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Search results for woodend sanctuary. If you didn't find what you were looking for, try a new search.

Intimate Winter Wedding at Woodend Sanctuary
November 14, 2018

Today’s intimate Winter wedding at Woodend Sanctuary is so cozy and full of love. Erin was the quintessential winter bride, choosing a the add a 3/4 sleeve lace bolero to her dress and a rhinestone belt to top her lace wedding dress. Erin’s mother, a former home-econ teacher handmade the veil Erin wore. Mike chose a custom charcoal suit for his wedding day attire. Erin’s “something old” was an heirloom emerald cocktail ring from her maternal grandmother. And isn’t it just stunning? We love that she chose to incorporate such a beautiful and meaningful piece into her big day.

In addition to the heirloom ring, Erin and Mike incorporated many sweet moments and touches into their big day. The kick off the festivities, the two got up and went on a breakfast date the morning of the wedding. It was such a memorable start to a busy day that they shared, just the two of them. During their intimate wedding ceremony they also had a “ring warming ceremony” where they passed their wedding rings around to all of our guests before the vows. According to Erin, “it makes me smile when I think about all of the well-wishes and prayers said over those rings.” They also wrote their own vows, and said they were definitely a highlight. So very much “them.” And isn’t that what makes the best weddings? Thank you to Erin Tetterton Photography for sharing this intimate DC winter wedding with us today!

 

The following Washington DC wedding professionals contributed to this winter Woodend Sanctuary wedding:

Photography: Erin Tetterton Photography | Venue: Woodend Sanctuary | Event Planning: Sincerely Pete Events | Floral: Friend of the bride & Groom | Stationery: Minted | Wedding Cake: Fluffy Thoughts Bakery | Beauty: Rachel Lane MUA | Catering: Purple Onion Catering | DJ & Lighting: The Dapper DJs | Transportation: Fleet Transportation | Bar: Ace Beverage | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero | Groom’s Attire: J. Hilburn | Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Veil: Handmade by Mother of the Bride | Bridal Salon: Cherry blossom Bridal | Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Sung |  Rings: Blue Nile | Submitted via: Matchology

For more wedding vendors, please visit our Washington DC area wedding vendor guide. For additional local ideas, check out our wedding inspiration galleries. Especially relevant would be our Washington DC area real weddings.

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Real Weddings - Blue  / Real Weddings - Casual  / Real Weddings - Maryland  / Real Weddings - Traditional  / Real Weddings - Winter

Festive Fall Wedding at Woodend Sanctuary
September 19, 2018

Fall is certainly on it’s way in! As we creep closer and closer to October, we hope to see the temperatures dropping and the fall themed weddings rising! To kickstart the season we have a quintessential fall wedding. From gorgeous fall foliage to tasty hot tea and blankets available to ceremony guests, it has got us “fall-ing” for autumn. See what we did there? Scott and Amanda’s wedding venue, Woodend Sanctuary, could only be described as enchanting, while the whole wedding was laid back and filled with laughter. We adore the pumpkin placecards (how festive!) and the unique pie dessert bar. Their soft fall palette as really tied everything together in a autumnal bow! Thank you to Mason Photography for sharing this Fall wedding at Woodend Sanctuary with us today.




The following Washington DC Wedding professionals contributed to this festive Fall Woodend Sanctuary wedding:

Photographer: Mason Photography | Venue:  Woodend Sanctuary | Caterer: Windows Catering | Florals: Jane Smith | DJ/Band: Speakers of the House | Hair & Makeup: TC Beauty | Dress: Maggie Sottero; TLC Bridal | Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew

For more wedding vendors, please visit our Washington DC area wedding vendor guide. For additional local ideas, check out our wedding inspiration galleries. Especially relevant would be our Washington DC area real weddings.

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Woodend Sanctuary and Mansion
May 14, 2018

Historic Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion offers a charming grove for outdoor ceremonies, and the use of the mansion and adjacent tented terrace for 170 guests from Apr-Nov, and 120 guests from Dec-Mar. The adjacent tented terrace and the Great Hall are excellent alternatives for the ceremony.

Built in 1927, Woodend was designed by John Russell Pope (Jefferson Memorial, DAR Constitution Hall) for the Wells family and donated to the Audubon Naturalist Society in 1969. Part of the rental fee is tax-deductible.


Address :
8940 Jones Mill Road
Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Phone :
(301) 652-9188

Email :
woodendrentals@anshome.org

Website :
https://woodendsanctuary.org/

Portfolio :
View work by Woodend Sanctuary and Mansion

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Venues

Charming Woodend Sanctuary Wedding
March 1, 2017

There are so many amazing details to highlight in this beautifully blue Maryland wedding day! Some of our favorites include the bride’s bright blue shoes, the groom’s monogrammed cuff links, and the DC bottle openers. We love little touches like this; they really elevate the day. This natural feeling wedding day kicked off with some refreshing drinks for the guests as they arrived. They offered three delicious looking options. Pre-wedding sips are some of our favorite things ever, so we were super happy to see that this couple embraced this awesome trend!

After their sweet ceremony with hanging greenery (more on this prettiness later!), smiles galore, and a fun cocktail hour, guests were directed to their seats with a unique escort card display. Guest’s place cards were hanging from a stunning blooming tree. The reception continued the natural theme with hanging greenery that mirrored the ceremony decor, centerpieces of herbs and moss, and greenery runners. The use of hanging greens and nontraditional plants had us wowed! Elegance and Simplicity really outdid themselves with this one! Thank you to Elegance and Simplicity for sharing this charming Woodend Sanctuary wedding with us today!

And as a bonus we have Maureen and Tommy’s wedding day video from Toy Box Studios!!

 

The following Washington DC area wedding professionals contributed to their wedding:

Wedding Planner, Floral Design & Lighting: Elegance and Simplicity
Photographer: Jessica Latos Photography
Caterer: Design Cuisine
Venue: Woodend Sanctuary 
Videography: Toy Box Productions
Makeup Artist: Carola Myers / Hair: Dmitri Ferrer 
Band: Bachelor Boys Band
Alcohol : Ace Beverage

For more wedding vendors, please visit our Washington DC area wedding vendor guide. For even more amazing local ideas, check out our wedding inspiration galleries. We also have tons of other Washington DC area real weddings for your perusal.

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maryland weddings  / Real Weddings  / Real Weddings - Classic  / Real Weddings - Green  / Real Weddings - Maryland  / Real Weddings - Orange  / Real Weddings - Pink  / Real Weddings - Vintage  / Real Weddings - White

Woodend Sanctuary and Mansion
July 14, 2016

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Vibrant Woodend Sanctuary Holud Ceremony: Sabrina + Leonid
March 7, 2016

Oh the color! I am so in love with the vibrant yellows and pinks that radiated from Sabrina and Leonid’s Woodend Sanctuary Holud! The moment this celebration popped into our inboxes we were infatuated with the beautiful sarees and the sheer joy radiating off of the couple as they enjoyed their friends and family! For those unfamiliar, the Gaye Holud is part of an elaborate series of celebrations starting a traditional Bangladeshi ceremony. It originates from the Hindu wedding religious ceremony where Lord Shiva and his bride Sati were applied with Haldi to cool the couple and make them look even more beautiful. At the Holud, friends and family touch the couple with turmeric paste to approve the union of the happy couple. Dancing, food, and festivities all surround the day, and in this case we loved the use of the outdoor space at Woodend Sanctuary for yard games and cocktails on the lawn. Thank you to Lovesome Photo for sharing Sabrina and Leonid’s vibrant Holud ceremony with us!

Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-3 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-6 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-4 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-7 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-8

From the Bride: “Gaye Holud” is a traditional Bangladeshi ceremony of getting the bride and groom prepared for the wedding day. It is a tradition for family and friends to touch the the couple with the turmeric paste as a way of approving the union. The word “Holud” means yellow so we wanted the color theme of the event to be yellow and white. The majestic tall trees of the Woodend Sanctuary provided the best backdrop for the event and the bridesmaids were a vision in their bright yellow sarees!Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-10 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-12 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-14 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-16 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-17 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-21 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-24 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-26 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-28 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-30 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-31 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-34 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-36 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-29 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-37 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-38 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-39 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-40 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-41 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-47 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-49 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-55 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-54 Lovesome_Sabrina_Leonid-56

Leonid and I are both foodies and great food was the main thing we chose to splurge on. Our caterer agreed to create a menu with all our favorite south Asian food and the result was delicious! My mom made traditional rice pudding and my aunts made traditional rice flour dessert cakes which were served at dinner. It was amazing to have everyone’s love and support for the party!
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Favorite Moment from the Bride: My mom walked me into the ceremony tent and once we reached the stage, she got very emotional and we found each other in a long tight hug, neither of us wanting to let go. It was a very touching and beautiful moment; one that I will remember for the rest of my life.


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Advice from the Couple: No matter how much you prep and plan, some things will go wrong at the wedding. It is important to recognize that sometimes things are out of our control and nobody will notice or remember anything in the end.

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Congratulations to Sabrina and Leonid! Thank you for sharing your vibrant Woodend Sanctuary Holud Ceremony with us!

The following Washington DC area wedding professionals contributed to their wedding:
Photography: Lovesome Photo
Dj Entertainment: Basskick Productions
Floral Designer: Bella Fiori Flowers
Hair and Makeup Artist: Alison Harper & Co.
Bride’s Attire: Preeti S. Kapoor
Floral jewelry:‹ Imperial Decoration
Catering: MK Catering
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Woodend Sanctuary
Honeymoon Location:‹ Belize

For more wedding vendors, please visit our Washington DC area wedding vendor guide and for even more amazing local ideas, check out our wedding inspiration galleries and other Washington DC area real weddings.

Photo Credits: Lovesome Photo

 

 

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Whimsical and Woodsy Wedding Reception at Woodend Sanctuary: Yana + Alex
March 18, 2013

It’s time for part two of Yana and Alex’s woodsy-themed wedding from Sweet Tea Photography and this time they brought the outdoors, in! They DIY’d some cute activity books for the kids (Always a great idea!) and brought the outdoor setting of their outdoor wedding ceremony to the tables, the guest book, even the cake! To send the guests home with one final nod to their theme? Trail mix wedding favors! Happy trails, everyone!

Maryland Woodend Wedding

From Yana: We created a few DIY projects together, my favorite being the children’s activity book we made for my brother and sister and the other kids at the wedding. I was so happy to see them actually using it.

Wedding Kids Activity Book Window Pane Seating Chart

Thumbprint Wedding Guest Book

Thumbprint Guestbook

Wedding Reception Tent

Whimsical Place Cards Tree Branch Centerpeices

Rather than relaxing the morning of the wedding like many grooms would, Alex decided to create cocktail menus to have at the bar, even using the exact font I would have used if I’d done them myself. They were a simple detail, but the fact that he thought to do it rather than relax confirmed why I was marrying the guy, especially if we can agree on typography. Also, our best man brewed two custom beers for the wedding himself, so those cocktail menus were a good place to showcase that!

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Reception

Mrs Always Right Sign Mr Right Sign

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Reception Maryland

Rustic Table Numbers Bird Cake Topper

Our favors had trail mix in them, hence the “Happy Trails” on the jar.

Trail Mix Wedding Favors

Maryland Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Reception

Yana’s advice to other DC-area couples:

Somehow, after all the stress and craziness, it does all work out! It really does get stressful trying to get all those details in that you see all over Pinterest and wedding magazines and feel like you have to have them and be a DIY queen. Make sure you have a good team around you that can take care of the details you can’t take care of, and that if you can’t DIY, then communicate exactly what you want for the details. In the end though, the bigger things will outweigh all those little details, and those will likely be what you end up remembering years on.

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Reception in Maryland

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Yana and Alex’s wedding:

Venue: Woodend Sanctuary
Photography: Sweet Tea Photography
Videography: Drade Photography
Catering: Main Event Caterers
Bakery: Classic Bakery
Florist: Greenworks
Planner: HJ Planners
Stationery: Jessica Taich Design
DJ & Lighting: Musical DJs
Officiant: Joan Philips
Dress: Kleinfeld Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Alison Harper & Co.

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: Sweet Tea Photography

* Sweet Tea Photography and Alison Harper & Co. are two of our fabulous sponsors. For more info, please review our editorial policies or consider becoming a sponsor.

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Whimsical and Woodsy Wedding Ceremony at Woodend Sanctuary: Yana + Alex
March 18, 2013

We’re kicking off the week with a whimsical Maryland wedding in the woods from Sweet Tea Photography and some seriously gorgeous wedding stationery! Yana is a park ranger, and she and her now-husband, Alex, love the outdoors, so Woodend Sanctuary was the perfect venue choice. I really can’t pick a favorite detail from their ceremony, can you!? Silhouette wedding programs, hanging florals over the ceremony and hot cider to welcome the guests all sound quite perfect to me! You’ll have to come back later this morning to see even more!

Whimsical Wedding Invitation Yellow and Pink Bouquet

From Yana: I have always dreamed of a whimsical wedding in the woods, with the nature of the forest bringing out the romance of a wedding more than any other detail could.

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding First Look

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Portraits Woodend Sanctuary Bride

Woodend Sanctuary Weddings Woodend Sanctuary Wedding

Wedding Ceremony Refreshments Hot Cider Wedding Refreshments

Alex and I tried to bring our personalities and our relationship history into the whole wedding, which the woodsy theme was already a part of because we love hiking and visiting national parks together (and I happen to work in them as a park ranger). Our flowers had to include daisies, which were a big part of how our relationship started in high school, with Alex using my then-favorite flower to ask me to senior prom in front of my entire clapping math class.

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Outdoors Lantern Wedding Ceremony Decor

Silhouette Wedding Program

Gray and Yellow Wedding Ceremony Program Gray and Yellow Wedding Ceremony

Walking down the aisle was a truly magical experience, after all the planning it’s so amazing to just see all your favorite people surrounding you and all the details finally coming together, and at the end of the aisle to finally see a beaming Alex in the warm autumn sun (we were blessed with perfect weather!) under the trees and beautiful hanging flowers, with deer in the distance. The ceremony pictures really show how magical it was, more than I could have ever dreamed of.

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Ceremony Decor

Gray and Yellow Bridesmaid Attire Yellow Boutonniere

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Ceremony Outdoors

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Ceremony Getaway Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Flower Girl

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Bridal Party

Woodend Sanctuary Wedding Couple

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Yana and Alex’s wedding:

Venue: Woodend Sanctuary
Photography: Sweet Tea Photography
Videography: Drade Photography
Catering: Main Event Caterers
Bakery: Classic Bakery
Florist: Greenworks
Planner: HJ Planners
Stationery: Jessica Taich Design
DJ & Lighting: Musical DJs
Officiant: Joan Philips
Dress: Kleinfeld Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Alison Harper & Co.

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: Sweet Tea Photography

* Sweet Tea Photography is one of our fabulous sponsors. For more info, please review our editorial policies or consider becoming a sponsor.

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Summer Garden Party Wedding in Maryland at Woodend Sanctuary: Emily + Dustin
March 4, 2013

I promised you a garden party wedding, and now I give you a garden party! Emily and Dustin’s reception, captured by The Happy Couple Wedding Photography and fittingly at Woodend Sanctuary, was blooming with pink florals from the tables, to their cake, to their place cards. They also happen to know many a creative person, so several of their special details were handcrafted, making them that much more meaningful.

Pink Flower Place Cards

From Emily: So many of our friends and family are so creative, and it was such a joy to have them contribute. My sister-in-law designed our wedding programs, my brother-in-law drew the tree for our “guestbook,” my best friend and bridesmaid helped paint the mr.& mrs. signs, write out our place cards, and wrap about a million tealight candles in washi tape.

Custom Guest Book

Thumbprint Guest Book

Woodend Wedding

Chalkboard Wedding Menu Maryland Wedding Cocktail Hour

Custom Wedding Napkins

Maryland Wedding Catering

Woodend Wedding Grand Entrance

Pink and Green Wedding Flowers

Pink and Green Wedding Decor Pink Peony Topped Wedding Cake

Mrs Chair Sign

Woodend Wedding Reception

Perhaps one of my favorite parts was the mantles – on the one were pictures of us as kids and with childhood friends/family throughout the years and the other mantle had pictures of our parents and each of our grandparents at their weddings. Despite the obvious hilarity of seeing my in-laws’ hippie wedding pictures (a red floral flowing dress!) compared with the West Point uniforms and white lace of my parents’ wedding, it was beautiful to see so many generations on their happy days.

Maryland Wedding First Dance

Woodend Wedding First Dance

Wedding Cake Cutting Maryland Wedding Portraits

Emily’s advice to other DC-area couples:

I would say to pick your 2-3 most important things and focus your budget around those things. It’s so easy, once you get into it, to get involved in everything and think that every single aspect has to be “the best.” Ultimately, the day is such a whirlwind that what stands out is what was the most important from the beginning. I was absolutely in love with our venue, my biggest priority, and enjoyed the food so much. I was so happy we prioritized them! There will always need to be certain things cut from the budget, but remember, what you remember is the love, dancing, joy and togetherness of that day being surrounded by family and friends. The extra expensive chairs can go.

Woodend Wedding Dance Floor

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Emily and Dustin’s wedding:

Ceremony: St. Mary’s Church
Reception: Woodend Sanctuary
Catering and Wedding Cake: Festive Foods Catering
Photographer: The Happy Couple Wedding Photography
Floral Designer: Franklin 2·1·5 by Jennifer Lodato
DJ: DJ Beach
Wedding Dress: Winnie Couture, Distinctive Designs Bridal
Groom’s Attire: J.Crew
Makeup and Hair: O’Hair Salon
Liquor: ACE Beverage

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: The Happy Couple Wedding Photography

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

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Intimate and Romantic Wedding at Woodend Sanctuary: Alex + Rob
January 16, 2012

Alex and Rob were married on a beautiful, if slightly rainy, day at Woodend Sanctuary in Maryland.  The weather might not have allowed for an outdoor ceremony, but made for an intimate indoor ceremony followed by a misty and romantic portrait session with photographer Sarah Culver.  I love all of the meaningful details that Alex and Rob incorporated throughout their wedding from the personal ceremony readings to the reception traditions that celebrated Alex’s Romanian heritage.

From Alex: We wanted everything in our wedding to be personal and meaningful reflective of our values, including our love of nature, our families and friends, and each other.  Our main priorities were the venue, alcohol (we had an open bar with our favorite liquor), and music.  We fell in love with Woodend, which is a bird sanctuary.  Every time we visited, there was plenty of wildlife, including deer, roaming around.  If the weather had cooperated, we would have had our ceremony in the “grove” in the forest.

My favorite wedding detail was my birdcage fascinator: classy, unique, pretty, and fit my personality perfectly.

My favorite memory was walking down the staircase right before we saw one another for the first time.  It was very exciting and wonderful when our eyes finally met!

We designed our own ceremony programs, which contained favorite quotes from our favorite poets.  The two ceremony readings were chosen to reflect our values, including a passage from the Little Prince.  Our vows and entire ceremony were written together, and we had one of our best friends marry us.  We also had a mix of male and female friends on either side of the wedding party.

We also did a Romanian hora, including the bit at the end where the bride and groom get lifted up into chairs (which is more Jewish than Romanian, but something that we both liked from other weddings we’ve attended).

My mom brought the “unofficial” Romanian national drink tuica (like a plum brandy) back from Romania and we had flasks on each table so people could choose to toast with tuica or champagne.  The bar had a tablet indicating the “groom’s drink” and the “bride’s drink” so our guests could choose to try our favorite drinks.  The white wine served was the one we first had together as a couple.

The bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, and other floral arrangements were handmade by me, along with Rob’s aunts, my best friend, and Rob’s sister.  We had pie for dessert because Rob’s brother-in-law is a pastry chef and apple pie is Rob’s favorite.

We had a makeshift “photo booth,” so people could get silly and take pictures of themselves: it worked great!  The excitement of the dance floor and the photo booth area mingled and made the whole party that much better!

Alex’s advice for other DC-area couples:

Don’t get frustrated in your venue search; you will find your perfect place… it will just take time, so have patience.  For cheaper options, try getting married on a Thursday or Friday evening (we did and it was fantastic and saved us some money).  Take everything bite-sized; don’t try to do it all at once because that will drive you crazy.  Also, divvy up tasks according to what the other person cares more about (e.g., booze, music, etc.)  Prioritizing is the first thing you need to do as individuals (pick one thing you care *most* about and either splurge there or spend more time getting it perfect), then as a couple.  Do a basic budget, knowing that you will likely go over by a little bit (we probably went over by $5,000).

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Alex and Rob’s wedding:

Venue: Woodend Sanctuary
Catering: Main Event Caterers
Photography: Sarah Culver Photography
Floral Design: DIY, flowers purchased from Flowers and Freshness
DJ: DJ Greyhound
Bridal Attire: Joli Bridal, purchased from I Do I Do Wedding Gowns

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: Sarah Culver Photography

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