So it was time to start searching for wedding venues. I've been to, and been in, many weddings since my girlfriends first started getting married after college. So I've seen a wide range of options as far as location, theme, budgets, etc. Since I'm in the DC metropolitan area, of course the idea of a city wedding is an option. With Maryland being surrounded by the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers, the idea of a beach wedding on the Eastern Shore also springs to the top of the list. After considering some of the logistics involved like parking, driving distance, dealing with the Bay Bridge, lodging being more expensive for guests, and not being accessible to the local families' home bases, I decided against those options.
A couple years ago, my cousin got married in Charlotte, North Carolina. I LOVED that venue. It was private, charming, had a natural and rustic feeling, but was still very well manicured. The ceremony was outside on a tented patio, and the reception was inside in a small banquet room. The food was served buffet style, there wasn't a ton of hoopla and formality, yet it was still very nice, intimate, and perfect. The informal ambiance encouraged mingling and having a good time. There was also space outside for guests to walk around the lawns and for kids to run around and get out some of that pent up energy.
I loved the idea of an informal yet quaint location, so my thoughts were to try to duplicate the venue selection with my wedding. After some extensive and exhaustive internet searching, I found Snow Hill Manor in Laurel, Maryland. It is a Maryland historical site maintained by the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission (MNPPC). The rental rate was very attractive ($1,200 for 7 hours). The rental rate included access to inside the manor, which had four decorated rooms downstairs, and a bridal suite and groom suite upstairs, and it included the tented patio, the lawn and grounds, tables, and chairs for up to 120 guests.
When I visited Snow Hill Manor, I fell in love! When you first enter the property, you drive along a tree-lined dirt road. I could totally picture me and my sweetie walking down the path in our wedding attire or sneaking a (totally planned and photographed) kiss. The landscaping was beautiful and there was ample parking. When we walked into Snow Hill Manor, we loved the contemporary-meets-historic decor and feel. We could totally imagine getting married in the venue. It seemed very non-fussy, the staff was very nice, but ultimately, we decided against Snow Hill Manor (at least for now) because of the capacity requirements. We both come from rather large families that are close. The 120 maximum capacity INCLUDES those that are assisting you such as catering staff, photographers, DJ, etc. That left each of us basically only able to have 50 guests, and we knew, sadly, that Snow Hill Manor wouldn't work for us.
...stairway...
A couple years ago, my cousin got married in Charlotte, North Carolina. I LOVED that venue. It was private, charming, had a natural and rustic feeling, but was still very well manicured. The ceremony was outside on a tented patio, and the reception was inside in a small banquet room. The food was served buffet style, there wasn't a ton of hoopla and formality, yet it was still very nice, intimate, and perfect. The informal ambiance encouraged mingling and having a good time. There was also space outside for guests to walk around the lawns and for kids to run around and get out some of that pent up energy.
I loved the idea of an informal yet quaint location, so my thoughts were to try to duplicate the venue selection with my wedding. After some extensive and exhaustive internet searching, I found Snow Hill Manor in Laurel, Maryland. It is a Maryland historical site maintained by the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission (MNPPC). The rental rate was very attractive ($1,200 for 7 hours). The rental rate included access to inside the manor, which had four decorated rooms downstairs, and a bridal suite and groom suite upstairs, and it included the tented patio, the lawn and grounds, tables, and chairs for up to 120 guests.
When I visited Snow Hill Manor, I fell in love! When you first enter the property, you drive along a tree-lined dirt road. I could totally picture me and my sweetie walking down the path in our wedding attire or sneaking a (totally planned and photographed) kiss. The landscaping was beautiful and there was ample parking. When we walked into Snow Hill Manor, we loved the contemporary-meets-historic decor and feel. We could totally imagine getting married in the venue. It seemed very non-fussy, the staff was very nice, but ultimately, we decided against Snow Hill Manor (at least for now) because of the capacity requirements. We both come from rather large families that are close. The 120 maximum capacity INCLUDES those that are assisting you such as catering staff, photographers, DJ, etc. That left each of us basically only able to have 50 guests, and we knew, sadly, that Snow Hill Manor wouldn't work for us.
...back entrance and tent...
...some of the grounds...
...sidewalk to tent...
...view of grounds...
...stairway...
...bridal suite...
...bridal suite...
...groom dressing area...
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