The Mansion on O Street

Recently RimasFilms was given an opportunity to capture an amazing wedding at the Mansion on O street. With so many different themed rooms and, even secret doors, it is, without a doubt, the most fascinating venue RimasFilms has ever seen! The Mansion was a perfect place for an intimate wedding with a small number of guests. The staff was helpful and prompt, looking after all the guests and giving us, vendors, a hand. A world class cuisine offered a variety of delicious extraordinary meals. Therefore, if You want to be different and have a wedding like no other, You should choose The Mansion on O street. Dare to be different!

My *husband!* and I love the Mansion. We fell in love while looking for an interesting wedding venue in D.C. that wouldn't be the typical convention hall or boring space...and when we saw this amazing place, with secret doors, eclectic collections, beautiful décor, and singularly empathetic and caring owners, we fell in love. One year later we were married there and they literally amazed us. Before I'm swept completely away by the happy memories, here are some practical tips on why the Mansion is such an amazing and cost effective choice (even though we initially assumed we would never be able to afford it!): 1. We were able to have the ceremony here and stay in the amazing hotel (no transportation costs and awesome space to get ready...plus no worries about the timeline) 2. They made the super suggestion to roll our wedding into the Sunday brunch time slot (endless Mimosas and an INCREDIBLE selection of foods and desserts...saved us so much and since we planned for a holiday weekend, no one had to rush to work on Monday. As an added bonus, there was a wedding the night before mine and we benefitted from their flowers). 3. The Mansion is fabulously decorated and interesting all by itself (Huge savings because we didn't have the pretty the place up like a convention hall or empty space. We also knew that our guests of all ages wouldn't be sitting there twiddling their thumbs- they were on the hunt trying to find secret doors and snapping pictures of treasures like a framed letter from John Lennon!) 4. There are always delights to be found at the Mansion. While our guest were treasure hunting through this HUGE place, they stumbled upon classical musicians in one space and a jazz group in another. I know people assumed we'd arranged for it, but it was just part of the magic that is the Mansion (We really saved on entertainment and a photobooth- which the Mansion had free for us!) 5. They basically did the wedding planning for us. Between H, T, Sally and Amanda everything was handled. Like, stick a fork in it DONE...to perfection. Amanda and T did all of the coordination on the day of the wedding and anticipated every need (including emotional support!). Sally coordinated the menu choices according to our preferences. H is the amazing catalyst for it all- from start to finish her personal touch was apparent in every aspect of the event and she is an astounding creative force . We just showed up and plunked a centerpiece on each table (and we probably really didn't even need that because the 'standard' decorations are so beautiful). 6. Food options (and the most out of control beautiful desserts you've ever seen...one of the cakes looked exactly like the Capitol) are limitless. I asked if they could do a pagoda shaped wedding cake for our travel themed wedding and H said "Yes" without blinking an eye. Afghan sautéed pumpkin? No problem. The food provided for us was WAY beyond what our budget should have allowed, but they made it happen in a big way. 7. Human kindness. You will not find a better sort of people. They touched our hearts and our guests raved about how welcomed and cherished they felt. They gave us an amazing gift of a wedding (and even made sure to save us plates of all the wonderful food and desserts to enjoy in our room together later).

We had the BEST time at our wedding. Venue was perfect, food was good, et. Al.! I would be remiss not to mention the "flubs" that happened just as a cautionary tale, although NOTHING ruined our night. (1) Months before the wedding, we selected our menu including a specific type of fish. 3 days before, the Mansion said the bronzini was no good & they would substitute w/another fish. During the planning process, the Mansion should be aware of what's "in season," so you're not offered an option you ultimately can’t have. (2) wine served was not the wine our parents selected. We chose to have 1 bottle of red & 2 bottles of white open @ each table during dinner. One table had 7 open bottles. WHAT WENT WELL: The Mansion moved their furniture to accommodate our large group/make the space work for us. They gifted us additional appetizers during cocktail hour & an entire dessert buffet which everyone raved about. Food/drinks were good and service was great. Something to note: When we first booked, there was an employee who soon left and for a time, I didn't know who I was working with: the owner or the event coordinator. About 2 months after booking we were told we likely couldn't fit for our ceremony, & @ that point we had already printed invitations w/final details. We went back and forth with emails/ meetings and finally sorted it out. I'm type-A & had every detail planned to a T, but in a lot of meetings, the Mansion was wishy-washy on specific details. We also went through several iterations of the invoice which in the end worked out, but at one point we had a $2,000 fee added that was not there before, and when I called it to their attention they removed it with no explanation of why it was added in the first place. All-in-all we had a fantastic wedding, and although at times the planning process was difficult, the end result was worth every bit of stress during planning!

My friend hosted my bridal shower at the Mansion on O Street. It was such a creative way to spend the day with my closest girlfriends and I think the girls really enjoyed the tour of the mansion afterwards. The staff was great, but a little slow to get things started. I also think they did not realize I was the bride until I opened my presents because they were very attentive to my mom and always served her first; I was often the last to be served and it was a bit awkward. Otherwise, our tea party was a blast.