Built in 1918 the space was, as the name suggests, a torpedo manufacturing factory, and it retains much of its original character today. The exposed pipes, mushroom shaped columns and smokestack give the space a unique, industrial character, while the new industrial style railings, light fixtures and brightly painted studio doors give the space a more modern feel.

With artwork created by over 160 artists spread throughout the venue, the Art Center creates a beautiful canvas for a reception.

The building includes a two story atrium with a wrap around balcony, overlooking the main hall. Additionally, an outdoor deck area as well as bricked terraces that can be tented allow for a beautiful outdoor space along the Potomac River.  With the ability to accommodate both parties large and small, the Torpedo Factory is easily transformed to fit a range of visions.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center offers a preferred caterer list and works exclusively with John Farr Lighting Design for lighting. Additionally, sound and tents used at the venue often come through Rent-All Center.

Goodstone Inn & Restaurant offers picturesque vistas of the 265-acre rolling estate grounds, with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. Goodstone can accommodate different styles of wedding events – from an intimate dining experience in the Carriage House to an elaborate outdoor reception under the stars. The pool, adjacent pool gardens and ivy façade of the old mansion are historic sites for outdoor bridal events.

Our Executive Chef will customize the wedding dining experience as desired. All meals are prepared with the finest and freshest ingredients sourced from the Goodstone Farm itself, or through local providers.

Photography: Joseph Allen Photography (including all photos to follow)

Both ceremonies and receptions are held at the spectacular Northern Virginia estate. All weddings of over 50 guests are held outdoors and are tented in case of inclement weather. With a guest list of up to 250, the plush, woodsy gardens make an elegant statement. A poolside reception accommodates up to 150 guests. For a more intimate wedding up to 50, bridal party and guests will enjoy the finest in catering by Executive Chef William Walden in the renowned Goodstone Restaurant.

A wedding at Goodstone Inn & Restaurant features Southern hospitality and gracious service in the surroundings of a spectacular Virginia country estate.

Our strongly recommended wedding coordinator is Paula Kiley, who has relationships with many vendors that have operated dozens of weddings at Goodstone Inn & Restaurant.

Photo Credit: L.H. Lindberg Photography

Featuring three fireplaces and six colonial-style dining rooms which range in size from small and intimate, to spacious and open, the Inn can accommodate up to 275 seated guests. A tented outdoor ceremony on the back patio can accommodate up to 160 guests.

Photo Credit: L.H. Lindberg Photography

Photo Credit: Emily Chastain

The Mount Vernon Inn provides a list of recommended vendors. The Inn also offers in-house china, glassware, flatware, tables, chairs and linens while additional upgraded outside equipment may be rented through their business partners.

The quaint, pastoral Stone Manor Country Club is situated on 100 acres of rolling hills in beautiful Middletown, Maryland. It is the perfect location for those couples desiring a country-style, private event with unbeatable views and superb customer service. In fact, Stone Manor hosts only a single event per day, and thus clients can expect undivided attention on their wedding. Employees promise to do everything they can to make sure all aspects of your special day run smoothly and your guests remain happy!

There are a variety of lush, green spaces to hold your wedding. Lead your bridal party across a picturesque bridge, exchange vows underneath their lovely, shaded gazebo, explore the historic stone houses and barns, and take photos in front of a peaceful pond or in the gorgeous garden – all while overlooking the breathtaking Middletown Valley and South Mountain. Following your ceremony, dine and dance within Stone Manor’s spacious garden tent resembling an elegant outdoor ballroom. Your wedding will be beautiful and unforgettable, especially with the use of Stone Manor’s vendor recommendations. Their preferred professional list features the area’s finest vendors, including Holly Chapel Flowers and Elaine Studley Photography.

Finally, you can rest assured that your guests will be entertained and comfortable throughout their entire stay. Visitors can stay overnight in any of Stone Manor’s six luxury suites and spend downtime exploring the surrounding area: Harper’s Ferry, Charlestown, the C&O Canal, and Frederick’s shopping and dining district are all nearby and available for your guests enjoy.

For more information, call 301.371.0099.

The architecturally stunning house with a premier decorative arts collections is complemented by its beautifully restored, award-winning garden. From formal evening affairs to casual afternoon gatherings, weddings at The Lee-Fendall House are memorable occasions. The venue also hosts wedding showers, bridal teas, and rehearsal dinners.

Photography Credit: Len Spoden

Old Town Alexandria is a mecca of shopping, dining, and entertainment for guests. The Lee-Fendall House is within walking distance to hotels, parking, and the Metro, great for both D.C. area and out-of-town guests.

While saying your nuptials, you can feel good knowing that proceeds from the rental program support the museum programs and helps preserve the historical beautiful house and garden.

Small ceremonies can be held in the front hall of the house. Stand-up receptions for 75 can also be held inside the house. Ceremonies and seated receptions for up to 140 are held in the lovely garden. Weddings with more than 30 guests require the use of a tent by an exclusive tent vendor, Rent-All Center. The Lee-Fendall House is also located within walking distance to several churches.

Couples who rent the property get the use of both the house and garden and the museum is closed to the public during that time, ensuring that the couple has privacy on their wedding day. After the ceremony, guests can enjoy a cocktail hour in the house and garden before moving into the tent for the reception.

Readers of District Weddings are welcome to attend The Lee-Fendall House reception on October 1st from 4:00 to 6:00pm — Tour the property, sample food from Avenue Events, and drink great wine from Wilkinson Wine Cellar. If you wish to attend, kindly RSVP to leefendallevents@live.com.

For more information, you may contact Emily Rusch at leefendallevents@live.com or 703.517.9368.

Raspberry Plain provides four ceremony locations and two reception locations – allowing couples to host their entire wedding celebration in one place. Each of these sites has its own unique charm and beauty. The employees at Raspberry Plain are known for their Southern charm and hospitality. The venue has tables and gold Chivari chairs for indoor receptions as well as white wooden folding padded chairs for outdoor ceremonies. Love that those are included!

For ceremonies, you have the option to seat your guests in one of four areas, three outdoor and one indoor.

First, there is the North Lawn, overlooking rolling hills of farmland and forest for those who love gorgeous scenic views and natural, rustic settings.

Perhaps the Southern-style mansion is more your taste, in which you may choose to set up your chairs on the South Lawn, facing Raspberry Plain’s stately brick mansion with brilliant white pillars.

Have you always dreamt of your wedding taking place in an enchanting, elegant garden? Then you may prefer the Formal Gardens, where the aisle you walk down is actually a path winding through thick shrubs studded with colorful flowers and past fountains strewn with petals. As music softly and sweetly announces your arrival, march underneath lush, green, natural archways of boxwoods on your way to alter.

Finally, there is the Grand Conservatory, a bright and open room with walls of windows letting in gorgeous light. Arrange up to two hundred chairs atop the suprisingly smooth cobblestone floor underneath a vaulted, cathedral ceiling, and string up white lights around the room for an extra sparkle and cheer during any season. Another feature of this room is the large balcony above the seating area where a band can sit and play during the ceremony or reception.

After the ceremony, take your guests to the Grand Conservatory or Carriage House for the reception. In addition to holding your wedding ceremony in the Grand Conservatory, you can also choose to set up dining tables and dance space inside the bright, window-filled room. The twinkle-light strung trees will look even more glamorous at night while guests celebrate the special day.

The Carriage House is the perfect reception location for those with smaller guest lists looking for a more smaller, more quaint celebrations, holding up to fifty guests. It is a beautiful house filled with light, boasting bright, cheerful yellow walls and turquoise armchairs that add to its cozy charm. It is certainly a warm, intimate atmosphere, and guests will feel like they are celebrating in someone’s home. If you celebrate Christmas and host a wedding during the holiday season, Raspberry Plain will even set up a beautifully decorated tree in the corner of the room, full of glittering lights and ornaments to add a hefty dose of cheer and merriment to the already joyous occasion.

For more information, contact Maria Guerra at maria@raspberryplain.com.

For your ceremony, choose from the classic Greek portico complete with high, elegant columns and fringed with low-hanging tree branches or the ennchanting wedding grove, a romantic, intimate area surrounded by towering trees that filter in sunlight and provide a gorgeous, natural setting.

Woodend Sanctuary is ideal for beautiful photographs among the wildflowers, tall grasses, and lush green trees.

Inside the Woodend Mansion, elegant rooms complete with fireplaces and hardwood floors are lovely for your big day! Take your first dance in the glamorous Great Hall next to a warm, blazing fireplace and stately winding staircase…dine with your guests outside the French doors under the Tented Terrace. Available April through November, the Terrace can hold up to 150 guests and is so delightful!

One special feature of Woodend is that it is part of the Audubon Naturalist Society, the oldest and largest independent nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental issues — the ideal spot for couples hoping to host a “green” environmentally-friendly wedding.

In fact, Woodend Sanctuary will do all that it can to help you make your celebration as green as possible. Not only does the venue strive to maintain an eco-friendly reputation by allowing wedding parties to hold both the ceremony and reception at any of Woodend’s multiple spacious, diverse areas, thus reducing transportation, but they also encourage couples cut down on wasteful decorations by instead embracing the gorgeous, natural setting as décor in itself. Allow the blushing pink cherry blossoms, bright yellow wildflowers, and hundreds of trees painting the background every shade of green imaginable to provide a natural color scheme. It is likely that you will even see a few deer peering out from the woods.

Woodend works to reduce environmental waste. In addition to recyling, the venue uses efficient heating and cooling systems, lighting timer devices, low-flow toilets and faucets, environmentally sensitive cleaning supplies. Love it – so eco-chic!

For more information, contact Rebecca Robinson at rrobinson@audubonnaturalist.org.

Do you recommend that all outdoor ceremonies and receptions use tents?

For wedding receptions, absolutely.  Although al fresco weddings look beautiful in bridal magazines, it is not a realistic option for us east coast gals.  From a practical standpoint, tents provide cover for your reception, rain or shine, and the ability to heat and cool the reception space as needed.  Aesthetically, tents are completely customizable and offer a blank canvas to create your own unique outdoor wedding reception.

Depending on the size of your wedding, I would recommend (at least) putting a ceremony tent on hold as a rain plan.  Most companies will offer some flexibility with a last minute ‘call date’ in exchange for a full or partial deposit.

What are the set up requirements for having a tent at your wedding?  What other ‘outdoor’ rental items will a bride need… and why?

The most frequently asked question we initially receive from brides is: “I want to get married outside– where do I begin?”  If you are not hiring a planner (which we always recommend) and your first call is to a tent company, you’re off to a good start.

A few details to initially consider before calling:  Survey the area– what is the terrain surface?  Is there any power available or will I need to have this provided?  Where will my guests use the restroom?  Are there any major public or private underground utilities in the work space or power lines overhead?

Providing these site details (in addition to your event details) will help us put together an initial estimate for the reception.  Even if you do not know all of the answers, scheduling a site visit is the next step for finalizing your tent size and equipment order… and avoiding last minute unknown expenses.

Other parts of the ‘outdoor equipment package’ are not always the most glamorous, but necessary to make it function.  For example, generators are not as beautiful as hand-engraved invitations, however, your guests will not be able to see their petit filet if the lights in the tent go out.  Likewise, the septic system at your grandparents’ farm may not be able to handle 250 of your nearest and dearest after cocktail hour—justifying the need (and cost) of a restroom trailer.

Are there different types of tents available?  How do you determine what size tent to use?  Is it ever better to break the space up with a few smaller tents rather than one large tent?

All tents are modular structures rented and priced by the square foot.  There are several tent styles/types out there to consider for your reception—from the classic white Century pole tent to the clear top frame to a beautiful Sperry sailcloth tent.

Guest count, dance floor/ staging layout and your service style (seated dinner, standing reception, etc.) are all determining factors in selecting the appropriate tent size for your reception.  Additionally, the physical tent space may also play a role in determining the tent configuration for your event.

I love the idea of having separate tents for dinner and dancing, however, this concept doesn’t always work for every reception.  This is why we do not publish a ‘price list’ or provide generic ‘wedding packages’, as every wedding is different and comes with its own set of unique challenges.  Everyone is on a budget these days, and your tent provider will be able to make good recommendations around helping you pick a tent style and layout that matches your budget and vision. 

What other services do you provide?

In addition to tents, we provide lighting, flooring, carpeting, staging, custom decking, custom draping, restroom trailers, specialty furniture, tables, chairs, power distribution equipment and onsite event service.  We also provide scaled layout drawings for every event—from a 50 person cocktail reception to a 5,000 person seated dinner.

Thank you so much to Liz for sharing her incredible wealth of knowledge with us today! I just love her practical yet realistically understanding advice!

Be sure to check out more beautiful images at the Skyline Tent Company and the Sperry Tents Virginia websites. For more information please contact Skyline Tent Company at info{at}skylinetentcompany{dot}com or Sperry Tents Virginia at info{at}sperrytentsvirginia{dot}com!

My favorite?  Those adorable cupcakes, baked by Courtney Weeks.  The catering was provided by Fruit of the Vine Catering Company.

And the flowers?  (Oh, the flowers – love ‘em.) Gathered Stems out of McLean, Virginia.  A HUGE thanks to Stephen Bobb for opening his wedding portfolio and sharing these great pictures with us! Congratulations, Kelly & Brennan!

That wraps up our Real Weddings Week!  Don’t worry, we have tons of other Real Weddings to show you throughout the coming months.  

Next week the excitement continues — every day I’ll be interviewing one of D.C.’s top wedding experts.  From band leaders to make-up artists, hotel catering directors, to party planners, everyone “in the know” will be stopping by to tell us their two cents.  Don’t miss it!  Have a great weekend!

I still have lots more.  Beautiful photos for a beautiful April day…