Athenaeum Reviews
Reviews
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4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
14 Reviews
98% recommend it
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Emily R. Sent on 11/26/2022
Beautiful, Affordable Venue in Old Town
We hosted a 50 guest wedding ceremony and reception at the Anthenaeum in September 2022 and had a wonderful experience! It is such a beautiful setting. We used the gorgeous back courtyard for our cocktail hour at sunset and it felt truly magical. The staff are wonderful to work with and it is in the heart of Old Town near hotels, shops and restaurants which is perfect if you have a lot of guests flying in like we did. The art adds a fun, modern element and we loved the artists featured the month of our wedding. We are so happy we chose the Anthenaeum - highly recommend!Athenaeum's reply:
Thank you so much for the terrific review Emily! Wishing you both all the best as you embark on this next chapter of your life! -
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Paige Sent on 05/27/2020Great venue
We wanted a historic venue that felt intimate and unique and the Athenaeum was a great fit! It's awesome to be able to support a community non-profit that supports the arts too. Our wedding was in the winter so we had the ceremony and reception inside. The staff recommended a great caterer and tent company so we were able to flip the space quickly during the cocktail hour. It was a little crowded in the courtyard during the cocktail hour but overall it was a great experience. The price is reasonable and the building is beautiful. The staff was also easy to work with, kind, and flexible. Thanks! -
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Meg Sent on 02/07/2019Would highly recommend!
We held our welcome party here the night before our wedding and it was absolutely amazing. The Anthenaeum is truly an iconic Old Town building -- and it is situated right in the heart of downtown. If you're looking for a unique and intimate venue for any of your wedding events, this is it! -
![Ashley]()
Ashley Sent on 10/15/2018Great Ceremony Venue
All of the Athenaeum staff was excellent to work with. During the initial planning stages, Veronica and Richard were my main points of contact, both of whom were very helpful answering questions. They were happy to entertain our questions both via email and during the various trips to check out the space. The contract process was fairly straight forward and fortunately renting out the space includes both the art gallery and the outside garden (it rained on our wedding day and the ceremony was initially going to take place in the garden). A few days before the wedding, we were informed that Amanda would be the staffer on hand on the actual wedding day. I sent Amanda my proposed timeline and we reviewed it over the phone. She was willing to assist with flow of show and confirming chair and floral deliveries/set up.
She advised us of some renovations that were taking place in the alley behind the garden, which is where the ceremony was originally going to take place. While the staff had not previously informed us of the planned renovation, it all worked out in the end. Amanda emailed me photos of the renovations, offered alternate solutions to ensure the scaffolding wouldn’t be as visible, emailed the contractor to ensure they would be done with the renovations for the day prior to our scheduled photo time and ceremony start time, and offered to be at the venue early to ensure that everything was clean.
When I realized it was likely going to rain on the wedding day, I emailed Amanda asking for a quick discussion on a rain plan. She contacted me right away to confirm a time and we spoke the morning of the wedding to come up with a rain plan. She handled the new set up with both the chair rental company and the florist. The set up came out beautifully.
Also, one of the photographers left a water behind and Amanda emailed me about the item so I was able to retrieve it the next day.
I would definitely rent this space again!Athenaeum's reply:
Dear Ashley,
Thank you so much for your review. We really appreciate it!
The pictures look wonderful, and we are glad you all had a lovely time despite the rain.
All the best,
The Athenaeum Staff -
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Rachel Sent on 11/27/2017I chose the Athenaeum because one night while walking through Old Town Alexandria I witnessed a wedding going on. It was snowing outside but inside it was bright , warm, everyone looked so happy, and I was completely struck with how beautiful everything looked. They were my first choice because I wanted a wedding that beautiful as well. Working with the Athenaeum was great. The rental representative was professional and responsive. The price for renting the Athenaeum is on their website and you will not find a single place in Old Town more affordable than here. We had a small wedding of about 70 people but we fit comfortably to have a ceremony in the courtyard out back and a reception with a dance floor inside. You should be aware that this is an art gallery and the art changes regularly. You will have no control over what art is up the day of your wedding, but the art at our wedding was beautiful and a non issue. I actually received some compliments on choosing an art gallery as the location of the reception! While there is no dedicated parking lot, we were able to reserve two spaces out front of the Athenaeum for vendors to load and unload before and after the wedding, and it gave us a place to put the getaway car at the end of the night. Guests had no trouble finding parking, even on a busy Alexandria night due to the parking garage one block over. There were absolutely no issues fitting a buffet, a bar, a DJ, 70 people and a dance floor in the space. Check them out for sure!
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Amanda Sent on 02/25/2016We held our ceremony at the Athenaeum, and it was perfect. Not only was Richard incredibly helpful through the entire process and a million questions from me, but the space was so affordable! Everyone told me how romantic and lovely the gallery was for our ceremony, and that it fit us perfectly.
If you're looking for something intimate, unique, and affordable, go to the Athenaeum! -
User2985886 Sent on 02/26/2017Great place for a small Old Town wedding; we did both the ceremony and reception there (around 40 people for seated dinner and dancing with plenty of room to spare). The staff is very friendly and accommodating and the venue and surrounding historic neighborhood make for great photos. Our out of town guests made several comments about how picturesque it was and loved the location for their weekend wedding trip. -
![Malia]()
Malia Sent on 04/08/2024Beautiful venue in Old Town
We recently had our wedding at the Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria, and it was a truly special occasion! The venue was just the right size for the wedding we wanted and the style made us think of the place we got engaged, on the Acropolis in Athens. The venue has a lovely indoor gallery space as well as a courtyard and we hat our ceremony outdoors and the reception indoors. A few things you should keep in mind if you are considering the Athenaeum: the space is on the small side, which we liked, but may not suffice for some weddings; you have to choose one of their recommended caterers or pay an added fee (though we were very happy with the caterers we went with and they knew exactly how the venue worked!); the venue does not include anything beyond the actual space, all vendors and services need to be hired separately. For us, this all worked out well and we felt our guests had a great time! The venue also makes for a beautiful backdrop for photos, just make sure to reserve the parking spaces in front of it. Our only minor issue was that the rental manager was not super responsive, but his coworker was, so it wasn't a problem in the end, I just didn't know who to reach out to at first. All in all, we are so happy we got to have our wedding at the Athenaeum! The art on display on the day was cheerful and modern and everything went according to plan. So excited to see more picture and relive the special day! -
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User1305478 Sent on 08/28/2013Took care of everything and left me without a worry in the world!,,
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