“For Brookside, how does this sound? Brookside Gardens is a stunning place to get married. We got married in March, and despite fewer plants being in bloom, it was perfect. The daffodils and cherry blossom trees were stunning. We got married on Sakura Hill, under the twin Sakura weeping cherry trees, and although they weren't in bloom yet, the intricate branches and light buds looked beautiful. We took some newly-wed photos in the Conservatory, which is gorgeous year-round! Our reception was in the auditorium, which made it much easier and less stressful to plan for the possibility of rain. We DIYd our decor (ivy hung from the ceiling and curtain lights along the two walls), and it looked like an absolute dream! Jennifer, the event coordinator for Brookside Gardens, is extremely knowledgeable, organized, and responsive. She is very direct in her feedback, which was helpful. She was initially a little concerned about our auditorium decor plans, but she allowed us a couple of hours to do a dry-run when the space was not in use, and that was incredibly helpful to us to work out our kinks and surely also put her mind at ease. Because she is so knowledgeable about the gardens, she knew exactly the best spots for photographs, where most plants would be in bloom. The Brookside staff were also incredibly helpful on the day of the wedding. Since it's a public park, it's not closed off during the event, but staff blocked off key entrances to our ceremony space during the duration of our ceremony so that we had some privacy. They also drove the golf cart to transport our guests who needed accommodations, as well as to transport us from site to site. Brookside Gardens, being a Montgomery County Park, is also extremely affordable, and they offer a lower rate for MoCo residents. We added features to our contract like the fireplace and access to the Conservatory for photos, and it all fell within our small venue budget. One thing to note is that you're required to rent a dance floor if using the auditorium (we used Sammy's Rental and had a really good experience), which adds to the venue cost. You're also required to hire a full service and licensed caterer, but you can hire whoever you want as long as Brookside approves of them. That flexibility was incredibly important to us as we wanted to cater Indian food for our wedding, and most other venues require you to select from their short list of approved caterers. We loved our experience at Brookside Gardens, and we can't wait to regularly visit our wedding site (for free!) and remember how special our day was.”

“Kentlands Mansion is a unique and extremely affordable venue in Gaithersburg, MD. They allow you to bring in whatever vendors you like and also to provide your own alcohol which saves a ton of money too! The grounds are absolutely beautiful! The Mansion is settled in the cutest neighborhood and faces a lake! It has a great little side garden, a back porch and huge front lawn with ample free parking for your guests. The inside is set up as a house so it has a few rooms that your guests can mingle through which creates great flow in your event! It doubles as an art gallery too which is super cool! The KM staff are always helpful, clear and responsive with any questions you may have. They also offer an add-on of a Coordinator for a super reasonable rate, especially when compared to others in the area.”