The National WWII Museum

us and unique venue overall. Tamrah, Brad, and James all went above and beyond to give us the perfect wedding reception, despite the many changes the venue underwent over the 1.5+ years we spent working with them. The venue has a fantastic stage and sound system, which was key for our reception, as it was five hours long and had three different large bands. The venue also has gorgeous hardwood floors throughout the SDC, which was on my must-haves list; confined dance floors are some of my biggest wedding pet peeves. Furthermore, there's a fantastic balcony with a small bar and extra seating upstairs overlooking the stage and the dance floor, which made for some really fantastic photos. There is a huge bar in the American Sector, a fabulous patio with modern furniture on Magazine out front, plenty of space for food & tables in the atrium, two private rooms for the groomsmen and bridal suite, and very nice bathrooms. Beyond just the venue, though, Tamrah--the on-site coordinator--seemed to work several nights and weekends (based on the time stamps of many of her emails) to ensure that I had everything I could possibly want or need. She did a wonderful job ensuring that the bands' riders were sufficiently met, and set them up with a private dining space as well as a dressing room. She also was so wonderful during the John Besh to Centerplate catering transition, and worked everything out with Besh's Restaurant August so that I could still have my favorite chef's recipes served. As such, however, I can't speak to the food by their new caterer, Centerplate, but I can say that their coordinator, Brad, who we ended up using for our bar package, is a true asset to the private events team. As soon as my champagne or my water bottle neared empty, a new one was promptly offered to me before I ever had the chance to ask for more. Moreover, the Centerplate bar selection was very impressive, particularly for the price, and all of my guests told me they never once had to wait for a drink between the many bartenders and other servers at our three bars. Additionally, the venue has just about all of the basics you could possibly need--from dishes, to glasses, chairs, tables, etc., which keeps the need for outside vendors to a minimum. Also, the venue is the perfect distance from Lafayette Square for an outdoor ceremony and second line, and the location overall is really ideal in terms of its proximity to hotels and the quarter for out-of-town guests. Further, although WWII has a very special significance to my family in particular, the SDC & American Sector's decor are such that the references to the war are so subtle that many guests had no idea we were in a holocaust museum, so brides should not worry about the association with the war overpowering their joyful events. It's around the same price as Latrobe's and the Chicory, but the space can easily accommodate any party size from probably 100 to over 500 guests, and it had the most versatile layout of any venue we viewed. They also have their own FREE parking lot, which your vendors love. Overall, I could not have been happier with our experience at the SDC & American Sector at the National WWII museum, and would without hesitation recommend the venue to anyone.

stage! There is an upstairs balcony area for guests that looks down on the dance floor as well. Ingrid was a fantastic coordinator to work with- she was incredibly kind and laid-back, and I felt confident that she had everything under control... because she did! She was incredibly accommodating, flexible, and made sure we were taken care of and feeling great. The entire staff is very kind and the in-house chef (John Besh) and his team were great. Speaking of the chef, the food is beyond good. Everything we tasted was delicious and our guests were quite satisfied to say the least. I can't say enough good things about our experience here- it definitely went above our expectations.