Venue Visit: George Washington Masonic Memorial

In this series, I'll be detailing the venues we've visited, our impressions, and, if I have them, pictures. Of course, these are all our opinions with what we want for our wedding in mind. All of these venues are beautiful and if you can make them work for you, you will not lose out! What you've missed: Top of the Town, Josephine Butler Parks Center, City Club of Franklin Square, McLean Gardens Ballroom, St. Francis Hall, and Capitol Hill Club.

And now, The George Washington Masonic Memorial. Prepare yourself for lots and lots of rainbows, butterflies, and praises to the high heavens! I love this venue.

I can't even tell you how I heard about this place. We went to visit and I was impressed with its clean lines and pillars. The rental fee is very reasonable and they seem very flexible about what we can do in the space. It's an open museum so our first visit was just us walking around. I returned to speak to the events person to get some questions answered and walked away loving it even more.

It is just outside of DC in Old Town, Alexandria - a quaint little place with shops, restaurants and hotels. There are several hotels within walking distance AND a metro stop so our out of towners can get to the District to sight-see. Even if they don't leave, there is plenty to do in Old Town. There is an observation deck tour that can be included for your guests to get amazing views of DC. There is ample parking. It is pretty close to perfection for us.

What? Cons? Oh yes, there are some. Firstly, it's not in DC but it's proximity can't be beat and the view from the observation deck can make up for that. Next, the building is imposing. Maybe too imposing for our style. It can be seen for miles and as you ride up to it, it's almost overpowering. Maybe a little TOO grand. Also, we don't like the ceremony space decor. The layout is lovely but it's got a lot of red going on. Red is my absolute hands down LEAST favorite color in the world. So, if we go with this venue we will more than likely be using the same room for ceremony and reception which has its own issues. Last but not least for Mr Bronx, the chairs are hideous.

All of these concerns can be mitigated BUT the ceremony location and chair issues will carry an extra expense for us. Still, this venue is the number one contender for me. Mr. Bronx is not completely sold on it.

And now the pics that made me fall in love!

Ceremony Space - I wasn't kidding about the red.

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Imposing much.

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The view from the stairs. WOW!

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View from the observatory.

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Grand Masonic Hall -Ceremony/Reception space

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Perfection!

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We've got a contender!

Venue Visit: Capitol Hill Club

In this series, I'll be detailing the venues we've visited, our impressions, and, if I have them, pictures. Of course, these are all our opinions with what we want for our wedding in mind. All of these venues are beautiful and if you can make them work for you, you will not lose out! What you've missed: Top of the Town, Josephine Butler Parks Center, City Club of Franklin Square, McLean Gardens Ballroom, and St. Francis Hall.

Next up, another possibility - The Capitol Hill Club.

I had heard of this venue a while ago from a bride that raved at what she got for the price in DC. It has 4 levels on which you can have all of your wedding events - ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. You can use any extra rooms however you like to get ready, for children, etc. But the website pics weren't very impressive and Mr. Bronx didn't appreciate the pics of - and I quote - "old men on the walls." Still, I wanted to know more so when I reached out for information and was told that they had gone through a renovation I thought it may be worth the visit to see what they had done.

I went on the visit alone because I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like it and would probably rule it out but at least made the visit to be sure.

I was wrong. I was impressed with the space. The location is phenomenal. It's in Capitol Hill literally steps from the Capitol building and National Mall. It doesn't get more DC than that! Also, the Metro stop is right across the street, perfect for out of towners. Other pluses - their event coordinator, Israel, was a pleasure and seemed eager to please. There are no hidden fees like corkage or cake cutting. And, the menu is flexible. There is NO RENTAL FEE (!) and the minimums begin at $6K on Fridays and $10K on Saturdays. Not bad, eh?

BUT, there is NO PARKING. Only street parking is available and that is a major problem. Also, the decor was better than the pictures but I still don't LOVE it. Lastly, the catering is on premise so we would not be able to bring our own liquor which is a great money saver.

We are scheduled to visit next Saturday so that Mr. Bronx can get a peek. So, if you are keeping count, we've got 2 possibilities for venues so far. Exciting times!

Well, here's the good stuff you stick around for - pictures!

This greets you as you enter

Entrance Doors (Mr B loves elephants so that's a plus)

Another shot of the entry area

1st floor lounge for the cocktail hour

Another shot of the first floor lounge

On the second floor is the reception room. I think I was so overwhelmed with actually liking the space I forgot to take pictures! It looks very similar to the 1st floor lounge but the carpet is the one in the pic above. You know you love my all-star documentary reporting.

And just for Mr. Bronx who is a stickler for nice chairs! The chairs they provide are actually NICE!

I can't wait to visit this space again with Mr. B. Either way it shakes out, we will be a step closer to a venue decision.

Venue Visit: St Francis Hall

In this series, I'll be detailing the venues we've visited, our impressions, and, if I have them, pictures. Of course, these are all our opinions with what we want for our wedding in mind. All of these venues are beautiful and if you can make them work for you, you will not lose out! What you've missed: Top of the Town, Josephine Butler Parks Center, City Club of Franklin Square, McLean Gardens Ballroom.

Enough talk about places that didn't fit the bill. Let's chat about our first possibility, St. Francis Hall. On first glance, this venue excited me. Their website has so many wonderful pictures of all different types of weddings. The pictures at the Franciscan Monastery were gorgeous and it was buried in one of my favorite neighborhoods in DC- Brookland. We made our appointment to visit and I had stars in my eyes!

Once we arrived, I didn't love the facade. I particularly dislike the awning. Picky much? Anywhoodle, once inside, it is a space that blows you away because it is completely unexpected. It's a blank slate that can go any way you like it, decor-wise. It has a full caterer's kitchen. And those arches! It is spacious. It also has a bride room that can also be used for children. Plenty of parking comes with the package as well.

On the con side - it's does not have a "city" feel which is something that we wanted. It's not near any hotels. Additionally, the outdoor ceremony space left much to be desired. We could use the room and flip it between ceremony and reception but there is no place to "hide" the reception tables, so creative draping would have to come into play. Or, we could have people sit at the tables during the ceremony. Not an option. There is a terrace/balcony that can be used for cocktail hour, however, it looked a little small for our guest list and if the weather doesn't cooperate, where will our guests be while the room is flipped?

Still, these are not deal breakers just things that need to be considered and mitigated. OK enough talk, here are some pics.

Front view (I don't like)
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We've got our eye on you, St Francis Hall. Stay tuned...