Friday Favs: Inexpensive Wedding Venues in Washington, DC & Questions to Ask Every Venue

Whittemore House Weddings

So here it is- my first post on throwing a Broke and Bougie wedding (see our engagement here). We settled on a date in March 2015 so there is plenty of time to DIY and explore options. The first thing on the list: Washington, DC wedding venues. For broke people paying for their own wedding.

When we chose DC I knew it was going to be expensive, but we WILL find a way to do this on a budget! In my own true fashion I did extensive research, made a spreadsheet, and rapid-fired off e-mails. Sidenote: no one lists prices anywhere, you have to submit RFPs or send emails or whatever. The best resources I found in looking for venues were Weddingwire.com, TheKnot.com (you can search venues by pricing!!),  welovedc's post, and of course word of mouth.

DC has a lot of great outdoor, cheap (slash free) options but we are not willing to risk the weather (and Harrison- the fiance- sweats a LOT so we need AC). Below is my list of the most budget-friendly Washington, DC wedding venues (indoors) that we found with pricing and answers to the must-know questions.

Keep in mind that that pricing varies based on season, this is based on March. We were only considering venues that would be easy for out-of-towners to get to, and easy for drunk people to get home from (i.e. near a metro or easy to cab). There are lots of other awesome venues that are further out and MUCH more affordable. We also only considered indoor locations and venues that can hold 200+ people (I know. I know. Everyone has already told me I'm insane for thinking I can pull off a 200+ person wedding on a tiny budget) and that can host the ceremony and reception (nightmare: instructing 100 out-of-towners how to get from one venue to the next "then take the traffic circle.." "allow 10 hours if taking the red line" OMG I CANNOT). Also keep in mind: a lot of times the prices can be negotiated. Most of the people I spoke with were super accomodating and willing to work with us on matching our budget- this just includes the original pricing.

Click here for my spreadsheet affordable Washington, DC wedding venues. The venues include:

• Filmore Silver Spring
• Silver Spring Civic Center
• Whittemore House
• Epic Yoga DC
• Josephine Butler Parks Center
• Nats Park
• Westin Georgetown
• Woolly Mammoth Theatre
• North Hall
• The Powerhouse
• Lincoln Restaurant
• Arena Stage
• Lincoln's Cottage
• Carlyle Club
• Gaylord
• Press Club
• The Hamilton
• McLean Gardens 

Questions to ask wedding venues:

• What is the base cost?
• What is the venue's capacity?
• Are outside vendors allowed?
• Is there an added charge for outside vendors?
• Are in-house vendors available?
• Are rentals (tables, chairs, etc) included? What is included in the rentals?
• Are linens included?
• Are there set-up and break-down fees?
• Is there a fee for staying late?
• Are there additional service charges and/or gratuities?
• What are the taxes?
• Are kids allowed?

**A great piece of advice from my wedding-planner friend: google image the name of the venue + wedding. For example: "Carlyle Club Wedding" to see what can be done with the space. Also: read the reviews on theknot and weddingwire and yelp so you know what you're getting yourself into!

Am I missing affordable DC-area venues? Let me know what I should consider!