooks the harbor.
We also toured Camden Yards, but it had weird space. One of the rooms had a lot of pillars and the other was set up like restaurant with different sections.
For some reason, I had been unable to find that menu information so thanks! You're right! That is a gorgeous hotel! I would LOVE to overlook the harbor! But I think I've decided that unless a place wows me with their catering, I'm going to bring in an outside caterer. My entire side of the family is vegetarian so dinner options of chicken, salmon, and steak just won't cut it most places. I did find the Curry Shack at the Market and Flavor Ink that sounded out of this world and had a good mix of vegetarian and meat options. I don't know any of their pricing but tell me your mouth did not start watering when you read those menus!
WOW! That is an amazing amount of venues there. We have like 1/10th of that many venues in my area.
I also wanted to add Waverly Mansion in Howard County, MD. My friend got married there in 2008 and it cost her around 1K to rent it. She had to pay separately for rentals, etc. but managed to keep her wedding around 12 or 15K.
I'm getting married at www.theinnatbrookevillefarms.com near Olney Maryland. My fiance and I found it to be quite reasonable because there isn't a rental fee to use the space---just the catering fees. And the staff was even willing to negotiate the cost down for us. :-)
@princess: you rock out!! i wish you were in baton rouge to give me all of that information lol!!!!
Here is also another list of venues that I found on the Baltimore page at TheKnot.
Oh wow, I'm glad I could help - but your list is SO comprehensive. Where were you when I was venue hunting ;)
@princess.. any progress in the venue search? I too have been looking in the greater DC/MD area and came across many of the same places that you have in your list! Question for you though.. are you looking for just a venue for 10k or does that include anything else (like catering, etc)? Just wondering bc my FH and I hoping to keep our whole budget to 10-12k and many of those places require a minimum catering budget.. at least that's what I found! Either way, good luck :)))
@junebug12 Ironically, we decided to go with a place not on this massive list. Someone on another thread suggested our venue! We decided to go with Shade Trees and Evergreens in Frederick, MD. It's a family owned tree farm that has a very nice area that they've converted into a wedding venue. Saturdays are $3000 and Fri/Sun are $2500 for a full day. No catering minimum or list of required vendors. You get the place from 8am-10pm and they have chairs and tables for 200. We liked them the best because it was a good inside/outside compromise. They also were very open to any ideas we had. I kept throwing crazy ideas out just to see their limit and they had none! So I think we might just have an awesome all day bbq/pizza/beer celebration!
You can check out their fan page on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frederick-MD/Shade-Trees-Evergreens-Event-Grounds/84285808565?ref=search#!/pages/Frederick-MD/Shade-Trees-Evergreens-Event-Grounds/84285808565
@princessleia: One place I don't see is the Sunset Room at the National Harbor. It is within your price. If you travel over the water to Alexandria, the Torpedo Factory maybe an option as well.
Good Luck!
LADIES, I got awesomely cheap BM dresses to save me money on gojane.com, I'm letting everyone know our dresses were 80$- now i can spend on real flowers
@Princess, I am absolutely IN LOVE with Shade Trees & Evergreens. You have a budget very close to mine, would you mind letting me in on what vendors you used for catering, alcohol, DJ, photography, etc.? Thanks! I've liked a lot of places, but this is by far my favorite!!
Ladies... PLEASE be careful with Shade Trees and Evergreens
The owners are very unprofessional and very rude!
Yes, the place is beautiful and you would get great pictures there but they will ruin it for you.
When we looked at this place last summer, I fell in love. We signed the contract right then and there for our October 2011 wedding.
I started noticing the unprofessionalism on their facebook page. Whoever handles it (which I am assuming is her daughter based on emails shared) is very rude with horrible grammatical skills.
I brushed this off because I figured some people just cannot type.
A little over a month before our wedding we received an addendum in the mail. One part stated that the DJ must stay within 60 decibels. It did not state where it was measured so when I called and asked I was told the property line. Although now they claim they told me it was from the far end of the parking lot (GET ALL CONVOS with them IN WRITING)
They do not keep record of these readings and will not tell you (the contract holders) when the music is too loud. They only tell the DJ...
which is a good ploy for them. I'm sure they have collected many security deposits this way. They certainly got ours.
Before you book this place... even though I hope you save yourself the stress and the money... please be advised with who you are about to deal with.
And ask yourself if the money is worth it.
For $3000 (+ the $300 security deposit they took) we got a rehearsal, the event grounds for the entire day of the wedding, tables set up but not the chairs, a weathered / chipped dance floor, loose stones in areas where someone could have certainly fallen (kay, the owner, was even shuffling these around with her feet while we were there), the bridal suite has awful power issues (we had to turn their heater off and still blew a fuse at least 8 times with just a hair dryer and curling iron plugged in) keep this in mind if you have a large bridal party and plan to get ready there, the 'day of' lady there tipped a drink on my sister because she was on the dance floor with it (although I am sure they will deny as they have everything else), and a bunch of rude, unprofessionals.
Please ladies! THINK TWICE BEFORE BOOKING THIS PLACE!
(I told them I was going to do this... they removed me from their facebook page before I could post on there. Must have something to be worried about?)
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Since I got engaged some 5 months ago, I have picked apart pretty much every venue in the Baltimore-DC area. I knew what I wanted: Ceremony and Reception at the same place, beautiful backdrop for an outdoor ceremony, maybe overlooking water, something within an hour drive of Baltimore, oh, and lest I forget, something that would fit into our budget of $10k for almost 200 guests.
I figured I would share what I have found so far to help anyone else out with their search. I know how time consuming it was to find all these places. And if anyone can vouch for any other the places listed go for it! I'll take all the information I can get!
Realistic Options (These places fit my guest count and seem to be within my budget, though I might have to negotiate with some of the venues a bit more)
1. Annapolis Marriot Waterfront
2. Fiore Winery
3. Glen Echo Park
4. Probably Brookside Gardens but possibly one of the others, Park comparison
5. Newton White Mansion
6. Prince George's Ballroom
7. Strong Mansion
8. The Music Center at Strathmore (but not the mansion)
9. Swan Harbor Farm
10. Belmont Conference Center
11. The Mansion at Valley Country Club
12. Overhills Mansion
13. Baltimore Hyatt
14. Town and Country Caterers - Waterford
15. Chesapeake Bay Hyatt
16. Old South Country Club
17. The Westminster Riding Club
18. The Rooftop at Rockville's Town Center
19. Port Discovery
20. Cylburn Arboretum
21. Matapeake Clubhouse and Beach
22. Kurtz's Beach
23. Clark's Elioak Farm
24. Nixon's Farm
25. The Great Room at Savage Mill
26. Memorial Chapel at UMD College Park and Stamp Student Union
27. Riverdale Manor
28. The Other Barn and across the street The Meeting House
These didn't have all their information on the site so I need more information about price/guest capacity:
29. Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens in Druid Hill Park
30. Audubon Naturalist Society - Woodend
31. The Inn at the Colonnade
32. Chart House Restaurant
33. Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
34. The Contemporary Museum
35. Eastern Yacht Club
36. Irvine Nature Center
37. Landon Private School
38. McDaniel College
39. Milburn Orchards
40. Naval Academy Club
41. Padonia Park Club
42. Peerce's Landing
43. Severn Inn
44. The River Plantation
45. The Maryland Zoo
46. The Engineer's Club of Baltimore
47. Patowmack Farm
48. Mt Airy Mansion
49. Top of the Bay
50. Antrim 1844
51. National Aquarium in Baltimore
52. Carroll Arts Center
53. Kent Manor
54. Navy-Marine Stadium
55. Oriole Park at Camden Yards
56. The Oaks
57. Sheraton - Columbia
58. The Manor Tavern
59. Celebrations at the Bay
60. The Walters Art Museum
61. Port Annapolis Marina
62. Four Seasons Hotel - DC
63. Michaels Eighth Avenue
64. Harbour Towne
65. Grey Rock Mansion
66. Sheraton Annapolis
67. La Fontaine Bleu
68. Camp Letts
69. Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor
70. Marvin Center at George Washington University
71. Scenic View Orchards
72. Melwood Retreat Center
73. Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
74. Lohr's Orchard
75. Homestead Farm
76. Hodson Boathouse and The Great Hall at St. John's College
These for whatever reason (cost, guest count, etc.) didn't work for me, but maybe for you:
77. Lidiodendron Mansion
78. Boordy Vineyards
79. Centerstage
80. Chase Court
81. Cloisters Castle
82. Elkridge Furnace Inn
83. Glenview Mansion
84. Pier 5/Admiral Fell Inn
85. Historic Annapolis Foundation
86. London Town and Gardens
87. Maryvale Prep School Castle
88. Oxon Hill Manor
89. PG Park places
90. The Mansion at Strathmore
91. Savage Mill Manor
92. Thorpewood
93. Vandiver Inn
94. Downs Park
95. Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art
96. Linganore Winecellers
97. Herrington on the Bay
98. Ceresville Mansion
99. Elk Forge
100. Ladew Topiary Gardens
101. Harbor Court Hotel Baltimore
102. Loews Hotel Annapolis
103. St. Paul's School
104. Battlefield Bed & Breakfast
105. Carroll County Farm Museum
106. Gramercy Mansion
107. Howard County Conservancy
108. The Lodge at Oregon Ridge Park
Phew! That is quite an extensive list!
Also, don't be afraid to check out vacation rental houses throughout Maryland! I found some great houses on the beach that cost as much for one week as some of these venues do for 4 hours!
I also checked out this post by Mrs. D'orsay which gave me a lot of good help!
Best of luck everyone with their venue search!