$5,000 starting price
300+ guest capacity
This venue can host 300+ guests
About this vendor
The Bolger Center is a breathtaking wedding venue located on 43 acres of manicured grounds, lush gardens, and rolling Maryland countryside. This 431-room historic hotel offers the most exclusive accommodations in Potomac, Maryland. Located in close proximity to Bethesda and Rockville, it is central to all three DC airports. On-site accommodations, large ballroom spaces and outdoor activities that your friends and family will love are just a few of the things that make this venue so special. Enjoy all of the amenities from our elegant wedding packages along with hand-crafted and locally-sourced cuisine created by our award-winning executive chef. Inquire about The Bolger Center today to reserve your wedding date!
Facilities and Capacity
With space for up to 350 guests, The Bolger Center has a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces to choose from. Say “I do” underneath our gleaming white pergola located on our finely manicured gardens. Afterwards, move inside into one of the venue’s two ballroom spaces. Whether inside the Stained Glass Hall, with it's historic stained glass windows and cathedral-style ceiling, or the Benjamin Franklin Ballroom, with it's 7,000 square feet of premium ballroom space -- they are both great options for you and your guests to enjoy an exquisite three-course dining experience before dancing the night away. No matter which space you choose to host your wedding, you’ll be immersed in a spectacular ambience that will stay with your friends and family for years to come.
Services Offered
The team at The Bolger Center understands that there are a lot of aspects that go into designing the perfect wedding day. To make your experience effortless, they’ll go above and beyond to supply the very best services. From on-site accommodations that are both convenient and comfortable, to in-house catering and bar services, you’ll have everything you need for the wedding day of your dreams. Wedding day services include, but are not limited to, the following:
All-inclusive packages
In-house bar
In-house catering
Complimentary honeymoon suite
Complimentary parking
Event planning
Room lighting
Setup and breakdown of tables and chairs
Wheelchair access
Cuisine
For us, the key ingredient to a successful wedding is providing a memorable culinary experience for our guests. That's why we focus so intently on our dining experience and offer vibrant displays filled with delectable food made with only the freshest ingredients. From food offerings to presentation, we strive to inspire our guests before they take their first bite.
Our award-winning executive chef combines rich, ethnic flavors with locally sourced products. Inspired by their own family traditions, our culinary staff can incorporates the flavors of numerous cuisines.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Guest Capacity
- 300+
Settings
- Ballroom
- Historic Venue
- Hotel
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Cakes & Desserts
- Other Desserts
- Food & Catering
- Planning
- Rentals & Equipment
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.4
out of 5.018 reviews
Review photos
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We held our wedding at the Bolger Center and it was a fantastic venue! We ended up with about 120 guests which was perfect for the Stained Glass Hall. A few minor things could have gone more smoothly, but overall, it was beautiful, the food was incredibly good, the coordinators Damali & Bhavna were great, and all staff was extremely friendly and helpful. We’re so glad we chose the Bolger Center! The package was also extremely competitively priced for the area.
The good:
- The food was shockingly good! Several guests said it was the best wedding food they’d had. Portions were ample and the bar had a great selection. You have to use the onsite catering but we felt they had plenty of options. They accommodated a lot of allergies etc and were flexible with some adjustments we wanted to make, including batching the signature cocktail without alcohol and providing a cutting cake for a small upcharge. The breakfast (not included) was also excellent.
- The stained glass hall is just gorgeous - the windows, ceiling, and marble wall are beautiful and highly unique. It has a classic and vintage feel to it and we didn’t need to decorate much. Uplighting is included and highly customizable. We used the space for the ceremony and reception and the room flip went perfectly. We used the courtyard for the cocktail hour and it was also gorgeous. The grounds have ample photo spots.
- The bridal suite was beautiful, spacious, and the perfect place to have hair and makeup done. They set up chairs and tables and provided fresh bottled water and other soft drinks all day.
- The staff provided stellar service all evening. Everyone was friendly and helpful!
- They went out of their way to ensure that the mother of the groom had a place to stay in the building (unfortunately no other guests were able to stay in the building due to construction, but the rooms were still fairly close.)
Minor caveats:
- The hotel booking system is old and it’s hard to get a hold of the right person to help if any issues come up. A few guests mentioned that the rooms are a little small (the honeymoon suite wasn’t!) We also had trouble with the room block not refilling and needed to reach out a few times to get it updated. Two guests also received an email saying their reservation was canceled (it wasn’t) and were never issued a correction. But it all ended up fine.
- The outdoor ceremony space option is lovely, but not very wheelchair friendly since there’s no paved path and the grass slopes a bit.
- Based on what I’ve heard from others and our coordinator, their timeline for planning was a little more compressed than typical. Most details weren’t determined until after the tasting which was just about 3 months in advance of the wedding date. Our venue coordinator changed about a month from the wedding, which ended up being fine but led to slightly more back and forth and ultimately the final details seemed to cut it very close, with us finalizing the BEO less than a week before the event. But since everything ended up fine it wasn’t a big deal!
- They weren’t able to guarantee an on-site rehearsal or that the hotel restaurant would be open for on-site breakfast (unless we paid a minimum upfront). Luckily we ended up being able to have both and got about a month’s notice. But it was a little stressful not knowing if we’d be able to lock those down. (Photos by Tom Bennett Images)
Our wedding in June 2015 at the Bolger Center was wonderful! We knew that we would likely be inviting at least 200 guests and needed a place to accommodate that number without getting too crowded. At the beginning we were looking for a place that could hold up to 300 people and the Bolger Center gave us some flexibility on that front. Many other venues can hold up to 200 people and at that level it can be very crowded.
We loved that we could have our ceremony and reception at the Bolger Center. We also liked that our guests could stay in hotel rooms at the Bolger Center and not worry about transportation. Our ceremony was outside on a beautiful lawn in front of the Osgood building by a while pergola. There was a 50 percent chance of rain, so we were lucky that it could be outside, but we had a backup site of the Stained Glass Hall if needed. We had a lovely cocktail hour outside of the Ben Franklin Hall and then our reception inside the Ben Franklin Ballroom. During the planning, the Bolger Center’s catering company switched over to Aramark and we began working with Angela Pena Tempo who was very responsive and helpful. At our tasting she helped us think about choices that would make sense for our guests. We did a walk-through going over every part of the day.
Early cutoff for hotel room reservations was about 2 months before the date. We encouraged our family and friends to reserve their rooms early, but a few people missed that deadline and weren’t sure what to do. Angela and the team at the Bolger Center worked with us to make sure they could reserve rooms if any were still available, but it would’ve been nice to have a little bit more time for our room block.
We decided to hire a day-of wedding coordinator, who worked seamlessly with Angela to make sure everything worked for our wedding. Angela was there for our rehearsal the day before and helped us coordinate having a breakfast for guests the morning afterwards.
We had a bride getting ready room/suite and a groom getting ready room/suite where we each slept the night before and got ready the next day, which was great. We also had a room in the Osgood building where everyone could assemble and keep things before the ceremony.
Many of our out of town guests stayed at the Bolger Center, had nice rooms, good rates, especially for the DC metropolitan area, and came to breakfast the day after the wedding. It was nice to have an outdoor area, where our extended family gathered the night before the wedding.
Everything was wonderful and seamless. Thank you to Angela and the Bolger Center!
Loved everything about my wedding at The Bolger Center. I was engaged in May 2014 and booked by June for June 2015. They underwent management changes and while we were concerned, Debbie made sure everything on their end was perfect. The food was absolutely amazing! The presentation, the options, and the taste were 5 star. The staff was great!
My only downfall is I wish they would provide some assistance with the ceremony. I hired a planner which I would 100% recommend for anyone having their wedding there. I was also disappointed my vendors were not offered their meal I paid for, even when I asked the server. The setting both inside the Stained Glass Hall and outside for photos were gorgeous. The convenience of having our guests stay on the property and get ready there, as well as our rehearsal dinner at the bar, made this location perfect.
I've lived in the Potomac area for many years and never knew the Bolger Center existed. In fact many of my neighbors didn't know about it either.
But WOW, was I blown away when I went to visit. I have so many positive things to say, I hardly know where to begin.
The grounds are gorgeous (we had an outside wedding ceremony). All the buildings are convenient to each other and the walking paths are very pleasant.
Everyone I worked with was efficient and very nice-- especially Debbie Halpin-- the on site wedding coordinator extraordinaire. I can't praise the wait staff enough. They served the meal promptly and with a smile. The cocktail hour, also held outside was just lovely, the setting, staff and food was perfect.
The food was the best I have ever had at a wedding EVER! My guests gushed! I actually ate!
The Stained Glass room was the perfect size for our 115 guests, any more and it would have been tight. Plenty of room for the dance floor.
The hotel rooms were perfect for the price, but the hotel reservations wasn't always efficient and some of my guests had problems, all of which were solved.
After the wedding, some of the guests went to the Pony Express. It was so nice to have all these amenities on the same property. I never worried tipsy travelers. Those that wanted to drink, stayed the night.
Breakfast was available at a reasonable price and provided another gathering place for guests.
The price for the wedding is a set fee, but by far the best deal in town. I wish I had another wedding to plan, because it would be at the Bolger Center!
Overall, I could not have been happier with the Bolger Center. Debbie was fantastic. My questions were answered promptly, most were anticipated and easy to fix.
You will love it!
Annette was very pleasant and the food tasting was superb. I had many requests which she was more than happy to accommodate. However, the many accommodations and orders were not met the day of.
During our dinner, we did not get the dessert or soup that were in our contract and we had ordered 6 different passed hor'dourves for our after party and I only saw 3. Throughout the party I wasn't even offered one which makes me wonder if all my guest get a taste of anything? I did see 2 plates at the end of the night which were suppose to be leftovers. I highly doubt most of my orders were even made.
I am highly disappointed especially since they were highly rated on theknot.com so I took the chance and went for it. I have many families and friends who are shopping for venues. I would've recommended here if it weren't for all the food orders that were incorrect. It's a shame and I even sent emails but had no reply back. I suppose after spending thousands means absolutely nothing since the event is over now. I just wished I hadn't spent so much of my parents money here expecting what I wasn't given.
I got married at the Bolger Center in October. It was a great experience overall. Annette was great to work with throughout the planning process. It was great to have everything in one place. Our bridal party and many of our guests stayed over which made it very convenient. The Stained Glass Hall is pretty and has the "Chapel" feel. Edge Floral provided the decor and made it look even more beautiful. The food was delicious (both the wedding dinner and the buffet breakfast in the restaurant). The only drawback is that some of the guest rooms are a little small. But everything was nice, clean and the staff was helpful.
This place is gorgeous! I had my wedding here on May 24th of 2014 and my guests are still gushing about it almost a month later. The decor was set up wonderfully,the food was delicious, the rooms were comfortable, the staff was attentive and helpful especially Annette and Jessica over in events! Our day was gorgeous here! I would recommend this place in a heartbeat!
The Bolger Center is fantastic! Debbie and Jessica were very helpful, the grounds are beautiful, and everyone was talking about the great service they received during the reception.
My reception was at the Stained Glass Hall. And the place was BEAUTIFUL. Great scenery, very pretty cocktail hour and a very beautiful reception hall. Everything was visually appealing. On top of that, the food was great and the service was awesome. The woman who really worked with me to help make my day wonderful was Debbie Halpin. She was so amazing in helping to get everything to come together! i just was overall very happy with the venue and feeling very lucky to have found out about this place!
This place is a gem and I’m so glad I found it! My fiancé and I worked with Annette Fulmore to plan our wedding here. She was so, so helpful throughout the entire planning process and did such an excellent job to make our day so very special. We used the stained glass hall for our ceremony and the Ben Franklin Hall for the reception. I addition, we also had our rehearsal dinner in the Pony Express the night before the wedding. Everything was beautifully setup and the entire night went perfectly. Annette met with us several times and answered hundreds of emails and questions . She truly is a saint and is so great at what she does. The Bolger Center is a wonderful all in one place to hold an event. It has beautiful, well-maintained grounds, an on-site hotel and catering, free parking, and they provide tables, chairs, linens, and dishes all built into the price. There are no extra fees at all! Thank you Bolger Center staff and especially Annette for helping to make my dream wedding come true!
The Bolger Center served as a perfect venue for our wedding. We had our ceremony in the Stained Glass Hall and our reception in the Franklin Ballroom. We worked with Debbie Halpin as our point person at the venue and she was so thorough and really took care of us. During the wedding reception, Mauricio Martinez was the banquet manager and he did an amazing job. We didn't have to worry about anything during the ceremony or reception, everything was taken care of and was done exactly as planned. Thank you to the Bolger Center for helping to make our day perfect!
The Bolger Center was a great spot for my wedding on 9/22/12. They were there to answer all my questions by phone or e-mail and they worked with my budget. They had a few rules and regulations that I didn't really agree with and we lost a few items that were not recovered. But, we had a really fun time and the food was delicious!!! :)
We were married at the Bolger Center in July and the experience was great all around. We worked with Debbie who was very responsive and accommodating. She helped us through the whole process and even worked with us when we wanted to get a food truck for our rehearsal dinner.
Initially we were turned off by what we thought was higher cost per person but when you factor in that everything is included ,and there are no room fees just catering minimums, the cost ended up being equal or less than every other place we looked. Our guest also really enjoyed staying at the Bolger Center, people kept commenting that having everyone there for the weekend was like we were at camp or college (although the accommodations were much nicer than both!). And many people took advantage of the shuttle to the Metro and went sight seeing.
The food they provided throughout was delicious and more than exceeded our expectations. The manager and head waitress on the day of the wedding were very nice and asked us throughout the night if we needed drinks or food. The Bridal Suite was very modern and had a huge balcony. They also surprised us with a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries after the wedding.
We would highly recommend the Bolger Center to anyone who is getting married in the DC area.
The planning process was very flexible and personalized. It seems like for every request we made, the answer was yes. We had very attentive service throughout the reception. The food was delicious -- our guests were quite impressed. Our guests got a great deal on the price of hotel rooms.
Overall I had a great experience with the venue. The grounds were beautiful, perfect for pictures. The Stained glass room was a beautiful location for the reception and was perfect size for 130 guests. The staff were very accommodating to any changes we made the day of and really listened to what we wanted. They had great options to help customize your wedding, for instance we had Mojitos and Arnold Palmers offered to our guests and they had many linen choices to pick from so you can match your colors. The food was also delicious, especially the appetizers. We had many compliments from our guests, and I would not hesitate recommending people to use this venue for their wedding.
I was extremely disappointed with the Bolger Center. It is a beautiful setting and in the end, it was fine, but the service from the beginning was not acceptable. The first point person we were given would not return calls or emails, so we were given another contact who seemed competent until the day of the wedding, when she was nowhere to be found. She had told me that the Bolger staff would work hand in hand with my day-of-coordinator. This did not happen at all! in fact, they were nowhere to be seen. My husband had to run out to stop our guests from going into the reception hall after the ceremony because the Bolger staff was not outside to point them towards the cocktail area as they had said they would be. Our DJ found our special vegan cupcake near her table sitting next to the bread (instead of in the kitchen) and she unwrapped the bread because guests were about to come in. The Bolger Center didn't put out the candles that were listed in our agreement, did not turn out the lights for our video (which we paid a lot for them to play so we wouldn't have to stress about it), did not have prepared the two special meals we requested for guests with dietary restrictions, did not bring food we requested to my husband and me between the ceremony and the reception. . .the list goes on and on. Our day-of-coordinator said that if she hadn't gone into the kitchen to ask about the salad course, it would have been extremely late. I was truly shocked by the disorganization of the Bolger Center staff on our wedding day. It made me think that staff quit that day or something. When our day-of-coordinator called them to give a report the next day, our point person didn't even have the decency to follow-up with me directly to see how I thought the day went as my day-of didn't even see some of the things that went wrong. That's when I knew that they were embarrassed by their service. I would not recommend the Bolger Center unless you tell your day-of-coordinator every single thing that they say they are going to do for you (unfortunately, I didn't), because you can not count on them to follow through.
Our wedding was fantastic. The planning was done with ease with the help of experts at the Bolger Center. The tasting was amazing. The wedding day was great. VERY friendly staff
I looked all over DC, MD and Virginia to find the perfect venue. Then, I came across the Bolger Center. It was perfect for us since it was a one stop shop. We had our ceremony in the Stained Glass Room which was absolutely gorgeous since it actually used to be a church, but is no longer used for that purchase. We had our cocktail hour outside on the patio in front of the North Building and then our reception was in the newly renovated Ben Franklin Room. Overall, the facilities where I had my events were wonderful! I can't say the same about the hotel rooms. While I under this used to be a convent, the standard rooms are SUPER SMALL! The deluxe and suites are much better though. However, we had a major issue with reserving rooms. We had blocked off rooms and our guests kept getting quoted the wrong rate, which was extremely frustrating.
We had our tasting which was another disappointing factor in our experience. It was me and my fiance, my parents and his parents (total of 6 people). We arrived and the coordinator informed me that I picked what we were tasting. To my surprise, I thought a tasting was you give me everything you got and I will pick from there. Unfortunately, that is not how it goes. You pick everything prior and then you taste! Needless to say, come the entree portion of the tasting and they brought out just ONE plate that we had to split 6 ways! I will say the coordinator was extremely responsive when you emailed her or called her which was a plus. However, everything that was agreed upon should be written down. I had another friend get married there and she told me to make sure that if anything changed to make sure it was written down.
My wedding day went smoothly or at least I was told it was. Nothing disasterous happened and overall I was extremely pleased with my day. There were small things here and there that disappointed me, but overall a good space to have your ceremony, reception. We called it the compound since no one had to leave since they had hotel, our venue for both ceremony and reception as well as a restaurant/bar for us after the wedding!
Contact
9600 Newbridge Drive, Potomac, MD
The Bolger Center
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