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Chesapeake Bay Waterside Wedding Venues

megandkyle9817megandkyle9817 member
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edited June 2015 in Maryland
Hi Lovely Brides!  

I am reaching out to all of you because I am going through a panic over my wedding venue.  My wedding isn't until Sept. 2017 but since our date is a day that is very important to us, I want to book ASAP so I don't have to compromise on the date or the location.  My fiance and I visited a few venues and fell in love with Herrington on the Bay's awesome views and cottages for our family and friends to make a weekend of the wedding rather than just enjoy being together for one day.  We plan to host a Friday night wedding and a Saturday BBQ for the family and friends who stay from out of town.  

But I am freaking now because I fear that maybe we haven't seen enough places or how do we even know which is the right place?  The ONLY thing I am not loving at Herrington on the Bay is the tented ballroom with its outdated dance floor material and carpet on the ground - ugh I wish that could be changed.  But also, what if it rains?  There are so many things I could be worried about that I honestly don't know what to do.  Do we keep looking for potential venues?  It's just one day right, so does it really matter that much (but it's the most important day of our lives!)?  Does anyone have any suggestions to help calm my nerves?  Other venue suggestions are welcome as well please (we want to keep with being on/by a dock and want to have our family able to stay near by)!  Do I suck it up and just try to forget that I hate the tent's flooring and remind myself that Herrington allows us to have a whole weekend with our family?  Ah!  Any and all comments are greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much ladies!
Best, Meg
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Re: Chesapeake Bay Waterside Wedding Venues

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    psloveit127psloveit127 member
    First Comment First Anniversary Name Dropper
    How big is your wedding?  I'm guessing fairly big if you are considering the tent @ Herrington and not the yacht club.. Have you seen Kent Manor Inn?  They have a ceremony space by their docks and their reception space is not tented.. they were opening a new, larger reception space when we were there last winter so I'm sure it's available to see now... they are a B&B, so if your party is small enough they can stay there.. or there are multiple hotels right up the road @ Kent Narrows, but you are sharing those with CBBC and Silver Swan.  (which are both also very pretty)  I've been told that there is a bar in Kent Narrows that will offer to shuttle guests back to their bar (which is across the street from the hotel) - they apparently don't make a fuss if guests just ride the shuttle to the bar and walk to the hotel. 


    We also liked River House.. same dock/waterfront feel, ceremony space is outdoor, but they can tent their patio and stick the ceremony there if light rain, or move it inside.. but you will run into that a lot with the waterfront venues from what we experienced.  There is an outdoor patio so your cocktail hour and wedding can spill out onto the patio that overlooks the lake.. close enough to Easton or St. Michaels to shuttle guests if need be.  They had a great area for the bride to get ready, and they offer a free round of golf to the groom. 

    We saw most of the venues in Easton, Kent Island, and the Chesapeake Beach area... ended up going with Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa, because we just liked the overall feel a little better than Herrington, and we felt like we got a little more for our money at the time we booked it (they offer free upgrades (e.g. free liquor) when you book during their annual bridal show in March).  We also just didn't love the coordinator that we ended up meeting at Herrington, and we thought the cottages were adorable, but a little bit pricey for our guests.  At CBR&S, guests can stay on site but it is also a little closer to the cheaper hotels in Prince Frederick if guests want to stay at a Holiday Inn... but you can also block hotel rooms at CBR&S when you are getting married @ Herrington, so keep that in mind if you are looking for hotel blocks.. they are probably about 4 miles from each other, so you could even use one site for the wedding and the other for the BBQ.

    Venue choosing was one of the most stressful parts for us! Once it was done, everything else in the vision kind of fell into place... just make sure you have seen enough of them to be sure.. especially a place like Herrington that is also your caterer - you will be dealing with them A LOT.. so make sure you really like them!
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    megandkyle9817megandkyle9817 member
    First Comment
    edited June 2015
    Thank you SO much for your reply. So helpful.  We are expecting about 170 for our wedding.  Have you had your wedding yet or is it coming up soon?  We are going to see Kent Manor next weekend but I love your idea of using CBR&S and Herrington to get everything we want together.  That is a great option.  Did you find it difficult to find exactly what you wanted?  I am always afraid I'm going to have to compromise on some things and I just don't want to do that!
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    runningtomyweddingrunningtomywedding member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    I am getting married at the Annapolis Maritime Museum next month. The site states it holds 150, but that is actually just how many chairs they have. Our guest list is around 180 and they said no problem.

    A company makes a custom tent for their deck with side walls and rain gutters, so even if it rains you can still get married on a deck on the water.

    We got blocks at a couple hotels near the venue, but since it is in downtown Annapolis a lot of people rent out their downtown homes on VRBO and many of my friends and family have chosen that instead (I am not originally from here so many of our guests are traveling).

    The coordinator there has been extremely accommodating and helpful!
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