George Washington's Mount Vernon

professionalism. The setting cannot be beat, and the prices are very competitive for the D.C. area. In addition, the Inn really brings something magical about American history into the wedding… Not a quality I can quite name, but really special on the big day. We felt so lucky to be working with such experienced and professional people for such an important day. The food was outstanding. Many of our guests filled up on our cocktail hour. We particularly recommend the rabbit and peanut soup shooters, both of which were huge hits. Martha’s Washington’s Punch was a huge hit as well, as it tasted like cold apple pie in a glass (weird description but they kept having to make more because our guests—and we—drank it all up). We selected the hoecake and a balsamic fig salad as appetizers. They were perfectly portioned and our friends and family got a big kick out of the colonial foods. For our entrees, we allowed a choice of a petite filet with a crab cake, a walnut and cranberry stuffed chicken, and a sundried tomato encrusted red snapper. They were all popular but I would say the chicken went over especially well as it was the most seasonal of our selections. We served Martha Washington’s Cake as our dessert, which saved us money because we did not have to get a big cake at a bakery. It was delicious and they even boxed some up for our one year. I think our guests got a kick out of it. We also had an ice cream bar and pumpkin ale, fun touches Mariita was able to add at the last minute. Mariita was an absolute pleasure to work with. She is great about responding to emails and giving you specific information about everything in Mount Vernon’s capacity. We really appreciated her understanding and professionalism on some thorny family issues, and her flexibility as our guest list and other items changed drastically over our planning process. We didn’t have a coordinator but we didn’t feel like we needed one- Mariita handled everything from beginning to end! The service was outstanding all the way through, our guests said they felt well attended to and taken care of. The cocktail hour (which of coursed we missed with pictures) was very fun and well received, and the staff did a great job circulating appetizers. Both standing and passed appetizers were offered, and there was plenty of seating and standing room for our guests. Overall, I strongly recommend this location. The setting is unparalleled and the food was not only delicious, but also memorable and unique. Everything from the ceremony to the tent to the service and food and setup is handled in house, which is priceless for efficient wedding planning. The murals look great in photos, and setup is a snap because Mount Vernon’s staff takes impeccable care of you on the big day. Our guests had a wonderful time and most of the planning on my part was as easy as sending an email. It was fun to plan and fun to attend.

ee day. We worked with Marita Campos, Mount Vernon Inn's event coordinator, for the past 6 months to plan and organize our wedding. She was always very responsive and patient in answering our questions and providing us with feedback and ideas. Cynthia helped during the wedding rehearsal and ceremony as the banquet manager and helpfully introduced herself to our entire wedding party, so they could go to her with any requests, needs, etc. We initially considered Mount Vernon Inn because it is by far the most affordable wedding venue in the DC metro area. But after reading the reviews about how great the customer service is, we moved quickly to book our wedding with them. And after our experience, we'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Weddings can be overwhelming and stressful, but the entire staff at Mount Vernon Inn bends over backwards to make sure that you deal with as little as possible, allowing you to actually enjoy your own wedding! The service was so exceptional that our friends kept coming up to us during the wedding to tell us how amazing the staff is, and they're still raving about it over a week later! We can't thank the Mount Vernon Inn team enough!!

thrilled with the responsiveness of the staff, particularly Mariita, in the planning and at the reception/ceremony itself. We chose to have our ceremony out back in the sunken garden and then moved inside for our reception. The guests loved the uniqueness of the venue, and I got a ton of compliments on the food. I liked that the unique set-up of the venue forced everyone to be gathered for speeches and then let them eat their dinners in peace. Mariita and her staff were very open to my mom and I bringing in things for them to use during the wedding (we provided our own napkins), and helped my mom set up the guest book, seating cards, etc, on the day of the wedding. Mariita was very easy to communicate with and responsive, which made it easy for both my mom and I to plan things from out of town. I also liked that because the Mount Vernon Inn is a restaurant, none of my guests had to select their meals in advance, and it meant that the food and beverages did not have to be contracted separately. I was so thrilled with my choice of venue!

erfect! The historical venue was perfect. It already has a decor that provides such an inviting atmosphere. My guests were floored by the excellent serves they received. People made so many comments that drinks glasses were never empty. The food was amazing. I was planning my wedding from Florida so it was hard to sometimes make plans. But Mariita was quick to respond to all my questions and made the whole process so much easier. It was the perfect venue!

utside on the patio area, the cocktail hour in the Verandah Room, then the sit-down dinner in the George Washington Room. Matt was very easy to work with--most of which we were able to do through emails, which made it very convenient. The only downside was they don't allow amps so it was hard for those not sitting near the guitar player to hear him.

e exceptional. We didn't have the traditional sit-down dinner but we had a ton of passed food and it was the perfect evening!!

vice. We highly recommend it.

toured the estate the day before the wedding. We were kind of worried about space since it is a restaurant and everyone is split up into different rooms, but we had 130 people and a 6 piece band and their was plenty of room for everyone to gather in the main room for the cake cutting etc. and space to dance. We loved Mount Vernon!

d out-of-town guests. We even contracted with Mount Vernon events to bring in George Washington as a surprise guests, which was a bigger hit than we thought. What we didn't know was that: - the value for the venue, the food, the drinks, and everything would be pretty close to unbeatable in the Northern Virginia area. - the mgr. Matt and asst. mgr. Marita were so accomodating and easy to work with, i mean, really easy. They do events practically every weekend there- so they are seasoned pros.(and probably used to dealing with stressed out brides) - the servers were phenomenal, and guests could choose from one of three options on sight! no messing around with who wants beef and how you indicate that on the invitation, etc. etc. - the actual restaurant got so many rave reviews from our guests from all over who were so impressed with the ambiance. - the ceremony being right there in the same location under the tent (I do recommend paying the extra $ for the tent liner) was beautiful and so convenient. Our pictures are here if you want to check it out. We loved our photographer too, btw: http://emilychastain.blogspot.com/2011/09/zack-katie-mount-verno n-inn-wedidng.html .

ail hour on the rear verandah. Dinner was divided into 4 rooms (each of which is totally charming) and we saved money by using MV Inn's table decorations/ centerpieces of a candle with a hurricane glass... all we did was add ivy around the base! Dancing in the main room worked out perfectly. Matt Heiss was so flexible and let us do everything from a signature cocktail to lavender lemonade being served as guests arrived. It was perfect.

and the food was amazing. All the staff were friendly and professional, they made my wedding absolutely perfect.

verything together very nicely. It is a lovely venue, and very unique in that it has separate rooms instead of one big ballroom. Also, because it is so pretty to start with we didn't have to fork out for a bunch of flowers or centerpieces.

rated for Christmas was absolutely beautiful.

he night and the bartender made up a special batch. Matthew, our coordinator was wonderful. On day when I had a question he happened to be out and another skilled staff member was available to help. The food was great. I had to worry about nothing concerning catering. Plates, chairs etc were all provided. I recommend this location to anyone and everyone.

They didn't nickel and dime us - the rental & food costs covered meeting all our vendors, allowing us to drop stuff off the night before our wedding, cutting the cake, etc. I have just three minor hesitations: first, the minimum food requirement ($10,000 including tax and tip) ended up being a little more than we ultimately spent, but we had to pay the full amount anyway (we knew that would happen up front, though); second, the employees at the front of the restaurant when we went to drop stuff off the night before didn't know what we were talking about and were very slow to help us while we had cookies and flowers melting in the August sun, but once a manager showed up we were fine; third, some random tourists wandered into the vestibule during our event and had to be shooed away. They did an excellent job overall.