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Weddings

Attributes highlighted by couples

Quality catering
Unique aesthetic style
Guests comfort
Amenities

About

Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a beach event venue located in Annapolis, Maryland, featuring the Merrill Center. Right on the beach, couples couldn’t have any more of a stunning backdrop for their wedding. Nestled amongst nature and stunning water views, the Merrill Center offers impeccable indoor and outdoor wedding spaces for couples to wed at.


Facilities and Capacity
This lovely venue can accommodate up to 200 guests. Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, a cozy tented wooden deck overlooking the water and the beach, couples and guests are sure to have a wonderful time. With elegant and enchanting décor, clients will have the ideal space to customize for their ceremony and reception.

Services Offered
Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers a wedding manager to help assist you with your wedding, from catering to florists to photographers. Our Venue offer the following services:

  • Private Beach
  • Boat Access / Dock
  • Bridal suite
  • Exclusive venue use
  • Tables
  • Permanent Tent with Fans and Lighting
  • Outside vendor
  • Pet friendly
  • Preferred caterers only
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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

No

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Parking
Tables

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

4

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Beach
Marina
Waterfront

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Covered Outdoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Event Rentals
Get Ready Rooms
Outside Vendors
Pet Friendly
Wifi

What bar services do you provide?

Outside Alcohol

What event items are available?

Decor
Tables
Tents
Tent Accessories

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
March
December

Pricing information

Do you want more pricing details?

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4.8 out of 5 rating
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
90 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.7 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.7 out of 5 rating
94% Recommended by couples
L
Lauren A. Sent on 10/16/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Wedding Venue!

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation was a perfect venue for our October wedding! Their staff was so attentive, the venue itself is beautiful and the amenities were all amazing. While we had beautiful weather, we were less stressed knowing if it would storm, we could hold our ceremony and reception on the covered deck. Our guests and us cannot say enough good things!
S
Sarah Sent on 12/20/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Venue of our dreams!

We truly are not exaggerating when we say that CBF was the venue of our dreams! When we set out on our venue search, we had a couple of criteria on our must-have list: (1) a setting that would be beautiful, majestic, and unforgettable; (2) convenient and comfortable on-site facilities for our guests; (3) a venue fee that wasn’t going to cost an arm and a leg; (4) somewhere that wasn’t just a “wedding venue,” but rather was part of some broader mission/cause; and (5) a location that was meaningful to us and our family.

We still can’t quite believe how lucky we were to find all of these and more in CBF. For views, you can’t beat the gorgeous natural surroundings or the stunning wood beams/architecture. For facilities, CBF has free and plentiful parking, as well as on-site bathrooms (so you don’t have to deal with the nonsense of renting a bathroom trailer). The venue fee is SO reasonable, especially when compared to other (frankly far less beautiful) venues in Maryland, DC, and Virginia. You also don’t really even mind paying the venue fee when you know that most of the venue fee goes to supporting CBF’s mission of saving the bay, which is further bolstered by CBF’s wedding-policy of banning single use plastics or Styrofoam. Finally (though this is just personal to us), my husband’s grandparents lived in Annapolis and the lighthouse where we scattered their ashes is visible from the CBF beach, which made the location extra special.

However, we never felt more affirmed in our decision to choose CBF than in the week leading up to our wedding. Just days before we were supposed to get married, we learned that Tropical Storm Ophelia was scheduled to hit Annapolis—thereby putting CBF in the flood zone—exactly on the day of our wedding. But with Shannon’s support and the work of our wonderful vendors, the team seamlessly turned what was supposed to be an outdoor beach wedding to a covered wedding on the deck seemingly overnight. And even with 50 mile per hour winds and sometimes sideways rain, our wedding could not have been more beautiful or joyful—which was in no small part due to CBF’s flexibility, kindness, and willingness to roll with the punches.

If you’re at all on the fence about CBF as your wedding venue, don’t be. Come rain, shine, or even a hurricane, I promise you won’t regret it!
P
Perrie B. Sent on 07/27/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The BEST venue.

I cannot say enough about CBF! We had our wedding here in July 2023. Ceremony on the beach, cocktail hour on the lawn, reception and dancing on the deck. It was perfect. Shannon at CBF is a dream to work with - an excellent communicator, flexible, experienced. For what you get, for the value for money for the DC-Baltimore area, the fact that the venue COMES WITH A TENT included, this is the best (and believe me, we looked). Also the vendors they work with are amazing. And, as a bonus, you are supporting an incredible organization that is protecting the bay and surrounding shoreline. Our guests were blown away. Our photographer loved it because the gorgeous outdoor backdrop made all photos easy. Cannot say enough good things. Thank you, CBF!
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Awards

90
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2009 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

3 Endorsements
The Gateway Florist The Gateway Florist Wedding Florists

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's location is like no other . . . A MUST SEE for your wedding or event.

Main & Market Main & Market Wedding Caterers

Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a beautiful venue to host a wedding!

The Cake Faerie The Cake Faerie Wedding Cakes

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a beautiful location for a wedding with their indoor and outdoor venue. The staff there are wonderful to work with. You are in good hands and will be well taken care of on your wedding day.

Preferred Vendors

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5.0 out of 5 rating , 1,039 Reviews
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4.9 out of 5 rating , 116 Reviews
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4.9 out of 5 rating , 64 Reviews
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Absolutely Perfect Catering
4.8 out of 5 rating , 321 Reviews
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Zeffert and Gold Catering and Event Planning
5.0 out of 5 rating , 581 Reviews
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Creative Cuisine
4.9 out of 5 rating , 48 Reviews
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Chesapeake Bay Foundation frequently asked questions

Chesapeake Bay Foundation includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Bridal Suite
  • Parking
  • Tables
The space offered by Chesapeake Bay Foundation for wedding events is known for:
  • Banquet Hall
  • Beach
  • Marina
  • Waterfront
Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Covered Outdoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Elopements
  • Rehearsal Dinner
Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Event Rentals
  • Get Ready Rooms
  • Outside Vendors
  • Pet Friendly
  • Wifi
Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
  • Decor
  • Tables
  • Tents
  • Tent Accessories
Chesapeake Bay Foundation is recommended by 96% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.8 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.9 in quality of service, 4.9 in professionalism, 4.8 in average response time, 4.7 in flexibility and 4.7 in value.

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