Unique, Intimate Wedding Reception at the LINE -- perfect for the COVID Era
My wife and I had originally planned to get married in her hometown Santa Barbara with a 150-200 person wedding in summer 2020, and then COVID happened…Forced to push... our large celebration out a year, my fiancé at the time and I did not want to wait another year to get married. We live in DC and wanted to do a small church ceremony with our immediate families to make the most of the situation. Little did we know our small, intimate COVID wedding would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Originally, we were looking for a room for the girls to get ready and for us to stay on our wedding night, when we found the “Monument Suite” online. The pictures blew us away and a plan began to form. We would have a trendy place for the girls to get ready and place for us to stay – but also an area where we could have a cocktail hour, seated dinner and dancing – all from the safety of one “hotel room” at an reasonable rate. The suite has a large formal dining room table big enough for 12 and a rooftop terrace with completely uninterrupted views of the monuments, as the name implies. The property is trendy and tastefully decorated with cool accents throughout – making for great wedding photos. Tactically, this monument suite seated dinner would be great for groups of 8-12 and even with larger gatherings, you could have many more people out on the terrace (in the ~30 people range).
The wedding planning team at the LINE were very accommodating and have a range of options outside of this suite, to fit each situation. They worked with us to develop a menu that accommodated multiple food allergies and helped put our minds at ease with COVID. They were responsive to our questions and willing to work with us in these unusual times. The table was set while we were at the ceremony and we arranged so that only one server, always masked, would bring the multiple courses throughout the night. This allowed us to feel safe throughout the evening, but still receive food/drink service commensurate with the size of our small gathering. The service was impeccable from start to finish. The food was delicious with generous portion sizes. We opted for the “family feast” which allowed for us to try a variety of dishes with multiple salads, sides, main entrees, and desserts.
We had so much fun and learned that small weddings are actually great. Rather than focusing on hosting dozens of extended family members, friends, and significant others, some of whom we’ve never even met – we were able to spend the wedding night with the people who are the most important in our lives. It was less stressful, enjoyable, and truly memorable. We enjoyed many of the things you think of in a wedding reception – a cocktail hour, excellent dinner with toasts, the first dances, and partying too late into the night.
Despite living blocks away, we had never ventured inside the LINE and realize now that is truly a DC gem hidden in plain sight. We will be back, perhaps for a staycation or hosting an anniversary party, and cannot recommend it highly enough.