The Ultimate Guide to Choosing A Wedding Venue in Maryland
Are you planning a wedding in Maryland and not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place!
In this guide we will go over everything you need to plan your dream wedding including where you’re at, what you’re wearing, and the people necessary to make sure your day goes off without a hitch!
Let’s get started!
Wedding Venues in Maryland
Choosing the right Venue is a must to ensure that your wedding looks and feels the way you want it to. One big decision is whether to make the choice to make your wedding outdoors or indoors. It is important to understand the differences between the two.
Indoor Wedding Venues
If your wedding is planned for a colder month or you aren’t a fan of dirt, then an indoor wedding would be more suitable for you and your loved ones. Indoor Wedding Venues can work very well for smaller, more intimate wedding parties while some venues allow for bigger parties.
Does your wedding have to be in a boring banquet hall? Absolutely not! In Maryland, there are plenty of unique wedding venues that are indoors like the Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland or even some museums in Maryland like The Baltimore Museum of Industry, The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. These venues allow your wedding to be different from the ones you see on social media while still allowing spaces similar to a traditional wedding feel.
If you still want an outdoorsy feel but need an indoor space, maybe a barn wedding might be your style. This way you can have your wedding cake and eat it too! Or more accurately in this case have a more rustic wedding while still having an indoor space to celebrate with friends and family. Having an indoor wedding can save your party if the weather does accommodate your big day.
Outdoor Wedding Venues
Are you and your partner connected to the great outdoors? Then there really is no other choice than an outdoor wedding venue. There is a wide variety of options for outdoor weddings; there is really something for everyone! Do you want a wedding venue on the water? Maybe have your toes in the sand?
Then a beach wedding might be your style! Beach Weddings offer a great laid back atmosphere for you and your guests; an added bonus, no one has to wear heels.
Still want to be by the water but hate the sand? Then look at a yacht wedding venue. This way you are next to the ocean while you say your vows, but you don’t have to clean sand out of your shoes during the honeymoon.
Maryland has many options like City Cruises out of Baltimore or The Sail Selina II in St. Michaels. These small wedding venues can create a really fun atmosphere for you and your guests and give the whole event a party atmosphere.
Need more green experience than that? Maybe a garden wedding is the right fit! With scenic nature surrounding you, what could be more romantic? Some of the best wedding venues in Maryland are garden venues, including The Villa in Beltsville, The Crown Rose Estate in Knoxville, and Camp Puh’tok in Montokon.
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Wedding Photographers
The next step is finding someone who can capture the essence of your big day without being too overbearing or pushy. Wedding photography is an important part of making sure you can remember this day for years to come. Reviews will be your best friend when finding the right wedding photographer.
Choose someone who has a lot of experience in the style of photo you want. If the venue has someone they recommend it might be a good idea to go with them, as they might know great spots at the venue to take pictures.
Scheduling a test run might also be beneficial so you can make sure you like the person. If you don’t get along, that experience can ruin your whole day!
The next step is finding shoot locations. Many venues have great photo opportunities for couples to take beautiful pictures with their friends and family, but maybe you are looking for something more unique. There are some great photo spots to look at throughout the state whether you want urban, rustic, or completely out of the box locations. Some great urban options include Federal Hill in Baltimore, Graffiti Alley in Baltimore or Downtown Fredrick or Annapolis.
If you are looking for a more rustic photo backdrop maybe consider snapping some pictures at Sugarloaf Vineyard in Dickerson, Savage Mill, or Gambrill Mills all of which offer older buildings with an outdoor scenic nature surrounding the property. Some more unique options include The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Camden Yards in Baltimore, or even the Maryland State Fair!
Wedding Catering
Wedding catering is the next step in planning your big day. You want to first decide your
wedding menu. Some classic wedding menu ideas featuring a starter, usually being a salad of some sort of a shrimp cocktail, a main course, consisting of a beef or chicken option, then
obviously, dessert. Once you decide on a menu you then have to decide on a sit down or buffet style dinner. There are pros and cons to both options. A sit down dinner can create a more luxurious dining experience for you and your guests. If you have a black-tie wedding, this is definitely the way to go. For a bigger wedding, a buffet style dinner might be more cost
effective. This can also fit the style of your wedding better if you choose a venue that is more rustic.
Wedding Hair and Make-Up
How do you want to look on your big day? Hair and make-up can complete or wreck any look. Deciding on whether or not you want a hairstylist and makeup artist is the first step.
Do you think you can do it yourself or maybe one of your friends? Maybe you don’t need to hire someone to do it. If you aren’t as skilled with the brush then hiring a professional wedding makeup artist and hair stylist is definitely the way to go. After that you want to decide on the look you’re going for. Search for inspiration on sites like Pinterest.
For example, if you have long hair searching up wedding hairstyles for long hair would be a good start. For different makeup looks, ask whoever is doing your makeup. A professional is bound to have examples or ideas of what would look good with your skin and what would match the venue.
Wedding Planners
Planning a wedding can be a lot of work so you might want to hire a wedding planner! They can take all the stress off of you and your loved ones before and on your special day.
With a wedding planner, you won’t have to worry about which caterers to choose from or which florist will give you the lowest prices because most wedding planners have special connections with these businesses and those connections usually mean less stress for you and more savings as well.
They can also help indecisive couples choose certain venues relating to the theme of the wedding. You might find yourself with a better venue than you could have found yourself,
because you didn’t know where to look. Like with the caterers and florist, they might also be able to help you get a discount if they have connections wherever you are tying the knot.
If you still want to go the route of planning the wedding yourself, you should definitely create a wedding planning checklist. Make yourself goals like picking out your wedding dress and which cake you are going to go with and set a date to go along with those goals. This initial step will save so much stress in the long run and will also ensure you don’t forget anything.
Wedding Dresses
When buying a wedding dress for your big day there are many options to choose from, from traditional to out of the box it all depends on what the bride feels good in.
One of the most popular trends in wedding dresses right now is black wedding dresses. This is the perfect dress for the bride who wants to be different on her big day. Another trend is the
bohemian wedding dress style usually consisting of long sleeves and floral details. These dresses work great at non-traditional wedding venues, like beach weddings.
Another great option for a beach wedding venue would be a shorter dress that matches the atmosphere of your venue. Beach wedding dresses should be flowy, breathable and simple,
because more than likely it will be hot. This also matches the feel of a beach wedding as it gives a laid back aura.
Some issues brides find are that they cannot find dresses they like in their size. If you are looking for a plus size wedding dress, you don’t have to settle! David’s Bridal is one great option for brides of all sizes and styles. There are also specialized boutiques for plus sized women in Maryland one of the best is Curvaceous Couture in Columbia.
Stores like David’s Bridal also sell wedding veils and shoes for brides. Finding a store like this will be extremely beneficial so you don’t have to run to multiple stores to get what you need to have to look perfect on your wedding day. You can also try all of your items on at the same time to see how they look together.
Wedding Cakes
What can be more important than the wedding cake! There are many wedding cake ideas to choose from, the first step will be picking your flavor of cake.
Cake tasting will be an important step. Nothing would be more upsetting than seeing a pretty cake and biting into it and it tasting bad.
After you’ve chosen a flavor you and your partner enjoy, the next step is to choose a wedding
cake design. One great source to look at different styles is Pinterest. You can bring a couple ideas to your baker and see what ideas they have, as they might be able to combine many different ideas into one cake. A new simple wedding cake trend going around is the naked wedding cake. That is a cake with little to no frosting on the outside. These cakes are perfect for a minimalistic wedding theme, or people who just don’t like frosting.
After choosing your wedding cake design you need to pick your topper and stand. Your baker might have some recommendations, and it might be best to follow them. They know what will work best to hold the cake up and what will look best on top of the cake. They might even offer some toppers at their shop so it is always a good idea to ask!
Wedding Décor
Wedding decorations can make or break the ambiance of your wedding. There are many things to think about when choosing wedding décor so let’s go over everything you need to know!
The first step is picking a theme for your wedding. This will set the tone for the rest of your decorations. You do not have to stick to the average wedding themes your mother or grandmother had, there are many modern themes that will shock your guests in a great way! Some of these themes include Fairytale, Bohemian, or even more out of the box ideas like horror or Disney! It’s your wedding, do what you want, the important thing is to pick a theme and stick to it.
Flowers are beautiful and they can be even more beautiful as decorations on your wedding day! Finding a reliable florist with flowers that will match the theme of your wedding is extremely important. Go to their shop and look at the different bouquets they have to offer. Flowers can also be used on centerpieces and on tables.
Wedding centerpieces can catch the eyes of anyone walking into your reception. Big or small, colorful or black and white, what is important is that the centerpieces go together. They do not have to be exactly the same but they should all look cohesive. There are other decorations that
can go on the table. Wedding table decorations, like candles or other knick knacks, can go next to or in between centerpieces on the table. This is how you can differentiate tables and make the room look more inviting.
The last big decoration piece is the wedding arch. There are many different options you can use to decorate your arch. People usually decorate their arch with flowers and tulle, but that doesn’t mean you have to! Maybe you have a more whimsical wedding theme, so you want to have a balloon arch. As long as you and your partner enjoy the decorations, it doesn’t matter. Another way to make your arch more interesting is to change the shape of your arch. You can choose a triangle, hexagon, or a perfect circle.
In terms of decoration the options are limitless!
Wedding Bands and DJs
Music is a huge part of any event, weddings including. Hiring a DJ for your reception can create a really fun party atmosphere. Wedding DJs and bands don’t only play music at your party, they also read the crowd and make sure everyone gets involved.
Wedding music should be a big part of your ceremony too. Wedding processional songs are the songs that brides walk down the aisle too. I know what you’re thinking, that is always the same thing, The Wedding March. You can choose whatever song you want to be your processional song. Some modern favorites are “All of Me” by John Legend, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran and “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri.
Wedding Rings
Wedding rings signify the love you and your partner have for each other, so it is important that you choose something that you like and something that means something to you.
Although most people surprise their partner with an engagement ring, a wedding ring is something that you and your partner choose together. It can be a great bonding experience and get both partners excited for the wedding. Of course, buying a wedding ring requires a lot of research beforehand. For one thing, you need to consider whether you want to buy a diamond ring or perhaps a plain gold band.You also want to ensure you try on the ring to make sure it is comfortable enough to wear every day.
When picking a wedding band for the groom, you want to make sure you pick something
comfortable and something you want to wear. Thicker wedding bands with more metal will be more uncomfortable to wear, although they might look more appealing. These bands will also
cost more. When picking out a wedding ring for the bride, you want to choose the style first. The shape of the diamond, color, and size of the band are all important. When picking out rings it might be a good idea to choose a wedding ring set for you and your partner, so both rings can match each other. It might also be cheaper to buy your rings in a set rather than buying them separately