June 02, 1991|By DONNA PEREMES
TURF VALLEY HOTEL AND COUNTRY CLUB, 2700 Turf Valley Road, Ellicott City, 465-1500. Contact: Linda Wolf. Accommodates up to 750 seated with a dance floor, up to 1,000 standing. Open seven days a week. In-house catering only. Ceremonies can be performed on premises. Cost: from $37 per person. Special hotel rates for guests, and a complimentary overnight room for bride and groom, are available with bridal packages.
The country club offers four rooms for receptions: the Ellicott Room, the Wedgwood Room, the Cameo Room and the Grand Ballroom.
UNION MILLS HOMESTEAD, Route 97, Union Mills, (301) 848-2288. Contact: Esther Shriver. Reserve three months in advance. Accommodates an unlimited number on the grounds outside. Available May to October. Cost: $150 donation.
Weeping willows, flower gardens, a large wooden water wheel and a footbridge ideal for photographs are found on the land of the homestead, a 23-room structure built in 1797.
UNIVERSITY CLUB AT TOWSON, 7500 Osler Drive, 321-7600. Contact: Susan Bryant. Reserve as early as possible. Accommodates up to 175 seated, 250 standing. A large patio can accommodate up to 200 guests, and the grounds can accommodate as many as 500 or more. Available daily. In-house catering only. Limited dancing, small bands only. Cost: from $18 per person, plus a nominal fee to become a University Club member.
Built in 1789 by former Gov. Charles Ridgely, the mansion lends an 18th century feel to the proceedings with its marble mantelpieces, crystal chandeliers, pier mirrors and period furnishings.
VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB, 1512 Jeffers Road, Towson, 825-7110. Contact: Dorothy Donovan or Pat Chester. Accommodates 200 seated, 350 standing. Cost varies. Available seven days a week.
This Colonial mansion, situated on green and spacious grounds, features a 3,000-square-foot ballroom, Oriental rugs, hardwood floors, parlors and bridal suites. The big mahogany staircase is a popular site for photographs.
WAVERLY, 2335 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, 313-5400. Contact: Virginia Leache. Reserve six months to a year in advance. Accommodates 150 inside for a buffet-style reception, an unlimited number outside with a tent. Available year-round. Cost for rental of house and grounds: $650 for seven hours, with a $200 security deposit. List of approved caterers available.
Exquisitely furnished with period antiques, this 18th century house is owned by the Howard County government and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
WESTMINSTER HALL, Fayette and Greene streets, 328-7228. Contact: Mary Jo Rodney. Reserve as early as possible. Accommodates 250. Available year-round. Catering by approved firms only. Cost: $750 and up.
You can celebrate your pledge to love "ever more" at this former church, on whose grounds the bones of Edgar Allan Poe rest ever-so-lightly. Now in the care of Westminster Preservation Trust, a private, non-profit organization, the hall retains its early Gothic Revival exterior and bell tower, but its interior is a blend of the old and the new: track lighting and stained-glass windows, tiered balconies and lounge furniture.
WESTMINSTER INN, 5 S. Center St., Westminster, 876-2893. Contact: David Horner. Reserve as early as possible. Accommodates up to 150 seated, 250 for hors d'oeuvres. Available seven days week, with a 5 p.m. curfew on Saturdays. In-house catering only. Cost: no charge for rental of inn; catering prices range from $20 to $40 per person. Special bed-and-breakfast rates for the bride, groom and guests.
Built in 1899, the Westminster Inn was originally a high school. It was converted to an inn in 1988.
WILLIAM PACA HOUSE, 186 Prince George St., Annapolis, (301) 263-5553. Contact: Holly Perdue. Call for appointment. Reserve as early as possible. Accommodates 180 seated, 500 standing. Available after 5 p.m. daily May 1 to Oct. 31. Champagne, wine and beer only. Limit on amplification of music. Cost: $1,300 to $1,800, including cost of tents.
Former Gov. William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, built this 37-room mansion for his bride, Molly Chew. They purchased these two acres four days after they were married. Receptions take place on tented terraces overlooking the grounds.
WORLD TRADE CENTER, 401 E. Pratt St., 333-4540. Contact: Agnes Coleman. Reserve up to two years in advance. Seen by appointment Mondays to Fridays, though weekend viewings can arranged. Accommodates 225 seated, 275 standing. Available daily, weekends and holidays. Catering by approved firms only. Cost: $900 Mondays to Thursdays, day or evening; $1,000 Fridays to Sundays, day, $1,200 evening.
The Constellation Room, featuring a marble dance floor and shades of smoky charcoal, is located on the 21st floor. It offers a spectacular view of the harbor through ceiling-to-floor windows. The brand-new Maryland Room, also on the 21st floor, accommodates 100 seated and up to 125 standing. The cost is $400 for a maximum of five hours.
