“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.”

“I recommend the Kentlands Mansion not only because of its charm but for the easiness it was to work with the staff. This was our first annual Christmas Party and we did not need to bring any additional decorations because the Mansion was beautifully decorated and created a warm holiday feeling for us and our guests. There was plenty of parking which is normally a concern with events but not here. I also liked that when it got a little warm because of dancing that we were able to step out on the canopied porch for some fresh air but was still able to hear the music. Looking forward to another event at the Mansion!”