Skip to main content
Weddings

About

Named after John McLean, the founder of the Washington Post & the once owner of the famous Hope Diamond..

The Ballroom at McLean Gardens is available for special events & Wedding Reception. It house 350 guest for a cocktail party and about 200 guest for a seated dinner. It is located in the shadow of the National Cathedral & there is plenty of street parking available in the area. The site is managed by Washington Parties a boutique special event company & caterer.

Washington's favorite Ballroom opened over 40 years, serving The Capital's political, corporate & social leaders for years. Our award winning menu & excellent service are the reasons why the ballroom is on the " must see " list of every discerning Washington Bride !! We look forward to show you our grand old venue & share a little bit of its history...

Welcome to The Ballroom

illustration popular

Venues you may like

See other venues that are popular with couples right now

Frequently asked questions

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

1

Describe your venue:

Banquet Hall
Historic Building
Mansion

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party

What event services do you offer?

Event Planner

What catering services do you offer?

Outside Cake

Reviews of McLean Gardens Ballroom

C
Cynthia Sent on 09/08/2015
5 out of 5 rating
Our wedding at McLean Gardens Ballroom was delightful in every way. Phillippe was phenomenal to work with and he charmed my mom, my husband, several friends associated with the event and definitely me. The space is accessible and elegant. We used the lovely candelabras, saved big money on flowers in the space and made a wonderful statement. The glistening ballroom floor invites dancing and fun. The food was absolutely spectacular. Several months after the wedding folks are still talking about our stellar menu. We tasted every item we served and were able to move forward with confidence. The value for the money was also unbeatable. If we were doing our wedding all over again, we would run to have our reception there with Phillippe!
S
Sarah Sent on 08/20/2013
5 out of 5 rating
We discovered McLean Gardens Ballroom in a random Google search, looking for venues for our wedding day. We became interested in the Ballroom first based on price and availability, but the more time we spent planning, talking with the staff, and preparing for our wedding day, the more we realized just how perfect our reception venue was for us. They were incredibly professional, thoughtful, gracious, and accommodating to our every need. They worked with us on a menu that was sensitive to various food allergies and sensitivities among the guests; they cared for our elderly grandmother with grace and gentleness; they were efficient in set-up and clean-up; and were willing to bend over backwards, if necessary, to give us what we wanted, to help us stay at/under our budget, and still provide an elegant atmosphere and experience. I would highly recommend them to anyone marrying in the DC area.
A
Amanda Sent on 03/26/2013
5 out of 5 rating
Mr. Demol was fabulous, and the Ballroom was a vision. It truly is a hidden gem. The room has such character and timesless beauty, and our wedding felt like a fairytale. Washington Parties does a wonderful job catering and planning the event. The food was amazing (see review of Washington Parties dated 3/26/13).
S
Stephanie Sent on 03/06/2013
5 out of 5 rating
Phil and his colleagues at Washington Parties made our March 2 wedding a truly memorable event. They were wonderful to work with and helped us put together an event that will be talked about among our friends and family for years to come. The Ballroom is beautiful - a real grand dame - elegant but not stuffy. I would use them again and would recommend them without reservation!
D
Darling Sent on 02/06/2013
5 out of 5 rating
My wedding was a dream come true. Philippe and his staff took care of us - we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

Thank you Philippe!
Deirdre
Deirdre Sent on 10/16/2012
5 out of 5 rating
Phil and Stewart of McLean Gardens Ballroom were fantastic! They are fun, flexible and professional and the food was delicious. The venue and the reception more than surpassed our wildest expectations. The location is perfect and the old style ballroom in a DC neighborhood just north of National Cathedral was very convenient. If your families love to dance like ours do, this is a great setting for your reception! Best of all, Phil and Stewart don't nickel and dime you to death - from the beginning the negotiations were simple and reasonable. Loved it!
E
Ellen Sent on 12/23/2010
5 out of 5 rating
Excellent day!
C
Cara Sent on 08/28/2008
5 out of 5 rating
Finding a reception location was the hardest part of planning the wedding because it was the first decision I needed to make in order to plan everything else. I searched everywhere in Virginia- horse country, wine country, metro area. I knew I didn't want to be at a hotel, and I knew I didn't want to be at a facility that was more like a "wedding factory". McLean Gardens Ballroom was the PERFECT choice for us. The cost was very reasonable, there are no hidden fees (cake cutting fee, what is that??). Also, the ballroom has beautiful features. Huge fireplaces at either end, which many guests used as the backdrop for pictures. Beautiful white pillars on all four corners of the dance floor, and many windows allowing natural light to flow into the room. Trust me, this is important. Some places want to cram you into a windowless room! We were able to book for a Saturday afternoon, which most reception halls would not do because it didn't fit into their morning/evening time schedule. Meaning that most places wanted to be able to book two wedding receptions in one day. At MGB, we had the ENTIRE ballroom to ourselves. This is important when the reception is over. My family and I were not rushed out. We had plenty of time to figure out who was going where in which car. Plenty of time to load our presents and flower arrangements into the car.

The coordinator of MGB, Lyn Holland, is completely on top of everything. My husband and I were invited to several free tastings. We went two or three times, enjoyed cocktails, appetizers, and a nice dinner. We were able to taste all of our menu selections, see how the wait staff served (which is seamless, I hardly noticed that they were in the room), and we also got a good sense of how the ballroom would look during our wedding. Each time I went, I fell in love with the ballroom over and over again.

J
Jessica Sent on 11/19/2008
4.8 out of 5 rating
McLean Gardens Ballroom is totally gorgeous and exactly what we were looking for. It is basically a large reception hall owned by the McLean Gardens condo community. It has a gorgeous black and white marble-floored foyer, a huge ballroom with a dance floor, pillars, 40-foot ceilings, and two fireplaces, and a nice upstairs with pretty bathrooms and a room to get ready in. It does not really have any outdoor space so though our wedding was indoors, we took our photos at the National Cathedral, which is nearby. The staff were very helpful and flexible, and the room looked absolutely gorgeous all set up for our wedding. They carried out our vision perfectly and it looked even better than we were imagining. We got compliments on the venue from guests all night long.
N
Natalie Sent on 06/09/2015
4.7 out of 5 rating
The McLean Gardens Ballroom is a beautiful space, and an excellent value. We found it through a combination of google searching and wedding wire research, and we're so glad we did. The high ceilings and fireplaces make for a romantic space, and the permanent dance floor lends itself to a great party. We had only one hiccup in our process with the Ballroom -- four months before our wedding, there was a falling our between the event manager who signed our contract and the McLean Gardens community. I feared, for about a day, that I might lose my venue. But our caterer stepped up, took over the event contract, and performed wonderfully. It's unclear to me whether McLean Gardens Ballroom is still contracting for outside private events like weddings. If so, double check that your deposit is safely deposited with the community and that your caterer has a good relationship with the community too. But if you can check those boxes, go for it. The Ballroom was a stunning space, and we had a beautiful wedding there.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

13

Map

McLean Gardens Ballroom frequently asked questions

The space offered by McLean Gardens Ballroom for wedding events is known for:
  • Banquet Hall
  • Historic Building
  • Mansion
McLean Gardens Ballroom offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
McLean Gardens Ballroom offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
McLean Gardens Ballroom offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Event Planner
McLean Gardens Ballroom is recommended by 95% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.8 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.8 in quality of service, 4.8 in flexibility, 4.8 in value, 4.7 in professionalism and 4.6 in average response time.

Other vendors in Washington DC for your wedding

Wedding Venues