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...

Fairytale Brides on a Shoestring Budget Boutique has a great selection of vintage and plus size wedding gowns. We're sure you'll find something you like! Visit our Rockville Patch Blog for more info.

We have vintage and plus size wedding gowns!

Neighbor News

Kensington

Potomac

Fairfax County

Michael O'Connell

McLean

Wheaton

Takoma Park

District of Columbia

Georgetown

District Of Columbia

Silver Spring

Arlington

Rosslyn

Clarendon

On Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m., come to the Alden Theatre at McLean Community Center to be wowed by Zak Mirz, Magician! Zak Mirz...

Magic at The Alden Theatre!

Loudoun County

Leesburg

Bring your family and friends to the Purcellville Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 25 from noon to 7 p.m. rain or...

Purcellville Music and Arts Festival

These shows are now bringing in the best comics from across the country!!!!
Your headliner this month:
CARMEN MORALES
Carmen...

On St. Elmo Comedy Bunker 13: Carmen Morales 

Come celebrate the story of Ruby Bridges, the trailblazing African-American girl who, at age 6, integrated the New Orleans...

Step by Step: The Ruby Bridges Suite, a Benefit Concert

Ch/Art Fest Returns April 26 Featuring 25+ Local Artists, Food, and Community Celebration
The Ch/Art (Chevy Chase Art) Fest –...

Ch/Art Fest

🌼 Silver Spring Arts & Crafts Spring Fair 🌼 Art, Crafts & Love — A Spring Fair for Mom!
Celebrate spring with a beautiful...

Silver Spring Mother's Day Arts & Crafts Spring Fair @ Veterans Plaza

Come support local musicians at The Alden Theatre on Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m. The Main Street Chamber Players are a mixed...

Main Street Chamber Players at The Alden Theatre!

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)

Rockville

MoCo Students Take On World’s Largest Robotics...

The largest robotics competition is being held this week in St. Louis, and among the thousands of competitors is a local STEM club.

MoCo Students Take On World’s Largest Robotics Competition

MD Students Tackle World Largest Robotics Competition

'Really Fascinating': MD Kids Tackle World Robotics Championship

National Drug Take Back Day Is This Weekend

Police will be accepting expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs this weekend. Here's what you need to know.


Crime & Safety

Germantown

Teen Facing First-Degree Murder Charges For...

Jaden Proctor, a 17-year-old from Germantown, is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder for a November shooting.

Teen Facing First-Degree Murder Charges For 2025 Shooting

Arrests Made Over Illegal Car Rally That Saw...

Three people, including a teenager, were arrested in connection to the illegal February car rally that saw two police cruisers smashed.

Arrests Made Over Illegal Car Rally That Saw Police Cruiser Smashed

Across Maryland

Churchill Downs Buys Rights To Preakness, Black...

State will keep perpetual lease to races, memorabilia in $85 million intellectual property rights deal.

Churchill Downs Buys Rights To Preakness, Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

Politics & Government

'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.

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