A Secret Garden Waterfront Wedding in Southern Maryland

When this couple pivoted from a big DC Museum wedding to a micro backyard wedding on the Maryland waterfront, the bride asked me for a Secret Garden-inspired wedding tent. And that is what we delivered! One of the best things about backyard weddings is that the installation timeframe is very flexible. So we were able to take our time really creating the tent of her dreams.

Maryland Waterfront Wedding Ceremony

Of course, a Secret Garden wedding tent had to have a vintage gate. We found it from a local rental company. We flanked it with ivy installations to obscure the tent sidewalls.

The wedding ceremony was on the picturesque waterfront point in this Maryland backyard. The couple had initially planned to marry in a DC church, so we brought in vintage pews for the wedding ceremony seating. The pews are pricey but when you have a small guest list, it becomes more doable. You could also mix in pews with regular chairs if you wanted to. These ceremony florals were later repurposed on the dinner tables. That is one way I can maximize your decor budget!

Kurstin Roe Photography

Bellwether Events: Design and Planning

Sugarplum Tent Company

Secret Garden Wedding Tent

The Secret Garden wedding tent had two different tablescapes. We had a farm table design with a more vintage table setting. And we had the blue velvet table design with a chic golden table setting. Since we were still pre-vaccine at this time, every family was seated together. That is why you see that we had smaller groupings than a typical wedding reception.

Kurstin Roe Photography

Bellwether Events: Design and Planning

Sugarplum Tent Company

We took the traditional fall wedding colors and turned them up, making the color palette feel fresh and fun. I’m always here for coral and blue!

Isn’t that cake amazing! It was completely fake, which was ideal since I drove it from the bakery in DC to Southern Maryland.

This Secret Garden wedding tent was installed adjacent to the private home. This let us take advantage of the existing hardscaping and use that as our dance floor. The DJ was even set up on the porch of the house to maximize space in the tent.

Kurstin Roe Photography

Bellwether Events: Design and Planning

Sugarplum Tent Company

Wedding Advice:

Bellwether Events is a home wedding expert. We love to plan backyard weddings. Check out the ebook, The Elegant At Home Wedding, written by our founder Janice Carnevale. The second edition of the ebook just launched!

If you are interested in DC area wedding costs, I have so much content for you: Meridian House wedding costs.  Hotel Monaco DC wedding costs. Woodend Sanctuary wedding costs. DAR wedding costs. DC Museum wedding costs. Decatur House wedding costs. I also wrote a post about how much different wedding decor pieces cost.

Are you looking for more general wedding advice and tips? I’ve got a lot of that too. Do you wonder how many guests can fit at a wedding reception table? Do you have questions about wedding room blocks? Are you curious about how many drinks people have at weddings? Or how long a wedding toast should be? I’ve got you covered.

You can fill out this form and I will send you a DC wedding budget custom to your specifications! Please reach out if you have any questions at all.