By Lena Ellwanger
Photos By Arden Haley
Aerial and Guest Photos Courtesy of Wylder
Couples can kick back and forget the formalities at Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island.
“You come here, you hang out, all your family and friends are here that you care about,” says Kristin Seymour, general manager and director of events at Wylder. The carefree vibe, paired with the hotel’s many amenities, create the experience of “a destination wedding on the Eastern Shore.”
Wedding parties will often start with a rehearsal dinner and end with brunch before they leave.
“People drop their keys off on Friday and don’t pick them up again until Sunday. Many past brides describe it like summer camp — all their favorite people in one place for a weekend-long party. Their guests are in our heated saltwater pool or on kayaks. They spend the day playing lawn games and the night hanging by the bonfire pits roasting s’mores.”
With full or partial buyout options, couples can completely customize their day.
Partial means that 25 hotel rooms are booked for your group, Kristin says, and the couple can choose to use the indoor event space — which includes two rooms and Bar Mumbo — or set up a tent on the lawn.
In a full buyout, the group gets all 50 rooms and “the whole place shuts down Saturday night for them.”
A couple can then utilize all of the spaces however they choose. Kristin says many couples use Tickler’s Crab Shack and patio — overlooking the water — as their party space, with a band or DJ set up on the adjoining deck, as well as Tickler’s indoor dining room for mingling and additional seating.
On the whole, Wylder is all about accommodating your wishes.
“You tell us what you want,” Kristin says. “We’re super flexible and creative about stuff.”
That includes the on-site catering: “We do full custom menus.”
And that fun flexibility extends to the options for the bridal party, as well.
The bungalow (separate from the main hotel) has 10 rooms — “A lot of times people put their whole bridal party and friends all in that section. They gather on the front porch while everyone gets ready, then at night again as an after-party,” Kristin says.
“Usually they pick the two middle rooms for the bridesmaids’ rooms — one’s hair and one’s makeup — so the girls are on and off the deck, drinking mimosas, hanging out and relaxing.”
For the guys, charter-fishing captains are readily available right there at the hotel’s own docks, so “grooms will arrive via boat most of the time, which gives them their own special entrance,” Kristin says.
The venue is fairly new to the scene — after extensive renovations to the buildings and property, it opened as Wylder Hotel in April 2018. But people are quickly catching on — Wylder has 10 weddings in 2019 and is booking fast for 2020. And the hotel is open year-round, allowing couples to take advantage of additional pricing options while still enjoying the experience of a waterfront wedding at Wylder.
To learn more, contact Kristin at kseymour@wylderhotels.com.