Bridal Shower - Need suggestions since hostesses (us) are out of state!
Hi! We are looking to host a fabulous girls weekend in the WDC area, but are struggling to find the right places to go since we are in CT and FL, and the bride lives in DC.
Our theme is Cherry Blossoms, but most importantly we are looking for a great place to eat - I keep thinking winery, so we can make/buy a bottle that she can open years from now on her anniversary.
Any ideas would be helpful - for any activities!
Thanks,
Jenn
By aphijay455
on Mar 2, 2010 07:10 PM
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how many? in the District or out in the sticks? general price range p/p on entree or a slew of apps?
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Are the guests local in DC? If in town, you might consider picking locations near the Metro, especially if there will be cocktails.
A cooking class might be a fun idea. (Is the bride a foodie?) CulinAerie holds private events and showers and bday dinners are popular. They are right by the Metro and has validated parking next door at Donovan House hotel.
http://www.culinaerie.com/
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Late last year I had a business group dinner at West End Bistro in DC and the food, service and wines were great. It's a beautiful modern space that I think would be great for a bridal shower. Melissa the events person was very helpful and relative to other high end restaurants in DC the prices were good. Everyone loved their food too. The menu changes seasonally and it's very foodie. Metro accessible too from Foggy Bottom metro.
West End Bistro
1190 22nd Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Phone 202-974-4900
http://www.westendbistrodc.com/
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Re: wineries. Around DC they are pretty far away and this would be very complicated. None are part of restaurants that I know of. At West End Bistro you can preselect wines from a wide range of prices so I suggest that. They could preset a menu for you then you could know how much it's going to cost per person. It's in a reallly nice hotel too but the name escapes me. So people out of town (who can do a $200 hotel room) would have a place to stay.
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I noticed the other night that Central has a semi private area in back (can be cordoned off by steel mesh curtains) that could probably handle about 20 people with a great view of the kitchen.
right across Penn from the Cherry Blossom festival whenever that is but nowhere near cherry blossoms that I'm aware of.
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As far as wineries, most of them are 30-40min outside of DC and very few have restaurants. Also, the wine produced in Virginia probably is not the type of thing you would hold onto for years... it is just not meant for cellaring.
Central has a private dining space and the food is amazing. I had a bridal luncheon there before I was married and it was perfect. Noise can be an issue, but if you have the event scheduled for either a late lunch or early dinner then you can avoid the noise.
Equinox (which is slated to reopen in the spring) has a private wine room you can dine in that holds maybe 8-12 people. I find the food fabulous there, and the wine room setting is intimate and perfect for the girls.
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I had my sister's bridal shower at the 21 M Lounge at St. Gregory Hotel in DC. Typically it's open as an evening spot but they served us a pre-arranged menu from the M Street Bar and Grill also in the St. Gregory Hotel. We were able to use the entire lounge and we hosted about 30 people. The theme of the Lounge is Marylin Monroe (my sister's fav) so the place was perfect. Food was great and reasonable!
If you really want to make wine without going to a winery..(too far), try Carafe Wine Makers in Alexandria. Great location in downtown Alexandria. We did this for my fiance's bday. Many friends came, we did a tasting, chose the wine we wanted, and made wine. A couple things you need to think about...in making the wine, you have to make a full batch (30 bottles); You CAN make your own labels..like a picture of you all or a pic of the bride and groom. Also, your DC bride will have to come back about a month/two later to pick up wine. She and fiance could go together and bottle their wine/do more tasting. Great and fun! All bridesmaids could chip in to use as gift for them OR tell fiance your idea and see if he would be interested in using the wine for their wedding/or contributing! If you are on a budget, I decorated 4 pack mini champagne bottles and placed them on 3 tables as centerpieces. The Bride took them home as the total of 12 equals one year. Each month the newlyweds split a bottle and cheers to their first year of marriage.
Hope this helps!
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