Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion, a venue located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is situated on 40-acres of nature sanctuary just 9 miles from downtown DC. You and your guests will feel relaxed in this lovely setting known for bird watching. Woodend is the headquarter of the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS). Built in 1927, the mansion was designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope (Jefferson Memorial, DAR Constitution Hall, National Gallery of Art) for the Wells family. In 1969, the family donated Woodend Mansion and property to ANS.
Facilities and Capacity
This elegant and natural setting offers couples the convenience of having both their ceremony and reception site on the same property. Outdoor ceremonies can be held in the romantic grove or in a complimentary back-up tent adjacent to the manor on the paved terrace. It features chandeliers, side panels, tent liners, heaters, and fans, in case the weather is not accommodating. During winter you can exchange your vows and hold your reception in the mansion. Couples can enjoy this historic setting with up to 170 of their friends and family between spring and fall, and 120 during the winter months, and the festivities can go until midnight. As you and your wedding party prepare for your special day, you can do so in the two staging areas.
Services Offered
The Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion not only strives to offer couples privacy on their wedding day, but also a peace of mind. They will also provide you with a list of approved caterers who allow you to buy your own alcohol, and experienced vendors so that you can be confident in your selections. To make your stay more enjoyable, Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion also offers all couples and guests on-site parking, small shuttle accessibility, and Wi-Fi. You can also take advantage of the property’s natural beauty and use it as your wedding photography location. There is no sales tax and part of the rental fee is tax-deductible.
Recommended by 93% of couples
14 User photos
Jimmy · Married on 08/06/2017
We can't say enough great things about our experience with Woodend for our recent wedding and reception.
Sent on 08/27/2017
Woodend itself is a very special and magical place--so close to the city yet it feels a million miles away like a country setting. It's intimate, relaxing and beautiful and it feels like you're getting married in a garden & home because it was one before becoming the HQ for the regional Audubon Society. You can be as formal or as relaxed as you want here, that's one its biggest charms.
From the first time we met Beatriz and through all coordinating and planning with her and eventually day-of with Kathy, the team at Woodend was fantastic! They treated us with love and not like clients which kept our anxiety levels low. Don't worry that they have a limited list of approved caterers and other service providers--you will be very glad these high quality vendors are intimately familiar with the layout and requirements of the historic mansion and grounds. They have no learning curve to create the perfect wedding.
One of the factors in choosing Woodend was the ability to move the ceremony indoors at the last minute if the weather didn't cooperate. They gave us excellent and easy options if needed, but thankfully they weren't needed as we had unseasonably comfortable temperatures and low humidity for early August in the DC area. Our guests overwhelmingly told us how much they loved the location and it certainly was a major part of the best day of our lives.
Andrew & Jimmy
Jessica · Married on 05/25/2019
Beautiful Brunch Wedding
Beatriz and everyone at Woodend were amazing to work with for our daytime Brunch wedding. The value of this venue is amazing, as the tent is included. We had amazing weather, but the rain plan at Woodend is also beautiful and was a big part of why we chose them. They are less strict with live music than some other venues we toured, as well. They were flexible with our desire to do a less-traditional format and worked hard to facilitate all of the small details that really made our wedding special and beautiful. Beatriz was always responsive to email and we're so glad we held our wedding here!
Sent on 06/09/2019
Tacy Lambiase · Married on 05/05/2019
An amazing, beautiful place
Woodend was the only wedding venue that we looked at; I was pretty much sold based on what I found online, but touring the gorgeous mansion and grounds solidified that Woodend was the perfect venue for us. We wanted an outdoor venue surrounded by nature, but with the option to move the party indoors if the weather wasn't ideal. The Hemlock Grove looked like the perfect spot for an outdoor, nature-inspired ceremony, and mansion and tent seemed like the ideal place for a Sunday-morning brunch reception.
Sent on 05/20/2019
But here's the thing: It ended up raining pretty much all day on our wedding day. But it didn't really matter one bit. Woodend was still the perfect venue for our wedding. Even though our ceremony had to be relocated under the tent, and our cocktail hour was moved into the mansion, it was still just a lovey, beautiful place to get married. Our guests raved about the setting (the beautiful trees in the background of everything), the ceremony (with the romantic sound of rain pattering on the tent), the adorable children in raincoats on a hike who made a brief appearance in the background of the ceremony (unexpected, but adorable) - everything!
We're also happy that our venue fee supported the Audubon Naturalist Society - definitely a "win" for any couple interested in hosting a more eco-friendly event.
A special thank you for Beatriz for helping us through the easy process of booking and hosting our event. She allowed a few of our vendors to arrive at the venue a little early to set up (really appreciated), and was very kind and accommodating through the whole process.
We're so glad we found Woodend, and we're excited to visit this special place in the future!
Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion's reply:
Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion Price Rates
Receive an additional complimentary hour or the equivalent dollar amount deducted from your rental fee, whichever you prefer. This offer is valid only for new contracts signed after 5/9/2019 for weddings held up until 12/22/2019 and based on availability. You must mention this deal before you sign the contract in order to receive the discount or additional complimentary hour.
This offer does not apply to previously booked weddings or events or existing pending contracts.
Copy and paste this link on your browser and schedule your tour now:
https://calendly.com/woodendsanctuary/tour-of-woodend-sanctuary
Visit our website at woodendsanctuary.org/weddings
9 Endorsements
Woodend Sanctuary provides such a beautiful wedding venue, set right outside of Washington, DC. I've photographed many weddings here, two this year alone. The grove is one of my favorite outdoor ceremony locations to photograph. I love this venue's environmental story, and Beatriz is WONDERFUL to work with. Highly recommend!
Woodend is a favorite venue of wildlife and nature lovers. Their beautiful hemlock grove is a wonderful place for a ceremony.
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