Catering By Uptown - Celebrations at The Bay

quickly set up a meeting to see the venue and immediately fell in love. Eileen showed us the place she was so over the top friendly and felt so familiar we booked right away! We wanted to get married on the water but also stay inside. The big beautiful bay windows surrounding the place made a wonderful view now matter where you stood. The planning portal they providing made it a breeze and stress free to set up my tables, processional etc. Tracy was my rock star helping me pick out my center pieces linen/table choices (they had so many options) not to mention we where able to sample all the delicious food choices. Any time leading up to the wedding I was able to reach my dream team any time of day! Eileen ended up being my day of coordinator and let me tell you what she felt like family at this point she put so much love and care into my wedding day making sure everything was perfect. Every little detail was absolutely perfect if anything went wrong I could not tell the team at Celebrations made sure my day was flawless! Thank you for my dream wedding from my dream team!

he tent into our ceremony area quickly and smoothly. I got so many compliments on how attentive the staff was. My planner Tracy was on top of things from start to finish making for a stress free big day. Overall great experience.

ry about. They have multiple venues around Maryland, ranging to accommodate the wedding of your dreams, intimate weddings for a few guests or grand weddings for a couple hundred guests! We chose the Tented Vista Ballroom at Celebrations at the Bay for the beautiful view overlooking the water, and the classy and spacious tented ballroom. The whole staff is extremely kind and clearly passionate about what they do. Anne was very helpful with honoring our budget, factoring in venue, guest count, day of event, and all the various packages they offer. Ya-Maila always responded to my emails full of questions in a timely manner and with kindness, patience, and excitement. Eileen (our day of coordinator) won us over from the first day we met when we toured the different venues at Celebrations at the Bay and our love and appreciation for her grew. Eileen was flexible and worked very well with our other vendors, and she maintained her positivity and enthusiasm through every interaction we had with her. Eileen and the wait staff were very attentive to us, making sure we had food and drink whenever we wanted or needed. The whole planning team worked with us for any special requests we had and executed everything perfectly. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect thanks to the entire team at Celebrations and we could not be happier with how everything turned out.

inator and her crew Alma, Diana, Andrea, and Sulmi are what made my wedding perfect. They were so sweet and respectful. They went above and beyond throughout the entire wedding. They even helped me dry my dress since it rained on my wedding day. My wedding would not have been as perfect if it wasn't for their kindness and service.

outdoor wedding. Our day-of coordinator was amazing, professional and timely, making sure everything went smoothly. Finally, at the beginning of our process, our assigned coordinator was great. Now onto the negatives. About 6 months before our wedding, they informed us our assigned planner would be switched. Which we had no problem with. However, as the wedding got closer, we started to run into some problems. He was not responsive at all to our emails. We would need to send him 2-3 emails just to get 1 question answered. It seemed like every time we sent one, an automatic "thanks for your email" response would be sent and then nothing else. He also could not get our guest count straight. We had 131 adults and 2 children, and I clearly communicated that in an email. I then received a phone call from him asking to clarify- which I did, no problem. He sent us the final invoice and we paid it. He then called me again, asking the same exact question about the guest count, as if our previous conversation never happened. Both calls I had to take while at work and it was frustrating that I had to explain multiple times- especially AFTER I PAID THE INVOICE! Finally, we had a plan to meet to discuss some things a week before the wedding. Long story short, we had a simple miscommunication in that I thought we were supposed to meet at the office in Beltsville, he thought we were meeting at the actual venue (even though I have email proof that he said meet in Beltsville). Even then, I wasn't mad about it, things like this happen. However, when he called me to ask where I was, he was extremely condescending saying how I was wrong and he told me to meet at the venue. It made me, the bride, feel like crap a week before my wedding. I was extremely upset, and even if I was in the wrong, there was no reason to be as nasty as he was. So all in all, there were positives and negatives. If you do book with Catering by Uptown, I would be sure you and your planner are on the same page if you don't want to be treated like crap.

aving pretty much everything & easy decision making made it an absolute 10/10 for us! The foooood was beyond great& the entire process was unforgettable! We wanna get married again just for the venue! lol

a great time they had. Also important, this venue was more affordable and offered a more complete package than other options we were considering. We wouldn't change a thing about our experience with Catering by Uptown!

amazing she keep me calm we found another way to make our wedding still happen (anniversary twins now) she always worked with me and was always there when needed even though it was her wedding anniversary she still checked in on me the day of which really means a lot! Then I got the chance to meet Esther one of the most nicest person We had the pleasure of meet as well very laid back very good energy to be around and I appreciate her showing me the knollview house and we FELL IN LOVE. Tracy was our point of contact up to the wedding and I know I definitely over did the questions and emails but she was there for me and my now husband on every single question we had she made sure we understood And got back to us right away! Lastly my day of coordinator <3 Helen thank you I think I spoke with you for a short period of time the day before and I was worried i needed everything to be perfect and when I say everything was done exactly how I wanted there wasn’t ONE thing she forgot she made sure I was ok she checked on us throughout the night she made sure I was personally ok I saw her enjoying herself and I have pictures of her in the background smiling from ear to ear just to see us happy enjoying moments that she knew were important to us. I really hope each and everyone of you know how special you all are and how thankful We are for catering by uptown. Sorry for the lengthy review but I had to give individual thanks!

ups, that likely only us as the wedding couple were aware of. First off, our planner leading up to the wedding was not super responsive, she would take several days to respond to an email, however her communication turn around time improved as we got within a few weeks of the wedding. In addition, the day of coordinator was unfortunately not prepared. It was hard to get ahold of her days before the wedding, and although I called and left her voicemails, she would only text me back short answers. I'm not sure if the lack of information is on her, or the company, but she did not have any of our updated paperwork that we completed 30-days prior to our event. I honestly think this is in part to her not communicating with me prior to the day of. Had she called me back, we could of gone over any last minute details. Instead, she waited until the day of the wedding to ask me questions. Therefore, she did not have the ceremony line up, escort information, bridal party entrance information, correct set up information, etc. However, we were lucky enough that our officiant and DJ came to the rescue and ensured everything went smoothly. Second of all, the servers did not use the names/table numbers, that were provided for specialty meals for those with dietary restrictions/allergies. Therefore, servers were serving the wrong meals to guests, and not everyone with specific dietary restrictions were served the proper meal. At one point, servers had come up to me as the bride a few times to ask who should get the special meal, and I felt like that should have been an issue for our day of coordinator, who I was told would oversee the catering. Third, the servers poured our kid table wine. Granted our kids ranged from 4 years old to 17 years old, but my 12 year old son, who was enjoying a kids meal, as well as other children (some being younger than 12) at the table were asked if they wanted red or white, and several of the children at the table were served wine. Thankfully, a guest caught this after a few of the kids had already taken sips, but it's completely irresponsible of the servers to serve children of that age wine. In addition, I thought we as the bridal couple would be served our food when we were seated, but unfortunately, our food was placed at the sweetheart table while we were walking around, and when we returned to our seats it was ice cold. I wish a server had let us know they were delivering our food, so we could have enjoyed it warm. In addition, we were told that the mini desserts we had purchased as an extra would be served family style and a tray would be placed at each table. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and no one was aware that there were mini desserts sitting on a table somewhere. Our day of coordinator went to me as the bride when she needed contact information for our transportation vendor. That information was provided in my paperwork, which she did not seem to have. So all in all, the venue is gorgeous, our guests and vendors, as well as us, had a great time, but there were some misses that I think CBU can work on specifically when it comes to the coordinator being prepared and the catering.

make up for lost time to make sure we had plenty of time to party. She delivered and was on it to make sure everything went Ase smoothly as possible. Having an all inclusive venue took soooo much stress off of me. Finding a venue and food separately gets insanely pricey. And sometimes food quality suffers when vendors have to travel to a venue with no kitchen. Quality was superb since the chefs were on site! Amazing amazing amazing.

s our day of coordinator and took care of timing, any unforeseen issues, made sure my husband and I had appetizers and drinks and truly was a great addition to our day. The staff were amazing and so welcoming. I don’t have a single complaint - it was the perfect day I dreamed of for so long. We are forever grateful to all of the staff who had a hand in our special day. Thank you isn't enough!!

d using Catering By Uptown for your wedding. The day finally came and everything was perfect! The venue is absolutely beautiful with ample parking. The food was SO good and everyone raves about it! Our main entrée was the crab cake and filet mignon with mushroom sauce. All the staff on the day of were very professional, friendly, and helpful. Our day of coordinator, Caroline, was THE BEST and definitely made our day amazing and stress free! We highly recommend Catering By Uptown!

tacular! Tracy was incredibly responsive to my MANY emails. Eileen was absolutely amazing!! Everything day of was perfect, we didn’t have a single worry or stress. The venue itself was gorgeous- the lighting, the water, everything! We would highly recommend Celebrations at the Bay and Catering by Uptown!!

lanning process was easy since it is all inclusive you just follow what the planner they give you asks and you give her an answer with what you want. It included everything from besides the dj/band, flowers, photographer/videographer, and any extra little things want like a guest book, memory table, extra decorations then ones they already have. You get a day of coordinator too who was awesome and did a perfect job keeping the flow of the day. Always asking if we needed anything! The coordinators and planners were the best! They kept my husband and I, as well as our guest happy the whole time. SO HAPPY with our day!!! Wish we could do it every day!

s on top of everything, answered all of our silly questions and made our day as easy as possible (and made sure we were fed)! Guests will not stop talking about how incredible all the food was, the lobster bisque and crab cakes were a big hit! We got many “this is the best wedding I have ever been to!” Our day felt like a fairytale and I would do it all over again at Celebrations at the Bay if I could!

any worry we had and helped us have an amazing time. I must add that the food is 5 star as well. You will not regret having your wedding here!

s, and the decorations were beautiful. The guests were delighted with everything as well. We highly recommend Celebrations at The Bay.

flowed. Our day turned out to be exactly as we pictured it! It was EPIC! And this was worth every penny!

tive to our requests, helpful with suggestions and created a seamless experience that helped Maria and I focus on enjoying our big day with family and loved ones.

tep of the way from the food tasting to the layout and design of my wedding. Don’t get me started on the food. My guests stated several times that this was the best wedding meal that they ever had. Oh my gosh, the cake is not only included, but was AMAZING from the design to the taste! My guests raved the entire time about the venue and everything that was offered. Everyone needs to book this company, if you don’t, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!

e deserves to be recognized for all of her hard work and dedication to her clients. Thank you, Shonda you’re the best!!!

d horror stories about other venues who were not working with couples, and really leaving them in the dark. This was the exact oppostie of what we experienced. They took time to answer all of my questions, worked with me on the guest list and changes and found a new date that worked for us. When I say it was perfect- our day truly was perfect. Cassidy was the absolute best planner, and day of coordinator EVER... seriously EVER!!! She and the whole staff were so helpful supportive and they ran the show! Look no further- you have found your perfect wedding venue- I can't thank the whole team at Catering by Uptown enough, especially Anne and Cassidy (who I worked with the most). You made our day the best ever!

us advice and ideas that we loved. Messi was my wedding coordinator and she has a heart of gold. We met only 4 days before my wedding but it felt like I knew her for a lifetime. She truly paid attention to every detail. She was patient with me and I could tell that she was truly happy for us. This is important to have a genuine person coordinating everything because they become as personally invested in the success of your day. The MC even took time out to acknowledge Messi and the catering staff as their hard work and professionalism was very evident. Big up to Shonda, Messi, Jeff, and the entire team at Catering by Uptown. Our guests were impressed too so I know you'll be getting some business from them. I love you guys!!!!