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One of the things I’m most excited about the weekend of our wedding is our rehearsal dinner! We chose Oxon Hill Manor as our venue is because we love, love, love the National Harbor. If there any bees who haven’t been to the DC, MD, or Virginia area, please check out the National Harbor when you make your trip! It’s absolutely beautiful!
I worked at the National Harbor way before it looked as good as it does now! I was an employee for Towne Park and site auditor at the Gaylord. During that time, the Gaylord was really the only thing on the Harbor worth visiting. Now, however, there are restaurants and retail galore, and even a children’s museum! There’s also The Awakening, which was moved from Hains Point to the Harbor in 2008.
There’s SO much happening in this area. It’s amazing! It’s so fun and it’s definitely high class! I loved to be able to go into all the details of what there is to do and see, but you just have to experience it for yourself! I will tell you that one of Mr. B’s and my favorite things to do is take the water taxis to Old Town Alexandria and eat at the Chart House. Talk about a romantic evening! It should seriously be voted the best date night EVER!
We can’t take all of our guests on the water taxi, but we can provide an enjoyable dining experience for them at the Harbor. Since we’ll be staying there, it only makes that we have our rehearsal dinner there, too. We’ve narrowed our list down to either McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood or Bond 45.
We went to McCormick & Schmick’s at the Harbor about two weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! One of the great things about the restaurant is that it’s right on the water. No matter where you are sitting, you can pretty much see the view, which is everything the Harbor is all about (the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the yachts, the water).
The food is amazing, too! It was rich and tasty. Needless to say, we left so full, and so happy!
And tonight we’re going to eat at Bond 45!
Depending on our experience, we’re going make our choice. One the differences that we’ve discovered already is that we’d have a private dining area if we chose Bond 45. At Schmick’s, we would just have a large section in the middle of the restaurant. Did you have a private dining room? Do you recommend it?
Here’s a little tidbit about Bond 45 from Washingtonian Magazine. I read in the article that a Tony Award-winning set designer created the look at Bond 45! Cool, huh?
How did you choose your rehearsal dinner venue? Was having a private room important to you?
Ah I definitely want to do this date night now! I will have to wait until the spring or summer because I dont want to be out on the river right now but it sounds awesome! We always just drive to Old Town and park at one end and walk to the other while stopping at a restaurant along the way. Either one you choose Im sure will be awesome!
I’ve never been to Bond 45 but M&S is one of my fave restaurants everrr! And I LOVE the National Harbor! The Sunset Room was one of our top choice venues, and with the convenience of the hotels being right there I’m sure either restaurant will be great for your RD!
I like a private room - it lets you do speeches, gifts, embarrassing slideshows, etc away from the other patrons. No one gets to see naked baby butt unless they’ve got a wedding invite!
Agreed! Totally go for any option with a private room. Rehearsal dinners I’ve been to people spend most of their time (other than the actual eating portion) up and talking and walking around getting all friendly with people/family they probably dont see too often. Please like Miss PaC - speeches!
err- that should be PLUS like Miss PaC said - speeches.
don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kind of hoping you hate Bond 45, just because that’s how much I LOVE M&S. Seriously.
We ate at Bond 45 just a few weeks ago. I loved it. Can’t wait to go back and try their Prohabition cocktails that are served in teapots 
We booked our rehearsal at a restaurant that would give us a private room. A friend of ours had a private room for her rehearsal and it went SO well! The bride and groom exchanged gifts with each other and their bridal party. The families got to get up and talk and mingle and not just sit in one seat the whole time. It just felt like you could do whatever you want without feeling weird or like the whole restaurant was looking at you. Definitely a plus if you can!!
We definitely wanted something private. Unfortunately we rehearsed in an out of the way place with barely any restaurants that could offer this, so we ended up with a backyard BBQ.
Looks fantastic though!
We are doing our rehearsal at home. With all the families in town, the FH wanted a reason to show of his grilling/smoking skills.
We had a private room for our rehearsal dinner at M&S at the National Harbor. They suggested the semi-private option which was the middle of the restaurant but, we did not want that because other restaurant guests would be privy to our conversations and toast/speeches. I really enjoyed the food selections and for out-of-town guest, it was nice for them to experience Maryland seafood/crab cakes.
Brooch, that sounds like it will be lovely! My FH really wanted to have ours at TopGolf in Alexandria, and the idea has really grown on me. While the food will probably not be all that amazing, we are inviting a lot of my out of town college girlfriends and their SI’s,in addition to family and wedding party, so I am excited to see how an interactive rehearsal dinner goes. I’m insisting we have a sit down dinner with slide shows and speeches, but after that we’re renting out some bays, as well as the patio, and I’ll put everyone on teams who wants to play. I’m thinking about planning a day after brunch at National Harbor, though, now that I’ve read your blog post, since our hotel is in Old Town!
@Mrs. Twinkletoes: there is a ferry that can take your guests from Old Town to National Harbor. Just check on the dates because it doesn’t run year round.
[...] I mentioned, we had to decide between Bond 45 and McCormick and Schmick’s on the National Harbor for our [...]
[...] I mentioned, the National Harbor is full of fabulous places to lodge. There’s the Gaylord National, Hampton [...]
[...] we head over to McCormick & Schmick’s for our rehearsal [...]
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Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VA Age and Occupation: 25, Writer/Editor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk Manager Engagement Date: October 3, 2009 Wedding Date: April 2011 Venue: Oxon Hill Manor About Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
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