reception sites

1. The Westin, Annapolis- What's not to like? They have a beautiful ballroom and include everything under the sun. Food, drinks, cake and a bridal suite were all included in the Westin's comprehensive package. The wedding coordinator was delightful. The reception would be less than 5 minutes from the ceremony and guests wouldn't even have to leave the building after the reception! So my hesitation here? --No water! With a wedding taking place in beautiful Annapolis it just doesn't seem right to have a view of 4 solid walls.

2. The Loews Hotel, Annapolis- Located right next to the Westin on West Street, The Loews was another hotel, but not quite as good. The coordinator was late for our meeting and told us that the Westin ballroom was an overwhelmingly large space. They had 2 options for receptions at the hotel. One was a hideous ballroom with red carpeting. The second was a cozy and visually appealing space next door, but it was multiple levels. Cocktail hour would be on the first floor, followed by dinner on the second floor, then cake and dancing on the third floor. It just didn't make sense logistically to me.

3. Carol's Creek Waterfront- This place is located on the water, at a marina. It is very close to the chapel and has a great view. It is, however a restaurant. Our guests would have to be split up among different rooms and the restaurant would have to be closed to the public. They also wanted a ridiculous amount of money to close the restaurant! I would recommend for dinner, but not for a reception.

4. Historic Inns of Annapolis- They have reasonably priced packages that include all sorts of things like chocolate covered strawberries and a bridal suite. Again, guests would not have to drive anywhere after the reception, and it is very close to USNA. Guests would also get 20% off rooms. They have a very pretty ballroom and atrium area. Dinner and dancing would be in separate rooms though. Historic Inns was definitely a major contender, but they were just missing that water piece!

5. Paul's on the South River- Located on the water, about 15 minutes from downtown Annapolis, Paul's is another Restaurant. They looked to specialize in weddings a little bit more than Carol's, but a restaurant nonetheless. The coordinator, Loveta seemed to know what she was doing, as she had been doing it for a long time, however she was very set in her ways. She knew what was best for you and that's how it was going to happen. They wouldn't do a plated dinner, but instead had food stations set up. They also didn't have crab cakes, but rather "crab puffs," --crab meat dipped in tempura and deep fried. Maybe interesting, but not what we were looking for. The coordinator did give us some good money saving tips, but didn't quite win us over! (Oh, and they had ugly chairs...)

6. Kent Manor- Once I started to get the idea that I liked waterfront venues, I looked into Kent Island. This was the first place that we visited on Kent Island, and it was beautiful! There was an Inn with about 24 rooms, and out back was the Garden room where the reception would be held. It is sort of a glass enclosed, fancy, air-conditioned gazebo. It's very pretty and a good size. They have a raised dance floor in the center of the room, with the bar behind it. Outside of the Garden room is a large lawn area that could be used for cocktail hour. They also had a dock and gazebo down by the water. It wasn't the bay, but some intercoastal water facing east (no sunset!!). Biggest problem here? They were already booked on the date we wanted!

7. Chesapeake Bay Beach Club- The second place we visited on Kent Island was beautiful as well. We didn't have an appointment, but the General Manager took time to show us around. They have 3 ballrooms available, all of which have a waterfront view. The sunset ballroom was the prettiest in my opinion, but I was told my party was too small. Each of the rooms had minimum numbers of guests for certain days of the week. The smallest ballroom had a 120 guest minimum for a Saturday night. The smallest ballroom was also the ugliest. It was converted from a restaurant, and that was certainly evident. Each ballroom also had a huge sign that read "Cheseapeake Bay Beach Club." A little tacky, IMHO. 3 ballrooms also means 3 weddings. This could be interesting coming from a small parking lot with one main entrance. Between the multiple weddings, guest minimums and tacky ballrooms, this one was out.

8. Silver Swan Bayside- We actually weren't even planning on visiting this third venue on Kent Island. We finished up so quickly with Kent Manor and CBBC that we decided to see if there were any more places to look while we were on the island. I figured this was just another restaurant attached to a marina like Carol's, but why not stop by while we were there. We loved it! We had no appointment, but John dropped what he was doing to show us around and answer our questions. The space was much cozier than other venues that we had looked at, and the view was amazing. CBBC had a water view, but it also had the bridge and docks in sight. Here was just water. The Naval Academy is also visible across the Bay. They have a dock and beach, as well as a large lawn that can be used for cocktail hour. After our second visit we asked if we could have a taste of their food before putting down a deposit, and they were very accommodating. Normally tastings aren't done until after a contract is signed. Both John and the Chef were on hand at the tasting to answer any questions we had. Mom, Dad, MOH and the fiancé were all there to try the delicious hors d'oeuvres, salad, crabcakes and steak.

9. Herrington's on the Bay- Just to make sure Silver Swan was the right place, we decided to look at a couple more waterfront venues. Herrington's is located in Rose Haven, which is about 40 minutes south of Annapolis. They had very pretty pictures online, so I thought it would be worth looking at. Our meeting there was a little strange. They hold an open house on Sundays so we went ahead then. We met with a consultant who talked with us all about food, size and all the other details. Then we waited while she created a proposal for us. We did find a picture while we were waiting of Aunt Pam in one of their albums, so it wasn't too bad! This was different than other places, who usually show off the place first, and then if you're interested, might e-mail you a proposal. She also didn't listen when we said we were having the ceremony elsewhere, and proceeded to include a fee for that in the proposal. After our meeting we got a tour of the place. They had 2 sites, one of which was a building, and the other was a tent. The building was nice, but the guests would have to climb stairs to go from cocktail hour to the reception. The reception area was also a bit small, especially the dance floor. The tent area was not so great. They had some air coolers, but it was far from being climate controlled. Bathrooms were across a gravel parking lot from the tent. Way too much risk for me! They did have very nice landscaping all around, especially on their "bridal lawns." The water view couldn't compare with Silver Swan. It was mainly a marina filled with boats, and faced East, so no sunset!

10. Celebrations at the Bay- We met with Lanna at Celebrations last Monday. She was an excellent salesperson and convinced us that my wedding would be perfect! They have 2 reception areas-- one is a large tented ballroom and the other is a smaller indoor ballroom. The tented area was already booked for our date, so we focused on the indoor ballroom, which was a better size anyways. They have a great view of the Bay, though also facing East. (I just can't shake that sunset view with USNA from Silver Swan!) We went to a tasting on Wednesday night at the Villa, which is also part of Uptown catering who owns Celebrations. All of the food was excellent, and we met one of the owners, who was also an excellent salesperson. She definitely sold on emotion and pretty much had us convinced that our wedding just wouldn't be as good anywhere else! One of the biggest issues with Celebrations was the price tag. They offer a big package with 6 hors d'oeuvres, salads, paired entrees, chocolate fountain, cake, open bar, etc. etc. The package pretty much stays the way it is. We tried to amend parts of it, but they just explained why each part was a necessity and that nothing we wanted to change would make a difference in the price. I also am not crazy about the 2 weddings at once. They do stagger the starting times, but there are still going to be 2 parties going on, right next door to one another. So between the multiple weddings, huge price tag, and the not-quite-as-good view... Celebrations is out of the running!

Other places we considered: Renditions Golf Course, The Officers' Club, Waterview Grille, Windows on the Bay, Kurtz Beach, Crofton Country Club, Newton White Mansion, William Paca House, Annapolis Yacht Club, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Beach Resort, Quiet Waters Park, London Town Publik House, N Star Room, Chartwell Golf and Country Club, Mike's, The Inn at Brookville Farms. Port Annapolis Marina, Chart House, History Quest, St. John's College, Sly Horse Tavern, Eastport Yacht Club, The Golf Club at South River & Maryland Sunrise Farms. Many of these places were too small, too far, or seemed similar to other places so for one reason or another we didn't take the time to visit. A couple of these we did stop by just to look, but didn't inquire any more.

So, it's pretty evident that a lot of research has been done! We are likely done searching around for a place at this point, and I think it was all worth it!!