Woodend

Woodend was the perfect venue and we never second-guessed it. The mansion and grounds are SO BEAUTIFUL. It is a bit expensive but that is understandable because of how gorgeous the space is and that they are also trying to run their non-profit. Rebecca was also wonderful to work with. We didn't have much communication after our inital booking but there was no need since our caterer had been to the space before and knew how everything should run. It was great to simply show up and have no stress.

Rebecca and the Woodend venue were wonderful. Rebecca was very professional and always responded to our inquiries very quickly. The manor and grounds are absolutely beautiful.
We had a wonderful fall day for our wedding including deer roaming on the grounds. It was a gorgeous place for an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception.
Thank you for everything!

We fell in love with Woodend from the moment we visited--it was one of our top choices and we couldn't help ourselves. Despite the increase in fees, we decided that it was too beautiful to pass up--it fit our wedding vision to a tee. The day of, there were tornado threats and severe storms, so we couldn't enjoy the grove for our ceremony, but since the mansion has such a fantastic interior layout, it still felt intimate and completely lovely. We loved working with Rebecca--she's very organized, and let us know the details up front.

I can't say enough good things about Woodend. Many of my guests commented on the uniqueness of this venue. If the weather is nice, and you can have the ceremony in the grove, it is absolutely beautiful. We had 170 guests fitted under the tent well (I think we ended up doing 17 tables of 8-12 people at each). We had a band, and the sound was perfect. The only negative is the heat - it got really hot dancing - but what do you expect having a wedding in July?! Rebecca is really easy to work with, too. I HIGHLY recommend Woodend! It is an amazing setting for your special day!

Really beautiful venue. It was expensive, but worth it. Not flexible on some rules.

Woodend Sanctuary was a fantastic venue for our wedding. It has a beautiful, natural setting for the ceremony that is well maintained but still has a wild feel to it (complete with deer in the field next to us during the ceremony). The site felt secluded even though it was right next to Bethesda and a staff member even stopped cars from driving up the entrance while the ceremony was occurring. The tent for the reception was breezy and we didn't feel bothered by the heat of late June.
A big plus for us was that the site and mansion/tent was so beautiful that it didn't really need decoration.

There were only a few issues to keep in mind for this site: There were a lot of mosquitoes. I assume that this is only a problem during certain months and times of day. They really bothered us during the rehearsal (I got 14 bites on my legs), but the ceremony was later in the evening so it wasn't too big a deal then. We also didn't notice them at all in the tent during dinner.

Note that you can't access the site in advance to decorate. You only have access to the site during the times you have rented it for the wedding and for the rehearsal (rehearsal time is not included in the wedding rental agreement). You can drop things off the night before on a tarp with your name, but you can't set anything up.

We were extremely pleased with Woodend. The ceremony was so beautiful in the grove and the pictures in the field had deer in the background. The staff a Woodend were wonderful to work with and answered our questions promptly.

This is a much coveted location in the DC area and there's a reason why: it's gorgeous. Especially when you get perfect weather like we did. I also knew they had a great backup rain plan so I wasn't worried, but we happened to get amazing weather. We booked over a year in advance and all Saturdays were taken, so we did a Friday, which was cheaper and ended up being great. I would recommend a Friday or Sunday if you're on a budget.

It's like an oasis in the middle of the city. Everyone kept saying "I had no idea this was here." Also, the money goes to a wonderful cause, the Audubon Society, so you feel like you're not just throwing money away. We got married in the grove which is just beautiful, shady, and intimate. There is a lawn for lawn games. The dance floor is great.

Because it is a public place that also does day programs and other things, be warned that flexibility is an issue. You cannot leave anything overnight or set up early, so that can be stressful. Now that I'm on the other side it was totally worth it and I wouldn't change anything, but when you're leading up to the wedding it can feel a little bit of a pain. But otherwise, this place is really magical and...

Woodend is a lovely place for a wedding!! The ceremony in the Hemlock Grove was gorgeous. Our pictures came out beautifully. It was great to have our cocktail hour outside and then the dinner inside. The kids that came loved running around on the grass and then catching fireflies as the sun went down. I highly recommend this place. Also, Rebecca, the woman in charge of rentals was so pleasant and easy to work with.

Gorgeous outdoor venue - but if the weather doesn't cooperate the mansion serves as an excellent contingency plan! My only complaint is how hard it is to book the venue (we had to over 1.5yrs in advance) and how expensive it is! But you get what you pay for and the venue is absolutely breathtaking! We even had deer and rabbits drop by for a visit during our reception!

I got married at Woodend Sanctuary on May 5th and was absolutely thrilled with the venue. My husband and I wanted a venue that provided a beautiful natural outdoor setting for the ceremony and an indoor space for the reception and Woodend provides exactly that. It's wonderfully private (you have exclusive use of the property) and quiet as well, unlike other venues that either had multiple function spaces or were close to the road where you could hear traffic going by. The grounds are kept immaculately clean and provide a great backdrop for a special day. I hoped and crossed my fingers so many times that the deer other people mentioned in their reviews would show up on our wedding day, and right on cue as we were taking our photos out behind the house a group of about 8 deer appeared and hung out at the edge of the trees - it was truly magical. Rebecca is very responsive to any questions and has the whole thing down to a science. In most regards Woodend was quite flexible - they allow red wine which many historic venues do not and also allow you to choose all of your own vendors, with the exception of the caterer which they ask you to choose from an extensive list. I highly recommend Woodend for your wedding if you're looking for a nature-inspired, beautiful spot.

I don't have enough good things to say about my wedding at Woodend. The grove and the lawns provide a gorgeous backdrop for the ceremony, and the tent and mansion are available in case of rain. There is no bad setting for a wedding at this property. My weekend the weather got strangely cold, and we just closed the sides of the tent and kept everyone warm. I highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved this venue yet the it was pricey:( I couldn't help myself though - venue is beautiful and you'll have to put up with lots of restrictions that may be stressful. For example my husband had to wait two hours at the venue with the flowers in his car because the venue wouldn't allow the flowers to be delivered two hours early. Our florist was coming all the way from Woodbridge, VA and understandably didn't want to be stuck in traffic on a Friday afternoon. Like a said a lot of restrictions but if you have a beautiful day worth it for the view.

We chose Woodend for the sake of convenience: close to city, ample parking, pretty space that didn't require much decorating, could have the ceremony steps from the reception, tent was already up, there was a decent back-up plan in case of rain, etc. We had a relatively short engagement and didn't know the area that well. It was convenient. And it was pretty. But it is kind of a wedding factory, their list of caterers is limited (especially for those on a budget), and my interactions with the coordinator left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The only responsibility the Woodend staff had on the evening of our wedding was to let us in, let us out, and post someone at the end of the driveway so that cars didn't drive up and interrupt the ceremony, which was only about 20 minutes long. Guess what? They allowed a bus to drive within feet of us right as we were exchanging our vows. We had to stop the ceremony to let the thing pass. When I let them know the following week, instead of apologizing, I got a number of justifications that were flat-out untrue. We got married on a Friday, and they wouldn't allow us to drop off our alcohol the day before, even though they allow Saturday weddings to do so, for no apparent reason. I always got the vibe that they thought they were doing us a favor by allowing us to have our wedding there. They did allow us to decorate the morning of the wedding (we had a Friday wedding, so no one was using the venue earlier that day), which I appreciated. Overall, it's a relatively hassle-free place to have a wedding, but if we had known the area better and had more time, I would have been more creative in my choice and given our business to less of a wedding mill.

The prettiest outdoor venue in DC, well Maryland but close enough! Woodend was exactly what we were looking for. We wanted to be outdoors but needed the security of a back up plan in case of bad weather. Well, the outdoors part is beautiful, and picture perfect for wedding ceremonies. And the indoors is equally as pretty, the perfect space for dinner and dancing. The mansion on the property ties in beautifully and the tented terrace gives you an awesome balance between the outdoors and in. And, if you are looking to save money, a big plus about this place is that it is already beautiful! The natural aspects of this place speak for themselves. Hardly any decorations required!

The only reason I give a lower grade for flexibility is because they are a nature sanctuary, so there are certain things that have to do with nature and it's preservation that they have rules about. But, I'm glad they do! I'd like nature to stick around.

It was pretty funny as we began telling people where the wedding would be held. Everyone knows the place! I mean, I know we all want to be original here but you can't beat a venue that everyone responds to so positively. People were so excited and kept going on about a wedding they had been to there and how beautiful it was. Overall, just the perfect venue if you are looking for the indoor/outdoor aspect that is really close to DC.

Finding a venue in May for a mid-May wedding in the Washington, DC Metro Area isn’t a piece of cake if you start in the fall. We really wanted a nighttime wedding in a beautiful outdoor setting that also had a lovely indoor setting if the weather wasn’t good. After looking at numerous venues, our favorite ones were Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, MD and River Farm in Alexandria, VA. Not surprisingly, neither was available for a May Saturday night wedding.

Woodend had Saturday daytime availability in May, so we chose Woodend. It turned out to have been the right choice because May 14th was a misty day with night time thunderstorms where it rained cats and dogs. The indoor accommodations at Woodend are spacious and well accommodated our wedding of 120 because of the size of the mansion. The ceremony took place on the tent covered area which later served as the place for our sit-down luncheon. You felt like you were outside because the tent flaps were up. Cocktail hour was in the front of the mansion in its courtyard which has a large covered entryway, the front yard as the weather held up, and inside the front spacious room—very beautiful settings. The palladium windows, staircase, and the mantle pieces are beautiful. There is a very large room where the band played during our meal and was used for dancing and hanging out after the meal.

The price for the venue is reasonable since the side courtyard is tented (tenting is very expensive!) from Spring through Fall. Rental money is a fund raiser for the Audubon Naturalist Society. They supply nothing else, your caterer has to arrange for all of the tables and chairs.

The grounds at Woodend didn’t seem as well kept as I think they should have been, but that could have been because the spring has been a very wet one. In our case, it was irrelevant because we were close to the mansion and didn’t use the Hemlock Grove for the wedding like we had planned due to the weather.

We were pleased that Woodend was the venue for our daughter’s wedding. If I were to rank Woodend vs. River Farm, I’d say the grounds at River Farm are nicer, but the indoor accommodations at Woodend are better for a wedding the size of our daughter’s wedding (120). River Farm is run by the American Horticultural Society, so you can understand why the grounds are better looking. So given the weather and the size of our daughter’s wedding, Woodend worked out the best for us.

Woodend was a beautiful place for both the ceremony and reception. Rebecca was wonderful to work with, answering questions quickly and completely. It is not cheap to rent the space, but the money goes toward supporting the Audubon Society, and part of the fee is tax deductible. They cleaned the house and grounds well before our use of it, and delivered all that was promised. You are limited to the list of caterers they accept, but there are many good vendors on that list. We were lucky to have perfect weather, but the inside of the house is also beautiful.

Phenomenal setting -- the mansion and grounds blow away most of the other D.C.-area venues we visited. But comes with a few caveats that it's good to keep in mind. First, this place is not cheap. Second, if you fall in love with the hemlock grove, think about weather patterns because any recent rain turns the audience seating area into a mosh pit and eliminates it as a viable ceremony setting. Third, Woodend provides absolutely zero in terms of supplies (e.g. tables, chairs, linens, podium) so when you're doing an apples-to-apples cost comparison, factor in the additional cost of the caterer supplying the goods. Fourth, rehearsal time is NOT included in the standard contract -- that'll cost extra, and you have to book it in advance. Aside from that though, consider this your fair warning that if you visit them from like April through October it'll be tough to look at other places afterwards. Plus if you bleed green like I do, it's hard to think of a worthier enterprise to give your wedding money to. All in all fantastic venue.

Rebecca Robinson was great to work with and very responsive. My fiance and I had fallen in love with Woodend Sanctuary and held our ceremony and reception there. It was especially convenient because we had a lot of out-of-town guests. Plus it's only a short drive from DC and there is ample parking. My only complaint would have to be the bridal dressing area. It's a small, makeshift space that regularly serves as an administrative office. I expected a better amenity from a popular wedding venue and for the cost of the rental.

As soon as I saw Woodend, I knew it was the place for us. They were flexible with us in terms of the timing and length of our wedding and any time they were strict with their rules, it made a lot of sense. It is a beautiful location. I didn't feel like I needed to do much to decorate it. Perfect for pictures. You are practically guaranteed deer at your wedding. They do have a limited catering list, but the caterer really does everything for the event so they want people who know this unique site well. I found the list to be nicely varied in price and specialty. We chose Occasions and could not recommend them more! All in all the day and the experience couldn't have been more amazing.

We had both our ceremony and reception at Woodend, and absolutely loved the venue - we're so glad we chose it! We were fortunate enough with the weather to have the ceremony outside, then moved to the tent for dinner, then the hall for dancing - it was a perfect way to do it. We had our wedding on a Friday, which also helped with cost. Due to the fact that the venue is open to the public, and is used for a number of different things, there wasn't a great deal of flexibility in when we could arrive, items we could store, when we could do the rehearsal, etc. Overall though, I wouldn't have changed a thing.

We were married on a Sunday, which was significantly less expensive than Saturday. Rebecca was great to work with and responded to e-mails quickly. Woodend is beyond beautiful! The grove and mansion will exceed your expectations. My only complaint related to their flexibility with rehearsing. We were unable to rehearse at the venue because 1.) They charged a large fee to do so and 2.) They were inflexible with times that we could be on the premises. Overall, I would highly recommend Woodend and was extremely pleased! Our wedding was beautiful and our guests could not stop raving.

Woodend was exactly what we were looking for in a wedding venue. We wanted to have both ceremony and reception at the same place to make it as easy on our guests as possible, and Woodend is a beautiful place to do this. So many guests commented on what a gorgeous setting it was, and we couldn't agree more. The list of caterers seems limiting, but as a result you use a company that knows the venue well, and can really make sure the event goes smoothly. I would definitely recommend Woodend to anyone who wants a quaint, yet elegant outdoor ceremony.

We had a fantastic wedding reception at Woodend! We were looking for a cross between elegant and comfortable with an outdoorsy feel. It turned out beautifully from inside and out. Our guests are still raving about the venue and how they loved the fact taht we were surrounded by gardens with deer walking around during our cocktail hour. It was a perfect fairytale dream!

Woodend is a beautiful location for a wedding! Rain or shine, they are able to accomodate either way. Their venue has a few different rooms which was great for us, as we wanted different things to be going on at the same time. Great location!

We had our reception at Woodend (ceremony in a church down on Chevy Chase Circle), and everything was amazing. First, our wedding was in the middle of July - it was hot - we had 130 people and Woodend had plenty of room for everyone. We had a 6 person band that fit comfortably in the alcove area, and the dance floor was perfect. Many guests were hot (it was 93* out that day...got to love July), but the tent, and fans helped, and the rooms were air conditioned in the house, although many times it was difficult to tell because of all the people moving around. Although Woodend says they can accommodate something in the neighborhood of 170 (you have to pay extra if you have more guests than 150), I definitely would not recommend going over the 150 count, and actually felt that our number of 130 was perfect for the space in making it not too crowded, but crowded enough to make it full and feel fully utilized.

One of the reasons we had our wedding in July, was that it's not a peak month, and that saves some money in renting Woodend, and in addition, because it's not a peak month, they only have one wedding a day so you are actually able to choose your 8 hour time slot which makes it much more flexible. If however you do your wedding in the peak months, they have 2 weddings a day, and you have to choose from those time slots (one in the morning and you have brunch/lunch, and one in the evening). We liked the felxibility of being able to choose our own 8 hour time slot in July.

Deer come out very frequently, almost every night, and they wander around the property, we got some amazing pictures, and the property, although not flowering and blooming, was lush and green in July.

I loved my wedding location! The Woodend is a gorgeous location. I was nervous about doing an outdoor wedding in July, but the day turned to be beautiful. I love the portico with the gorgeous marble and columns. It is nice how the dance floor is separated by the french doors onto the tented terrace. This allows people to relax at the their table or being dancing all night long! The grounds are so pretty that your pictures could be nothing but spectacular!

We loved Woodend from the start when we discovered deer nibbling on bushes just off of the ceremony site. A year later our ceremony turned out beautifully. The deer showed up again, a song bird started his song during our vows, and a squirrel nibbled a nut in the tree behind my husband.
If you're getting married in the summer and your worst case scenario involves 100 degree weather... you may worry a bit when booking Woodend. As my worst case scenario came true on our wedding day (still was 98 degrees at 9pm), I realized that the dance floor gets just as hot as the outside when all of the doors are open for the party. We had splurged on a great band, and hand held fans from wal-mart so although everyone was sweaty - we were all sweaty together and the dance floor stayed packed until midnight.
As far as flexibility with Woodend my only complaint was the inability to leave alcohol behind for pick-up the next day. You have to take everything with you that night. So we packed the party bus full of booze and headed on our way. It worked out just fine, but it would have been nice to just leave it in the back room and have our vendor pick it up the next morning.

Woodend was the first, and pretty much, only wedding location we considered for our wedding. The location is breathtakingly beautiful, providing just the right combination of the outdoors and simple elegance. Compared to other locations in the DC area, it is also fairly reasonable in terms of cost (though I think the 2011 prices have gone up considerably). Rebecca and the other site managers were responsive and easy to work with. Woodend does restrict who you can use for a caterer, and they tend to be higher end options (though were were ecstatic about our choice of Festive Foods!)--the options that seemed to be on the lower side didn't get very good reviews. However, they let you bring your own alcohol, so that may help a bit to keep costs down. We got lucky and had beautiful weather for our morning ceremony and afternoon reception, but the mansion and terrace would probably have worked out great if it had rained. The location is really perfect too--our guests stayed in Silver Spring, and it was an easy 10 minute shuttle ride back and forth from the hotel. Highly recommend--could not have been happier with our choice.

I absolutely loved my Woodend wedding! Rebecca was helpful and patient with my questions about alcohol drop-off ahead of time, about using bird seed for our send off, and about scheduling our rehearsal the day before the weeding. The grounds and house were well maintained and wonderfully picturesque, of course. The house is so lovely and such a value for the rates that I had promised myself I wouldn't be too disappointed if it rained and we had to hold the ceremony indoors, but of course I was thrilled that we scored a sunny day and that I was able to have the outdoor wedding of my dreams.

We looked and looked and looked and at some point thought that perhaps DC (our current hometown) was not going to be the place for us to get married... And then we walked into Woodend!!! The grounds, the outside space for ceremony (almost like a natural beautiful gallery), and the house = so much space and variety for the guests. Rebecca was wonderful and very responsive. The deer also appeared outside during the cocktail hour and the guests were mesmorized. I highly recommend visiting that venue if you are considering getting married. Ample parking is a huge plus. PLUS, you can bring your own booze, that should be great savings. Looking at our photos, we are SO glad we got married at this venue. We had a spring wedding so the greenery and the blooms were lovely. The only little suggestion I have is that they sweep the floors better.

Beautiful location, easy to get to, plenty of parking and plenty of options in case of rain. Woodend is a very reasonably priced for an event location in the DC Metro area and it is absolutely gorgeous. We had a Friday night wedding on Oct. 30, I really wanted the fall colors so we picked a late Oct. wedding date, and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful fall foliage. Although it rained most of the week we were still able to have the wedding in the grove just before the sun began to set and even had some deer appear during the ceremony. A lot of the guests had never heard of Woodend and could not stop talking about how wonderful the setting was. It really made the ceremony that much more special.

Woodend is SUCH a beautiful place to hold a wedding. We were on a fairly limited overall budget, and decided to invest a big chunk of it in our venue. And actually, the rental fee is quite reasonable for the DC area, where many spaces will charge $8,000-$10,000 just to book the place on a Saturday. Investing in Woodend was well worth it -- apart from our fun friends and our fabulous caterer, the setting was the most important factor in making our wedding as memorable as it was.

We got really lucky with a beautiful September evening and had our ceremony in the lovely grove, but it was comforting to know that I had a lot of backup options given that East Coast weather is pretty unpredictable year round.

Rebecca was really responsive to our needs and very easy to work with. The rental time slots on Saturdays are a bit tricky -- if you want the evening slot, your rental starts at 5, and that means no vendors can get in until 5. This basically means your ceremony or reception can't start until 6:30 at the very earliest. That being said, they give you until 1 am to get out of there. It actually worked out just fine for us, and our ceremony ended up being right at sunset! So, so beautiful.

The list of approved caterers offers a wide range of styles and price points, but I'll give a shameless plug for Festive Foods. Lauren knows Woodend like the back of her hand, and she always made me feel confident that she could handle any weather or other challenge at Woodend. Great food and FANTASTIC service as well.

We had our ceremony and reception here on the Friday of Labour Day weekend. Like the previous reviewer, we were planning our wedding from abroad, but Rebecca, the site co-ordinator, was extremely responsive and helpful. We looked at lots of beautiful sites in DC and found that this venue was not only the most beautiful, but the best-priced.

We booked about 8 months out, and there were no Saturdays left, so I would definitely say - book fast! It ended up being great that we had a Friday wedding as we saved a couple of thousand dollars.

We had deer appearing during our ceremony, which the guests loved. Rebecca also thoughtfully passed on an email from my cousin in London who emailed us on the day with some well wishes, which was kind.

All in all I would 100 per cent recommend this venue.

We found Woodend after looking at almost 100 venues online and booked it without seeing it ourselves (we live abroad). It was even more wonderful than we anticipated. We were interested in having a combination indoor/outdoor wedding and this place was perfect for that. The ceremony was outside, although it had rained just before but the site coordinator went out of her way to make sure we could have an outdoor service. The cocktail hour took place on the portico, the buffet was set up in the next room, the tent is where dinner took place, and the band and dancing were in the Great Hall. We weren't sure how the party would flow with so many separate places but it ended up working really well. The guests who didn't want to dance said the tent was quiet since it was separated from the room with the band so they were able to talk. Everyone raved about how beautiful the setting was. We didn't need a lot of decorations since it's so naturally beautiful and our photos look incredible. Rebecca was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. Having to choose from a list of approved caterers was good and bad. It made it easier to figure out who to work with since it already narrowed down a large number, and it was helpful to choose a caterer who was familiar with the venue. Yet the caterers on the list are very expensive which we didn't look into before booking Woodend. Overally, I highly recommend Woodend and could not be happier with our decision to get married there.

Fantastic site for a wedding! Very professional staff... loads of experience.

I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to have a wedding in a beautiful old mansion with gorgeous wooded surroundings. We had originally planned to have the ceremony on the portico but it rained on the morning of the wedding so it had to be inside. Everything was still beautiful and intimate. The reception went off without a hitch in the tent and all of our guests raved about how beautiful Woodend was.

Woodend is a beautiful site. We picked it because of it's environmental commitment and the beautiful wooded grove area. While Rebecca, the site manager, is very nice, I would be careful placing a hold on the site. We had placed a 3 day hold for a Saturday evening, and were told that we could renew that hold at the end of the three days. I called in the afternoon when the three days were almost up to renew the hold and left a message on her phone. The next morning, I called again to confirm that she had renewed the hold, and she informed me that a couple had literally just come in an placed a hold on the site. I was pretty upset that she would honor their hold over ours when I had tried to renew it the day before. In the end it ended up working out because we decided to have the wedding on a Friday evening because it's almost half the price of a Saturday evening. But I would take this as a warning and recognize that this site books up quickly and if you really want it, just BOOK it!!

Like I said, a large part of why we chose the site was because of the wooded grove. I was somewhat worried about the rain option, which is under the tent, just because I was worried that it wouldn't be that pretty. However, I saw a video of a ceremony held in the tent, and it was actually really nice. Luckily, our wedding day was the one day that week that it didn't rain and we were able to have the ceremony in the grove. It was incredibly humid, but the overhead fans in the tent made a big difference for the reception. I noticed some mosquitos at the rehearsal the night before, but didn't notice any on the wedding day (but maybe I was just too distracted). One other small thing is that the dance area is in the mansion, so it sort of splits the party up a little if you end up having some people dancing and some sitting out under the tent. That can be a good or a bad thing I guess. Overall, I recommend the site. It really is beautiful and we got so many compliments on it.

Woodend is a wonderful option for couples who are looking for a chic yet natural setting for their event. Woodend has a beautiful shaded gorve area for ceremonies, as well as rainy day options. We lucked out with a gorgeous cool day...the deer came out of the woods to join us! Their coordinator is friendly and responsive. They require you to choose a caterer from an "approved" list, but all options are top notch. If you are looking to get a lower price, book a Sunday, morning slot, or in the winter.

We were so pleased we chose Woodend for our wedding ceremony and reception site. The place is beautiful and perfect if you want an outdoor wedding. They have a beautiful grove with tons of greenery. Deer even came out after the ceremony! Our guests gushed about the place and thought we chose a lovely setting. The mansion could use a little updating inside, but other than that, it was a great place. The tent allows the guests to feel as though they are still partially outside and opens right into the mansion for the dance floor. The Woodend staff was very helpful and offered many suggestions. We were very pleased!!

Rebecca was wonderful, and the wedding went off without a hitch. The space was perfect for our wedding, and it was just a beautiful perfect day!

This location is absolutely amazing!! It was breath taking when we first visited it!! But on our wedding day-- it was more than words can describe.
A Historic Manor is set atop of 40 acres of lush trees-- all in the heart of the Metro Area!! We were pleasantly surprised to find this location- believe me when I say this; we must have visited 15 other locations (not including the hundreds of locations we reviewed online).
The grounds are perfectly kept, there is an amazing grove area (used mainly for the ceremony). The house is beautiful. The kitchen is equiped for use by caterers. A vendors list is provided (which I thought was going to be limiting, but was honestly very helpful as there are a plethra in the area).
A tent is used in the warm months to connect the house to the slate covered areas in the back of the house (wonderful space). The overal feel of this location is lush, sophisticated, prominant, a dream!!

I highly recommend this location!! The only thing that I MUST stress is this location is popular and books very quickly (1 year plus)!!

Also, $1,000 of the rental fee is tax deductable!!

We held our ceremony at a nearby church and our reception at Woodend. Our wedding was in November, the peak of fall colors, so the surrounding trees made for an incredible backdrop. As well, being off season, we were the only event of the day, which allowed us some flexibility.
Rebecca was wonderful to work with. She was very quick to respond, helpful and friendly. Woodend limits your catering choices to 7 options, which means that you're guaranteed to be working with a caterer who's very familiar with the location. The options offer a great range of prices and tastes and you're sure to find something to suit everyone (we used Windows). It also helped that many of our other vendors had worked Woodend before, and all had wonderful things to say about the location beforehand.
The tented portico fit our ~120 guests very comfortably. We had booked estimating 150 guests, which we were assured would also have fit, but we were happier that our numbers ended up smaller - the tent felt spacious. We used the great room for the dance floor and it was packed all night, but never felt crowded, and there was room for staff to get through comfortably. The Woodend floor manager was very friendly - I didn't meet her until the end of the night, however found out later that she and my mom had spoken periodically to make sure everything was exactly was we wanted it.
Woodend is pricey, but you're paying for a unique setting (and you're sure get lots of compliments on that) and supporting the Audubon society all at the same time. If you can afford it, you definitely won't regret it.

Woodend is such a lovely place to get married and if the weather is nice, I don't think there is a nicer place to have your ceremony than the groove of trees. They are very flexible in letting you do whatever you want- but the only downside is they have a list of 8 caterers you must choose from.
But do not expect them to call you or hold your hand in anything.

I loved Woodend. The day of my wedding Hurricane Hannah was in town and we had to have the wedding inside. Although it wasn't our initial plan it worked out beautifully. The setting was so intimate and cozy, perhaps a tad warm, but since the ceremony was only 25 minutes it wasn't too uncomfortable. I wouldn't have changed a thing. Rebecca Robinson was wonderful. Always responsive and helpful. Amy McLaughlin

Woodend is absolutely beautiful and we were lucky enough to have perfect weather and be able to get married outside in the grove. They do book up very quickly so if you are trying to plan quickly I don't know if this is the place for you. Also, they really are not flexible in letting you come in a little early or stay a little later....you have to stick to your contracted time...unless you want to pay more.

Rebecca and her team did everything they promised and the site is beautiful for an outdoor wedding and indoor reception. As the father of the bride I received a year's membership to the Audobon Society and a tax deduction for part of the cost that helps support the society's good work - and got great value at the wedding itself. Highly recommend!

Rebecca and her team did a great job! The location was beautiful and we were lucky to get a beautiful outdoor wedding.

Woodend was a gorgeous, convenient place for our wedding. We had beautiful weather and so we were able to have our ceremony outside in the grove, and the ceremony under the tent. Our guests had a great time, and were just struck with the beauty of the location. If I had any potentially criticisms, it was that they charged us $300 extra because our caterers were somewhere between 1 and 30 minutes late in cleaning up, and their catering list was restricted to a certain list of caterers, but otherwise, it was a great place and we were really happy that our wedding took place there.

Great location, loved it.

This site made the wedding. We held our ceremony and reception at the Audubon Woodend Sanctuary. It has a beautiful grove outside to get married in. During the ceremony, deer walked by and rabbits hopped along. There weren't too many insects, which could be of concern in a wooded/outdoor area. The grove was just so serene and calming. Also- it wasn't too expensive because we got married on a Friday. We had to use a caterer from their list of approved vendors, but it was still worth every penny!

The place is beautiful, but the manager the morning of my wedding would not let us in 15 minutes early to start getting ready. He was inflexible and rude and started off my day with unneccesary anxiety.

Woodend is a beautiful place to have a wedding. We had our ceremony and reception at Woodend, and loved the physical beauty of the surroundings and the charm of the mansion. We ended up having the ceremony in the reception tent, open to the outdoors, because a rain storm threatened, and even though we wanted to be outside, the natural beauty in the background was wonderful. The mansion itself is spacious enough for a great dance floor and separate room for the cocktail hour, as well as the tent that provides room enough for about 180 comfortably. Our guests loved the elegance and beauty of the mansion and surroundings, and that dance floor was always full.
Just a few caveats- Woodend is not inexpensive, and when we used it, required the couple to use eight of the most expensive caterers in the Washington area. Also, the rental coordinator, while always friendly, wasn't always as responsive or flexible as we hoped.

Woodend was a gorgeous location for a wedding ceremony. The tent Woodend provided was very nice. If you are looking for a location that has a beautiful outdoor site, with the capability of being indoors, this is a great place.

Woodend is a favorite venue of wildlife and nature lovers. Their beautiful hemlock grove is a wonderful place for a ceremony.

Woodend is a favorite venue of wildlife and nature lovers. Their beautiful hemlock grove is a wonderful place for a ceremony.

Truly a wonderful outdoor location to get married at in the DC area. One of my favorite places to be hired as a wedding photographer.

Woodend is a wonderful place to host your ceremony and reception. The wooded grove is nothing less than picturesque. The Mansion is a great place for dancing and cake, and the tented patio is great for about 160 guests. I recommend getting a block of time longer than 8 hours so that your vendors have a proper amount of time to set up for your event!

Woodend Sanctuary is a beautiful venue with a lovely ceremony area! They are easy to work with and very friendly. We recommend this venue to any couple looking for a serene, natural, and lovely place to get married and have their reception.

This beautiful setting is home to a warm and wonderful facility perfect for most any special event.

Woodend is a fabulous venue and one of our favorites! The facility itself is gorgeous, and weddings there take on an almost magical quality. Plus, it's a "green" venue, something very important to our company - we definitely highly recommend Woodend!!