A Hidden Gem Wedding Venue: The Wellspring Manor with Lisa Brown Alexander
If you’re recently engaged or know someone who is. If you’re on the hunt for an exquisite wedding and reception venue, then you know that the search for the perfect wedding venue can be daunting.
When you are planning your wedding, it is important to choose a venue that fits your personality and style. Choosing a wedding venue is important because it sets the tone for the entire event. It’s daunting because there are so many factors to consider, such as size, style, location, and budget. There are so many choices out there, and it can be hard to determine which one is right for you. Many couples choose popular venues like country clubs or hotels, but there are also some hidden gems out there that can provide the perfect setting for your big day.
In this video, Lisa Brown Alexander is excited to share a hidden gem reception venue that is literally hiding in plain sight in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Transcript
Gillian de Souza: Hello there! Welcome to DC Weddings with Gillian once again. Oh my gosh. Today is going to be such a treat for you guys. If you are looking to knock the socks off of your guests, I have something for you. It is a hidden gem. It is literally hiding in plain sight in Prince George’s County, Maryland. A reception venue called Wellspring Manor.
And we have the owner here to talk with us today. See you soon.
Hello again, this is Gillian with DC Weddings with Gillian and welcome, welcome, welcome. I have a treat in store for you. We have with us today, Lisa Brown Alexander of Wellspring Manor in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. And she’s here to tell us all about her fabulous location. And I’m a little biased because we work there all the time and love it.
So I’ll let her tell you all about the space and how she can work for you. So hello, Lisa.
Lisa Brown Alexander: Hi, Gillian. Thank you so much for having me with you today. It’s really great to be here and I’ve been excited to tell your audience about Wellspring Manor and Spa. We’re located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. In a little hidden spot in the middle of a neighborhood but when you enter the property, you’re gonna feel like you’ve been whisked away to somewhere else.
Wellspring Manor and Spa is a bed and breakfast destination that features five suites. An onsite spa, an art gallery and seven acres of tranquility. It’s a wonderful destination for intimate smaller weddings with guest counts of 50 or fewer.
Gillian de Souza: Fantastic. And I can tell you, being a wedding caterer since the pandemic, that’s where weddings have been 40, 50 people. I think people have come out of the pandemic and realize that they don’t need the mega wedding, that a micro wedding is good. How is that working for you with your best customer? What is your customer looking for?
Lisa Brown Alexander: Our best customer is someone who’s looking for something memorable. Maybe something rustic, something that incorporates both indoor and outdoor space. As I mentioned, we’re on seven acres and have large terraces where both ceremonies and receptions can take place. But we also have a patio where you can take beautiful photographs.
We’ve got our iconic red doors everywhere which make for a wonderful background for photographs. We also have a fountain in the front terrace that allows guests to have that as a background. So we’ve got a lot of beautiful spaces where guests can take pictures both indoors and out. I forgot to mention.
We have one of the largest collections, private collections of art in Prince George’s County. Our collection of art includes the work of artists from around the world. Artists of color. And we have over 35 artists represented in our art gallery. Our art gallery also makes a beautiful breathtaking backdrop for wedding images. No additional decorations needed.
Gillian de Souza: Fantastic. So I am hearing that you have indoor spaces, outdoor spaces, rustic spaces, elegant spaces. Pretty much almost anything with bride and groom or people can want. They can kind of customize different areas of your space to be just what they want it to be is what I’m hearing.
Lisa Brown Alexander: That’s exactly right. Whether you choose an open air celebration or tinted celebration, an indoor or an outdoor one, we can accommodate you. Particularly if you’re looking for a smaller, intimate experience. We’re not the destination for weddings of a hundred or 200 people, but we’re definitely the space if you wanna be able to connect personally with all of your guests and your family.
We’re a great space. We’re also easily accessible to the Beltway. We’re about 20 minutes from National Harbor, Maryland and only about 25 minutes from the District of Columbia.
Gillian de Souza: Fantastic. It sounds like you have everything rolled up into one in that place. But I wanna even explore something more because you said you’re a bed and breakfast.
Lisa Brown Alexander: We are and that means when guests book a stay with us, they get to not only enjoy the premises, but they get breakfast included. And so when you have a wedding package with us, it includes breakfast for up to 12 guests. Whether they be your wedding party or your immediate family, or maybe just some close friends from out of town. That is included when you book a wedding package with us, it also includes overnight accommodations for up to 12.
Our each suite is appointed with its own bathroom. We provide robes and slippers, toiletries. We also serve an afternoon wine in our door service which is included with an exclusive use or a by out. So we’ve got a lot additional things that we throw in. And of course, it’s always our pleasure to include a complimentary spot treatment for the bride and groom.
Gillian de Souza: Wow. So wait, let me make sure I heard all of these are right, Lisa. Surrounded elegant weekend stay. I’m not just hearing come in for my wedding reception. I’m hearing bring my girls in and the guys bring the guys in or help wedding party, I should say these days. Bring your wedding party in, have the night before, get to relax and kick it.
Get up and have breakfast. Relax in your room. Get your head done wedding. I am hearing an experience like a destination wedding, right here in our backyard.
Lisa Brown Alexander: A destination for — yes, that’s what Wellspring is. We are what people have affectionately called a hidden gem. And we’re hidden in plain sight. We’re in central Prince George’s County, in a place where you would never expect a property like this. But this property was built in 1953.
And what happened was eventually they built the neighborhood around the property, but kept it as a little enclave. And so once you pull up on the very long driveway, which by the way makes for awesome pictures, you pull down our long driveway, you’re going to be taken away with what you see. It otherwise is hidden.
People don’t know we’re here. It’s private. You feel like you’re kind of enveloped in the trees and the tranquility. Every once in a while the deer will run across the lawn. So it’s really quite a nice as you say, rustic, but elegant space. Our manor is both modern and classic. The barn is very much contemporary. You have a nice combination of spaces and styles to choose from.
Gillian de Souza: Oh, that is so wonderful. And I know you said it’s hidden in plain sight, so I hope after tonight, it’s not hidden anymore,. Lot more people will know about this place.
Again, we are always very happy to recommend your space to people coming to Caribbean Caterers. Only because we know how inclusive your spaces. And even though you have said so many great things about your space, that I’m sure how people their interests peaked now. I am here to say as well the staff at Wellspring Manor, Lisa, Sheila and all those involved at Wellspring Manor just make you feel so welcome.
They go the distance to any and every little thing that you need done, done for your day or your weekend stay. Go right ahead, Lisa.
Lisa Brown Alexander: No, absolutely. We’ve built a reputation on impeccable service. And if you look us up on Google and read our reviews, they have been consistently outstanding.
We have 4.9 out of five stars from our guests. And the only reason that’s not a five out of five is because we had one guest who wasn’t happy about our refund policy. But short of that person we’ve had nothing but fantastic reviews. And folks have been very kind in describing their experiences.
There are pictures that guests have taken. And of course we’re on social media, on Facebook and Instagram where you can check out our profiles for yourself. We also have a video on our website that will give you a sky view of the property. So you can see the expansive nature of where we are.
Gillian de Souza: Fantastic. And so, brides and couples, if you guys are having a small intimate wedding, you can join Lisa for a weekend of fun, luxury, entertainment. You have the art gallery. You have the spacious grounds. You have a spa, you can do spa treatments. A one stop shop for everything that you can imagine. Spoil yourself for your wedding weekend, its what I hear.
So I imagine, you would do these for like anniversaries or significant birthday parties. I would imagine as well. Tell us about that.
Lisa Brown Alexander: We do. We have a lot of guests come to Wellspring to celebrate milestone birthdays, 50th, 40th, 60th. We have groups come in for corporate leadership retreats. We also have individuals celebrate bridal and baby showers.
So we’re kind of a one stop destination. You don’t always have to stay overnight. So, for example, you can rent our gallery space as a standalone event space for a day celebration. And while our spa services are reserved for our overnight guests, you certainly can enjoy the other amenities on the grounds when you’re a visitor here. Including just a lot of beautifully landscaped, fresh air. We also recently installed a new outdoor space called The Cascade Terrace where we have a waterfall, special lighting. It’s a very tranquil shaded area and a great space for a pre-function reception or a dinner.
Depending on how creative you feel like being in your guest count. So we try to be flexible here at Wellspring. Service is important to us. We take a lot of pride in being a Prince George’s County based business, and one of the only destinations of our kind in the entire metropolitan region. So if you’re looking for something unique, something intimate, something beautiful, and something unexpected, then consider Wellspring Manor and Spa.
Gillian de Souza: Fantastic. So, I have what I think is now a trick question, because we’ve said so many fantastic things why you are set apart from the other venues in the area. But If you wanted to give our guest one thing — more than one if you so desire — they should know about working with Wellspring Manor and their staff for their special event. What would it be? A tip if you will.
Lisa Brown Alexander: We’re flexible. Yeah. We’re flexible. And so a lot of other venues have very strict rules about what you can and cannot do. Our list of kind of prohibited things is fairly short. One, we’re a no smoking property.
And so we never allow smoking largely because we’re a health centered destination. The other is we don’t allow pets. I know a lot of folks are getting married with pets as part of the ceremony, but we are also a pet free destination. I would say the other thing, if you are looking to support a black owned business, Wellspring Manor and Spa is a black owned business.
We’re locally based. And many of the vendors that we use are also vendors of color. And so if that’s important to your celebration, if you wanna add a social cause component to it and support your local community, then Wellspring is the great destination for you.
Gillian de Souza: Fantastic. Oh my goodness. Lisa, this has been absolutely delightful.
It’s interesting that I thought I knew everything that there was to know about Wellspring Manor because we worked there so much. But even I learned something new. So this is a special treat for our guests and folks. I have worked event spaces all over the DMV and Lisa has said it, but I would second it as a bystander to say that there is no other destination in the DC Metro area that’s like Wellspring Manor. So if you are having a 40 or under 50 guest count for your wedding and you want to have a super special time where you feel surrounded and just feel pampered and elegant all weekend long, then check out Wellspring Manor’s wedding packages. You will not be disappointed.
Any parting words, Lisa.
Lisa Brown Alexander: Well, I would like to say this, if you’re looking to surprise your guests with something they would never expect, consider Wellspring. Many people have preconceived notions about what’s available in Prince George’s County. And if you wanna blow your guests away and surprise them with something they may not have known even existed, consider us. Visit us at wellspringmanor.com. You can also check us out at Wellspring Manor on Instagram and Facebook and we’d love to hear from you. We’d be happy to send you our wedding package information. And of course you’ll have the opportunity to work with Gillian, one of our preferred exclusive caterers here at Wellspring Manor and Spa.
Gillian de Souza: Thank you very much, Lisa Brown Alexander. We’ve been talking with Lisa about Wellspring Manor in Prince George’s County. So again, thank you. Lisa Brown Alexander of Wellspring Manor. See you next time.
Lisa Brown Alexander: Thank you so much!
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