We didn't end up booking here, because it was too much hassle to arrange them having staff around Christmas. Apparently they do nice receptions, and it's really handy if you're getting married at a church on the Hill, but also a bit annoying to have dingy pictures of old-school republicans greeting your guests when they walk in. Also, it is over-priced for the venue and food.

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) building has a great location and beautiful, historical facilities, but the staff couldn't care less that you are getting married! We called them to find out basic info, and they were the least friendly of anywhere. It's like they'd be doing you a favor to let you pay them to hold your special day there. Don't bother taking them up on the favor.

It seemed like a great idea to get married here -- especially when we thought we weren't going to be able to use our church for the ceremony due to renovations. However, if you have a late fall, winter or early spring wedding, you will need one, if not two, very expensive tents, on top of an already high venue costs. I recommend holding your reception somewhere where the food is part of the package -- one less thing to coordinate and it saves you money.

If you are having a smaller wedding (like 100-150 people), have your ceremony off-site and then have your reception in their Peacock room. It is much less expensive than the main ballroom, but you still get the perks of being at the Willard, such as spending the night of the wedding in one of their incredible suites! First-class venue.

We tried to work with the Meridian International House, because the venue was so beautiful, but we are having a winter wedding, and one of the best features of the meridian house is it's beautifully manicured gardens. If you have a healthy budget (costs about $20,000 with basic catering) then it would make for an incredible ceremony + reception venue in May or September.

We REALLY wanted to have our reception here, but it was just too expensive (something like $20,000 before tax/service). They have two beautiful ballrooms, and the building itself has so much history -- it was the original post office for DC. GORGEOUS staircases to take wedding photos on! :)

What a gorgeous place to try on gowns, and an amazing place to purchase one if you have $5,000 laying around. The staff are incredibly helpful, and the fitting rooms make you feel like a princess. They have gorgeous gowns, with a lot of character, because they really are boutique designs. I fond an amazing one by a Parisian designer, but with the rush fee, it was going to cost almost as much as my honeymoon!!! Too bad.

When I walked in I wanted to walk back out immediately, but I'm so glad I didn't. The decor and staff are just odd, parking is annoying, and it doesn't feel like an elegant place, but if you know what you're looking for and are willing to hunt through the dresses, you can find a real gem. I did, and was able to buy it off the rack (for a good discount), AND picked my bridesmaid dresses in the same go. Katherine herself is very nice. So don't be put off when you walk in, but also, got to other shops and figure out what you're looking for before you bother going to Katherine's.

Bistro d'Oc has a great second floor that you can reserve for about 40-60 people. Good ambiance, but annoying that you have to have the same music playing upstairs as they play downstairs... unless you bring your own stereo in. Very good location (across the street from Ford's Theatre, which is fun for out-of-town guests).

They were helpful in working with our budget, and particularly great because you can rent out the entire Atrium behind the restaurant for only $250. The rest of the cost is just food/service charge/tax.

Only annoying thing so far is that they don't have a piano on site, so we have to pay a lot to bring one in and out on the day of the wedding.