Bay Weekly’s Wedding Guide Directory
Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits
Show your guests a good time
If you’re thinking about providing your own beverages at your wedding-related event, visit Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits in Annapolis.
Bay Ridge provides complimentary consulting to ensure you’re not only serving the perfect beverages, but that you have plenty of them.
To save you time, local delivery is offered. To save you money, returns are accepted on unused products.
Discounts on wine, liquor and beer are available.
Bay Ridge also carries cordials, mixers, water, ice, cups and straws and can help you with any event.
Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits: contact Drew, 111 Hillsmere Dr., Annapolis, 410-268-1961, www.bayridgewine.com
The Black & Beautiful Wedding Expo
Wedding professionals sensitive to the needs of today’sAfrican American engaged couple
Designed to meet the needs of today’s African American brides and brides-to-be, the Black & Beautiful Wedding Expo features services, products, ideas and more: everything you need to plan the perfect wedding and reception. With so many services and designers catering to and celebrating African American culture, engagement is a fun and exciting time for African American couples.
At the Expo, you will find unique wedding ideas, wedding gowns and accessories, cakes, tuxedos and more. Services such as videographers, florists, entertainment, caterers and venues are well represented at the Expo. Non-traditional service providers — such as dentists, real estate agents, weight-loss, financial services, rental equipment — are a welcome plus to the Expo because brides and grooms have not always thought about these services to help them prepare for their big day.
There will also be fashion shows, door prizes, a honeymoon giveaway and more.
The Black & Beautiful Wedding Expo: Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, Holiday Inn & Suites-Old Town, 625 First St., Alexandria, www.BlackAndBeautifulWeddingExpo.com
Blackwall Barn and Lodge
Romantic, rustic wedding spot features elegant touches
If an elegant country-style wedding appeals to you, The Blackwall Barn and Lodge — 329 Gambrills Rd., Gambrills — is the perfect spot.
Since opening in October of 2018, this unique restaurant and private event venue has already garnered awards from local media and community groups for excellence and is well on its way to becoming the premier wedding venue in our region.
Offering numerous private event spaces, the design of the Blackwall Barn and Lodge blends rustic romance with tasteful elegance. Every room tells its own story through design details, offering something for everyone.
The Rustic Glam Barn, which can accommodate up to 200 guests, can be the setting for a boots-and-jeans wedding or a glamorous affair. It features millwork décor, custom-built wooden farmhouse tables and chairs along with glittering chandeliers and hardwood floors.
Located just across a bright entrance hall from the Barn, the Cottage is a beautifully cozy room, furnished with upholstered chairs, farmhouse tables and white wainscoting walls. Seating approximately 20, it is an ideal space for bridal showers, rehearsal dinners or day-after-wedding breakfasts with visiting guests.
Aptly named for its hunting décor, the Game Room, with a long farmhouse table, rustic chandelier and dark wood, seats approximately 14 guests and offers a video screen.
An all-season patio lets you enjoy the outdoors with all the amenities. Adjustable panels can be closed if needed due to weather. The space includes heaters, private bar, cabanas and a fireplace.
The main dining room at Blackwall Barn is called the Lodge and features a bar, tables, booths and a fireplace. It can accommodate approximately 120 guests and offers easy access to the Game Room, patio and Barn.
Blackwall Barn and Lodge: Director of Events Lara Puzio, 329 Gambrills Rd., Gambrills, 443-645-3035, [email protected], www.barnandlodge.com
Calvert Marine Museum
Unique setting invites guests to explore local history
A waterfront museum complete with exhibits, aquarium, lighthouse and a cruise makes a memorable wedding.
The Calvert Marine Museum offers beautiful wedding settings. For small gatherings, a ceremony under the Drum Point Lighthouse followed by a cruise on the historic Wm. B. Tennison is an option. Boutique weddings can take place in the open-air Corbin Pavilion. Inside the exhibition building, the Harms Gallery offers space for larger gatherings that also affords guests the opportunity to explore the museum.
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 is a non-profit facility. Hosting your event at Calvert Marine Museum supports education programs and museum growth.
Calvert Marine Museum: Veronica Jordan, Facilities and Events Coordinator, 14200 Solomons Island Rd., Solomons, 410-326-2042 x62, www.calvertmarinemuseum.com
Captain Avery Museum
Enjoy exclusive use of a historic waterfront home and grounds
Views of both Chesapeake Bay and West River combine with a historic waterman’s house for a beautiful setting to celebrate your nuptials at the Captain Avery Museum in Shady Side.
This National Historic Landmark indoors and outdoors is yours for the day.
Picture-perfect spots include a waterfront lawn, rain garden — complete with a quaint footbridge — pier and stairwell.
An indoor, temperature-controlled, great room leads to a screened-in porch and can accommodate up to 125 guests for a cocktail-style reception or dinner seating for up to 68.
The great room features a gallery dotted with both permanent and featured exhibit art pieces.
A screened waterfront porch is a good spot for a bar/refreshment area and is furnished with wicker chairs and benches.
Outside on the lawn is plenty of tenting space for up to 200 guests.
There are also breakout areas and rooms and a bridal retreat on the second floor for the wedding party to get ready.
Referrals can be provided for all your catering needs.
Captain Avery Museum: 1418 E. WestShady Side Rd., Shady Side, 410-867-4486, www.captainaverymuseum.org
DJ Dave Entertainment
Full-service entertainment group keeps your event running smoothly
The person with the microphone wields much power at an event. Entertaining guests is only part of the job of a DJ. He or she serves as emcee; keeps events happening smoothly and frequently serves as the main contact for all vendors.
DJ Dave Entertainment works closely with the location, photographer, caterer and anyone contributing to your big day to provide uninterrupted entertainment.
DJ Dave — a graduate of the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland and former on-air talent in several different markets — leads a team that guides you step-by-step through every phase of your event.
The team has working relationships with venues in the Southern Maryland and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and can recommend helpful resources for every aspect of your event planning.
To ensure there are no snafus, the entertainment group carries a complete backup system of their high-quality equipment.
You need not worry about too many pauses during your event. DJ Dave’s team takes no breaks.
LED and laser lighting synced to dance music are options, along with a host of other lighting selections.
The entertainers typically dress in formal attire, but the staff is also flexible and will accommodate any style from shorts and sandals to tuxes.
The team is not a production company doing hundreds of weddings a year. They have limited their staff and availability to make sure that clients get value above and beyond the cost of their package.
DJ Dave and his team understand individual clients’ unique needs; value the intimacy and connection with each couple and ensure each event is truly unique and tailored to each couple’s desires.
DJ Dave Entertainment: 301-752-1263, www.djdavemd.com
Dream Vacations
We plan your destination dream wedding
Destination weddings are a popular new trend and growing quickly. One in eight couples traveled to a destination outside of the U.S. to get married.
Dream Vacations in Hollywood can help you plan your dream wedding.
The average cost of a U.S. wedding was estimated at more than $30,000 in 2018, and that did not include the honeymoon. Destination weddings cost significantly less and are less stress. Plus, you are already in your honeymoon spot.
Close family and friends also enjoy a vacation while attending your wedding (and pay their own travel expenses).
Sandals or Beaches resorts offer price-worth paradises. If you book a three-night honeymoon, the resort gives you a free tropical wedding. Included in the wedding package are a manicure for the bride and massage for the groom, as well as bridal bouquet, groom’s boutonniere of orchids, a wedding photo and more.
The reception includes a two-tier wedding cake with orchids and a one-hour cocktail reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres.
Your honeymoon includes mimosa breakfast in bed and romantic turndown service complete with flower petals and a white-glove honeymoon dinner in a specialty restaurant.
There is no cost for food or drinks and no rental fees for the ceremony or reception location unless you add decorations.
Choose from the beach, gazebo or garden. That saves hundreds of dollars. Plus all the details are handled by your wedding planning team and travel professional.
All this is yours at no charge beyond your three-night honeymoon booking. You can also customize your wedding at costs significantly lower than a traditional wedding in the U.S.
Your travel professional is the person to depend on in planning your destination wedding. For this unbeatable package, choose a Sandals-Certified Wedding Specialist. Planning services are free because the resort pays their commission.
Sandals and Beaches offer 19 resorts in six countries. Sixteen Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts are adults-only, and three are family-friendly.
Dream Vacations: Hollywood, 301-609-1850, www.ParadiseDestinationWeddingmoons.com
Harvest Thyme
Treat your guests to the creations of a classically trained chef
Impress guests at your rehearsal dinner or bridal luncheon by serving them high-quality dishes from Harvest Thyme in Davidsonville.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, chef-owner Rik Squillari has traveled the globe and helps you select a menu featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients.
As a former wine importer, Squillari pairs unique wines — at fantastic prices — with dishes to create a memorable, personalized experience for your guests.
Squillari’s menus are inspired by Italian, Asian, French and Low Country cuisine. He offers gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.
Notable menu items include steamed mussels in white wine, garlic butter and red onions served over pasta; classic shrimp salad on brioche bun; grilled cioppino; and a dry-aged New York strip with sautéed mushrooms and demi-graze.
Besides wines, Harvest Thyme offers craft cocktails, craft beers — including local brews and top selections from across the country. Off-site catering is also available.
Harvest Thyme: 1251 W. Central Ave., Davidsonville, 443-203-6846, www.harvestthymetavern.com
Hilton Garden Inn
Ideal for exploring Solomons Island
The Hilton Garden Inn near Solomons puts you and your guests close to all that Solomons Island has to offer. The hotel can also be the setting for your wedding, reception, rehearsal dinner or other event.
The Calvert Ballroom has room for 150 guests, depending on the arrangement, including a dance floor. Services include complimentary, customized menu-planning, decor for table centerpieces and audio-visual equipment.
You also get access to create your own personalized wedding web page.
Hilton Garden Inn: 13100 Dowell Rd., Dowell,410-326-0303, www.solomons.hgi.com
Historic St. Mary’s City
Celebrate your nuptials in a unique venue
Historic St. Mary’s City has a variety of beautiful, photogenic sites to choose for your wedding.
The Inn at Brome Howard, overlooking the St. Mary’s River and surrounded by fields and forests, is a restored home dating to the 1840s. Furnished with period pieces and featuring a formal garden, the Inn boasts a circular path leading out to a tree-lined drive-perfect for that dramatic entrance or exit. Are you or family coming from out of town? The Inn is also available to rent for an entire weekend, including overnight accommodations.
The State House of 1676 is a large brick structure built in 1934 to honor the original State House of Maryland. The brick building has an Old World charm, with arched doorways, fireplaces, wooden and brick flooring, leaded glass windows and a one-of-a-kind view of the St. Mary’s River. Weddings can be inside or outside on the State House bluff.
The Margaret Brent Gazebo is perfect for intimate sunset weddings, with a pristine view of the St. Mary’s River and all the colors evening can bring.
Wanting to get a little closer to the water? Consider a wedding on the Maryland Dove dock and waterfront. With a small beach area and the historic tall ship as your backdrop, your wedding would be unforgettable!
No matter the location, Historic St. Mary’s City weddings are always picture-perfect.
Historic St. Mary’s City: St. 240-895-4991, [email protected], hsmcdigshistory.org
Jackie’s Design Hair & Skin Studio
On-site hair and makeup
Jackie Nunez and her team of hair and makeup professionals travel to you to provide beauty services that will have you looking your best on your big day.
Jackie’s team creates 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, Jackie’s experienced team brings your vision to life.
Other available options include hair extensions, faux eyelashes and airbrush tattoo coverage.
Rely on Jackie’s talented artists to guide and advise you from the trial run to the big day with professionalism and style.
On-site services are available for any special occasion.
Jackie’s Design Hair & Skin Studio: 4 Annapolis St., Annapolis, 410-263-0777, www.jackiesdesign.com
Love and Lace Bridal Boutique
Individualized help in choosing your perfect gown
Love and Lace Bridal Boutique in Edgewater provides all you need to choose your perfect gown — from gowns to specialized attention. The small boutique offers gowns off-the-rack, by special order and from top designers as well as bridal accessories.
Bridal appointments are highly encouraged. During your appointment, a personal stylist will help select the gown of your dreams. Choose from a regular bridal appointment or upgrade to a premier appointment, where the bride and her guests enjoy wine and snacks while having the shop all to themselves.
On June 30, Love and Lace Bridal Boutique will hold its annual bridal yard sale, the biggest one in the area. Former brides reserve tables and sell decorations from their wedding. Expect to find items such as table number holders and centerpieces for sale. Love and Lace will have a rack of dresses, veils and wedding gown accessories for sale.
Love and Lace Bridal Boutique: 135 Mitchells Chance Rd., Edgewater, 443-306-9776, www.loveandlacebridalboutique.com
Treat your guests to authentic Italian hospitality in Chesapeake Country
Mamma Lucia is actually three restaurants. Sal and Maria Lubrano opened their original Mamma Lucia location in Dunkirk in 1997, followed by restaurants in Prince Frederick and Chesapeake Beach.
Mamma Lucia at Prince Frederick can seat up to 80 people in its banquet room. Mamma Lucia Chesapeake Beach seats 60 guests in its party room. For smaller outdoors parties, the Chesapeake Beach location offers seasonal rooftop and patio dining and a tiki bar.
Bay Weekly readers are not the only ones to recognize Mamma Lucia’s authentic Italian cuisine. In 2016, Sal and Maria traveled to New York City, where they became part of an elite group of Italian restaurant owners who received Ospitalita Italian, an award presented by the Italian Chamber of Commerce to restaurants that distinguish themselves with true Italian food.
The menu at all three locations offers authentic Italian cuisine: antipasti, delize dal mare, polo, vitelli and an extensive wine list. Chesapeake Beach also features wood-fired brick-oven pizza made with authentic Italian ingredients in the Old World Italian tradition.
Don’t forget — because Italians love sweets — dolci and espresso to complete your celebration and put all in a bellavita mood.
Mamma Lucia is also the region’s favorite Italian caterer.
Mamma Lucia: www.mammaluciarestaurant.com
• 862 Costley Way, Prince Frederick: 443-486-4701
• 10136 Southern Maryland Blvd., Dunkirk: 301-812-1240
• 8323 Bayside Rd., Chesapeake Beach: 410-257-7700
Maria’s Love Point
A unique, exclusive setting for your
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.
We are committed to making your wedding day a wonderful experience and memory with the perfect place, décor, cuisine and service.
You needn’t think small. Maria’s Love Point can easily accommodate up to 275 guests for weddings 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:
Pirates Cove Restaurant
Water views in either a relaxed or formal setting are sure to impress guests
Enjoy a panorama of boats, both docked and underway, at a nautical venue conveniently located close to Annapolis and about 50 minutes from Washington, D.C.
The relaxed atmosphere of the dock bar offers a private area with palm trees, a Caribbean atmosphere and live music in the summer.
For a more formal setting, the newly renovated main banquet room boasts water views, an elegant setting, a 24-foot glass sliding door and the option of using the private deck.
Pirates Cove can accommodate groups ranging in size from five to 150 and offers various farm-to-table packages, including buffet and seated dining choices.
The extensive selection of Chesapeake-inspired lunch and dinner packages include local seafood, the famous Pirates Cove crab cakes and premium steaks, all of which can be customized to fit any budget and taste.
Guests and wedding party members have the option to stay overnight on site and get ready for the big event at the recently remodeled inn overlooking the harbor.
The small, historic town of Galesville — designated a point of entry for checking imports and exports in 1684 and with a current population of only 685 — features quaint shops and a museum for guests to explore.
Pirates Cove is accessible by land and by sea. To arrive by boat, Pirates Cove has an adjacent marina on the West River.
Consider making a dramatic reception exit by boarding a boat and being whisked away to your honeymoon.
Pirates Cove event planners and managers are available to help with every aspect of the event.
Framing your memories
Of course you’ll have pictures of your wedding, from your engagement through your honeymoon. To make your favorite images part of your life forever after, turn to Side Street Framers & Gift Gallery. Side Street Framers’ reputation has been built on fair, honest pricing and outstanding design.
Our fulltime designers are on hand to help you chose just the right framing to complement your wedding photos and your favorite items. They use acid-free materials and UV-protection glass so that your special photos will never change color or fade.
Side Street offers a large variety of matting and framing options for wedding photo canvasses and photographs. They think outside the box, too, helping you imagine, design and frame shadowboxes of keepsakes, from invitations to bridal flowers and garters. They will mat a photo to be signed by wedding guests. Then, after the wedding, they frame it. Consultations are complimentary.
Their design, services and honest pricing are a few of the reasons customers have been coming to them for nearly 30 years. Over those years, they have been asked to frame just about everything. So be inspired! Then challenge them with anything you want preserved for the years ahead.
Side Street Framers will certainly make sure you are happy with the design and the price — and your framing will be guaranteed for a lifetime.
Side Street Framers and Gift Gallery:
Silver Swan Bayside
Destination wedding feel without the travel
Silver Swan Bayside at the Queen Anne Marina offers the feeling of a destination wedding right here on the Chesapeake Bay, just five miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Surrounded by water and featuring a private beach, the Kent Island venue features scenic gardens, waterfront lawns and a boardwalk overlooking the beach – plenty of spots for memorable photographs!
For those who worry about a cold front or stray shower — or even just a guest who prefers to be indoors — there’s a spacious dining room with panoramic views of the Bay and an attached, glass-enclosed pavilion.
Silver Swan’s professional and experienced wedding specialists work with couples from the first meeting until the last guest leaves. They guide you through the complexities of planning and oversee every detail.
Making certain guests enjoy an unforgettable experience is an important part of any event. Those who attend a wedding at Silver Swan have plenty of things to keep them busy close by before and after the wedding festivities.
Sunset cruises around the Bay, kayak adventures, fishing and hiking and biking trails give them a real taste of what makes Chesapeake Country so special.
Other nearby options for those on your guest list include public parks and a swimming beach, as well as waterfront dining and shopping.
The venue easily accommodates large parties: 230 guests for cocktails or up to 200 for a seated affair.
Silver Swan Bayside: 412 Congressional Dr., Stevensville, 443-249-0400, www.silverswanbayside.com
Summerseat Farm
History, romance and elegance on a working farm
Guests will enjoy the scenic atmosphere and a chance to explore history. The main house is a two-story in Queen Anne style. Perfect spots for your ceremony include a gazebo, patio, gardens and a goldfish pond complete with waterfall.
Bordering the courtyard is an old brick smokehouse and dairy house to explore. There’s plenty of open, flat grassy areas to accommodate tents for your event. Summerseat is a working farm for crops and farm animals. You’ll find goats, pigs, chickens and sheep and even a herd of American buffalo on the property.
Summerseat Farm: 26655 Three Notch Rd., Mechanicsville, 301-373-6607, www.summerseat.org
Time for Travel
Free destination wedding and honeymoon specialists
Time For Travel and Sarah Kline are the best choice for any Caribbean, Mexico, South Pacific or Hawaii destination wedding or honeymoon. With over 23 years of experience helping couples fulfill their dreams, Sarah will make your wedding and honeymoon exactly what you’ve dreamed of.
Sarah is a Certified Wedding Specialist for resorts such as Sandals/Beaches (gold), Karisma resorts of El Dorado, Azul and Generations, Hard Rock WOW (platinum) Palace resorts, Royalton/Blue Diamond etc., Top 50 Jamaica Specialist, On the board of YesToMexico, Sandals Chairmans Royal Club and Gay/Rainbow wedding network.
We personally have traveled extensively to the areas we handle weddings and honeymoons. We have the contacts to make your event a stress-free, seamless and memorable celebration. Our service is free!
Time for Travel: 1251 W. Central Ave., Davidsonville, 866-259-2066, www.timefortravelltd.com
Jonathan G. Willen’s Vintage Affairs
Full-service design, styling and rentals
From farmhouse elegance, the roaring ‘20s, swinging ‘60s and beyond, Vintage Affairs has props and décor that will perfectly suit your wedding.
Items available for rent include ceremony pews, arches, backdrops, tables, chairs, tabletop china, glassware, bars, wine barrels, lounge furniture, windows, doors, linens and lighting.
More than just rentals, Vintage Affairs is here to plan and manage your wedding. They also offer floral design, making them a one-stop shop.
Choose from the vast inventory of props and accessories, then let Vintage Affairs style your wedding.
Visit their website to view and select your items and make an appointment to visit the showroom in Elkridge.
Jonathan Willen, a professional event and theatrical producer, has produced more than 1,500 events, weddings and theatrical productions. Vintage Affairs provides full-service design and styling.
Vintage Affairs: Elkridge, 202-527-2124, www.vintageaffairs.net