Way back in February, Jodi and I ventured into DC for an open house by R&R Catering at St. Francis Hall, located on the grounds of the Franciscan Monastery in the Brookland neighborhood of NE DC.  I was unexpectedly out of the office for a bit, time got away from me, and now I am more than fashionably late on this post.   I hope it’s worth the wait though!

R&R put on a wonderful display, but we were surprisingly taken with the venue itself. It’s a hidden gem in DC and should definitely be on your list of venues if you’re looking for a unique, affordable, gorgeous backdrop for your ceremony and/or reception.  All of our camera shots came out too dark, so these are unfortunately provided by the venue… although it’s much better to visit in person!

From the brick walls to the wrought-iron chandeliers and sconces, it’s uniquely breathtaking and has a very “romantic renaissance” feel. The hardwood floors are just beautiful… no dance floor needed!

The venue can hold up to 250 and the layout lends itself to some unique options in terms of “flow” for the evening.  There are long hallways on either side of those arches that can hold more tables or be used for more tables, buffet lines, candy buffets, dessert stations or cocktail hours! 

  
The modest rental fee also includes use of the smaller gardens just next to the building, the kitchen,the terrace overlooking a small pond (great for cocktail hour), the stage (perfect for a band) and access to the beautiful (and larger) gardens across the street for wedding party photos.   Although you can’t get married in these larger gardens, there are other options on site, including St. Francis Hall itself! on-site parking. Security assisted us with parking and made us feel more than safe in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

The rental fee also includes a few other perks like padded chairs, tables, sound system (with mics) and projector screen… as well as some

Cara at St. Francis Hall is fantastic and was happy to offer some great discounts to Wish brides, one of which includes free use of the facility’s gold ballroom chairs and tables.    If you’re looking for a unique, romantic and gorgeous venue, be sure to check out St. Francis Hall… and leave some time to walk around the gardens while you’re there!

::: Cristin :::

Tags: cristin, dc, venue, venue spotlight

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under DC Vendors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.