Since our venue is in downtown DC, we have a ton of options for wedding weekend accommodations. With dozens of hotels within walking distance of our venue, we considered not bothering with a room block and giving our guests free rein over where to stay. Yet, there is a hotel option so convenient that I felt like we had to go ahead and secure some rooms…because it is right next door to our venue. Like, the two buildings touch each other.
Isn’t it swanky? The Dupont Circle Hotel offered a pretty good room rate, and I negotiated a discount on a suite for Friday night (with enough room for my ‘maids and me) and a fancypants room for us on Saturday night—complete with a view! I used this system to send a request for proposal. The best part about doing that (besides it being free) is that it ensures that you get in touch with a live human person—a person you can ask for discounts and perks. Seriously, be shameless about it.
Having our rooms here will be super convenient. We can walk back and forth from the venue, which will be great if we forget something, and it’ll be easy to take gifts and our primping materials back from the venue. There’s also some time limits for when we can be in the venue itself, so it will be pretty easy to do hair and makeup at the hotel, then get dressed and do pictures next door.
There’s also a bar on the first floor, which will help solve another dilemma.
We have to be out of the venue by 11:00 PM, so I’m guessing there will be some people who want to keep the party going. But, the neighborhood is a pretty popular one for nightlife, so I’d hate for people to want to go out only to wait in long bar lines. The hotel agreed to reserve an area for our wedding guests in their bar for free (!), so I’ll be able to offer that as a super-convenient option.
This makes my logistics-focused brain so happy. We knew one of the benefits of an in-city wedding would be that hotels would be close…but a few feet away is better than I could have imagined. Once everyone gets to the hotel, they won’t have to worry about transportation at all—and we won’t have to pay for it.
How did you choose your room block—or where you’re staying for your wedding night? Did any of your logistics decisions just fall into place, like this one did for me?
All photos via the Dupont Circle Hotel
Love the location! I’m heading to dc tomorrow and we somehow always end up in DuPont! I’m weird though, for our wedding in Florida I ordered a room block for our guests at a nice hotel, and a different hotel for Fi and myself! We’re going to take pictures before the wedding and I didn’t want guests to see me until the ceremony!
Our hotel block worked the same way…there’s one hotel a half block away, the next closest hotel is 5 blocks away, and with a winter wedding we thought closer definitely = better! Although our hotel contact was not as helpful as yours and we kind of hate them, but still are sticking with them due to the convenience.
Were you nervous at all about the price of the hotel rooms for your guests? I live in Dupont so I know hotels can be pricey. We have a nice hotel in Baltimore, but I am worried some guests will balk at the price (which honestly was in the middle of all the hotels we were looking at!)
I’d love to have a room for me and my girls to get ready, but it’s just not convenient for us, sadly. The hotel looks fantastic!
@Emily: i was a bit concerned, but also knew that our guests would expect prices to be slightly higher (as with everything because we were in the city. however, the rate we got was pretty competitive – especially when i compared it with prices for other weddings i’ve attended in cities. i think being in February helped a lot – that weekend not much is going on and i think most hotels are just trying not to go empty.
What a gorgeous hotel, and a great area for your guests to stay while in DC!
Wow your hotel look amazing and thats so great that they reserved space in their bar for you and your guests!
I’ve stayed on the suite floor of that hotel, when my friend got an upgrade for the weekend. It was AMAZING. Love that place, great choice!
My wife’s family is not the type to stay at a “fancy” hotel like The Mayflower, and initially balked when they saw the prices. However, when I explained how much they would save in transportation costs and hassle trying to go back and forth from Alexandria (where they found cheaper hotels) and D.C. (which most of them have never seen before), they saw the light. Aunt J actually managed to finagle the wedding rate for an entire week for several rooms for the Oregon family members. Awesome!
Mrs. Gray Wolf, Washington DC Age and Occupation: 26, Business Development Executive Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Research Scientist Engagement Date: November 11, 2011 Wedding Date: February 2013 Venue: Whittemore House About Me: I'm an ultra-organized, pun-loving, list-making, cheese-enthusiast bride-to-be. Although my day job is in cubicle land, I'm happiest in the modern art wing of a museum, having recently earned my Masters in Museum Studies. Shortly after a chance meeting five years ago, I moved in with Wolfman and haven't looked back since. We love music, movies, TV, and all things pop culture; we have an unspoken competition to be the first to share the latest YouTube sensation or indie song. Together, we've filled quite a few pages in our passports, but also love quiet nights in with a Game of Thrones marathon and our French Bulldog, Tonks (Harry Potter, anyone?). I'm planning a small, cozy winter wedding---think mercury glass and candle light---in the heart of DC. Our venue is a historic home with a lot of political charm, but needs a bit of work to be wedding-ready.
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