The United States National Arboretum

There's no other place we would consider for an outdoor wedding, not in the DMV anyway. Beautiful venue, hit the mark in every way we had hoped. Natalie is the coordinator there and was super responsive to everything that we needed, as was her staff on wedding day. We live in Northeast and had about 130 guests, and, for us, the scene there with the columns and the flowers created the perfect outdoor Washington wedding that wasn't bash-you-over-the-head Washington. We had the same experience as many other reviewers who reported effusive compliments from their guests. Many of ours (most importantly, my mom) raved about the scene, the green rolling meadow, the golden sunset and the flowering gardens. We targeted late-April because with climate change, sadly, we suspected even May might be way too hot. We got a mild sunny day with a high of about 70 degrees. It was perfect for ceremony guests to sit in and for us to march around for photos during the day, and still warm enough that we didn't have to pay for heaters to keep reception guests warm under the tent after dark. It turned out to be peak bloom for the arboretum's azaleas (which didn't last more than a couple weeks) so it was just the right time to catch the most vibrant colors and stunning photos. A couple things to be mindful of. The arboretum is on a bit of a hill, which can draw a slight wind, so make sure you have a DJ who can handle that for the ceremony audio and that your stylists use enough hair spray for a good hold. Best to bring a little bottle with you to be sure you can refresh if necessary. And on the whole it can be a little more expensive than it seems for larger weddings. Once you have a few dozen people, you're required to have a tent if you want a dance floor. The sit managers do explain that in advance, but, for us anyway, the estimated costs ended up being less than half of the final total. Tenting is the only vendor that you don't have a choice for, and costs can escalate once you have to cover the caterer's operations, do extra safeguards for the wind, etc. etc. No complaints though -- it was still worth it for us -- just something to be mindful of for the cost-conscious because it was the hardest cost for us to keep within our budget.

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with the National Arboretum as our wedding venue. Natalie is amazing and is communicative, professional and is a wealth of knowledge about vendors and every other question you might have along the way. Her guidance for our 260-person wedding in July 2023 was invaluable. Unfortunately, it rained on our big day (stressful to say the least!) and Natalie was beyond prepared with a poncho and a smile, ensuring that the day went off without a hitch despite the weather. The venue itself is incredible and we are still getting comments about how breathtaking our Meadow ceremony and pics at the columns were. Not to mention how unforgettable it was to dance under a beautiful tent all night. A truly magical experience ✨ We cannot recommend the Arboretum enough as a wedding venue. It was the backdrop for the wedding of our dreams and we are so grateful to Natalie and her team for making it happen!

The National Arboretum is an absolutely gorgeous, wonderful, and serene venue. My wife and I are extremely happy we went with it. The entire Arboretum gets closed for your Wedding, so you have the whole place to just yourselves and your guests. The event coordinator, Natalie, was also very courteous, professional, helpful, and accommodating. There are some basic rules (no open flames, etc) that you have to follow, as at the end of the day it is a national park. Be assured, though, that because of how FONA manages the Arboretum a Government shutdown will not threaten your wedding! We were fortunate that our wedding was on a clear day, but do be aware that if you need a rain plan you have to either reserve a tent (the tent vendor requires a 50% nonrefundable deposit in advance) or utilize the auditorium at the Visitor Center. Weather permitting, we honestly think you cannot find a more beautiful outdoor venue!

We had our wedding here in October 2023 and it was perfect! Not only is the Arboretum one of the most beautiful venues in the area, but also Natalie and the vendor team are amazing at what they do. She was very communicative and helped ensure everything ran smoothly.

Other than selecting the person to marry, choosing the Arboretum was the single best decision I made when planning my wedding in October 2021. Besides being a truly stunning space — a lush outdoor enclave just a short drive from downtown DC — it was the perfect canvas for all of my wedding ideas, aesthetic and otherwise. There’s no place like this in DC. The vendors they work with are also fabulous—we loved our planner (Cheers Darling), our caterer (Spilled Milk), and our florist (Ash to Oak) so so much. Our wedding was as beautiful as I’d hoped it would be. And now we go back to the Arboretum as often as we can, for annual family photos and special occasion family picnics—our wedding venue is part of our lives. If they have an open date—take it!!!

We loved our wedding at the National Arboretum and could not have picked a more perfect setting for our late summer celebration. With the expansive nature of the Arboretum, we were able to have all of our wedding day events in one place, moving from the Meadow (ceremony), to the Herb Garden (cocktail hour), to the al fresco Water Garden (reception). Working with MTG Hospitality made the process super smooth and Natalie was such a pleasure to work with, always very responsive and helpful, from our initial venue visit, to the walkthrough, and the big day. The Arboretum is truly a gem of an outdoor space, with the convenience of being right in Washington, DC. We would pick this venue again in a heartbeat!

We cannot begin to describe how amazing working with Natalie was and how happy we are with the venue we picked. The Arboretum is such a stunning and unique place for any event and from start to finish, Natalie was a patient, helpful, thoughtful and highly communicative guide in helping plan our June wedding. The day went off without a hitch due to the smoothness of her and her teams help with planning and execution. They accommodated special requests (like a private last dance in the columns ), answered a million questions (sometimes more than once) and just generally made sure we were happy, taken care of, and as stress free as they could make us on the day and in the many months of planning beforehand. I’d recommend an Arboretum wedding to anyone and Natalie and the MTG hospitality team to everyone. Thank you, Natalie!

We had our wedding at the National Arboretum in May 2023 and it was absolutely perfect! Working with Natalie and team was a breeze, and the venue perfectly met our expectations & vision for our wedding day. We had our ceremony in the meadow, cocktail hour in the herb garden, and reception in the Flowering Tree Pad and it was all stunning. For couples considering the Arboretum, I would recommend considering a few things - none of which hindered our experience: - Make sure you are really, really comfortable with your rain plan since the venue is primarily outdoors and DC weather is... DC weather! - The Arboretum is a great 'blank slate' venue -- but that also means you have to bring in everything - Understand the considerations & costs with the various locations on the property you can have your wedding. We had our reception in the Flowering Tree Pad and there were a few things that snuck up on us (bathroom trailer, lighting the columns), but we are very happy we invested in them

As photographers, the National Arboretum is one of our favorite places to shoot. It is gorgeous at any time of year. Natalie and her team are amazing to work with and all of the weddings we have done at the Arboretum have run smoothly.

We could not imagine having a more perfect day and a more perfect place. The Arboretum is a truly astonishing setting with multiple sites on the venue to hold your reception, ceremony and cocktail hour -- based on the size of your party. We had almost 200 guests so we held our ceremony in the 'meadow'... a field overlooking the Capital Columns. You reach the meadow by walking through the Knot Garden and adjacent herb garden. Our cocktail hour was then at the 'water pond', a deck outside the main building wrapped with a coy pond and water fountains. Our ceremony was held under a tent in the Northern Terrace, located just on the other side of the main building in a clearing. Weather is definitely a factor but we lucked out and had one of the most gorgeous days an October has ever seen, and given the season we had nice bright pops of yellow and red as the tree colors had begun changing. Everything looked incredible and we (and our guests) were just in awe of the natural beauty around us. The downsides with the Arboretum is the tent requirement, including generator, some lighting, etc.. but the tent was absolutely stunning with lights underneath. We did rent heaters but didn't need them since it was such a beautiful day. Natalie is the event coordinator who worked with us the entire time, helping to recommend vendors and make other great suggestions along the way. She was super fun and easy to communicate with, incredibly responsive, and was there to make the magic happen on our wedding night. She saved the groom's shirt from a permanent stain with a timely tide pen during the reception as well! 10/10 want to get married again so we can do it all over at the Arboretum.

Vendor was very responsive and willing to work with us to meet our needs. It rained on the day of our wedding so we had to move the event inside. They were kind enough to open up additional space for us so we could fit all the guests, catering, and band. Definitely more than value for money.

The Arboretum and MTG Events were a spectacular venue! So easy to work with and very informative throughout.

LOVED the Arboretum as our venue! Natalie is the best - a total professional and makes the process simple and smooth. As DC residents, we could not have asked for a more epic location in the city. It was beautiful and so nice to have the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all at the same venue, but in three different locations. Highly recommend it!

The National Arboretum is the PERFECT place to host your wedding -- it's got nature, flowers, ambience, and the columns! It was 90 degrees on our big day, but the venue had a nice little breeze and our guests were totally mesmerized by the beauty of it all. And Natalie! What an amazing person to work with -- I knew we were in great hands from the moment we met her for our first venue tour. She was so helpful in recommending vendors to help bring our vision to life. If you want the perfect outdoor venue to wow your guests and have the most memorable day, book the Arboretum asap! I would do this again in a heartbeat.

If you're looking for an outdoor venue, this is the perfect romantic setting to get married and have a reception. The setting is beautiful and we would highly recommend doing the ceremony at the Capitol Columns and dinner at the Koi Pond (near the Visitors Center). One thing to be aware of--you will have additional costs for tent placement (prices vary by location on the grounds).

Beautiful setting and the best service imaginable!

We had a wonderful wedding experience at the Arboretum in September 2021. Our choice to go with the Arboretum was driven by two important factors: 1) the beauty of the space and the flexible layouts for our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception and 2) NATALIE! Natalie was everything we could have hoped for from a vendor perspective -- she was honest with us about what worked well (or didn't) at the venue, she was responsive, she was excited and helpful on the actual day, and she certainly helped make sure everything went off without a hitch -- including helping our guests navigate with ubers/lyfts at the end of the night.

The National Arboretum was the most perfect place to get married. It is the most gorgeous, scenic and natural space Washington DC has to offer. While spacious, it's a hidden gem in the Capitol. Covid was an ongoing and constant concern for us and safety + comfort levels of our guests. The outdoor space gave us peace of mind with the added benefit of not having to worry about the perpetual mask on/mask off mandates du jour. That being said, for intimate and safety sake we opted for a small family ceremony in the herb garden followed by a tented reception in the meadow to include our best of friends. A perfect indoor/outdoor option. I'd usually subscribe to more being more but the space is already so plush and gorgeous you don't need to kill yourself over added decor. It would be like bringing sand to the beach. (I'll note: Sidra Forman did our flowers. Bouquets, installations around catering, centerpieces etc. - They were beyond stunning - and you can NEVER have too many flowers) With our wedding being in the fall- the sun starts to set a little earlier so we paid a lighting company to have the columns lit up - it was worth every penny. They glowed in the distance and set a dreamy / historical mood. Made for the most romantic and special photos too!! Natalie and her team are responsive, professional, offered creative solutions at every turn - provided great vendor suggestions and all around were a delight to work with. My excitement and concerns were always mirrored by Natalie and team. I felt as though we were mutually invested in the wedding and the outcome was equally important to them. I could not recommend this venue any more. I feel so very lucky to have had the opportunity to get married at The National Arboretum and start our lives together surrounded by such beauty. A sincere thank you to all.

We searched for a venue for more than a year, both in and out of DC. Although other venues met the cookie-cutter criteria, we were searching for "magical" and were never quite able to find it... until we visited the National Arboretum. DC is a bustling place, which is why we live here and love it. But for our wedding, we wanted to feel transported to some place truly special, unique, and connected with nature. The Arboretum IS that place. People often choose venues hours outside the city because they want that connection with nature, but then guests have to drive back or find lodging in far away places because the infrastructure isn't there to support large events. The Arboretum represents the best of both worlds. It encompasses the natural untamed beauty you want to lose yourself in, but is within the city and conveniently co-located among top wedding vendors and services. You really can have it all. Furthermore, top notch ratings go to Natalie and her team for running a tight ship. Highly responsive, highly professional, and will do whatever they can to make sure your special day is exactly that. The National Arboretum exceeded our expectations. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

The National Arboretum was the most incredible place for our fall 2021 wedding! First let me say that Natalie is incredible to work with! She was so helpful throughout our entire planning process, especially when we moved our dates from 2020 to 2021. We had our ceremony in the meadow, cocktail hour in the herb garden, and then had our tent in the tent pad which had a beautiful view of the columns in the background. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful venue in Washington, D.C. In addition to the ceremony and reception we were able to take our wedding party photos in various different parts of the arboretum. Each area is as stunning as the next! Late October was perfect timing for the leaves changing. I couldn't recommend the National Arboretum and Natalie enough!!

The US National Arboretum was the first and last place we toured for our wedding venue. My husband and I knew instantly that it was the perfect outdoor space for our micro wedding. In Fall 2021, we had a classic and beautiful ceremony in the herb garden with 45 of our closest loved ones and it was followed by a cocktail hour reception to include all the sweet traditions of a wedding (first dance, toasts, ceremonial cake cutting, etc.). There were so many things we loved about this venue. For instance, the natural beauty of the herb garden was breathtaking. We barely had to decorate because the greenery was already built in. Secondly, this venue was not like a hotel where it could be torn down 20 years from now - it is federal land and will be here for the years to come. Lastly, Natalie was excellent to work with from start to finish. She answered all of our questions along the way and was extremely kind, helpful, and professional. All in all, our wedding was everything we could have wished for and more and we are so happy we went with our first choice to get married at the National Arboretum. The golf cart was also a huge bonus in getting around the grounds. Highly recommend to all!

We had a beautiful fall ceremony and champagne toast at the Capitol Columns -- complete with a rainbow. The views are spectacular and there are many photo op locations. A truly memorable and one-of-a-kind event venue.

Our wedding was absolutely beautiful and it wouldn't have been possible without the help of Natalie at the Arboretum. She was incredibly helpful and responsive, even in the midst of all of the changes that happened throughout our planning due to COVID, etc.

We had our ceremony at the Capitol Columns, and it was perfect! Everything was so beautiful, and many of our guests commented on how unique and special the venue was. We didn't add any decor; the majesty of the columns and beauty of the surrounding nature was perfect on its own. Highly recommend it if you're looking for a ceremony location that is natural and outdoors but still has some of the grandeur and focus of a more traditional venue.

Using the National Arboretum for our small wedding was awesome! Natalie was always available to answer questions via text, phone or email. Our wedding was seamless and perfect! Thank you FONA!

My husband and I chose the arboretum for our wedding; this venue is gorgeous, and the staff is beyond accommodating! Natalie took care of us every step of the way, and made excellent vendor suggestions, as well!

Choosing the National Arboretum for our ceremony venue was the best wedding decision my husband and I made! If you love the outdoors and nature, look no further. We had our ceremony and a champagne toast in the Herb Garden and it was perfect for our micro wedding. The arboretum is a magical place, and Natalie and her team made our wedding day go so smoothly. We’re so thankful!

The Arboretum was the perfect place for a wedding--especially one planned during COVID uncertainty. Natalie was the most helpful, both during the planning process and during the actual event. She worked with us when we were able to invite more guests, provided vendor recommendations, and even helped clear the chairs at the end of the ceremony. The location was wonderful, and Natalie made sure everything went smoothly.

Having our anniversary party at the Arboretum was MAGICAL, and Natalie is FANTASTIC to work with! After two wedding cancellations due to COVID, my husband and I were very hesitant to schedule yet a third date. However, after stumbling across that the Arboretum does weddings (one of our favorite spots in DC), we couldn't resist and it was a great decision. If you haven't been to the Arboretum, don't wait any longer. It's a hidden (or not so hidden anymore) gem of DC perfect for weddings. The grounds are gorgeous, and there are so many romantic, stunning spots for your first-look, ceremony, and reception. The Arboretum offers multiple wedding options that accommodate different needs and budgets. Leading up to our anniversary party and at the event, Natalie (runs private events for the Arboretum) was a dream to work with. She's friendly, genuine, super responsive, accommodating, and a problem solver. She made our day stress-free and helped us to enjoy every moment of it. We cannot recommend the Arboretum enough to newly engaged couples - you'd be lucky to get married there!

Everyone should consider getting married here. Not only was it affordable, but the experience was so easy. Natalie was an amazing communicator and help to us with her suggestions of local venues and perspectives! Super host. She was responsive and flexible and very accommodating. The arboretum was a dream location to hold our wedding at and we’d recommend it to anyone and everyone! Built in florals and endless picture opportunities that are so unique to you! Also, the money goes to supporting research at the Arboretum. Our signature cocktail was made from honey harvested at the Arboretum. What’s not to love?

The Arboretum is a magical place to get married. We got married at the columns and it was beautiful. Natalie at the Arboretum is fantastic! Very responsive and attentive. Highly recommend this place for your special day.

We rescheduled our wedding due to COVID-19 and moved it from an indoor location to the Arboretum on the recommendation of our previous vendor stating the Arboretum's outdoor location would be ideal and beautiful for hosting our wedding celebration. You will not be disappointed with your selection of the Arboretum as your outdoor venue! There are many locations for a first look, beauty everywhere, and the beauty of the park greeting you throughout the day. Natalie was fantastic and we couldn't thank her enough for making the day easy for us.

Getting married at the Arboretum was wonderful! The day was so beautiful and our guests also really enjoyed themselves at such a historic and lovely location. The photos we've seen so far from our early October wedding have blown us away so much that we can't wait to go back and reminisce. In fact, our biggest regret is how quick our micro-wedding was. We would have loved to spend even more of our day at the Arboretum - it was just perfect location and it felt special to start our life together while supporting a (USDA) National Park! And, a BIG shout out to our wonderful venue coordinator, Natalie! I got my veil caught in a bush right before walking up to the altar and Natalie rushed over to help me. I will never forget that and her helpfulness! We also forgot our flower petals for our ceremony exit and Natalie rushed my fiance over to the guest center and back before we could blink to help us fix the problem! She is great. For couples considering the Arboretum, we say go for it! It will be so special and you will love the location. One last tip, I'd also suggest coordinating through your photographer for a professional videographer. We regret not having done that, but everything else was great.

We had our wedding at the National Arboretum. Natalie from MTGHospitality was the best! She is so professional. She made our day literally perfect. Everything was smooth and she was always responsive and had our best interests at heart. I can't rave enough about her. I am pretty sure I've thanked her a million times. The National Arboretum is a beautiful venue!! You can not go wrong by choosing this for your wedding.

Selecting my venue and working with Natalie was the first -- and most important -- decision I’ve made in wedding planning thus far! My fiance and I were so excited to learn that the National Arboretum was available for weddings and reached out to Natalie in December 2019, toured the venue in January 2020, and were ready to commit on the spot. Planning a May 2021 wedding amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic has felt stressful, but having Natalie in our corner has helped us keep moving forward. She has been responsive from the moment we met, answering all of our questions (big and small) with kindness and timeliness, and has provided us with so many vendor connections along the way. The conversations I’ve had with vendors thus far indicate that Natalie is held in high regard by her industry colleagues -- “I love working with Natalie” is something I’ve heard multiple times now! And it’s true. It’s been a pleasure to work with her and I highly, highly, highly recommend reaching out to her!

*** We cancelled our wedding due to COVID. To Note: MANY of my friends have reported a no refund policy by their wedding venue vendors-- this was not my experience with The Natl Arbo-- they were of course going to charge us full amount if WE cancelled, and refund the full amount if THEY cancelled, but the third option was to augment our venue rental to something more suited to these times: cancel the cocktail hour and reception rental and rent only the ceremony time and space. Natalie was flexible in this regard and I think that should be recognized. Many friends have lost thousands because of rigid contracts to venue sites, and this venue vendor was not one of those types. The tent company however is another story! We basically had to argue with them for 1/6 of our money back. (A Grand Event Tents). AND, Something Vintage has locked us into rescheduling and paying the rest of our order for some future event...except we are moving ... so, yeah no thanks. I am not the person asking for all our money back, We donated our flowers to staff at GW Hospital, we asked for nothing back from our small vendors (hair, makeup, coordinator, photog, dj...) and they in-turn, released us from paying the rest of the balance. So, instead of paying for and hosting a ceremony, cocktail reception and wedding reception, we only hosted a "ceremony" and instead of marrying during this time that we rented, we held a Forest Bathing ceremony in honor of the Summer Solstice. Natalie was flexible with us and will be refunding our money for the cocktail and event reception time that we were obviously not able to host. We, therefore, wound up paying for the ceremony time only. PROs: The obvious: the vistas and flora and fauna are breathtaking and spiritually and healthfully rejuvenating. Natalie is friendly and easy to communicate with. Free parking on site. Many options for event locations within the space itself. Bathrooms onsite. CONs: you are forced to use one tent company. We were almost about to spend $30K...YES! $30K for just the tent. Basically half of our budget. A dance floor, sub floor (because after thinking it over, I didn't want to force folx into digging heels into the ground or changing their footwear to flats bc I've been that person that was perturbed when my outfit has to be adjusted for flats), lighting, the vendor road, coverings over the poles and rigging, & install. We could not shop around. And we were not told about how expensive the tent features including the road YOU ARE FORCED TO PURCHASE. SO, sure, you could order a tent for from this co. for about 12-15K but it is the BAREST OF BONES. That and the no fire ... so no candles and you have to provide ground lighting for guests to navigate to the main building for the bathrooms which is fine but something you should consider as a part of your DIY time. Finally, please I encourage everyone to provide non-toxic bug repellent for your guests because the chemicals may be microscopic, but they are systemic and potent...they kill. And this beautiful haven houses many living beings small and large. So please please be loving toward them and ourselves by supplying Badger bug spray or some other great brand. Thanks for listening. https://www.badgerbalm.com/c-46-natural-bug-repellents.aspx

Natalie is a dream to work with! Organized, honest, answers emails quickly, knowledgeable, and always willing to help! We had a great experience touring the National Arboretum venue with her and highly recommend this phenomenal venue

Having our wedding at the National Arboretum was an absolute dream. The park is huge and beautiful and we had a bunch of different options for where the ceremony and reception could be. The setting is so gorgeous with both planted and wild flowers as well as open fields. The vendors we had to choose from were wonderful. We chose to have our reception in the tent included in the June wedding package and it was perfect. DC doesn’t have a whole lot of options for outdoor venues so if you get the chance to book here, do it! You will not be disappointed.

Wow Wow Wow, this is the place to be married! The National Arboretum was spectacular and Natalie from Mcneese Thomas Group was knowledgeable, always available, and so helpful. I would recommend this place and the event company to anyone!

We could not have had a more beautiful wedding. All of our wedding guests loved coming to the Arboretum and getting a chance to explore the herb garden during cocktail hour. The capitol columns were a beautiful backdrop for our ceremony and are where we took all of our pre-ceremony photos including our first look. Natalie and her team were extremely helpful and responsive and listened to all of our requests. The day ran extremely smoothly.

The perfect venue and Natalie of the McNeese/Thomas Group helped to make our sons wedding dreams come true! Historic columns in the background, beautiful gardens all around us and the ability to create a personal and classic wedding. We couldn't have asked for anything more!

It is hard to describe a perfect wedding. It is much harder to pull one off. Natalie and her team at McNeese Thomas made it happen despite our last minute planning, flightly attitudes, and busy schedules. We had a beautiful, seamless, scenic, but somehow laid-back wedding at the National Arboretum. We had confused out-of-town family, drunk guests, drunk family, confused out-of-town guests, the whole show. Because of Natalie and her team at NcNeese Thomas it went perfectly. She not only handled the location and day-of logistics, but put us in touch with our world class - search "Spilled Milk Catering" - caterer, who just nailed it. On the day of we didn't have to lift a finger, somehow it all just worked out, right down to helping the old folks with Uber and making sure we walked off with some much-needed leftovers. The "somehow" was Natalie and the McNeese Thomas Group.

We had an amazing wedding at the Arboretum on October 20th. Natalie was such a pleasure to work with. Because government can be a pain, having Natalie at the helm was extremely important. She is very professional and also very kind. She really tries to meet all your expectations and beyond. The Arboretum is a beautiful and majestic setting. It is truly a magical place!