Weddingbee

Mr. T. and I are thrilled with both our ceremony and reception sites, in part because they’re extremely inexpensive. But if we’d had $$$ to spend on a site fee, I would have jumped at the chance to hold our 1920s-ish wedding at this beautiful circa-1920s manor home:

Owned by a county board of Parks & Rec, Oxon Hill Manor is a 49-room Georgian-style mansion built in 1928 for an Undersecretary of State in FDR’s administration. It sits high above the Potomac River, surrounding by gardens with sweeping views. (The day we toured, we even saw frolicking forest creatures. Actually, maybe a beaver. But it was cute…!)

The mansion suffered an unfortunate fire about a year ago, but the plus side for brides is that it has been completely renovated and the rooms gleam with newness. When Mr. T. and I walked into the large, windowed and fireplaced ballroom, I immediately wanted to break into the waltz from Beauty and the Beast. It’s that kind of place.

Sadly, the interior photos on their website seem to be pre-renovation, and don’t do it much justice.

Here’s the fabulous foyer. There’s a bride’s dressing room upstairs, and a sweeping staircase for grand entrances.

Because of its south-of-DC location, Oxon Hill Manor is often overlooked as a wedding site. But it really deserves to be considered as a gorgeous setting with a good price (around $3,000, slightly lower if you’re a resident of Prince George’s or Montgomery Counties).

P.S. If you don’t believe me, would you believe Chris Rock? Word is that he hosted an event here….

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