MD Company Solves The DIY Wedding Bar Problem

Chesapeake Bartenders and Events

If you're planning a wedding in Maryland you've probably had this conversation: "We love your bartending services, but we just can't afford $3,000." Courtney Smith, owner of Chesapeake Bartenders and Events, heard that line hundreds of times. After serving 150+ weddings across the DMV, she finally did something about it. She took everything her team does to plan seamless wedding bars and packaged it into a $99 digital guide couples can use themselves. "I got tired of watching couples stress over their wedding bar," Smith says. "They'd find some random calculator online, and I'm thinking, 'That's either way too much or not nearly enough depending on your crowd." The Real Problem: Most couples make the same mistakes: buying wrong quantities, forgetting ice melts faster in summer, not accounting for setup time, choosing glassware that breaks easily. "I've seen couples run out of alcohol at 9 PM because they used a generic calculator," Smith explains. "Or bought $500 worth of liquor they didn't need." What She Built: The DIY Wedding Bar Planning Guide includes interactive calculators that adjust for your actual wedding—time of day, season, guest demographics. It includes a 16-part audio guide and a real wedding case study showing what 155 guests consumed over five hours. The guide answers: - How much does ice melt in July vs November? - Should you buy champagne for toasts? - What's the cost difference between wine bottles and boxes? - How do you set up a bar so guests aren't waiting? Who It's For: Budget-conscious couples, couples whose venues require in-house bartending, or anyone wanting to understand what they're paying for. Smith, who has 20 years of bartending experience and runs three businesses including 1631 Event Venue, says: "Free calculators tell you what to buy. We tell you why, and how to avoid disasters." The guide is available at chesapeakebartenders.com/diy-wedding-bar-planning-guide

Montgomery County

Gaby Arancibia

Washington Metropolitan Area

Bethesda-Chevy Chase

Maryland

 If you're planning a wedding in Maryland you've probably had this conversation: "We love your bartending services, but we just can't afford $3,000...

Arlington Language School Marks 40th Anniversary

ICA Language Services

ICA Language Services (ICA), a family-owned, woman-led small business based in Arlington, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking decades of supporting the U.S. military and diplomatic community through language training and testing. Founded in April 1986 as Inlingua Foreign Language Center, a 6-classroom language school, ICA expanded under the leadership of Deidre Doyle, an entrepreneur with a background in organizational management who joined the company the same year. As a military spouse, she had developed a deep understanding of military organizations and culture, helping shape ICA into a trusted provider of language training and testing for military professionals. Doyle became a partner in 1993 and sole owner in 2009, when she changed the name to ICA Language Services. Today, ICA operates a 60+ classroom schoolhouse in Rosslyn and has delivered nearly five million hours of language instruction and more than 30,000 language assessments across 120+ languages. ICA also provides training on military bases throughout the US and abroad. The company is now led by President and CEO Lexie Casey, Doyle’s daughter, who joined ICA in 2009 after a decade in government contracting. Casey became a partner in 2014 and assumed day-to-day leadership in 2015, when Doyle transitioned to Chair of the Board. ICA has employed more than 1,300 individuals from 131 countries, often providing a first job in the United States for language professionals. Certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, ICA provides proficiency- and performance-based language training and testing services supporting diplomacy, security, and global engagement. For more information, visit www.icalanguages.com.

Arlington County

Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslyn

Virginia

ICA Language Services (ICA), a family-owned, woman-led small business based in Arlington, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking decades of...

Afternoon Tea in Pike & Rose 🫖🥐🥯

Tea Room at Hello Betty

Delight in a curated selection of premium teas, delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones, and artful pastries—each crafted to be savored slowly and shared generously. Whether celebrating a special occasion or simply elevating your afternoon, our tea service is an invitation to pause, sip, and indulge in something beautifully refined.

Delight in a curated selection of premium teas, delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones, and artful pastries—each crafted to be savored...

New Baseball Training Facility at the Rockville Sportsplex 

Player Development Lab of Rockville

Designed for baseball players who want to train like pros, with coaches who’ve developed them. At the Player Development Lab, baseball training is a motivational journey. It’s where aspiration meets reality and progress can be quantified with modern metrics. Through time, effort, and access to well qualified trainers and equipment, members now have a private environment of their own and a staff of the best baseball minds in the area to consult with. Our philosophy is to make training fun, challenging, and rewarding, but equally as important - focused and accessible. Come see what we’re about at the Rockville Sportsplex.

Designed for baseball players who want to train like pros, with coaches who’ve developed them. At the Player Development Lab, baseball training is...

Your Kids Can Have An AWESOME FUN Summer!

Summer At Sandy Spring

Summer At Sandy Spring is a great Summer Day camp offering equal parts fun and uniqueness. For over thirty years, we have provided families with a safe, engaging, and active summer camp experience for children three years old to fourteen. With the sprawling Sandy Spring Friends School campus, we offer summer experiences for your children that will provide lifelong memories and friendships. Your children will have opportunities to explore Adventure Park, swim in our man-made pond, partake in our weekly theme weeks, enjoy daily hot lunches, and so much more! Some of our exciting activities: Adventure Challenge • Archery • Archery Tag • Art Bonanza • Bubble Soccer • Computer Programming • Dance/Poms • Fishing • Flight Science • Karate • Lego Robotics • Outdoor Living Skills • Painting • Paper Maché • Photography • Rock Climbing • STEAMers • Theater • Video Production and much more! Phone number: 301-774-7455 ext.167

Montgomery Village

Summer At Sandy Spring is a great Summer Day camp offering equal parts fun and uniqueness. For over thirty years, we have provided families with a...

Photo: <a href="https://twitter.com/mcfrsPIO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Piringer ‏@mcfrsPIO </a>A fire caused more than $75,000 in damage Tuesday at the science building under construction on the Montgomery College campus.It's believed that welders working on the building accidentally set ignited some insulation that spread the fire to the roof, according to Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.Dozens of workers had to be evacuated. No injuries were reported.

Photo: <a href="https://twitter.com/mcfrsPIO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Piringer ‏@mcfrsPIO </a>

A fire caused more than $75,000 in damage Tuesday at the science building under construction on the Montgomery College campus.It’s believed that welders working on the building accidentally set ignited some insulation that spread the fire to the roof, according to Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.

Dozens of workers had to be evacuated. No injuries were reported.

Welders accidentally ignited insulation and the roofing caught on fire, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. No injuries.

Fire Damages Montgomery College Building Under Construction

Crime & Safety

Kensington

Potomac

Fairfax County

Michael O'Connell

McLean

Wheaton

Takoma Park

District of Columbia

Georgetown

District Of Columbia

Silver Spring

Arlington

Rosslyn

Clarendon

Dock5 Event Venue

The DC&nbsp;Big Flea Boutique Antiques Event at Dock5 in The District
Curated show for the District from the promoters of the DC Big Flea in Nova!
May 2-3 Sat. 9-6 Sun. 11-4 $20 both days&nbsp;Sneak preview May 1 7-10pm
Dock5 Union/Market 1309 5th St. SE Washington, DC

Shop one of a kids finds of jewelry, art, mid-century modern, furniture, pottery, vintage clothing, and so much more!

Local Event: The DC Big Flea Boutique Antique Event

Washington DC

The DC Big Flea Boutique Antique Event

The DC Big Flea Boutique Antiques Event at Dock5 in The District
Curated show for the District from the promoters of the DC Big...

Capital One Hall

As featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes!$7 TICKETS AT THE DOOR!
Equity
 Arc presents a powerful afternoon of classical music showcasing 
exceptional pre-college and collegiate musicians of color from over 80 
U.S. cities. This inspiring concert highlights the next generation of 
talent through dynamic works by composers like Tchaikovsky, Florence 
Price, Jessie Montgomery, and more.&nbsp;
This concert comes almost 
exactly one year to the date (May 4, 2025) when Equity Arc’s Wind 
Symphony was supposed to perform alongside the U.S. Marine Band “The 
President’s Own”(USMB), but was cancelled due to President Trump’s 
executive order entitled “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and 
Preferencing.” The story got national attention and was featured on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E48GgDX2NCA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">CBS's 60 Minutes with Scott Peley</a>&nbsp;when,
 in the wake of the cancellation, Equity Arc contacted retired members 
of the premier military and military academy bands to recreate both the 
mentoring and performing experiences&nbsp;in Washington, DC previously 
scheduled for the students.&nbsp;That concert was closed to the public, but 
this one is wide-open with subsidized tickets at only $7 when you 
purchase at the door! Join us!
More info at <a href="https://www.capitalonehall.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.capitalonehall.com</a> and <a href="https://www.equityarc.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.equityarc.org</a>&nbsp;

Local Event: EQUITY ARC Presents Festival Ensembles

Tysons

EQUITY ARC Presents Festival Ensembles

As featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes!$7 TICKETS AT THE DOOR!
Equity
 Arc presents a powerful afternoon of classical music showcasing...

The DC Big Flea come to the District at Dock5 @Union Market May 2-3 with a preview night May 1st &nbsp;7-10 PMShop one of a kind finds for less! Join is for this curated event!!

The DC Big Flea come to the District at Dock5 @Union Market May 2-3 with a preview night May 1st  7-10 PMShop one of a kind...

Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ

The Thirteen begins an exploration of Monteverdi's secular music after their comprehensive review of his sacred works over 
five programs and two recordings, hailed as “shimmering in loveliness”&nbsp; by MusicWeb International. The performance will start with Monteverdi’s madrigal form, pairing it with
 near-contemporary works of the Renaissance-Baroque transition by Carlo 
Gesualdo and Barbara Strozzi. They will present these works in conversation 
with secular song by contemporary composers, including Eric Whitacre, 
Ildebrando Pizzetti, Morton Lauridsen, and more.Promo Code - Partner15 - Save 15%&nbsp;

Local Event: The Thirteen's MONTEVERDI REFRACTED

The Thirteen's MONTEVERDI REFRACTED

The Thirteen begins an exploration of Monteverdi's secular music after their comprehensive review of his sacred works over...

Virtual 

Limited Spaces Remain in Select Grades - Join us for a virtual introduction to our Kindergarten through Grade 6 program. <a href="https://info.mcleanschool.org/virtual-open-house" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Register Today</a>
You’ll hear from our Head of School, as well as the Heads and Assistant Heads of our Lower and Middle Schools. Gain a deeper understanding of <a href="https://www.mcleanschool.org/about/abilities-model/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">McLean’s Abilities Model®</a>, which sees students’ strengths first and teaches the way they learn.&nbsp;This abilities-driven approach enables bright college-bound students, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, to be successful in and out of the classroom. 
Attendees will learn about:
<ul><li>Our research-based approach to reading, writing, and math which provides both support and acceleration.</li><li>How our educators nurture curiosity, build confidence, and empower students to advocate for themselves.</li><li>Our warm, inclusive community where every student feels known, supported, and celebrated.</li><li>Our full-scope program of opportunities that allows every child to explore, create, compete, and contribute—both inside and outside the classroom.</li></ul>

Local Event: McLean School Virtual Open House (Kindergarten-Grade 6)

McLean School Virtual Open House...

Limited Spaces Remain in Select Grades - Join us for a virtual introduction to our Kindergarten through Grade 6 program....

McLean School Virtual Open House (Kindergarten-Grade 6)

McLean School-Falls Road Campus (Lower School)

If you are concerned about your child’s reading ability, McLean School is pleased to offer an upcoming complimentary Acadience Reading Screening.
Extensive evidence shows that struggling readers who do not receive early intervention fall behind academically and it is harder for them to catch up in later grades.
This complimentary 30-minute session will provide actionable data using the Acadience Reading Screening, one of three universal reading screeners in the United States proven to reliably identify students who need immediate reading intervention.
<a href="https://calendly.com/mclean-readingscreenings/complimentary-reading-screening-saturday-may9?month=2026-05&amp;date=2026-05-09" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Register Today To Reserve Your Spot</a>
<a href="https://www.mcleanschool.org/reading-screening/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read More Information About McLean's Complimentary Reading Screening</a>

Local Event: Complimentary Reading Screening for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students

Complimentary Reading Screening for...

If you are concerned about your child’s reading ability, McLean School is pleased to offer an upcoming complimentary Acadience...

Complimentary Reading Screening for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students

Alden Theatre

Ever wonder how others perceive you? “Seinfeld” writer Pat Hazell goes in search of his own “Permanent Record” in a confessional night at The Alden Theatre filled with humor, heart and humanity. Hazell hired an actual opposition research company to investigate his past, and he is now forced to define himself. Pat opens the vault to his faults, foibles and foul play to turn a stroll down Memory Lane into a high-speed chase down Memory Highway. If you can’t laugh at yourself, why not laugh at him? Saturday, May 9, 7 p.m. (ASL interpreted) $30 Standard/$25 Seniors/$20 MCC district residents.

Local Event: Pat Hazell's "Permanent Record" at Alden Theatre

Pat Hazell's "Permanent Record" at Alden Theatre

Ever wonder how others perceive you? “Seinfeld” writer Pat Hazell goes in search of his own “Permanent Record” in a...

Harford County

Bel Air

Dance Studio Opens + Trendy Retailer Sets Up...

Dance legend's legacy opens spot in MD, Upscale has unveiled its hottest fashions and a national BBQ chain closes its MD eatery.

Dance Studio Opens + Trendy Retailer Sets Up Shop + BBQ Eatery Closes + Greek Deli Debuts: MD Business News

Business

MoCo Creator Behind 'Blair Witch Project' Joins...

Eduardo Sánchez, one of the creators and writers behind "The Blair Witch Project," is returning to the franchise, according to a report.

MoCo Creator Behind 'Blair Witch Project' Joins Reboot: Report

Arts & Entertainment

Across America

Popular Chocolate Recalled For Salmonella:...

A common item in your lunch tote may be among more than 8 million recalled for safety concerns; cuddly teddy bears pose an injury hazard.

Popular Chocolate Recalled For Salmonella: Recall Roundup

Health & Fitness

How Generous Are Maryland Tippers? New Study...

How much do you tip at a restaurant? This study shows just how much Marylanders tip on average when they go out to eat.

How Generous Are Maryland Tippers? New Study Reveals

The Doorbell Rings; Do You Answer, Or Has...

For many readers, the standard isn’t etiquette but safety or privacy when they decide whether to answer the door.

The Doorbell Rings; Do You Answer, Or Has Etiquette Changed? Block Talk

Community Corner

'Pharmageddon' Could Close Pharmacies: What To...

Pharmacists in several states are participating in a “Pharmageddon” protest of working conditions at CVS, Walgreens and other pharmacies.

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Crime & Safety

Fire Damages Montgomery College Building Under Construction

Welders accidentally ignited insulation and the roofing caught on fire, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. No injuries.

Greg Hambrick, Patch Staff

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

More from Bethesda-Chevy Chase

MoCo Creator Behind 'Blair Witch Project' Joins Reboot: Report

El Niño Summer Forecast: How Hot And Stormy Will It Be In MD?

Deli Shop To Open New Branch

The DC Big Flea Boutique Antique Event

EQUITY ARC Presents Festival Ensembles

The DC Big Flea Boutique Antique Event

The Thirteen's MONTEVERDI REFRACTED

McLean School Virtual Open House (Kindergarten-Grade 6)

Complimentary Reading Screening for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students

Pat Hazell's "Permanent Record" at Alden Theatre

ICA Language Services

Chesapeake Bartenders and Events

Tea Room at Hello Betty

Player Development Lab of Rockville

Summer At Sandy Spring

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Fire Damages Montgomery College Building Under Construction

Welders accidentally ignited insulation and the roofing caught on fire, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. No injuries.

Greg Hambrick, Patch Staff<img alt="Verified Patch Staff Badge" class="styles_Badge__np_hU" src="https://patch.com/img/cdn/assets/layout/badges/verified-patch-staff.svg"/>

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Greg Hambrick, Patch Staff