Brookside Gardens

Raw space venue

The venue will provide just the space. You’ll bring in your own caterer and vendors.

Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing

Starting at $2,000 for off-peak dates, and $3,000 for peak dates

Packages

Prices start at $1,460

Guest capacity

Up to 120 seated guests

About this venue

Brookside Gardens is a picturesque wedding venue located in Wheaton. Defined by its immaculate lawns and tranquil green spaces, this 50-acre property welcomes you and your partner to enjoy a unique celebration. This botanical garden is replete with vibrant floral arrangements with a selection of indoor and outdoor event spaces that will surely delight your guests. This gem is ideal for couples seeking a peaceful wedding venue. Founded in 1969, Brookside Gardens has set the scene for countless celebrations, while inviting couples to enjoy the venue’s natural beauty. Able to host up to 120 guests, at Brookside Gardens, the experienced events team will work with you to bring your dream wedding to life.

Best of Zola 2025

Seated guest capacity

  • 20-120

Venue type

  • Ballrooms, Banquet Halls
  • Parks, Gardens

Venue setting

  • Indoor
  • Outdoor
1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902

Our event spaces

Indoor Auditorium

An elegant indoor space with the allure of outdoors!

The Indoor Auditorium offers stunning views with it's ceiling to floor windows, vaulted ceilings, and carpeted floors to make your event a grand one. Get the best of both worlds with the attached Bluestone and Firepit Terrace.

Guest capacity

Up to 120 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Square footage

2,000

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch, Couples luncheon, Other

Guests often feel this space is

“Warm and cozy”

Included in this room:

- Warming Kitchen for your choice of Licensed and Insured Caterer - Dimmable Lights for overall atmosphere control - Tables and Chairs - Use of Bluestone and Firepit Terrace (Use of Fire pit additional cost) - Stunning Views of the Azalea Garden Woods - Use of Visitor Center Lawn for lawn games (lawn games not included)

South Terrace

Outdoor Oasis that makes the night sparkle!

This outdoor patio seats 120 people comfortably for a cocktail hour or reception. Surrounded by plants such as Japanese Maple trees, Gingko Trees, Bamboo, and seasonally planted planters, you feel as if you are in your very own oasis. Built in bistro lighting helps set the mood for an evening of dining and dancing.

Guest capacity

Up to 120 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Square footage

2,250

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Welcome party, After party, Farewell brunch, Couples luncheon, Other, Cocktail hour

Guests often feel this space is

“Relaxed”

Included in this room:

- Warming Kitchen for your choice of Licensed and Insured Caterer - Built in Bistro Lighting - Tables and Chairs - Fountain Feature - Plant/Flower views

Yew Garden

Our #1 Ceremony Space.

Our Yew Garden is our number one ceremony site mostly for the green hedges and beautiful Fall-blooming arches. Seating capacity for 120 people and stone pathway make it the ideal site for you to say I Do!

Guest capacity

Up to 120 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Square footage

1,800

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony

Included in this room:

-120 white padded folding chairs -setup and breakdown of ceremony chairs by Brookside Gardens Staff

Fragrance Garden

Our #1 Cocktail Site!

This geometrical space is the best for cocktail hour. Have your guests walk and linger through what feels like their very own forest while enjoying food and sipping wine! The Fragrance Garden boasts a gazebo, stone staircase, two fountains, and 9 seasonally planted flower beds. Whether it is for cocktail hour, or a seated ceremony for 100- the Fragrance Garden can do it all!

Guest capacity

Up to 100 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Square footage

4,000

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony, Cocktail hour

Included in this room:

-120 White Padded Folding Ceremony Chairs - Setup and Breakdown of Ceremony Chairs by Brookside Gardens Staff - Electricity

Wedding Gazebo

Brookside Gardens very first Wedding Ceremony Site!

Our Wedding Gazebo opened in the 70's and was the first place you could get married on the grounds. Due to the large slope, chairs are not available for this site ( a few chairs can be placed at the top of the hill which can accommodate for elderly or those who absolutely must sit). The Gazebo, though still used occasionally for ceremony is used mainly as a photo-opportunity for couples and groups alike!

Guest capacity

Up to 6 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony

Japanese Tea Pavilion

Transport yourself across the world- without even leaving the Gardens!

The Japanese Tea Pavilion is located in our informal Gude Garden. The Gude Garden is Japanese inspired which means there are different Greenery, Textures, and Stone work- but not a lot of flowers. This is the perfect site for intimate weddings or cocktail hours!

Guest capacity

Up to 50 Seated

Up to 80 Standing

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony

Sakura Hill

Weeping Cherry Trees make this hill top shine!

Also located in the Gude Garden, Sakura Hill is named for the two weeping cherry trees which sit on top this hill. As the highest point of the informal gardens, you are able to see the full grounds from where you stand!

Guest capacity

Up to 120 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony

Woodland Chapel

Nature's Wedding Venue

Not an actual chapel- but a woodland space surrounded by trees which creates an intimate venue within nature.

Guest capacity

Up to 100 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony

Guests often feel this space is

“Relaxed”

Included in this room:

Cathedral style trees, woodland paths, hidden entrance, no electricity.

Indoor Auditorium

An elegant indoor space with the allure of outdoors!

The Indoor Auditorium offers stunning views with it's ceiling to floor windows, vaulted ceilings, and carpeted floors to make your event a grand one. Get the best of both worlds with the attached Bluestone and Firepit Terrace.

Guest capacity

Up to 120 Seated

Up to 120 Standing

Square footage

2,000

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch, Couples luncheon, Other

Guests often feel this space is

“Warm and cozy”

Included in this room:

- Warming Kitchen for your choice of Licensed and Insured Caterer - Dimmable Lights for overall atmosphere control - Tables and Chairs - Use of Bluestone and Firepit Terrace (Use of Fire pit additional cost) - Stunning Views of the Azalea Garden Woods - Use of Visitor Center Lawn for lawn games (lawn games not included)

Brookside Gardens packages

Magnolia Package (Ceremony & Reception)

120 guests

Peak pricing $3,240-6,950

Off-peak pricing $3,540-4,160

Description

This 6-hour event package is our largest event package which gives you amble time for your wedding ceremony, cocktails, and reception.

What’s included
  • 6-hours for your event
  • 2-hours prior to event start time for setup
  • 1-hour after event end for cleanup
  • Choice of ceremony site
  • Choice of cocktail site
  • Choice of reception site
  • Tables
  • Chairs
  • A 9-hour photo permit

Orchid Package (Ceremony & Reception)

120 guests

Peak pricing $2,750-5,880

Off-peak pricing $2,990-3,530

Description

Our 4-hour event package which gives you the opportunity to say I do in the gardens and hold a party in one of our reception sites.

What’s included
  • 4-hours for your Event
  • 2-hours prior to event start time for setup
  • 1-hour after the event end for cleanup
  • Choice of ceremony site
  • Choice of reception site
  • Tables
  • Chairs
  • A 7-hour photo permit

Buttercup Package (Ceremony only)

120 guests

Peak pricing $1,340-2,860

Off-peak pricing $1,460-1,720

Description

This package is for those who want to say I Do in the gardens, but have other plans for dinner and dancing.

What’s included
  • 2-hours for your Ceremony & Pictures
  • 2-hours prior to event start time for setup
  • 1-hour after the event end for cleanup
  • Choice of ceremony site
  • Tables
  • Chairs
  • A 5-hour photo permit

Tulip Package (Reception Only-6hrs)

120 guests

Peak pricing $2,500-3,200

Off-peak pricing $2,500-3,200

Description

Our largest reception only package for those who want to spend as much time with their family and friends as they can.

What’s included
  • 6-hours for your event
  • 2-hours prior to event start time for setup
  • 1-hour after the event end for cleanup
  • Choice of reception site
  • Tables
  • Chairs
  • A 9-hour photo permit

Available services that can be provided by Brookside Gardens

Services & amenities

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Wifi

Transportation & access

  • Self parking - free
  • Wheelchair accessible

Rentals

  • Standard Chairs

Reviews

Write a review

5.0 out of 5

6 reviews

Write a review

  • Brookside Gardens is a dream venue

    •Verified review
    •Mary•May 5, 2025

    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.

  • AMAZING!

    •Verified review
    •Gillian K.•Nov 18, 2024

    Our wedding was the beginning of November and all the leaves had started to change! Brookside blocked off the gardens we were using so no one could mess with our wedding decor or anything. The park was still open to the public during our wedding, and it was beautiful and special to have the public see and witness our wedding and loved having everyone's beautiful comments. The staff were wonderful!

  • Beautiful Brookside

    •Verified review
    •Kim M.•Aug 12, 2024

    We were so pleased with our wedding venue, Brookside Gardens. The location itself is stunning. We were married in the Yew Garden, which is the perfect setting for a wedding ceremony, and we were able to take wedding photos throughout other areas of the gardens as well. Jennifer and her team were a joy to work with. They were very responsive to all of our emails and questions and were a great resource to other vendors. They were also very flexible as some of our plans had to be adjusted the day of the wedding. If you’re looking for a venue in the DMV area with the perfect natural garden backdrop, take a close look at Brookside.

  • Amazing Wedding Venue!

    •Verified review
    •Melissa K.•Jul 18, 2024

    We chose Brookside Gardens for our wedding because it's such a beautiful location and so close to DC where we live. We worked with Jennifer and her team along the way and they were responsive and incredibly helpful (giving us ideas for how to set everything up, what couples have done in the past, etc.) We had our wedding in the Yew Garden and our cocktail hour in the Fragrance Garden before moving inside for the reception and it was all stunning and we were able to go to several spots in the gardens for our golden hour photos (Japanese Tea House, rose garden, I could go on and on!) I 100% recommend Brookside Gardens for any wedding and am so grateful that we were able to get married there!

Real couples who got married at Brookside Gardens

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