Howard County Conservancy Reviews
Reviews
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Weddingwire
56 reviews
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320 reviews
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Featured
![Morgan]()
Morgan Sent on 02/10/2025Beautiful Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location! 1000/10 recommend!!
My husband and I recently got married here at the Howard County Conservancy in October of 2024 and it was so wonderfully amazing!! We held our ceremony in front of the Montjoy Barn which was the perfect location for us since it fit our vibe nicely! We also had Blossom & Basket Boutique make our beautiful flower arrangements that we were able to upholster on the sides of the barn doors and hang on the aisle chairs! Our reception was held in the Gudelsky Center which has a partially covered deck where we held our cocktail hour! One note- you are not allowed to have shots served on the property, only seltzers, beer, wine, etc. just so you know it advance. We ended up purchasing our own alcohol and hiring bartenders to serve on the grounds. We were able to fit 8-10 chairs per table (8 comfortably) and we brought our own sweetheart table, since the Conservancy does not have one for you to use. We have about 150-160 guests at our wedding and I felt that the Gudelsky Center was perfect for that amount of guests! Our dance floor was the perfect size as well! Additionally, the grounds were absolutely beautiful for us to take our family and couples portraits on, especially at sunset!!
Kat (our Events and Marketing Manager) was so lovely and kind. She was super flexible when it came to scheduling meetings, and made sure that all our questions were answered in a timely fashion. During our tour of the property, she showed us a book with many wedding photos from the different seasons which I found so helpful, since it gave us useful ideas for our wedding day. Additionally, the Conservancy has a handout on their website with vendors that they have used for weddings, which we used for our big day! We had mission bbq cater our wedding and it was the best decision ever! Overall, everything about our experience with the Conservancy was amazing and it made our wedding day the best day of our lives!! Thank you again for helping us make our day possible!!
(Photos are courtesy of Jewelsy Photography, which we highly recommend for anyone’s upcoming wedding or photography needs- she is located in Frederick, MD but will go anywhere!!!) -
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![Valerie]()
Valerie Sent on 11/12/2022Best venue, full of nature
Loved everything about this space!! It was unique, beautiful, spacious and so much nature.
I liked that there was an outdoor and indoor space the guests were able to go.
Grace was our point of contact for the venue, and from the start she was so nice, helpful and very responsive.
We love that it's also a place we can revisit and build future memories.
Photos by Jasmine Yab photography -
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![Eric]()
Eric Sent on 11/04/2025Great Venue, Great Staff
My wife and I are so happy to have chosen Howard County Conservancy for our wedding venue. The staff were great to work with, and these venue is beautiful with great outdoor and indoor space. We also thought it was very affordable given many other venues were crazy expensive. Loved our experience here and will always cherish coming back. -
Brooke Sent on 11/05/2022
Absolutely Gorgeous!
such a gorgeous venue!!! everyone kept saying how beautiful and perfect it was there and that they couldn’t believe they’d never been there before! A perfect spot for a perfect dayHoward County Conservancy's reply:
We are so happy that we were able to host your special day! We love when new people discover us and get to experience the beauty here! Thank you for choosing the Conservancy! -
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![Alexis]()
Alexis Sent on 12/26/2022Ultimate modern nature setting AND it's DIY (in the best way!)!
To be honest, when I walked into this venue I knew it was the perfect fit for us. We wanted something that involved nature but had a reception venue on site that wasn't old and outdated. HCC was perfect.
The other thing we loved the most about this venue was the ultimate flexibility. We could bring in and use whatever vendors we wanted to: we were in no way limited to their list, which allowed us to work within OUR budget, create OUR menu, and use OUR drinks.
We had a whiskey and cigar bar, a coffee truck with donuts, and a champagne wall. We wouldn't have been able to do that at any other venue. This also being partially a Russian wedding, we wanted the ability to have wine and vodka on the table, so guests wouldn't have to gets up and go to the bar constantly to make toasts. The venue worked with us on this.
And we were able to hire Ranger the owl to make a special appearance at our cocktail hour! It made for some fun for our guests :) -
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![Cecilia]()
Cecilia Sent on 09/18/2022Gorgeous venue, just right for us
When we went to go visit HCC, even though it was a freezing cold day in January, we knew this was the place we wanted to get married. We are outdoorsy, nature-loving people, and the grounds and property are very special and lovely. If you want a beautiful setting with a flowering garden, meadows, forest, and indoor/outdoor options, HCC is your place!
Grace was extremely communicative throughout the process and helped with my many questions. She was easy to work with and so helpful! We had rain on the day of the wedding and had to move the ceremony indoors to the main hall, but the room was spacious enough that we could have the chairs set up in the middle and the tables set up on the side. If the weather is in your favor, there are so many gorgeous areas outside to have the ceremony. Also, the deck overlooking the garden is such a nice feature so folks can be inside and outside.
We can't imagine having our wedding anywhere else. Now, we get to go back, walk the grounds, and remember our wedding day! -
Anushka Sent on 12/21/2024
Perfect venue for our wedding!
We fell in love with this place almost at once! It offered flexibility of options for where to hold our ceremony, take photos, and hold the reception. Staff was amazing and so communicative and made the process incredibly smooth! I would absolutely have our wedding here again!! -
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![Caitlyn]()
Caitlyn Sent on 11/16/2024Perfect wedding venue!
We had the MOST amazing wedding at the Howard County Conservancy. From the initial tour, the walk throughs, the rehearsal, and wedding day, it was a seamless process and everyone at the HCC was great to work with. The venue itself is absolutely perfect - nature surrounding the venue for perfect photos, a covered patio with beautiful overlooks, and a all wood indoor reception hall. We had our ceremony on the partially covered deck, our cocktail hour in the garden, and our reception in the main hall. We had about 110 guests and it was a perfect fit. Everyone commented on how magnificent the grounds were and how beautiful of venue it was. We could not recommend this place enough!!!Howard County Conservancy's reply:
Hi Caitlyn! Thank you for sharing your experience. It was truly a pleasure working with you, and we're thrilled to hear that the venue's natural beauty made for the perfect setting for your wedding. It means the world to us that your guests enjoyed the space as much as you did. Your kind words and recommendation is much appreciated. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness and unforgettable memories! -
![Angela]()
Angela Sent on 07/04/2023Lovely, peaceful venue
HCC is not a typical wedding venue, it's primarily a nature center, and we loved it! We wanted nature to be part of our wedding, but most of the venues in the area were barns or wineries, neither of which resonated with us. HCC was great because it's beautiful and simple. We also loved not having to rent tables or chairs. Grace was very responsive to our questions, but she did end up leaving a few months before our wedding. If you're looking for a venue that is pretty much a blank slate, HCC is your place. I will note that there are a lot of rules, which is understandable because it's a nature center. However, we worked with our planner/coordinator who has done tons of weddings there (Sleeping Bee Designs, Sarah Rosier) and she made it a breeze! We love that we can go back and enjoy a nice day at HCC. Photo credit: AnnaLiz Photography Florals: La Fleur Enchantée, Inc.Howard County Conservancy's reply:
Thank you so much for your kind words! We are so happy we were able to be the host site on your special day. Congratulations on your beautiful wedding and we hope you'll come back to visit our grounds. Best wishes to you! -
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![LIllian]()
Lillian Sent on 06/15/2025non-traditional wedding
I am so glad we booked this venue. We had a non-traditional wedding party with no ceremony and the space was perfect. Our event was in the beginning of May and the gardens were stunning - the highlight of the night. We also loved the massive deck area as the weather was gorgeous on the day of our event. If we had had the ceremony at this space, there were multiple beautiful areas that would have worked perfectly. The indoor space was a good size and was able to be dressed up nicely. The staff was easy to communicate with and was very responsive with all of our questions. Highly recommend for a great space with beautiful gardens!Howard County Conservancy's reply:
Thank you for the lovely review! We are happy to hear the venue suited your celebration and that the gardens, deck, and event room all contributed to a great experience. -
![John]()
John Sent on 11/13/2024It’s a beautiful setting.
The setting is beautiful and our coordinator for the venue was very helpful. They have some restrictions about what the caterer can use for service (like no single use plastics) so make sure the caterer has worked there or is willing to follow the rules). The restrictions are minor and understandable.Howard County Conservancy's reply:
Hi John! We enjoyed being a part of your special day. Thank you for your kind words and sharing your experience. Best wishes for the adventures ahead! -
Michelle Sent on 01/04/2022
Beautiful views and terrific responsiveness/flexibility
We recently got married at the Howard County Conservancy and it was the perfect venue for us. Being able to book the Guldelsky Center at the off-season rate helped us to stay within our budget, and even in the winter months, the grounds are beautiful and provided a tranquil and scenic backdrop for the evening. The partially covered deck was the perfect location for cocktail hour - spacious enough for our 80+ guests and a fully stocked bar with plenty of room to spare, plus an incredible view of the sunset. In terms of aesthetics, the space is also easy to work with since it can be dressed up or kept simple/clean, depending on what your vision is. The beams are gorgeous and with a little uplighting and basic decor, you can make a lot of impact with not too much effort. As others have mentioned, the venue is a dark sky facility so guests should take care navigating the parking lot at night, but there are several lamp posts on the paved section of the lot so it's not pitch black.
Grace (the Marketing and Events Coordinator) was extremely responsive and went above and beyond to answer any questions we had. The venue was also flexible and willing to work with us when certain things didn't go according to plan. On top of it all, we're glad that what we paid for the venue will go towards the Conservancy and its great work. Everything about our experience was positive and we are so thankful to the Conservancy for hosting our big day!
(Photos are courtesy of McKenzie Elizabeth Photography, which we also highly recommend for weddings in/around the Baltimore area.)Howard County Conservancy's reply:
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing these gorgeous photos. It was truly a joy working with you to make your dream wedding a reality. Congratulations on your beautiful wedding and we hope you'll come back to visit our grounds. Best wishes for the adventures ahead! -
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