Daughters of the American Revolution

First, let me say the venue is STUNNING. The building is an amazing historic site with gorgeous architecture, beautiful interior, and a view that can't be topped in Washington D.C. The view on the patio where we held our ceremony had the Washington Monument in the background. If this review was based just on the facility, I'd give it five stars.

However, I think that service is an important component of any wedding vendor, and we were disappointed with the service provided by the DAR. The contact person was rude and condescending from our very first meeting, when we (along with my parents) toured the available space. She was again difficult during the walk-through with our coordinator and caterer. Throughout our months of planning, her communication was provided at the barest minimum. Some unprofessional oversights were made, including these:

1. We were not informed that the facility suffered damage in the earthquake that occurred a few weeks after we booked the site. The space we had reserved for our ceremony and after-dinner dancing was scaffolded and unusable, yet we were told nothing. I happened to see the scaffolding and asked about it. We were told it would "probably" be down in time for our wedding, yet we were not offered any other information about what our options were should our original space be unusable. (Thankfully, the scaffolding came down two weeks prior to our wedding.)

2. We were promised four parking spaces for my parents and wedding coordinator to use on the day of the wedding. About four days prior to the wedding we were told those spaces would be available "after 5:30 p.m." on the wedding day because employees use those spaces. Despite the fact that our event started at 5:15, we were told our parents could "just park on the street and then move their cars" after employees left. No offer was made to have employees move their cars by 4:30 when we were due to arrive for photos. I pushed them on it and we were then given two spaces at the loading dock. However, when my parents arrived at 4:30, those spaces were occupied. One car of ours was parked partly over a sidewalk. The DAR representative came to me (the bride) about 15 minutes before the ceremony to tell me that my father needed to go move his car. That is simply unacceptable, unprofessional, and unbelievable. Thankfully, our wedding coordinator was able to take my dad's keys and go move the car. I still find it outrageous that we were denied the spaces promised to us, then provided with insufficient parking, then asked to move a car just before the ceremony. (I will say however, that the person on-site on our wedding day - someone different than our main contact person - was pleasant. The parking situation was very frustrating and handled poorly, but the woman was polite.)

If you're looking for a stunning D.C. venue, the DAR can't be beat. However, keep in mind that this venue does not include much in the way of customer service and you will have to remain vigilant about all the details yourself.

Peggy Martz is a consummate professional. The venue was spectacular and Peggy was a pleasure to work with. Our guests think we paid a lot more than we did to rent the museum. We had the event March 19th (the rates go up during the Spring and Summer so we got an incredible deal!)

If you want an impressive, classy and gorgeous venue then the DAR is your place!

My daughter's wedding ceremony and reception venue were at the DAR. The place is absolutely gorgeous. The outdoor portico (the site of the ceremony, cocktails and dancing) is white marble and overlooks the Washington Monument. If you are planning an outdoor wedding it doesn't get more Washingtonian than this. Peggy Martz at the DAR is wonderful to work with. She is very knowledgeable and efficient. She will help you every step of the way. She can even provide wonderful vendors. Listen to her suggestions. She knows her stuff. The reception was held inside the museum in the O'Brynne Gallery. This is a gorgeous room that seats a maximum of 140 people. It has hardwood floors, mirrored walls, French doors leading out to the Portico and a fireplace. I highly recommend the DAR. It is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

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.