There simply is not enough space for me to write what happened to our wedding. We began by booking and planning with an excellent catering manager 12 months before the wedding. With 6 months to go, he left for another job. We were left with a temporary replacement who failed to understand the wedding as planned and proceeded to undo all of the hard work. Attempts to work with the property's general manager resulted in tedious personality conflicts as we watched them destroy the simply, beautiful wedding that was planned. More staffing changes later - by the time my wedding arrived I had planned and replanned it 4 times. We loved our wedding for the people who were there. All of the vendors except for the Fairfax were flawless. The Fairfax messed up so many important details that they can never resolve. They crushed my dress upon arrival. They failed to provide guests with the very expensive custom welcome baskets upon arrival. We never found the missing baskets. They messed up our ceremony. They failed to provide the custom ice cream we special ordered. They failed to provide the wedding cake top to the bride and groom. They misplaced or lost wedding gifts. They lost a custom cake stand heirloom box and never paid to replace it. Thankfully the catering staff who worked hard on our wedding helped us to make sure our guests never knew all of the mistakes. In the end, we returned from our honeymoon to find thousands of dollars charged to our credit card we never approved. One comptroller and one attorney later... the charges were reversed. All in all a non starwood luxury property experience that should never have happened this way.

The Fairfax WOULD HAVE been a perfect venue, if Scott Button had not left in May 2010. There was a new replacement, just a week before my wedding. The staff was disorganized, monetary gifts were stolen, our bathroom amenities went missing, the schedule was delayed an hour for some reason, our guests sat hungry for over an hour waiting for the entree, and most obscene of all, they forgot to return the linens we rented (even though the fedex came 3 times to pick it up), and we were charged $6,000 which we cannot recoup. The hotel was also very adamant about not negotiating and blaming it all on us or the linen rental company for not sending a fedex. In short, althoguh the hotel is gorgeous, the food was not worth the money paid and nor was the service. You could do MUCH better at the Four Seasons for about the same price!

I can't say enough about Scott Button who coordinates the events at the Westin. It was a very memorable experience and it was exactly what I was looking for. It had a nice Washington feel to the room. I have heard that they upgraded the room now. Scott was very responsive to all of my questions and made me feel very comfortable from day one. He was very accomodating with our budget.

The Westin Embassy Row was the perfect venue for our wedding reception. We envisioned an event that was traditional and formal, but still intimate, warm and FUN! The generous dance floor and elevated stage worked perfectly with a live band. And the venue's policy of having only one event per day ensured that we were well taken care of at every stage.

The food also far exceeded our expectations (especially given that we did not "upgrade" from the standard package) and Scott Button and his staff were true professionals. They were respectful of our preferences and attentive to every detail. We loved working with them and felt like pampered guests at our own wedding!

Scott Button and his team at the Westin- Embassy Row truly have it all together. Even our parents were impressed on the days leading up to the event and the day itself at how responsive Scott and his team were. Most things never even needed to be asked as Scott took a lot of initiative to have them taken care of before we could notice, calculate, and find him. It took a ton of stress off of our shoulders and allowed us more time to spend with our guests. Scott was also amazing in providing recommendations for other vendors to use throughout the city including our florist, Amarylis which Scott clearly had a tight relationship with and as a result helped in ideas and designs that he felt were most attractive in the Ballroom at the Westin- Embassy Row. The flowers among so many other aspects are still talked about by our friends and family today! It was an amazing experience and a day worth remembering thanks to all of Scott's professional experience and the hard work and effort of his team that was evident throughout every aspect of our day. We wish we could do it all over again just to experience it one more time. We, our entire family and friends present that day, would happily recommend the Westin-Embassy Row and Scott Button to any other couple looking for the perfect venue with the perfect staff which will solidify the success of one of the most important days in their lives.

The Westin Embassy Row was a spectacular location for our reception. The venue is truly unique and doesn't feel like just another hotel ballroom. There's the appropriate sense of drama to the location with cocktails held upstairs overlooking the ballroom and band. I also loved the separate entrance and restrooms for the ballroom so guests didn't get mixed up in the lobby. The ballroom itself is the perfect size, allowing each table a good view of the band and dance floor (no poles). The food/catering was also well done--many of our guests commented on the delicious meal. I also liked the signature china the food was served on.
The Westin staff was incredibly helpful to our guests and accommodated several last minute surprises--this included finding a large screen and A-V equipment when my brother surpised us with a video presentation! The venue is also ideal for a band--which was showcased so well on the stage behind the dance floor.
The overall location of the hotel is another reason we chose it. With a large contingent of out-of-town guests, we knew they'd want to see Washington D.C. so having the event downtown really worked well. Most out-of-town guests made it a long weekend in order to see the city. Valet parking for those that drove also avoided parking concerns. Proximity to bars/restaurants in Dupont was yet another plus.
As far as the budget was concerned, we made it work because, after seeing tons of venues in DC and VA, we found it was the only place that offered the uniqueness, quality, and convenience we wanted. You really can't go wrong here--it's a memorable and magical place for a wedding.