The United States National Arboretum

the Visitors Center). One thing to be aware of--you will have additional costs for tent placement (prices vary by location on the grounds).

ny, cocktail hour, and reception all at the same venue, but in three different locations. Highly recommend it!

ty 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.

n 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.

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.

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.

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!!

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!

o COVID, etc.

ding 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.

r 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!

e 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.

at 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!

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?

ion. 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.

h 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.

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.

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!

ncelled, 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