How much is your heart worth?

[Elmorton]

I just don''t like the chairs at the Baltimore one - but I like the look MUCH better. The other room just seems over-the-top to me, and I think it''s a lot more fun to put your stamp on a location than be competing with it.

Also, agree with the other posters - your guests will care less what the room looks like and more what the food tastes like. I think I''d be asking different questions other than "look" to be making an overall "is this worth it?" decision - like who has better catering?

Other guest-centric questions:
Where are the restrooms located? Will you be sharing with another event?
How much is parking? Where is parking?
How difficult is it to find the location?
What are the rooms like? (I assume guests will stay at the hotel?) What are the hotel amenities for those who are staying? How much is the difference in overnight room costs?
Which room is easier to get to for elderly guests?

Other important wedding/reception questions:
Which room has better lighting/background for photos? A busy backdrop or too low lighting can be problematic, though a simple backdrop can be too plain.
Which room has the best space for your tables/number of guests (too big or too small?) Will it be easy to move around?
Which room has better sound when there''s a bunch of people talking, or for musicians if you have them?
Which room has a better dance floor?

 

[Haven]

I didn''t say it earlier, but from the pictures I also much prefer the Baltimore room to the DC room. The Baltimore room as an understated elegance, while the DC room is just extremely opulent and a bit over-the-top for my taste.

HOWEVER, I think it comes down to which room offers the best service and feel *overall*, and not just the best decor. We ended up using the social hall in my synagogue because we weren''t happy with any of the food and service the local hotels and country clubs had to offer, and a lot of hotels had restrictions on which vendors we could use. SO, in the end we chose the space that meant we would have the best service, food, and entertainment possible. (We spent a little over 40K on the wedding, not counting our honeymoon and jewelry.)

El gave you some great things to consider. Good luck with your choice!

 

[NuggetBrain]

I think the Baltimore room is much more elegant than the DC room. Its a quiet elegance vs. glitz and glamour. The Baltimore reminds me of something I''d see in Paris, the DC reminds me of something I''d see in Vegas.

 

[Kelli]

The DC hotel does appear to be amazing, but I''d have to follow my head on that one. 5K is a LOT of money, and the other hotel looks great too!

 

[NovemberBride]

FYI - The DC room is extremely fancy and iopulent because that hotel (Willard Intercontinental) is hundreds of years old. Many of the early presidential inaugurations were held at that hotel. Mint juleps were invented in the hotel''s Round Robin Bar, which is also where some of the most important political deals in history were struck. One of the reasons I chose that hotel for my own wedding is because I grew up in DC and I loved the sense of history that it held versus being just another hotel.

I know that it is not everyone''s taste since it is an extremely formal room, but, if you are looking for a formal wedding, I don''t think there is a better place in DC. I would agree that the decor of the hotel calls for a very formal affair, probably not the place to look if you are opting for minimalist, but since you chose it I was assuming that you were looking for a more formal affair.

As for El''s questions - Parking is awful in that area - you are right by the White House, so there is very limited available parking. We ended up paying $20 or $25 per car to valet our guest''s cars (we didn''t want our guests to have to pay to attend our wedding). That added a significant amount to the bill. There are a few garages in the area, but most are not open on weekends, so you are limited to self-park or valet parking at the hotel, which is pricey.

Restrooms are right across the hall from the room - you wouldn''t share with another wedding/event. The only other space for weddings is the main ballroom, which has its own bathrooms.

Hotel rooms are gorgeous and luxurious, but very pricey ($300+ per night). There is a Marriot right across the street with more reasonable rates - we got a block there and that''s where most of our guests stayed.

Here are some more pictures of the hotel:

 

[NovemberBride]

This is the area right outside the room where your wedding would be held. It''s called Peacock Alley. It is probably one option for your cocktail hour.

 

[NovemberBride]

Here''s the outdoor courtyard - this is where we had our cocktail hour.

 

[NovemberBride]

Here''s a standard guest room.

 

[NovemberBride]

Here''s the main lobby

 

[NovemberBride]

Here''s the main ballroom. This is where we got married, but the room is probably a little too large for a 100 person wedding.

 

[bee*]

Date: 4/3/2009 6:40:41 AM
Author: ZoeBartlett
If I was in your position, I''d go with the Baltimore hotel and save the $$. The Baltimore hotel is gorgeous! The DC hotel is more opulent, which is very nice, but I still prefer the other one. That''s just me though.

I agree. I think that the Baltimore hotel is gorgeous. I''d save the money and go with it.

 

[isaku5]

Date: 4/2/2009 7:28:10 PM
Author: akmiss
I really like both. I only slightly prefer the DC pick but I am not sure that the extra 5k would be worth it. What does you fiance think? Can you afford the extra 5K easily? If so, go with your heart

If not, then go with the Baltimore pick without looking back.

Ditto...

 

[doodle]

NovemberBride, I realize I''m nitpicking a little, but I''m a southerner, and we''re funny about claiming stuff that originated in the South, so I have to disagree with you on the mint julep being invented at the Willard. I''m copying and pasting this from wikipedia:

The origins of the mint julep are clouded and may never be definitively known. The first appearance of a mint julep in print came in a book by John Davis published in London in 1803, where it was described as "a dram of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning."[1] However, Davis did not specify that bourbon was the spirit used. The mint julep originated in the southern United States, probably during the eighteenth century. U.S. Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky introduced the drink to Washington, D.C., at the Round Robin Bar in the famous Willard Hotel during his residence in the city.[2] The term ''julep'' is generally defined as a sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine. The word itself is derived from Arabic: ماء ورد‎ Māʾ ward and Persian: گلاب Golâb, meaning rose water.

Sorry to thread jack for a moment, but I''m a mint julep junkie, so I just couldn''t leave that alone!

That being said, it is a really beautiful hotel, and the pix you posted are gorgeous. Brendaman, you just have to figure out whether that extra 5K is all that it''d add to your budget or if DC in general is pricier to the point that the Baltimore hotel would be significantly more of a bargain than just that $5000. Best of luck to you!

 

[brendaman]

Novemberbride: Thank you, thank you! I''m sooo happy someone knows the Willard and why I''m just in love with it as a possible venue for our wedding. I was considering posting some more pics, but you kindly have done it for me. If you don''t mind my asking, how much did you go over your budget from the original proposal -- 20%, 50%, 100%??? BTW, they are closing the Willard Room restaurant, and they are going to use it for "elegant" affairs like family dinners and reunions (as opposed to business functions).

Elmorton: Those are great questions, and I have indeed asked them and things are just better at the Willard and we would indeed be paying for it. The Baltimore hotel has one advantage in that we would be the only event. There is no guarantee for this in the Willard and in fact, we could be sharing bathrooms, coat room with another wedding, which is really rather bothersome, but I''m not so sure it woudl be a deal-breaker.

Both venues seem to have good food and service (we''ve only experienced the Willard, but we''ve heard the Baltimore hotel also has great food and service). We''ve visited each hotel a few times now and met with their sales staff. We''ve already received a proposal with the cost estimate from the Willard. We''re still waiting for a proposal from the Baltimore hotel, but they have provided us with per person cost for their packages and had said they would include more than what was in the package. We would like this to be a formal affair. And personally, I love the Crystal Room. If my only choice were the Main Ballroom or the Willard Room, I wouldn''t hesitate to choose the Baltimore hotel. Some people may think the Willard hotel is too glitzy, but our family (yes, both sides) have always loved it. FI is born and bred in DC and loves the history and we wanted our venue to have such a history (the "I have a dream speach" was written there). But FI went to school in Baltimore and loves the Inner Harbor area in Baltimore (the Baltimore hotel has showcase windows of Inner Harbor).

FI and I have decided to table the decision until we have received a proposal from the Baltimore hotel. My worry is that I haven''t heard from the sales person. Hmmmm!

 

[enfianced]

I live in DC, have been to the Willard a bunch (but used to live in KY, so I will also have to disagree with the claim that the mint julep was invented at the Round Robin Bar...however, the term "lobbying" was born at that hotel), but on to other, more important things...it is very historic place (I hear almost every president has stayed there at some point and MLK wrote his "I Have a Dream" speech there), etc, etc the history is endless, however, I would be more concerned about the location than the hotel...ie do you want your guests to be in DC or Baltimore? ...where are there more activities for them?, etc. Also, what is your contact at each hotel willing to help you with? For example, I got married at a Four Seasons in San Francisco and our catering contact helped us get discounts on chairs, lighting, linen rental, floral, etc which helped us save the $5K we might''ve otherwise spent AND we got the amazing service that every bride wants and deserves on her wedding day.