Events at Union Station

cor and the service. I got so many compliments on the food; it was wonderful!

ist or didn't leave us with the romantic, breathtaking feel we wanted. I had always kept Union Station in the back of my mind as a stunning venue after going to a holiday reception in the East Hall, and when we contacted the event staff, I was surprised to learn it was less pricey than the most popular hotels and had an exclusive contract with the best caterer in town (Design Cuisine), making the legwork less intimidating. We had a consultation meeting and tour and I was sold! We had about 280 guests, a band (Big Ray and the Cool Cats - they are GREAT and I recommend highly), and opted NOT to have the palm court in the main hall (but know it is a lovely option). The cocktail hour in the upper room went smoothly and made it easy for everyone to have a drink or hors d'oeuvres, relax, enjoy some fun music, and then just walk down the stairs and through the doors for the reception. Hillary was always helpful and five steps ahead, making sure my bouquet was nicely displayed, that we had drinks in our hands when we arrived, and that we knew when and where to line up with our attendants to enter. She also helped make our extra details a reality, placing wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents out on the seating card table in the cocktail hour room, ensuring our crystal flutes use for the toast as well as crystal/silver cake cutter were cleaned and returned to us after the reception. She also coordinated with our band and with Big Ray to ensure he knew who to announce, in what order, and at what time. All we had to do was enjoy our big day and she took care of shepherding us from one thing to the next. The venue itself could not have been more stress-free. The East Hall is so opulent that all we needed to decide was what color and intensity our lighting would be. We designed flower arrangements, table settings and candles to give it a fresh, garden feel before the sun went down and a romantic, candle-lit feel in the evening. The venue does enjoy natural light - through the skylights in both the East Hall and the side cocktail room - so we really were able to feel the transition from afternoon to evening. (This was important to us, since some of the hotels we looked at felt created a bunker-like atmosphere once you entered their reception and cocktail hour areas.) And in terms of creating a DC wedding, our guests loved pulling up to Union Station with a view of the Capitol. Our ceremony was a full mass at St. Peter's on the other side of Capitol Hill, and then we did photos on the Capitol grounds and in the neighborhoods nearby. Guests LOVED the fact that, three or four times throughout the cocktail hour and reception, trains would cause a slight rumbling under foot. Everyone said it gave a VERY cool effect. And, of course, anyone needing a quiet break from the reception would step out into the Great hall or outside to the columnade to enjoy the architecture. You can view a 4-minute recap video of the highlights from our big day here: http://www.blueskyfilms.com/films/lindsayandjustin . This includes some great footage of the venue. Justin and I LOVED our time at Union Station and we recommend it to anyone who is looking to have a bigger wedding in a beautiful, memorable, one-of-a-kind place!!

e been more ecstatic with the way the best day of our lives proceeded! The entire Union Station team was beyond incredible - Hillary, the US wedding coordinator, was wonderful and supportive every step of the way, not to mention incredibly knowledgeable about every aspect of organizing and carrying off large-scale wedding events - you can trust her completely. My husband (then-fiance) and I had one dream in mind for our reception, and that was for it to be as "DC" as possible, and holding our reception at one of the most recognizable and grandest locations in the district gave us just that and more. Every aspect of it had a "wow factor," and the prices are extremely reasonable for what you get. Not to mention the caterers at Design Cuisine (Union Station works exclusively with them) prepared excellent dishes and everyone was raving about the food and the beautiful wedding cake. Finally, the station is perfect because of all the areas to have photo ops - the colonnade is wonderful for bride and groom pictures and the East Hall is breathtaking in every regard. Everything about our wedding was perfect , and we seriously cannot say enough good things about Union Station's role in that. Make an appointment to talk to Hillary and reserve a date ASAP - you will NOT be disappointed!!!!!!