It was magical. We had our fall wedding just this past weekend and I cannot say enough about the venue and the event team there. Thank you for your review, and for your support of our environmental mission, Soumya. Now! The library and bridal suite were the perfect private spaces for us to retreat to. Your outdoor ceremony can be held in the estate's romantic tree-lined grove for dreamy, fairytale-inspired wedding photos. How much does the Woodend Sanctuary cost? Overall we enjoyed having our wedding ceremony at Woodend Sanctuary! They were helpful, patient and accommodating and went out of their way to make our wedding a truly wonderful event. A deer ran through a field when the audience clapped for us, and guests remarked on how neat that was. We love Woodend so much and are so happy that it was where we got married. If you're considering it for your venue, go take a tour and you will be sold on it pretty instantaneously. If the weather cooperates - its one of the best outdoor wedding venues in the DC area. Beatriz. The tent space is very large and has beautiful views. My mission is to capturebold, modern, and distinctivephotos for unconventional couples. Getting married down in the Grove was majestic and the space of the mansion made for a elegant, yet comfortable reception, with different areas for seating, dancing, and the buffet and bar. The wedding ceremony in the grove, watching the bride come through the trees, the cocktail hour on the portico, the dinner and dancing a Woodend was my dream venue - the perfect balance of natural and formal. Woodend was an absolutely magical venue for my wedding. Thank you Beatriz and the Woodend team!! f may have. Beatriz has seen it all at Woodend - she knows the venue and its many logistical possibilities inside out. We had already visited three other event spaces and had plans Amazing location! We knew we wanted an outdoor ceremony, and when we saw the Hemlock Grove we fell in love. To meet each couple's unique preferences, this wedding and rehearsal venue is open for special celebrations. and in the tented terrace, - Complimentary birdseed provided upon request for send-off, - Alcohol must be served by licensed bartender/caterer, Price this venue to get your customized estimate, no strings attached. ordinator and she is a pleasure to work with. Beatriz. We worked with Main Event Catering and Elegance and Simplicity for floral design, lighting, and day-of-coordinating. All the coordinators we worked with were excellent and provided clear guidelines for things to go smoothly. The ceremony areas, as well as the tent, are included in the rental fee. Beatriz was great throughout the process. The outdoor grove provided beautiful scenery for our ceremony, and we loved that having our wedding at Woodend supports the mission of the Audubon Naturalist Society. wife, from whose account I am posting, and I worked with Beatriz (Woodends event manager) for more than a year leading up to this event, and it turned out to be the 100% right choice to celebrate our big day there. We received endless complements regarding the beauty of the venue. Beatriz. We had some precious moments with our wedding party in the staging rooms and on the balcony, and had some romantic portraits in the meadows by the grove. The grove is beautiful, and the mansion was a wonderful space fo Woodend was a wonderful setting for our wedding. After touring many different venues in the DC area, we were blown away by the beauty of Woodend and all that it has to offer. Beatriz. At the end of the process, it genuinely felt as if Beatriz was part of our family. We found some vendors to not be as friendly, helpful, or communicative post contract as they were pre-contract. Such a beautiful and welcoming venue--highly recommend! We had a beautiful wedding, with no rain, and we couldn't be happier with choosing Woodend. The folks at Woodend, especially Beatriz and Kathy, became part of my "squad," and helped our wedding become one of the best moments of our lives! We luckily didn't have to use it, but they have one of the best rain plans in the DC Metro area. Since 2020, Woodend provides complimentary air conditioning in our tented terrace from June through September, in addition to the existing fans, tented heaters, and chandeliers. e is open to the public, so we could visit the ceremony and reception site multiple times with our friends, family and vendors before the big day. When I was looking at venues, it was a simple choice- if I'm going to be spending (a LOT) of money on a venue then why just give it to some people who own a mansion when it could go towards preserving nature? The value of this venue is amazing, as the tent is included. Plan your wedding wherever and whenever you want on the WeddingWire App. The mansion is also beautiful and well-kept; we really didn't need any extra decorations beyond flowers because the space is so decorative in and of itself. This venue is absolutely incredible. We had a DJ I had my recception on the patio under the tent and since no amplified music is allowed outside the DJ was inside next to the staircase. Hemlock Grove makes a gorgeous whimsical forest backdrop. This was not the experience with Beatriz. She will help provide the best experience possible while not over-promising. Thank you. Woodend is very close to DC, which is where we live and where all of our guests were staying, yet it feels so quiet, private, and secluded; truly the best of both worlds! Contact Us about a Corporate Event or Meeting. My wife and I got married at Woodend on 10/28/2022. Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Cost - Mason Photography We especially loved how we could have our ceremony outside but with a easy backup plan with the tent. You don't even have to do anything to make it gorgeous. It has a country feel, but is close to the city. On top of that, we wanted to ha Emily, In the twilight hours, you could even look out the tent and see the fireflies blinking all throughout the field bordering the tree linetruly magical!! The Amanda, For larger celebrations, small shuttles and minibuses are allowed on the grounds to accommodate guests who may be staying in nearby towns. I highly recommend this location, though I would be careful about selecting a caterer. The mansion and the property were bequeathed to the Audubon Naturalist Society, provided it was kept as a nature sanctuary. We are so happy we chose this venue! Situated on 22 picturesque acres, the property is brought to life by the stunning Little Cottonwood Canyon that sits within its grounds. You were a pleasure to work with. It is very reasonably priced, especially considering how expensive it can be to have your wedding in the DC area. Woodend was a perfect venue! Our climate-control tent is adjacent to the house and is a great back-up plan in case of inclement weather. Woodend itself is stunning. Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion | Reception Venues - The Knot Thank you, Carol! While we didn't make use of it, they do offer birdseed to be thrown during the send-off (sparklers, rice, etc. My recommendation would be to book as many extra hours as you can - we had the venue from 3 PM to 1 AM on a Friday, which also ensured that we were the only wedding that day. The grove was the perfect spot for the ceremony and the tent/mansion were amazing for the rec Julia, The library and bridal suite were the perfect private spaces for us to retreat to. We did end up needing Woodend was the perfect place for us! All and all, the wedding was wonderful and exactly what we were looking for. esent and responsive to our needs. I'm so glad that we chose Woodend! The scenery is just gorgeous in May - everything is lush and green, and many of the trees/flowers were blooming. I've added it best wedding venues in Maryland to photograph last year as it provides all the space and parking necessary for all wedding party, bridal party, attendees and guest. We unfortunately were not allowed to use the balcony, it had water damage from the storm in the week earlier. The attached tent was great! It was so peaceful and just the kind of surroundings we'd envisioned for our day! Woodend's tent and mansion can accommodate up to 170 guests from April through November and 120 guests from December through March. Thank you for your review and for your support of our environmental mission! Woodend was the perfect place for our wedding. The dance floor was connected to the tent, making everyone still feel together, but disconnected enough to allow guests to sit for conversations/rest from dancing. I'm Chris and I'm a Washington DC wedding photographer. Check out this years best local pros, chosen by couples like you. Of course, the venue setup played a major role - this is one of the few spots close to downtown DC where you can have an amazing outdoor ceremony, followed by a reception in a beautiful mansion, at a fair price (part of which goes to supporting a great cause). Highly recommend Woodend! Strong recommend! res little additional decor. The mansion didn't feel old, but timeless because it was beautifully maintained. In our case, we were so lucky to have nice weather and the space couldnt have been more beautiful with the flowers and trees all blooming to create a wonderful backdrop. huttles run the 10 minute drive between the hotels and the venue (there was also plenty of parking available on-site for local guests). d magical for our holiday-themed nuptials. Just the grove itself is worth it because it is so gorgeous. I loved having the ability to be at Woodend all day, including getting ready with our wedding parties in the designated rooms, first look photos, our ceremony in the grove, and the reception + dancing in the tent and mansion. I would definitely recommend Woodend to anyone who wants a quaint, yet elegant outdoor ceremony. It will fly by before you know it. No problem. Dinner was served under the tent with dancing in the mansion. Woodend was the perfect location for our December 2019 wedding. Some of Woodend Sanctuary & Mansions approved caterers are Green Restaurant Certified. I would highly recommend Woodend to anyone looking for a DC-area wedding venue! We were able to have an outdoor ceremony and indoor dinner and dancing! use and lawn space for the cocktail hour, reception, dancing, lawn games, photo booth and more. If you want a truly original and memorable event, one that will fill you with happy memories the rest of your life, Woodend Sanctuary is the answer; we give this our most enthusiastic recommendation! The mansion, the grove, the tent, everything was immaculate the day of our wedding. Fees includes a ceremony area, a reception area, and two staging rooms. $18k - $25k. Beatriz and everyone at Woodend were amazing to work with for our daytime Brunch wedding. The tent comes with all accessories you may need (chandeliers, liner, side panels, fans and heaters, as well as air conditioning from Jun-Sep). I highly recommend Woodend for any special occasion. as allowed us to create a flowing reception with different activities and stations in different areas (lawn games, photo booth, cocktail and food stations). Conveniently located in Chevy Chase, MD, less than 9 miles from The White House and just minutes off the Capital Beltway, Woodend Nature Sanctuary is the ideal venue for your wedding. Because all their spaces are excellent, it came with a "Plan B" for bad weather built-in for our ceremony, and allowed for us to have both the ceremo Woodend was the perfect venue for us! Thank you for your review. Serendipity Event Designers is a boutique wedding planning company. We didn't feel a need for extra decorations because the venue itself is gorgeous. We were blessed with the best weather that has ever occurred in June in DC, which really showcased the beauty of the place (though the rainy day contingency was well-thought-out and would have worked too.) We wish you and Sean all the best! The Hemlock Grove looked like the perfect spot for an outdoor, nature-inspired ceremony, and mansion and tent seemed like the ideal place for a Sunday-morning brunch reception. If you are looking for a gorgeous venue and site manager who will feel like family, look no further. Selecting Woodend for our microwedding was by far one of the best decisions I think we will ever make. We had our wedding here on 9/17/16 and can't imagine a better venue for a wedding. It felt full and lively without being overly crowded. The Historic Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion boasts a charming grove for outdoor ceremonies, accommodating 170 guests from April to November and 120 guests from December to March. Sign up on The Knot to reach more couples and book more weddings! :) Beatriz was wonderful to work with, she is very responsive and graciously accommodated our unique requests. I wanted to get married in a sort of historic, beautiful house or museum; my husband wanted to get married in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees. Designed by American architect John Russell Pope (Jefferson Memorial, National Gallery of Art), Woodend offers a . Civil Union, Commitment Ceremony, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding , Vow Renewal Ceremony, Ballroom, Estate, Garden, Historic Venue, Tented, Trees. Woodend was fantastic for our special day! Also, compared to the other outdoor venues we visited in the DMV, this was by far the best value (can't wait to file my taxes and get that write-off!) All of our guests had such a wonderful time and could not stop remarking how gorgeous everything at Woodend was. The tented terrace didn't even feel like a tent because of the chandelier inside and being surrounded by nature gave it a wonderful indoor/outdoor experience. What could be better than holding your wedding at a place with such an admirable pursuit? This isn't exactly a negative, but definitely be aware of it. Also, compared to the other outdoor venues we visited in the DMV, this was by far the best value (can't wait to file my taxes and get that write-off!) I loved how much sprawling acreage we had, so we could have a baraat, lawn games, and even just different nooks for guests to wander off to. Do it now. Rehearsal was also an additional fee. Our guests absolutely loved this venue and it suited our wedding so well. We wish you and Paulina all the best! <<< This venue was exactly what we were looking for -- an indoor/outdoor mix of beautiful scenery. My wife and I found Woodend and fell in love with the outside landscape and interior! They were always very responsive to my many questions and helped make our My son and daughter-in-law held their wedding and reception at Woodend early October 2016. I've worked at historic venues with forbidden couches (no sitting, so touching, don't even look at it). But the setting is so beautiful that not much was really needed in the way of decor, aside from flowers! If this sounds like you and your partner, Id love to hear more about your dream wedding! She clearly laid out all rules and expectations, so there were no surprises on our end. She was always responsive to emails and helped us to do a second tour of the venue after we booked it so that my mom could check out the venue. Woodend provides a select list of approved caterers who are also very costly, but know the venue well. But Beatriz was so flexible and made it work! We wanted something with a natural feel that fit our style and love of nature but was not too far out of the DC area. We especially loved how we could have our ceremony outside but with a easy backup plan with the tent. With the wildflower meadow acting as a backdrop to the beautiful grove, and a stunning classic palette of whites and greens, it made for a picture-perfect ceremony. Everything was dusted, the outdoors was well-manicured, and the bathrooms were clean & stocked the entire night. They were flexible with our desire to do a less-traditional format and worked hard to facilitate all of the small details that really made our wedding special and beautiful. Our reception started at 6:00pm and ended at 11:00pm. Selecting Woodend for our microwedding was by far one of the best decisions I think we will ever make. It is secluded, but also very close to downtown Bethesda, which made logistics like shuttles or parking at the venue a breeze. Guests are surrounded by tall trees that are breathtaking in the fall. emails. The combination of indoor and outdoor spaces made the venue so versatile, and our guests loved having the option to move between the two throughout the night. If you have the budget to have a florist and wedding planner take care of everything then Woodend is a wonderful venue. Beatriz, the site coordinator, was excellent to work with. As many of you who are reading this review will soon realize about the wedding planning process, it all comes down to people, particularly if you are doing a DIY wedding and dont have a professional planner engaged. If you are using speakers- just don't expect the flow to work (even though the caterer said that people often do that and it works out fine- I guess it just doesn't always). We loved how secluded and private the property felt, for being so close to DC, and were so pleased to be able to have our ceremony outdoors in the hemlock grove. Woodend Mansion was the first and last wedding venue that we checked out when planning our wedding. Our only concern was the max capacity of 170, but honestly, it was probably a blessing in disguise to have to reign in the guest list. Beatriz was a pleasure to work with and flexible with our plans.