Gertrude's Chesapeake Kitchen

We are so glad we chose Gertrude's for our wedding day!! First of all, it is absolutely beautiful. Having the ceremony in the sculpture garden and crossing the fountain felt magical and very special. We rented Gertrude's candles that they set up around the fountain so that was magical and also made the day more worry-free. The tent is perfect for a rain plan (we did have rain on our wedding day but thankfully it held off for the ceremony, and the staff was super helpful in preparing for both the rain plan and the sculpture garden plan). During cocktail hour, our guests loved exploring the sculpture garden. The dinner stations were amazing - I highly recommend the french cut chicken breast and crab cakes, we got a lot of compliments on the food!! And then the tent makes for perfect dancing at night!! Plenty of space for people to spread out as well. The fact that it is a restaurant, so they make incredible food and do all the set up and linens and service and alcohol, etc, makes the planning process a lot less stressful. Compared to other venues like this, we thought it was amazing value for what you pay! A stunning venue that is also amazingly organized with incredible food, we highly highly recommend it!!

Gertrude's was so fabulous in every way! We got married there early September. Emily was fantastic to work with and answered all of our questions quickly over email up until the last minute. The staff at Gertrude's worked with us to customize our menu and our drinks selection. The food was delicious--we did a mostly vegetarian menu with the exception of crab cakes. Even the side dishes shined (our guests loved the garlic green beans and garlic mashed potatoes)! For appetizers: The stuffed mushrooms were a hit.

Our wedding was rainy pretty much all day up until just before the ceremony began, and the staff and Gertrude's and Emily helped to ensure we could still have our ceremony outside. The event flowed really nicely, dancing under the tent was perfect, and our guests were able to walk about the sculpture garden during the cocktail hour and throughout the night, which was a big part of why we chose the venue. The staff at Gertrude's (and more specifically, Katie, who was our waitress that evening) ensured we had plenty of food and drinks and that we got to enjoy the whole evening. Compared to other venues with mandatory preferred caterers--the prices at Gertrude's felt like a steal, and the food was really excellent. Many people came up to us afterward and said it was the best food they'd ever had at a wedding! (And also the best wedding they'd ever been to!) If we could do it all again we would in a heartbeat.

It was a dream working with Emily. From
start to finish, she made our experience easy and pleasurable. She was flexible & helpful and
so much fun to work with. And she helped us create a truly lovely Rehearsal Dinner.,

After reviewing and visiting beautiful venues throughout Maryland, our son and daughter in law chose Gertrude's at BMA for their wedding venue.
The magic that developed over the year of planning turned into a beautiful and personalized experience for all. Emily, the event coordinator, along with Richard and the flawless team of staff helped make the evening everything our families and the young couple dreamed.
The sculpture garden was an ethereal background to sharing vows. We moved inside for toasts and 5 minutes later a beautiful
Sprimg thunderstorm released rain and thunder. I don't know how Emily and staff managed the weather but it was just one of many perfect and smooth transitions. Dinner was a treat for foodies and diverse selections provided for all. The drinks were ample and flowing. Once dinner ended, the rain and sky vleared for dancing in the moonlight.
Thank you Gertrude's for a memorable and beautiful event!

Gertrude's and their event Coordinator, Emily made our wedding night so special. From the beginning, we were so impressed and appreciative of the clear communication and responsiveness. It was instrumental in making this an enjoyable experience for us.

Emily is a FABULOUS event coordinator- Additionally, we really liked spending time with her at the tasting and again on our wedding day. She helped to make everything fun!

Again, a HUGE thank you. We're forever grateful.

From the start, working with Emily was great. She was beyond helpful. Quick to respond to questions, emails, and she kept us informed of the process.

Their menu options were many, and the items we picked for dinner were delicious. They have many options for food and bar selections but it was very simple and easy to make decisions.

The venue is wonderful, we had 115 guest and there was not one issue with the evening. The staff were attentive and friendly. Richard, who took care of my bride and myself was so wonderful. He made the event feel even more special for us.

Can not forget to mention the photos in the sculpture garden! So beautiful.

Many of our friends and family members commented how it was one of the best weddings they had attended.

This place is a real gem.

We fell in love with Gertrude's during our first visit with Emily. The aesthetic, the vibe, the care they showed, the *food*, of course....it just all fit what we were looking for.

It was a feeling that was hard to capture for our friends and loved ones -- the venue set-up is a bit atypical (at least for larger weddings, no assigned seating, indoor/outdoor setup, stations/buffet dinner/etc. Honestly, many of our parents and loved ones weren't certain about the choice before the wedding day, and even we had some second thoughts about out wedding size (about 160 guests - trust Emily when she tells you it easily works on the dance floor!).

Fast-forward to the wedding day and we could not have been more thrilled with how it all turned out. Gertrude's was *the* perfect vendor, and every loved one who had had previous doubts came to us that night to talk about how much they loved every part of it. The staff was incredible and made everyone feel welcome; the food was otherworldly and had tons of guests raving; the space felt intimate and comfortable at the same time, and was so naturally beautiful. We saw tons of guests taking pictures in the sculpture garden! The venue was so flexible with us while it was on-and-off raining right during our ceremony, allowing our planners and vendors to make decisions and changes on the fly.

Lots of words to say that if you visit Gertrude's and love it, trust your gut -- it's a really amazing venue that made for a special day. Big shoutout to Emily for all of the expertise in planning, because every recommendation she made was the right one! Thanks to everyone at Gertrude's for an incredible event.

Just got married here at Gertrude's. I found Emily, the venue coordinator - to be incredibly skilled at her job. She was very responsive via email and very organized throughout the entire experience. Richard at Gertrude's was also an absolute gem and made sure I (bride) and groom were taken care of the whole night seamlessly. The venue has natural beauty and multiple indoor/outdoor spaces that allow for guests not to feel cramped and move around. Lastly, it is true that Gertrude's is very close to an all-inclusive kind of vibe - I'm super minimalist so all you really need is some escort cards and a friend to set up some hurricane candles and you don't need much else. But if you want to add the arch, big florals, photo booths, whatever---you can do that too! I could write longer about how the food was great, parking was really easy for guests, etc. --- but just trust me. Come here for brunch one day to check it out. If you like what you see, I say go for it!

WALK, DON'T RUN!!! Although my now husband (yaaay!) and I had been to the BMA before, it wasn't until we saw Gertrude's on Wedding Wire that we realized this INCREDIBLE venue (that also happens to be a restaurant) existed. After visiting a few venues and getting sticker shock, we nearly cancelled our scheduled visit , which would have been a HORRIBLE mistake. Emily, Richard and the entire team at Gertrude's truly knocked it out of the park. Our day was even more perfect than we had dreamed. The ambiance, the service, the food - ALL OF IT WAS PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT! Emily runs such an incredible show - she's a down-to-earth, hilarious professional who answered all of our questions and made sure all of our needs were met. When our month-of dropped the ball, we knew we were in good hands because we had been working with Emily for upwards of a year. I could not say enough good things about Gertrude's. You will not regret choosing this venue to host your special day!

I can’t say enough good things about Emily, Richard, and the whole Gertrude’s team and experience. They have it all— the beautiful outdoor terrace and sculpture garden views, the fountain, the tented dance floor, the intimate dinner experience indoors… it was just so much fun. It was so easy to coordinate and the food is absolutely delicious. Our signature cocktails were a breeze to bring to life as well. Deciding on Gertrude’s as our venue was very easy. Their flexibility, kindness, attention to detail, and excellent quality for reasonable pricing is unmatched around here. For me it was really helpful to do “one stop shopping” and not need multiple vendors to pull off our special day. I had more time to enjoy the planning experience because of that. Gertrude’s is just the best.