When you wonder how much to tip in China, whether you should bring your own water bottles to Costa Rica or how likely it is that you will find people who speak English in your destination country, we can tell you the answers because we’ve been there.
A destination wedding is the perfect choice for the couple who want to make their day an extraordinary experience for both themselves and their guests. Yet, as in all travel plans, the unexpected can upset your hopes. We are here to help you achieve perfection.
We have helped in planning weddings with up to 150 guests throughout the Caribbean, Europe, the Mediterranean and Hawaii.
We can help you establish a budget, figure the best timeline for your trip and learn legal requirements in the countries you are considering.
We also help you think of all those forgotten details like handling children away from home or how to get your wedding recorded once you return home. In short, we ensure that nothing is overlooked when making your destination choice.
We use our connections to get the best prices and terms for you and your guests. We make all the travel arrangements for you and can arrange activities, such as spa days, golf outings, sport-fishing or tours at your destination.
Your guests will find all the details on your own page on our website. Weekly updates as to who has rsvp’d are sent to you.
The planners at Best Connection Travel would be pleased to help you choose the perfect destination and venue for your dream wedding based on your vision of your special day.
We have been providing international travel planning services in Annapolis since 1988. Our personal travel to destinations all over the world provides us with the insight needed to plan your getaway. Stop in our office or visit us on the web.
Best Connection Travel, Ruby Degenhard, President: 2005-2 West St., Annapolis; 410-224-4555; www.bestconnectiontravel.com
Cakes and Confections
Your wedding cake — and more
We pride ourselves on coming up with solutions for unique wedding requests.
Want a 3D sailboat grooms cake? No problem.
A cake with tiers of all your favorite flavors? We can do it.
Not a cake fan? No problem there, either.
We’ll find your sweet spot.
Cakes and Confections custom designs your special request in any form for any occasion: wedding cakes, grooms cakes, rehearsal dinner and bridal shower cakes — plus all sorts of pastries and desserts. We’ve satisfied customers with wedding pies, mini pastries, homemade quiche, scones and treats. One bride wanted Irish soda bread scones for her reception; we delighted in delivering her request.
You can expect delicious wedding sweets — and savories — beautifully designed to fit your unique tastes, interests and budget. In business 15 years, we know how to make the process of picking a wedding cake fun and delicious. We don’t do stress.
Phone to set up an appointment for a complimentary wedding cake tasting and consultation. We also serve breakfast and lunch in our café, so there’s more reason than one to stop in.
Destination weddings in romantic Chesapeake Country
Make your wedding an event in history. It is one of the most significant events in your life, and should take place in a beautiful and memorable setting.
The Calvert Marine Museum, situated at the confluence of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, offers a unique and charming location. The museum’s iconic Drum Point Lighthouse rises over historic workboats anchored in Back Creek. Along the boardwalk great blue herons, barn swallows and red-winged blackbirds fly. The boat basin and marsh walk lend themselves to an easy romantic stroll.
The museum offers beautiful wedding venues. For small gatherings, a ceremony under the lighthouse followed by a cruise on the historic Wm. B. Tennison is an option. Boutique weddings can take place in our graceful open-air Corbin Pavilion. Inside the exhibition building, the Harms Gallery offers space for larger gatherings that also affords your guests the opportunity to explore the museum.
The Calvert Marine Museum is where beautiful memories are made. Let us help make your wedding unforgettable.
Calvert Marine Museum, Megan Purdy, Facilities and Events Coordinator: 14200 Solomons Island Rd., Solomons; 410-326-2042; www.calvertmarinemuseum.com
DJ Dave Entertainment
Select DJ Dave as your DJ and emcee and put your mind at ease
My goal is to have a positive impact on one of the most important days in your life.
Music sets the tone for your special day, from the bride and groom’s grand entrance to the last dance of the evening.
An award-winning business specializing in weddings and receptions, DJ Dave Entertainment is committed to bringing you high-quality, courteous service. With DJ Dave and his team of professionals, your events are enhanced by unmatched entertainment customized to your personality and tastes.
Orchestrating your occasion starts with a face-to-face meeting, during which you are guided step-by-step through every phase of your event. Because DJ Dave has built a network of professional relationships in the Southern Maryland and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, you can find a helpful resource for every aspect of your event planning.
The service’s dedication to professionalism and its unsurpassed musical knowledge assure clients that you, as well as your friends and family, will be provided a classy, lively and enjoyable affair.
DJ Dave Entertainment is outfitted with the highest quality equipment, bringing you and your guests unrivaled sound — as well as backup systems so you can rest assured that your event will go off without a hitch.
DJ Dave Entertainment provides LED and laser lighting synched to dance music, with a host of other lighting options available. Previous clients will also attest that DJ Dave’s customizable, wireless uplighting is unsurpassed in the area.
With DJ Dave Entertainment, you are serviced by a team of professionals led by DJ Dave himself, who graduated from the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland in 1996 and went on to work as an on-air talent in numerous markets. DJ Dave and his team typically dress in formal attire, but the staff is also flexible enough to accommodate anything from shorts and sandals to tuxes.
DJ Dave Entertainment is truly your one-stop shop for all your special-event needs.
Herrington on the Bay is the Chesapeake Bay’s premiere, eco-lifestyle waterfront event venue and full-service custom caterer. When you share your dreams and wishes, our chefs, wedding designers and event coordinators collaborate on your behalf, and your joyous occasion evolves into the incredible story of a lifetime.
In addition to our private waterfront venues and beautifully landscaped ceremony lawns with pristine Bay views, we offer custom-designed menus and event planning services to suit the needs of every couple.
Our experienced team of hospitality professionals provides expert guidance to our guests in a very friendly, respectful and caring way, while they are planning life’s monumental celebrations. We are people-people who care passionately about parties, food and fun.
Our chefs are passionate about cooking. From gluten free and vegan specialties to good old Maryland fare to diverse cultural and fusion foods, our chefs delight our guests with fresh farm-to-table cuisine.
We support our local farmers, watermen and all vendors as our local economy is an important aspect of our region’s stability. We are certified by the Green Restaurant Association and carry the exclusive award of being the first and only Three Star-rated event caterer on Chesapeake Bay.
We approach our work — your wedding — with the understanding that you are the reason we exist as a company. Our goal is to create a seamless, extraordinary and memorable occasion.
Your vision becomes reality with our beauty services
As master of hair artistry, we create gorgeous styles from romantic updos, sleek blow-outs, beachy waves to loose tousled curls. Whether you desire Old Hollywood glamour, natural girl-next-door radiance or an edgy avant-garde look, our professional team will bring your vision to life.
Jackie’s Design creative team is highly trained in the art of airbrush makeup and tattoo cover-ups. We have the best aesthetician in town to get your skin glowing and picture-perfect for your big day.
Rely on our professional team of artists to guide and advise you from the trial run to the big day with professionalism and style.
Make sure you put your best face forward on your wedding day.
Licensed aesthetician Lori Thomas has over 20 years’ experience in upscale salons, helping clients love the skin they’re in with specialty acne, aging and other skin treatments, as well as face and full body waxing. With encouragement from family and friends, Just Browzing Wax Bar and Beauty Boutique was founded in March 2015.
Just Browzing offers customizable foundation makeup for special occasions and special bridal package pricing. We carry high quality products you cannot find anywhere else, like GlowBiotics, MD, Motives Custom Blend Foundation, One Love Organics, Coola organic suncare products — plus sterling silver custom fit toe rings that stay on without the pinch.
We strive to push the boundaries of beauty with our extraordinary products, exceptional services and dedication to our guests’ well-being.
Just Browzing Wax Bar & Beauty Boutique: 2411 Crofton Lane, Crofton; 410-451-BROW (2769); www.justbrowzingwaxbar.com
Maria’s Love Point Bed and Breakfast
A unique, exclusive setting for your fairytale wedding
We are committed to making your wedding day a wonderful experience and memory with the perfect place, décor, cuisine and service.
Maria’s Love Point fulfills romantic wishes with a secluded waterfront spot to set your ceremony apart. Located on Kent Island overlooking Chesapeake Bay and the Chester River, Maria’s promises you a very private and exclusive waterfront wedding.
You needn’t think small. Maria’s Love Point can easily accommodate up to 275 guests for wedding and receptions. Our grounds are all yours for your special day.
Feeling overwhelmed by all a wedding demands? We are ready to assist you with professional planning from start to finish with attention to all the details, from tents … to menus … to your wedding cake … to flowers … to music … to fishing and golf excursions for your guests … to transportation … to the smallest accessories.
Catering services offer a wide selection of menus, from gourmet formal dinners to bull and pig roasts.
For music we meet your tastes, from quality DJs to live cover bands — every genre, every taste for any budget — to make your party sing and dance.
We’ll help you choose wedding flowers including bouquets, reception centerpieces and boutonnieres — and make sure all are delivered fresh, beautiful and on time.
Even for your cake, you can count on us. We’re specialists in wedding cakes in many shapes and sizes in themes casual, traditional, modern, elegant, playful or eccentric.
Your guests will be so enthralled at Maria’s Love Point that they’ll want to do more. Local golf, fishing trips and nights-on-the-town are also part of our service.
We’ll do anything and everything to get you to the church on time, including providing airport shuttles and event-day limousine and hotel transfers.
Phone to schedule a date and time to visit Maria’s to see Love Point and discuss your vision in detail.
Maria’s Love Point Bed & Breakfast: 1710 Love Point Rd., Stevensville; 410-643-5054; www.mariaslovepoint.com
Mills Fine Wine & Spirits
We assure your wedding cups are full
Keeping spirits flowing for over 30 years
Mills Fine Wine has been providing beverages for catered and home weddings in Annapolis and the surrounding region for decades. On the wedding day, we deliver beer, wine, spirits, mixers and ice directly to your site. We’ve provisioned weddings at Annapolis Maritime Museum, Brice House, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Franklin House, Historic London Town and William Paca House and Gardens — plus many more.
First, we meet with you to learn your background and taste preferences. As well as quantities and varieties, we work with you to put your personal stamp on your wedding. You might choose a craft beer from the groom’s home state, for example, or offer your guests the perfect signature cocktail.
In determining the proper quantities and types of product for your party, many factors must be considered, from weather to the format of the meal. Ensuring that a party does not run out of beverages is of paramount importance. For all those reasons, you want a provider whose experience you can depend on. Mills also accepts returns of unused product following your event.
That’s Mills. It is not uncommon for a bride and groom to learn that Mills provided the wine for one of their parents’ wedding 30 years ago. This long tradition of selection combined with service makes the Mills difference.
Mills Fine Wine & Spirits, Jennifer Donahoe, Owner: 87 Main St., Annapolis; 410-263-2888; www.millswine.com
Parlóur Beauty Boutique
Perfect hair for your special day
Experience vintage beauty parlor inspiration with a modern boutique vibe.
Step into Parlóur Beauty Boutique in Annapolis to begin your bridal transformation with style and elegance.
The team of hairstylists that specialize in event styling at Parlóur is top of the line, with 43 years of collective experience. Nicole, Virginia, Julianne and Jillian customize a timeless bridal look for each bride. We offer a full range of styles: formal classic up-dos, softer beachy styles or braids, lasting down-styles and blow-outs, cuts, color and even hair extensions for a fuller or longer look.
Making each bride elegant is just the beginning. We also want her to be satisfied with the look and experience of her entire bridal party, from the mothers of the bride and groom to bridesmaids to the sweetest little flower girls — plus all the men in the party, starting with the groom.
Our Annapolis hair boutique is convenient for local weddings. We will also come to you throughout the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area.
Chesapeake-inspired and farm-to-table features in a nautical environment.
For the couple who loves all things Chesapeake Bay, Pirates Cove Restaurant is the perfect setting. On the West River in Galesville, we offer expansive water views with a panorama of boats, both docked and underway. Our newly renovated banquet room now offers a 24-foot glass sliding door providing direct access to the private deck as well as capacity for up to 90 guests for a seated lunch or dinner.
Our extensive selection of lunch and dinner packages include local seafood, the best crab cakes on the Bay and premium steak options, which can all be customized to fit any budget and taste.
Cocktail-party style, we can entertain 140 to 190 guests on the adjoining waterfront deck on the West River.
Pirates Cove’s recently remodeled hotel rooms overlooking the harbor are just the spot for the bridal party and family to dress, relax or put up out-of-town guests.
We’re also a great location for rehearsal dinners and convenient to other destinations such as Herrington on the Bay.
By land or by sea: Pirates Cove is accessible by water through our adjacent marina on the West River, so escaping away for your honeymoon is as easy as boarding a boat.
You’ve got the dress, you’ve got the cake, you’ve got the music. What about the rest of it — tables, chairs, tents and flatware? Let Rentals to Remember handle it all from setting the table to washing the dishes.
With over a decade of experience, Rentals to Remember is an excellent choice for your party rentals in the Annapolis area. From showers to weddings and everything in between, our extensive inventory is sure to include products that perfectly match your needs.
All of our items are clean and ready to go, and our flatware, china, and linen are custom-designed. We can dress your table for a flowery garden wedding or go more sophisticated with an elegant setting of modern silver-plated dinner sets or classic fine china.
Our strong relations with local caterers, site managers and event planners have helped us become the area’s only source for all of your party essentials. We originally began supplying rentals for small private dinners of fewer that 40 guests. Today, we apply the same attention to detail to a wide range of parties, no matter how big or small.
Rentals to Remember prides itself on prompt and personable service whether it’s a candelabra or a chocolate fountain your heart is set on. We can even bring the dance floor.
Has the pending big day got you stressed? Leave your stress behind at Ridgely Retreat in West Annapolis.
You’ll find relaxation waiting inside our doors, with the soothing sounds of a fountain and soft lighting to ease your mind.
Get your energy rebalanced with a Reiki session or acupuncture by Justin Landers or Gail Colangelo. Holistic chiropractor Dr. Kathryn Alexander will even realign your joints.
Deepen your relaxation with a massage, including aromatherapy, hot stone, bamboo and hand and foot reflexology.
Speaking of feet, we offer natural-healing pedicures in a copper bowl with essential oils and flower petals.
Is the stress of wedding planning showing on your skin? Consider Oxygenetix and CooLift services to firm and plump the skin, creating a hydrated, luminous and more youthful glow. We also offer customized facials using Image Skincare and Skin Better Science product lines. Image also offers travel kits to join you on your honeymoon.
With that honeymoon coming, you’ll want to be beach ready. We also offer waxing services.
If your way to de-stress is more oriented to body movement, we offer a full schedule of mind-body classes — including yoga, tai chi, qi gong, Pilates and more, seven days a week.
Are questions troubling you? In-house intuitive Dr. Gwen MacGregor will do a reading to determine if your intended is indeed The One. If so, MacGregor can even perform your ceremony, for she is also a marriage officiant.
Ridgely Retreat offers many ways to help you enjoy your big day stress-free.
The Silver Swan Bayside combines quiet sophistication, exquisite views of Chesapeake Bay and breathtaking sunsets to create the perfect setting for wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Our team at Silver Swan at the Queen Anne Marina on beautiful Kent Island is ready to help you and your family plan a seamless, stress-less, once-in-a-lifetime celebration on Chesapeake Bay.
Our professional and experienced wedding specialists work with you from our first meeting until the last guest leaves. We guide you through the complexities of planning and oversee every detail to perfection.
Our goal is to keep you and your guests happy and smiling from beginning to end.
Located just five miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Silver Swan Bayside features a spacious dining room with panoramic views of the Chesapeake Bay. French doors open from the dining room to our enclosed, oversized pavilion tent. We can accommodate up to 230 guests for cocktails or up to 200 for a seated affair.
Our waterfront lawn, boardwalk, and beach are the perfect setting for a memorable ceremony and reception any time of the year.
We are more than a location; we are a destination.
Do your fantasies take you back in time? Do you imagine yourself the heroine of a pastoral romance? If that’s your ideal, Summerseat Farm in rural St. Mary’s County may be the place to make dreams come true on your wedding day.
Warranted in 1678, the historic farm is steeped in romance and elegance. You and your guests follow a quarter-mile, tree-lined drive to a gracious home surrounded by gardens, barns, pastures and grazing animals, including American bison. Picturesque old trees, blooming gardens and vineyard make enchanting backdrops and lovely photo memories.
For outdoor weddings, our gazebo welcomes 100 seated guests. The reception area is flat and close to the parking for guests. Inside, the house affords separate preparation spaces for both bride and groom and their parties. The kitchen can be used for warming snacks and making coffee. Our representative is on site to assist at all weddings, receptions and rehearsals.
For the convenience of our brides and wedding coordinators, we provide a list of preferred vendors.
On our website, find both a drone’s eye view of the property and a wedding photo album showing how Summerseat Farm looks all dressed up.
Summerseat Farm, Richard Fuller, President: 26655 Three Notch Rd., Mechanicsville; 301-373-6607; www.Summerseat.org
Time For Travel, LTD
Your no-cost travel agent for booking destination weddings and honeymoons
Without a professional travel agent, you’re on your own
For your wedding and honeymoon, you want perfection. So when your plans include travel to exotic destinations, the guidance of specialists can make all the difference.
For over 21 years, Sarah Kline CRC and Doris Graham have made destination weddings, honeymoons and group vacations their business. At Time for Travel, a local agency with worldwide expertise, we are at your service at no cost (our commissions are paid by the resorts) to customize your perfect experience.
Throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas, Europe, Mexico and South Pacific, we have the first-hand experience and right contacts to make your trip go smoothly and be memorable. Being accessible 24/7 should you need our help at any stage of the process assures peace of mind. Who would you call if you booked online?
For wedding and vacation groups, we set up blocks for your party. Many resorts offer comps, upgrades and perks for your group depending on the size and resort.
We offer the traveling group convenient payment plans, typically $50 per person deposit to start the hotel reservation. Balances typically are due 60 to 45 days before travel. We also work with all major airlines. American, Delta, Southwest and United also offer deposit-based payment plans.
For the best service and pricing, contact us today. We see clients in the office by appointment. Email your travel requests anytime to: [email protected].
Time For Travel, Ltd., Sarah Kline, President, CRC; Doris D Graham, VP: 1251 W. Central Ave., G2, Davidsonville; 866-259-2066; www.timefortravelltd.com
The Town of North Beach
We welcome your wedding
From water to beach to pier to boardwalk to park, all our resources can be yours
When you get married at North Beach you’ll get a million dollar view. The Bayfront Calvert County town offers four beautiful locations.
Celebrate your wedding with 360-degree views on the North Beach Pier. Extending 420 feet into the Chesapeake, the pier affords 5,000 square feet of space for up to 250 people — all reserved for you for your special day.
The Boardwalk Pavilion at the water’s edge is perfect for a quaint wedding ceremony. This small space (approximately 3,900 square feet) is an extension of the boardwalk. The beach remains open to the public during ceremonies at the Pavilion.
The Wetlands Overlook Park, a serene waterfront nature park at the north end of town, includes a small pier and two gazebos. For weddings, it all belongs to you and up to 80 guests.
The Sunrise Garden, a beautiful park across from the Chesapeake Bay, includes a gazebo, seating walls, walkways, benches, a pond and many sculptures. It’s a great informal wedding location, where other park visitors cheer you on.
North Beach has the scenic spot to fit every budget. On The Pier and at Wetlands Overlook Park, we offer packages including tents, dedicated staff, lighting, tables and seating. Your choices of catering and music are unlimited.
See for yourself: North Beach is always open. Come visit and envision your wedding on the water.
Town of North Beach (Stacy Wilkerson, town wedding planner): 301-855-6681; [email protected]
Willow Oak Flower and Herb Farm
Flowers grown with love.
Achieving your dream is our delight.
Match the romance in your love story with flowers sustainably grown in Willow Oak’s old-fashioned cottage-style gardens right here in Chesapeake Country.
A labor of love for 37 years, Willow Oak cultivates a wide range of flowers and greenery, all without chemicals. We strive to offer the best varieties of many native and heirloom flowers and unique herbs at a fair price.
Blooms vary with the season. Summer brings lavender, hydrangea, old-fashioned roses, zinnias, calendula, marigolds, asters, lace flowers, sunflowers, lisianthus and butterfly bush. Fall flowers include dahlias, asters, zinnias and mums.
Special orders of high-quality fresh flowers make the possibilities endless, regardless of season.
All of our arrangements are hand crafted to please you, with utmost care. We also offer flower arranging guidance if you’d like to create your own arrangements.
As well as a full-service florist that arranges, delivers and sets up weddings and special events around Maryland and D.C., Willow Oak is an organic farm. We work with our ecosystem to be self-sustaining and with both the Maryland Environmental Trust and Severn River Land Trust to preserve our farm from development.
Come visit! We enjoy showing you around the farm so you can see where and how your flowers grow. The farm has been featured in national publications such as Better Homes & Gardens, Garden Ideas, Country Home and Southern Living’s Christmas Book.
Call to schedule a free consultation with flower artist Heather Carr.
Willow Oak Flower and Herb Farm: 8109 Telegraph Rd., Severn; 410-551-2237; www.willowoakherbs.com
