Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Emily’s favorite wedding last season, we hosted a wedding for a couple that was living in Maryland, but the bride was originally from Hawaii. They nodded to Hawaiian culture throughout the event with their color choices (all bright colors), food choices (including a shaved ice station), tropical flowers AND the bride even performed a traditional Hula dance for her groom. After months of planning for a beach wedding, it down poured the entire day, so their original plan of getting married on our private beach would no longer work. The couple decided they would have their ceremony on our tented deck, and they opted to just have their guests gather around them in one large circle. All of their guests said it was actually the most special and intimate ceremony they had ever witnessed, even though it ended up being the plan B ceremony spot! The rain let up a little later into the event, so the couple got to go down to the beach to take some beach photos. They decorated our large tree with bright colored lanterns, and it made the perfect photo backdrop!
The view from the beach right off the Philip Merrill Center’s ceremony on the beach. Views of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Bay Ridge community pool and docks.
What’s one interesting fact about Chesapeake Bay Foundation? We were founded over 50 years ago and are actually the largest independent conservation organization solely dedicated to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Our headquarters in Annapolis is located in one of the greenest buildings in the world receiving the first ever LEED platinum designation!
What do you have planned for the future? As far as our events venue goes, we have some cosmetic upgrades planned for the future! So, stay tuned
How far out should a couple pay a deposit to secure your venue for her wedding day? Once a couple chooses our venue, we require a signed contract and a 50% deposit along with a $500 security deposit to make the official reservation.
How many guests can you accommodate? We can accommodate up to 200 guests.
What is included when a couple books your venue for their wedding? We include an 8-hour time block, for use of our lobby, tented deck, Canvasback room, bridal suite, private beach, and our surrounding 32 acres. We also include our tent (with string lights, ceiling fans and clear enclosable sides), tables, some décor items (lanterns, easels, cornhole boards, etc) as well as a member from our events team to remain at the entire event.
How do you help couples customize their wedding? The great thing about our space is that it’s a blank slate so everything is completely customizable-nothing is cookie cutter. There are many ways to setup your event & no two events ever look the same! We are happy to help with anything you need- vendor recommendations, floor plans, suggestions, general troubleshooting- to make sure that everything turns out exactly how our couples want their wedding to look and feel.
What makes Chesapeake Bay Foundation unique? All revenue that earn from events goes back to supporting the Foundation and all of our missions. Everything is inherently unique about us- our location, our private beach, and the fact that having weddings and events also helps to save the bay!
Do you have a favorite season for weddings? We mainly host weddings in the warm months (April-November), so every season is great! However, my personal favorite is always going to be the fall since we get such gorgeous foliage!
Where is your favorite place to travel to near or far work or play!? Internationally, I would love to spend more time exploring Europe! My husband and I went to Germany and Malta for our honeymoon 4 years ago and had the best time. Locally, I just absolutely adore St. Michaels and make an effort to visit a few times a year.
Any other interesting facts about Chesapeake Bay Foundation? When our building was built, it was not intended to be an events venue. Once word got our that our property had a private beach, people starting calling us to see if they could have their weddings at CBF, which started our events program!
Sweeping views surrounding the ceremony location on the beach a few steps from the industrial wedding venue of the Philip Merrill center in Annapolis, MD.
