And it's not for lack of material either. In fact, the past two weekends have been quite eventful with respect to finally nailing down that elusive wedding date and venue. Dozens of calls, site visits, and crumpled sheets of budgeting math later, I'm closing the book on my reception site. And at the risk of offending my fiancé, to whom I previously swore all of my heart, I can honestly declare that I am in love.
Oxon Hill Manor is a true DC gem hidden in plain sight, just 15 minutes south of the city in Oxon Hill, Maryland. It certainly slipped past my notice as I tore through metro area bridal magazines as it does not boldly advertise itself for rent like many other locales. Built in 1928 for Sumner Welles, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Undersecretary of State, the 49-room mansion sits on a plot of land overlooking the Potomac that once belonged to George Washington's nephews. The manor is actually very easy to access as it is located right across the I-495 bridge from Old Town Alexandria. The area is better known for the monumental Washington National Harbor and luxury its hotels such as the Gaylord, so it's easy to see why Oxon Hill is overshadowed by its neighbors.
Most amazing, however, are the perfectly manicured gardens of the estate. Seasonal flowers wrap around the property's large reflecting pool and line the way from the house to an old brick grotto -- a popular spot for on-site wedding ceremonies.
The area around the reflecting pool is also a popular staging spot for wedding events, most commonly used for cocktail hour before a plated dinner.
While the building itself holds up to 170 guests for a seated reception, the brick patio at the back of the manor serves as the stage for outdoor dinners for over 200 people, event tent optional. Some couples choose to hold their receptions al fresco in warmer weather, incorporating the open night sky as a part of their decor.
Aside from meeting all of our personal criteria -- historic, metro-accessible from DC, and full of flowers -- the price was also right. For $4,400 (2010 pricing), a couple can reserve the entire property for a seven hour event block, 6pm-1am. Prince George MD county residents get a discounted rate, but alas we are both Arlingtonians so that doesn't apply for us.
Oxon Hill Manor does come with some strict guidelines for when your vendors can arrive on-site for setup and breakdown. Additionally, there are some restrictions on dark foods and drinks that can be served at the reception as the caretakers are rightly concerned about property damage. But if you plan your event for a Friday, your vendors can arrive as early as you'd like for a nominal additional fee. Waivers for dark drinks such as red wine can also be obtained for a nominal additional fee to keep your guests from being baffled at the lack of pinot noir at the bar.
And lastly, I cannot forget to mention the helpfulness of the Oxon Hill property administrators. They were kind, accommodating, and very informative! In my mind this is always a major selling point, as their behavior is a good indicator of what level of help you'd get from your venue staff should anything ever go wrong on the day of your wedding. We've gone to see several venues where one would assume the staff would be on their best behavior in the hope that you'd sign over a really fat check at the end of the tour, and were surprised by (most commonly) general indifference and once or twice even outright rudeness. More on other venues we've seen in a later post.
So, we left all our information with the staff and will put our money down as soon as their 2012 ledger arrives (it is 'in the mail' and due to arrive this week, so the events office can't take any money from us until it has it in its possession). Once we cut the check, we'll get to work on some save-the-date cards...
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