DACOR Bacon House Reviews

DACOR Bacon House is truly a hidden gem venue in Washington, DC and the greater DMV area. This was actually our “backup venue” after our original wedding venue cancelled on us months before our wedding, and we can’t believe how perfectly everything turned out - we are glad that we ended up at DACOR Bacon House instead of our first choice! The house is extremely ornately decorated inside which took a weight off our shoulders in terms of decorating the space. The back courtyard made for a beautiful ceremony site and naturally transitioned into cocktail hour in the expansive space, as well as dancing at the end of the night. There are beautiful statues and greenery, and the surrounding area is very quiet (especially on weekends) and feels very private. We had our dinner inside in one of the most beautiful spaces imaginable. The venue also provided their chairs (for the ceremony and dinner) and tables, which brought financial and time savings. I hear they have great in-house catering (and it smelled great the times I visited and the kitchen was active) and prefer that events use them, but the events team (Sylvia & Meg) understood our situation having previously hired a caterer for our original venue and allowed them to use the kitchen and led the caterers on multiple venue walkthroughs to learn the space. The venue was truly so beautiful and I couldn’t be happier with how our wedding here went. A huge thank you to all the staff who made it possible!

When you don’t want any event but you want “the” event this special hidden gem of a venue could be the perfect choice for you as it was for us. This historic venue has the staff food and wine to match its beauty. This is not your typical hotel ballroom, if you want your event to feel different, special, and memorable this is where you should book. We visited many venues in the area a year ahead of time so had many choices before picking this one and are so glad we did. The differences aren’t just the venue, but the staff who went above and beyond to make sure it really was a special day. We’re so glad we picked DACOR Bacon for our one in a lifetime day.

I just had a wedding at DACOR Bacon House. The venue is stunningly beautiful, the food is incredible, and the space was PERFECT for our 120 person wedding. There are plenty of venues that offer these things, but what makes DACOR special is the people. Every single member of their staff is passionate about creating your perfect wedding, and they can make just about anything happen. I couldn't have asked for better people to coordinate such a beautiful day. I highly recommend this venue for your wedding!

DACOR Bacon is a sensational venue for hosting a party/wedding/school reunion/etc.. We have thrown a cocktails and dance party there for the past three years, and can't say enough about the professionalism of the staff, the quality of the food, the service, and the price. Best of all, our guests love DACOR Bacon and come back each year.

The house is an elegant Federal brick building (1801), home of John Marshall when he was on the Supreme Court. It is decorated with beautiful antiques and paintings. If you're having a large event, the garden AND the house are able to accommodate 180 people. When we wanted to rent a tent for dancing under outside, they helped us. When we wanted great DJs, they helped find them. For smaller events, the house is wonderful for a cocktail party, lunch or dinner. It retains its beautiful old world charm and is located just a stone's throw from the White House. Parking is fairly easy on weekends and in the evening

We have also used DACOR Bacon for alumni cocktail parties. Guests tremendously enjoyed the elegant and comfortable setting. Washingtonians love to come to parties there -- it's the only still functioning grand historic house in Foggy Bottom. People walked by and say, 'What's that? I'd love to go in there." Out of towners are thrilled with its location, history and beauty. The staff is very experienced and helpful. They go out of their way to ensure the success of the events. Sylvia, who is the events coordinator, always goes above and beyond to make sure that we have a good experience. Alba and Jose make sure all the logistics are running smoothly, and they do a wonderful job. Meg wonderfully oversees it all.

My experience with DACOR Bacon house was amazing in every way. The planning was made easy, the check-ins were perfect, and day of; the staff was amazing and the venue exceeded my expectations!

As a DACOR member, I understand the value of the DACOR Bacon House. My wife and I chose it for our wedding. Throughout many changes caused travel restrictions due to the Pandemic, the team at the DACOR Bacon House were always accommodating. We ended up with a much smaller event than originally planned, and they adjusted to meet our needs. We highly recommend Meg and her team!

AMAZING!!! From the 1st email until we left. The venue is stunning! The staff was amazing. We only booked for an hour because it was a small and last minute booking. I would recommend 10/10! My only regret is that we didnt book more time for pics! I couldve stayed all day.

Thank you Meg, Alba, Chef and team!

When we first walked into the venue - we knew there was no other option. Dacor Bacon is styling, sophisticated, the grand dame of DC. The history and beautiful furniture create a fantastic ambience and wow! It photos well!

Our final party was around 70, the venue could definitely accommodate 90 but felt intimate for 70 and the attention to detail from the team was wonderful.

They were also extremely supportive and flexible with set up and allowing us to bring our own flowers and table decor in, even though we were doing this as amateurs (no planner or flower arranger!) and realistically, we really didn’t need much given the beauty of the house.

Dancing in the garden after dinner was a wonderful bonus as well and we enjoyed being able to have a DJ in this private oasis.
Having the whole house to ourselves made all the difference as well.

I honestly cannot imagine a better team or better experience. I am so grateful to everyone at dacor bacon!

Finally the price was extremely reasonable! I doubt you can find a venue in DC anywhere near as approachable for the beauty and the high quality team work!

I'm a member of this club and have always loved the courtyard garden and pergola, which was picture perfect for the ceremony. Their Chef Moore is very talented and we dined inside the house under candlelit chandeliers, then went back out to the garden for cake and dancing. They provided everything - food, tables, linens, chairs, stocked bar, air purifiers. It was one-stop shopping, which made planning so easy.

The DACOR Bacon house is truly amazing! Throughout our entire wedding, guests were coming up to us saying how impressed they were with the venue. It is a gem right in the middle of downtown DC. They have a huge, beautiful courtyard coupled with a stunning, historic interior. You will love it, and so will your photographer.

Also, I cannot complement the staff enough. They will work tirelessly to make sure your wedding is exactly the way you want it. They are friendly, hard working, and generous. Our wedding was the best day of our lives and we thank the whole team at DACOR Bacon for making it so.

Lastly, it is very convenient to have the catering on site. It's one less (big) thing for you to worry about.

I would like especially to commend Sylvia Whitaker, the events assistant who was mainly responsible for our rehearsal dinner event. She was always accessible and had ready solutions to any concern that I had. Meg Sharley was also helpful, the food delicious and beautifully served. The chef and event manager were excellent and flexible when some guests arrived later than we expected...

Our experience with DACOR-Bacon was uniformly excellent. We got compliments from our guests on the unique, historic, and elegant house. The staff was helpful in the planning, transparent on costs, adaptable and followed through on our requests. The in-house chef produced a dining experience that earned praise from all, meat eaters to vegetarians. We went with the in-house florist whose creations were spectacular, far exceeding expectations. The house staff was polite and on the day came through on all our requests. We could not have asked for more and recommend DACOR Bacon House for anyone looking for the perfect wedding venue.

Persona muy amable y Cortez, excelente atención antes, durante y después del evento

Our rehearsal dinner was the Friday night, March 2, 2018, of the horrendous windstorm that shut down Washington, but Dacor followed through without a hitch. The historic Dacor House combines elegance with affordability. We had welcome cocktails on one floor and then migrated up to the dining room for the dinner. The staff set up the tables exactly as we wished including a media table for a slide show. Food was excellent (there is now a different chef) and service superb. Be sure to light the candles on the chandeliers for special ambiance.

The perfect site for a history buff and/or someone looking for an affordable site in Washington DC site. The outdoor gazebo and garden is beautiful! The staff is delightful to work with. I highly recommend this location!

Was very Profesional and kindly

Our wedding was in winter so it was indoors. The ambience was astonishing and all our guests were impressed. You are literally having your wedding in a historical house/museum. That was the first place that we saw, and we didn't find the need to look any further (and I am the type of person who would check out 10 different stores just to buy a t-shirt). The staff were friendly, professional, and on-time. The dinner (particularly steak with blue cheese) was also amazing!
NOTE: It is perfect for perhaps up to 70 guests if you want to have everyone in the main rooms (not in the back side that people may feel a bit isolated or 2nd class)!

DACOR Bacon House is a stunning venue in the heart of downtown DC with a team of experienced, caring staff. We had many guests, some of whom came from overseas just to attend our wedding. DACOR, as a colonial era mansion with its authentically elegant decoration and rich cultural heritage, had a mesmerizing impact on both our local and international guests. In addition, the DACOR Bacon team comprising Meg, Alba, Chef Karida, Margaret and Sylvia delivered an excellent service. They carefully listened to all our ideas, and went out of their way to accommodate our needs and requests. Having such an organized team enabled us to avoid recruiting a wedding planner, make smart decisions and stay on timeline and budget. The kitchen offers a wide variety of extremely delicious dishes, and Chef Karida easily accommodates the requests of guests with specific dietary needs (i.e., vegan, gluten-free, kids menu). Anytime we reminisce the wedding night with our guests, they still tell us how much they appreciated the romantic, charming atmosphere and the food. I must also say that their prices are very competitive compared to similar venues in downtown DC area, and also for the quality of service that they are offering. The rental includes use of all public spaces in the house so we efficiently utilized the entire house for our ceremony & dinner, and open bar & dance. All in all, we are happy to give our highest recommendation for DACOR Bacon House as a top notch, reasonably priced wedding venue.

What a fabulous wedding! We cannot say enough good things about the entire experience. The setting is truly very special in a very central location so guests can enjoy the numerous sites of Washington. We particuarly loved the fact that it is also rich in history and has an intimate, charming atmosphere. Dacor Bacon is completely different from the usual hotel experience. Its like being in someone's home which is why our daughter and fiance chose this lovely old house.
The staff are experienced, incredibly helpful and calm under pressure. It was a particularly difficult time for us as my mother had just died .Everyone treated us with such kindness, patience and understanding .We really did feel we were surrounded by family. Meg produced a master plan for the entire day and Chef Karida, Alba, Jose and all the staff
made it happen like clockwork. All the small details we asked to be included were done. The room looked so very beautiful. None of us realised at the time , as we were enjoying dinner , that there was an unexpected downpour. The staff immediately ran to cover the dance floor outside and set things up downstairs so there was a seamless transition to having the first dance! Perfect.
The food was so delicious and beautifully presented. Chef also worked with us to acccomdate our special requests for vegan and gluten free guests. Meg and Alba were such a help choosing the drinks and wines for the cocktail hour and the dinner.
Everyone said it was simply divine - and it was!
A final thought. I woke up the next morning and sent a text to our daughter and son-in-law saying" lets do it all again! "
Our heartfelt thanks again to you all for making it a magical, wonderful day!

We cannot recommend DACOR Bacon enough! We searched dozens of DC wedding venues to find one that had the charm and character of this lovely house. The downtown location was perfect for our out-of-town guests, and they were easily able to accommodate our wedding of 90 people, at a very reasonable price. The food was delicious, and we got rave reviews on the beautiful space and incredible atmosphere. However, what made DACOR Bacon so exceptional was the professionalism of the staff. Meg, Jose, Alba, Sylvia and Chef Karida went above and beyond to ensure that the day lived up to our vision -- no detail was too small, from the place settings to the family photos arranged on the mantel. They spent hours on the phone and in person ensuring that nothing was overlooked. We felt so lucky to spend this important day with them -- thank you DACOR Bacon!

A hidden gem of a wedding venue, great staff, experienced, food excellent, location the best. The outdoor space is lovely, completely shaded, perfect for outdoor wedding in DC. Interior seated our 80 guests for formal dinner perfectly. Excellent experience, highly recommend DACOR for wedding!

Wedding details: Gay couple, 92 guests and a dog, outdoor wedding in mid-October.

We wanted an intimate all-in-one (ceremony, dinner, reception) venue to allow us to create an escape from DC life. The DACOR Bacon House was exactly that! An elegant, period-authentic mansion with a spacious outdoor courtyard secreted away from the noise and bustle of DC with high brick walls and stately trees, the property has a rich history going back before the nation was even founded, allowing us not simply a location for a wedding, but a chance to take part in a long, beautiful heritage.

The DACOR Bacon staff was brilliant to work with. As a gay couple, neither one of us had ever "dreamed" of a wedding and had no clue where to start. Meg, Jose, Sylvia, and Alba (and their army of support) were there every step of the way to help us make wise decisions, stay on timeline, and stay on budget. We chose to do our wedding without a wedding planner, and Meg and her team were the perfect complement for us.

Specific things we appreciated about the DACOR Bacon House:
Value. The location is absolutely premium, the space is out of a fairy tale, the service was spectacular, yet their pricing is better than many lesser venues (those who qualify to join the DACOR Society get an additional discount).
Planning and Facility. DACOR gave us access to everything, from space to linens and tables to outdoor heaters and bistro string lights. They offered design plans for us to work off for tent size and location, and allowed us to do just about anything envisioned!
Service. They communicated quickly and often, answering all questions thoroughly. They offered one-off dinner options for our gluten-intolerant and vegan guests at no charge and (discreetly) made sure I ate during dinner.

This venue is perfect for a couple wishing to create a classy, elegant, and intimate wedding. The venue was the perfect size, style, and location for our wedding! Photos to follow when they're available!

Megan and the staff at the DACOR Bacon House were so accommodating to all of our suggestions and hopes. There was nothing they wouldn't do. The staff really delivered and the venue was beautiful that evening.

Thank you again!

The DACOR Bacon House is the gem of DC. It takes you back in time as if you are in a Jane Austen novel. It's colonial history and classical beauty made for the perfect setting for our wedding. It is more than just a venue. It is a special place that Alex and I will cherish forever. If you have ever been there, you know what I mean when I say, the historic home, living museum and beautiful gardens all make for a top notch wedding venue (such charm!), but what put the icing on the cake was its amazing staff! We couldn't have higher praise for the DACOR staff. They not only saved the day more than once but they truly were there to help us with more than we could ask for. Everything from helping us put the perfect touches on our centerpieces to making sure the cake and flowers were in the right place at the right time. They made it seamless. They were so intentional and thoughtfully listened to our vision for the day of and exceeded our expectations. Our guests still call and tell us how much they enjoyed the romantic atmosphere and most importantly, the food!! When you book with DACOR, use their catering. Wow, it was incredible! Overall, DACOR is a special place. The staff truly cares for you and couldn't wait to welcome us to their home. They all have such a love for the DACOR House and it is so evident with how much they care and show such attention to the details. We felt like we were treated as family. They were a huge part in making the most amazing day of our lives truly memorable and we can't thank them enough! Much love & cheers, Ev & Alex

My wedding was here, and I loved it. It's not the biggest space indoors if you need to use it, so if the weather isn't great then make sure your wedding is smallish or you are ready with a tent!

Meg is incredible. Thank you for your patience, your effort, your enthusiasm.

Smack dab in the middle of DC but you won't know it - the courtyard is amazing. I really was blown away by how good it all looked.

THANK YOU again!

We had a spectacular wedding at the DACOR Bacon House and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to get married in DC. It's a historic venue, centrally located, and the grounds are absolutely stunning. The Events team was wonderful to work with and they helped make our dream wedding come true. Our out-of-town guests were impressed by the site and it made for a great location for folks who came in and made it a tourist stop. Additionally, the costs were reasonable for a much more stunning location than many of the hotels we looked at.

Really I can't recommend this venue enough. It was spectacular.

I plan events for work, so I feel especially qualified to say - Meg is an absolute pleasure to work with, and the DACOR Bacon House is a standout venue. It's no exaggeration to say that I can't imagine my wedding reception anywhere else.

From the beginning, I knew it was going to be tough to select a venue for our reception: we wanted formal but not stodgy, downtown but not exorbitantly expensive, and a cozy but not cramped space for 75 guests. I was becoming convinced that this would be impossible before I visited DACOR and met Meg.

I was impressed from the get-go at her willingness to go into detail with us to get exactly what we wanted while staying within our budget. We effectively utilized the entire house for our reception, dinner, and dancing and Meg worked to understand and exceed our (somewhat complex) expectations for layout, timeline, and service on our wedding day, including a rain contingency plan that we ended up having to execute.

I almost couldn't believe how much value we got for what we paid - the hours included in the rental package were actual use time, so vendor setup (like our DJ or florist) was essentially complimentary. The rental included use of all public spaces in the house, and all tables, chairs, and linens. DACOR is also the rare case I've seen where in-house catering is both excellent and modestly priced. Our food was delicious and there were ample options for those with special dietary restrictions. Meg was happy to provide us recommendations for music/DJ and we were not limited to a specific list of vendors.

Meg really went above and beyond to make us feel welcome in the house on the day-of: there as a wedding ceremony going on earlier in the day, and in spite of this, she allowed my husband and his groomsmen to put on their tuxes and take their "getting ready" pictures in another part of the house before going to the church.

I can't say enough nice things: Thanks again for an unforgettable evening!

Dacor Bacon House is perfect for those intimate weddings that need a special touch. Contact Meg Beitz, Director for Operations. She will take good care of your needs and make your dream wedding a reality. JJ&T Entertainment loves to work with Dacor Bacon House and Meg to ensure quality music for our brides.

Our wedding was beautiful it was everything we hoped it would be. Meg was excellent she handled all our concerns calmly and effectively. She was very helpful in coming up with solutions to our anticipated planning snags. We did not have an additional wedding planner and Meg was right there on our wedding day keeping the event running smoothly.

This is a charming location. The director and her staff are gracious and professional and everything goes as planned. The Bacon House is beautiful as are the gardens, the food is delicious and definitely take their recommendations for florists and photographers.

My daughter's wedding was held at DACOR Bacon House on a glorious September day. The house and garden provided the perfect setting for an intimate wedding (80 guests). The ceremony and dinner were held indoors, while drinks and dancing were in the garden; both were a photographer's delight. Our guests, including the groom's family from Italy, were thoroughly impressed by the elegant setting, the fine meal (prepared by the onsite chef), and the attentiveness of the staff.

Throughout the planning phase, Meg and Ita were extremely helpful and responsive to our needs, and on the day of the wedding, they were onsite to ensure that everything ran like clockwork. We had a wonderful celebration at DACOR Bacon House, and we couldn't be happier about our choice of venue.

We planned our wedding on short notice and from overseas. Dacor Bacon House took care of all of the arrangements and made the process stress-free, so that we were able to enjoy our wedding. We are a same sex couple, and the entire staff made us feel welcome and special. They worked with us to give us the event we wanted, and one that many of our guests commented was one of the nicest weddings they ever attended.

Meg Beitz made the planning of this event (a cocktail-reception in honor of my daughter and her husband of two months) easy and pleasant. She thought of everything I was about to forget and organized everything meticulously. The DACOR staff did a virtually perfect job of preparing the food (delicious!) and serving it. They did a great job of serving the wine, beer and cocktails, and added their own stock when some of the liquors I had purchased ran out. The provided an ideal setting for a lively party that many guests pronounced a complete success. Thanks, Meg, and thanks to the whole DACOR staff. The event type specified is a dummy reply, because the event was "none of the above" on the list.

My wedding was held at the Dacor House back in October of 2013. Meg Beitz was spectacular! Every last detail was perfect! From the guests arrival (some were early coming in from Tennessee and North Carolina) but all were welcomed graciously. This venue is one not to be missed. The back court yard, though in the middle of Downtown DC was the perfect space for our outdoor wedding (and you would have never known that you were in downtown!). There was ample seating, and the coffee/juice bar for morning arrivals before the ceremony was perfect. Meg was there to ensure that all needs were met and that everything went off without a hitch. I could not have asked for a more personable or professional event coordinator for such an important day! (Guests attending were in total awe of the grandeur and elegance of the Dacor House and several were investigating hosting their event there as well.) God forbid ~ should I ever have to do this again, I am turning to Meg.
Iris, the chef, was purely amazing! Her culinary skills were extraordinary! At the menu tasting, she slipped in a few specialties of her own which were out of this world! The menu choices are abundant, and again, the guest were blown away by the food. The staff were gracious to all and so professional.
If you go to their website, the pictures do not do it justice ~ it is truly breathtakingly beautiful, elegant and pure class. Meg Beitz and Iris, as well as all the staff, have the experience and know how to make it the perfect venue for the perfect day.

Dacor was a great venue for our wedding, and we're flexible and accommodating throughout. Meg in particular was great, and worked with our event coordinator to help our day go as smoothly as possible. The chef was also wonderful, and we received numerous compliments on the food.

This venue is a hidden gem right in the middle of DC!

Right from the beginning Meg and her staff were wonderful. They were open and flexible, but didn't provide any pressure. They run both weddings and other events, so the whole staff were completely professional. Moreover, they provide almost all of elements for the wedding (e.g., catering, bar tending, tables, table cloths). This cuts down on the number of vendors to coordinate and for someone arranging the whole event without a planner that was incredibly helpful.

In addition to the wonderful staff, we also chose Dacor Bacon House because the space was perfect for our wedding. We really loved the outdoor area, but also that there was a readily available "Plan B" for rainy days. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a cool drizzly day, and the staff transitioned to the indoor plan, mid-wedding, seamlessly! I think I was the only person who knew that the plan had changed. We also loved the historic aspect of the house and our out of town guests thought that was really cool!

In addition to being a wonderful venue, after some extended research - we also thought Dacor was a great value! All in all, Meg, Alba, Brian, and the team did an amazing job and made wedding planning so easy for this very busy bride!

Working with Meg and the DACOR Bacon team was a wonderful experience. They go out of their way to listen to your needs and interests and they go the extra mile to deliver quality service. The venue itself is beautiful and just the right size for our wedding party, which was about 70 people. The decor is tasteful and the back patio is a real treat during the summer months. The kitchen offers a wide selection of dishes and they even accommodated a couple of guests with special dietary restrictions at no extra charge. DACOR's prices are very competitive compared to other similarly-sized venues in the downtown area. They offer a few basic items for equipment, but you'll need to arrange your own tent if you want to use the back pation. But DACOR has relationships with several quality providers. Even though it's downtown, there's no problem having a band or DJ in the outdoor area up until 11pm. Parking can be an issue if you plan your event during the work week. Overall a great experience.

Planning for the wedding was a long distance process. Meg and her staff were very attentive and informative the entire time. Flexible to our request and helpful providing videography, cake, flowers, photography information. We highly recommend it.

The staff at the Dacor Bacon House were wonderful. They could not have made our event easier. They are wonderful to work with and the venue is beautiful. We coudl not have been more satisfied.

My wife and I were married at the DACOR Bacon House and we were extremely happy with the way everything turned out. This is the perfect venue for a small wedding (less than approx. 100 guests), as there is just enough space for everyone to spread out and enjoy themselves. The food was provided by DACOR and the quality of the food items was excellent. The courtyard outside is where we had the ceremony and reception. Although the House is in the middle of the city, it doesn't feel that way when you are in the courtyard. The service was excellent. There was no need for us to provide guidance on what the staff needed to do because they have experience providing service at many weddings and knew exactly what to do. The individual we coordinated with on logistics (such as audio, chair arrangement, etc.) was very helpful and stayed late the night before the wedding to help us prepare. Also, the individual we coordinated with several months before the wedding to plan everything was also very helpful and professional. In the end, many of our guests said the wedding was one of the best weddings they have been to and they commented on the DACOR Bacon House being an excellent venue.

We had planned an outdoor wedding but rain forced us inside. Staff was incredible - they rearranged everything so that the wedding ceremony could take place in the upstairs reception area without any significant delays. A sit-down dinner then took place an hour later just as originally planned. Throughout Meg and her staff took care of everything with grace and efficiency. My role as MOB was to enjoy myself! which thanks to them I was able to do.

We held our wedding reception at DACOR Bacon House in September. The venue is really beautiful, especially the back courtyard where we spent most of our time. We shopped around at a number of venues before we decided on DACOR, and the relatively affordable price for the venue combined with the beauty of the place were the strong selling points. DACOR didn't make us stick with preferred vendors or anything like that, which had concerned us with other venues. We used their catering, which gave us a discount of around $1400 or so, and I believe the meals we chose worked out to around $37 a plate (not including alcohol or labor) which was very reasonable to us. The meals were quite good in my opinion, I don't expect much from wedding food, but these were meals I would feel good about paying a comparable amount for in a restaurant. The chef BJ met with us personally for the tasting and let us sample a number of food items. We had one vegan and one small child at the dinner, and they accommodated the extra menu items at no additional cost. We had three craft cocktails that we asked for, and I would say two of them were executed very well while the third was so-so (mostly due to a last minute ordering of ingredients that was beyond their control). Alba worked with us through the alcohol and craft cocktails details and she was great to work with. Meg handled the overall planning for the event, and right from the start we felt comfortable dealing with her. If I had any recommendations to give, I would say that people should make sure that prices for things like drinks are laid out clearly about a month beforehand. We had a surprise in our cost there, but to DACOR's credit, they worked with us to bring the costs down more in line with what we were expecting. Above all, their flexibility and willingness to accommodate what we wanted were really wonderful. The photographer loved doing a shoot with us in the beautiful house just before the reception started. I'd highly recommend giving them a look if you want an elegant looking DC wedding without paying some of the prices other fancy looking places charge. We had dancing and an open bar in the back courtyard after dinner and we didn't have to worry about noise given that most of the buildings around are government buildings. We liked the place so much, we've become DACOR members. Thanks for everything, DACOR! -Jason and Jessica

The staff at DACOR Bacon House take pride in their work and it shows! They are friendly, courteous and professional. The house is a beautiful venue for intimate weddings and events with a historic flair

We are so lucky to have chosen the DACOR Bacon House for our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception! If you are looking for a historic mansion-house feel in DC, it doesn't come cheap. But DACOR was a great value for such a beautiful wedding. In a perfect location for local guests and out-of-town visitors, the area around the venue was quiet in the evening and at night, had easy access to the Metro, and the House has a gorgeous garden for outside options. Guests loved learning about the history and significance of the House (the groom is a Foreign Service Officer) and getting to explore it during cocktail hour inside. Meg and her team were excellent at answering our many questions and worked with us and our day-of coordinator to make sure the wedding fit our needs and that everything ran smoothly. The food turned out better than we expected and guests commented on how much they enjoyed it!

I'm reluctant to write about this because I feel like its the best kept venue secret in DC. We had our wedding there and the staff accommodated every request we made. Manhattans and Martinis....no problem they even bought the glasses since they didn't have them. We asked for custom food stations with menu items that weren't in their catering menu, and they did an amazing job! The venue is so beautiful on its own you hardly have to decorate at all, a huge savings! You can also bring in your own alcohol, another huge savings.

I can't thank the staff enough for making my day everything I hoped for and more!

The Dacor Bacon House was a perfect venue for my daughter's wedding. We were so appreciative for the flexibility that was given to us which allowed Nicole and Scott to have the wedding they wanted. Appetizers were served on the patio following the service, and dinner was served buffet style inside. The food was excellent and replenished constantly throughout the evening. The evening flowed better than we could have ever imagined. The transition from chairs for a wedding service to groupings and patio furniture for the reception was so smooth. Our guests were able to roam and relax in parlor room settings throughout this beautiful, elegant, historical home. One of the greatest services provided was the fact that we were able to leave at the end of the evening without collecting gifts and decorative items that we had provided. The staff collected everything and locked it in a room for us to pick up on Monday. Our whole family would highly recommend Dacor Bacon as a venue for any important.

Beautiful venue for a wedding! My husband and I had our wedding reception at DACOR and received so many compliments from guests on how lovely the venue was. Meg and interns were extremely professional and helpful during the entire process. We would have liked to see more staff available on the day of our event.

DACOR Bacon House is elegant without being intimidating. While most of our guests were longtime DC residents, it was the first time most of them had been inside the house, and we received lots of compliments. It has a wonderful central location (and parking is no problem on weekends). The space is flexible; it can be set up a number of ways and the staff is thoughtful and expert in guiding you through the options. We used an outside caterer and that worked without a hitch.

We loved working with the Dacor Bacon House on this wedding.
It's a beautiful venue and the staff are very professional.

I am a member of DACOR and was very pleased and proud that we could use the house for my daughter's wedding reception. The house is gorgeous and the staff very accommodating. Plus, it's a great value compared to other venues. My only concern was that there was no one from the office staff on site on the event day to supervise the kitchen and other staff. I ended up having to do much of the on-site supervisory role that the DACOR staff could have done. Nevertheless, it was a great event, and one that many guests said was the best wedding reception they ever had attended.

My only negative comment pertains to respones to emailed questions. It may be a result of the staff members who are spread to thin with multiple responsibilities.

The DACOR Bacon House worked wonderfully for our wedding. The back courtyard is beautiful, a small oasis in the city, and the house’s interior is refined, yet approachable. For a smaller wedding like ours (70), the House also provides for a full rain plan which is comforting if you’re planning an outside program. Chef Brian is very talented (not to mention friendly and easy to work with) and several guests commented on the unusually tasty wedding meal. Compared to other venues in DC, DACOR is fairly priced, especially the meals. They allow you to provide your own beverages which also saves money. At times, we had to be patient awaiting a reply from the staff and we were sometimes left desiring more from them, but they worked hard at the wedding and were flexible on many matters, which was appreciated. We will always have fond memories of our beautiful wedding at the DB House.

Beautiful historic home and Meg and Sylvia were very sweet. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by challenges with other staff members who were less than professional and multiple errors with our invoicing. Thank God I saved all of my receipts and could prove that we already paid. Our outside caterer ended up advocating for us during planning and kept everything running smoothly on our wedding day.

We loved our wedding at the DACOR Bacon House. It was such a beautiful setting for our wintertime 80-guest reception.

This staff demonstrated a complete lack of understanding that I am not a professional wedding planner. The staff at DACOR expected me to know a lot about the ins and outs of the industry which I simply did not. Big areas of concern were with the timeliness of payments and day of service. If you want to work with them, stay on top of them about every single payment. They will lose records or forget to send you any payment requests leaving you with a suddenly large bill at the end of everything. Ultimately this may have been caused by the constant shuffle of staff. I worked with at least three different people at DACOR to get everything planned and no single one seemed to have any record of knowledge of the fact that I had spoken to the other two. I was simply unprepared to have to constantly juggle between different people instead of having one clear point of contact.

If you are using their catering team, just be aware that they are not very detail oriented. They hired a new chef while we were planning our wedding which resulted in a final tasting occurring only a few weeks before the wedding itself- very stressful! And ultimately, disappointing. We had two different entrees to be shared family style at each table and many of our tables only got one of the two. Considering what we paid to have two options and that many tables didn't get both was very disappointing.

Yes, this site has an elevator. But if that is necessary for your guests, as it was for several of mine which is why I picked DACOR in the first place, check with them about contingency plans! The elevator broke the morning of our wedding and the staff acted like it was no big deal. It took my Maid of Honor yelling at the staff that it had to be fixed that day for the problem to be solved.

All in all, DACOR is a beautiful location with an unfortunately lax managing staff.

Buyer beware!!
The good:
I will say that the venue is very well located, gorgeous and our guests did compliment the food.
The bad:
Both my wife and I were very unhappy with management. She had wanted the wedding at DACOR and apologized to me for having suggested it. No person wants to hear the person they love and marry say anything like that to them. DACOR Management seemed to go MIA once we paid the rental fee and sign the contract. We got frustrated and had hired a wedding coordinator (who was a colleague's sister). We were not getting answers on what additional costs we could expect from anyone. After a few calls, our wedding coordinator was told we had reached the limit to talk on the phone and would either must pay to continue or continue via email. Then after a few emails, because we were trying to correct the proforma and get further clarification, were told that even emails would be charged. Mind you these emails were because we were not getting answers on what additional charges we would receive and because the details they sent us on our proforma were incorrect. Our wedding coordinator said she had never heard of anyone being charged to discuss their wedding proforma and thought it was ridiculous.
I still can't tell if DACOR has incompetent management or they just wanted to be shifty to get more money
Like I said the venue is beautiful, and it is a TOTAL shame it is being managed the way it is. For what we ended up spending and the beauty of the venue, it wasn't a bad value. You get what you pay for, only because of the horrible service. They were flexible with weather changes, but only because they would tack a fee on everything they did. Dinner was 1.5 hours behind schedule and cut into our dancing time, but still charged us 30 minutes venue time AND labor time because not everyone had totally left the venue at 11:30 despite it being freezing and snowing outside.
If I had to do it all over, we would NOT have chosen DACOR. We warned you.

The Stress of working with DACOR is not work the beautiful courtyard. I've copied the letter I wrote to them after our reception as a reflection of the frustrations we felt working with there staff.

Please for your own sanity don't book this venue!



DACOR Bacon House,

I am regrettably writing to you about a series of interactions my wife, I and our day-of coordinator had with Meg Beitz leading up to our reception at your beautiful venue. If our experience with Meg is a common one, I believe her lack of professionalism is harming the reputation of your venue and reflects a standard of business conduct I wouldn’t want representing any organization with whom I was affiliated.

I would like to start by saying our wedding reception was beautiful. However this is in stark contrast with our interaction with Meg where every email, meeting, and phone call added to our already stressful lives leading up to our wedding day. This stress was caused in large part because we were never sure what we would be charged next; from a 15 minute phone call Meg initiated to linens and cake cutting fees we had been told before signing the contract were already included in the venue fee. It felt like every time we talked with Meg she was trying to add charges to our event.

As a Venue you have every right to charge for whatever you choose and to structure your contract in whatever way you choose. My concern is with the lack of transparency and in some cases flat out lies about these charges when signing the contract and the increasing game of gotcha Meg played as we got closer to our event. Meg even admitted to us this was her standard practice. With regards to the doorman fee we asked why it wasn’t included in the original contract (as she said it was always required), and she said it was standard practice to not include the charge until the end.

Below is a list of charges that were added to our bill after we signed the contract that had not been discussed when we signed:

Items added despite being told before signing our contract they were not charged for:
• Linens (Cleaning charge that we were specifically told was already included in the contract. Meg removed this after we provided prior emails, but tried to add them a 2nd time a few days before the event)
• Cake Cutting (Despite having emails where Meg said this wasn’t charged. Meg removed this after we provided prior emails)
• Venue Rental Fee (Changed from our signed contact of $840 to $940 days before the wedding. Meg didn’t honor the contract)

Cocktail hour related items:
• 2nd Bar setup
• Lemonade and Water
• Charging for 100 adults when we only had 87 (Meg eventually corrected this after several weeks)

Dinner Related items:
• Bar Service during dinner
• Bread with dinner
• Coffee service
• Childs dinner
• Teens dinner
• Highchair
• Booster seat
• Charging for 100 adults when we only had 87 (Meg eventually corrected this after several weeks)

General Venue related items:
• Phone call (We were charged for a call Meg setup with our day-of coordinator that lasted less than 15 minutes)
• Piano removal (note: this wasn’t actually to remove, but move the piano to a different room)
• Candle fee
• Patio Lights
• Rental of room for nursing mothers
• Door attendant (Even though we were told we would have to have someone of our own at the door. Meg admitted including this charge just before the event, although required for all events, was standard practice)

I hope this list of attempted upcharges conveys to you the frustration and anxiety we felt when dealing with DACOR through Meg prior to our reception. Meg’s business practices added unnecessary stress to an already busy time in our lives.

While we feel this treatment doesn’t reflect the standards of the DACOR Bacon house we nonetheless cannot recommend your beautiful venue to our family, friends and the D.C. Wedding community.

We would not recommend DACOR Bacon House for a wedding.

Although we ended up not having our wedding there because of COVID, the agonizing process of receiving a partial refund check makes us question DACOR Bacon's whole operation.

In short, getting the check took almost TWO MONTHS--from mailing DACOR Bacon their required forms on March 22, 2022, to being told the check was ready on May 18, 2022. Those two months were a total run-around. Their responsiveness to emails was spotty; they didn't follow up on anything; and they kept blaming the USPS--even though it turned out that a check had never been mailed. Nothing would have been done if I hadn't periodically nudged them along.

Doubting their assurances that the check had been mailed, I repeatedly asked them when the check had been processed and mailed. No answer. Finally, after two torturous months they said the check was available--an admission that the check had indeed never been mailed. To bring the process to a merciful conclusion, I picked up the check in person at DACOR Bacon’s F Street entrance on May 20, 2022.

This microcosmic episode exposed DACOR's incompetent or non-existent management. Perhaps their Finance Office was also an issue; maybe DACOR Bacon has cash-flow problems. What was going on for just short of two months? Who knows?

In any event, we are glad we did not get married there. We would recommend you don't either.

This is a mixed review of the DACOR Bacon house as a wedding venue. We liked the location and atmosphere. The chef and catering staff were amazing—my compliments to the kitchen for delicious food and careful consideration of my guests’ food allergies. However, the office staff and accountant were extremely difficult to work with and their policies amount to theft. Overall, I do not recommend this venue.
The house appears to be an excellent choice: centrally located with very reasonable prices for the venue and catering.  They also promise all-inclusive packages with tables, chairs, linens, silverware, glasses, decorations, staff, and more.  They sell themselves as having experience with events.
However, I was extremely disappointed with the event planning policies and staff at DACOR Bacon House.   They were slow to respond, provided contradictory, partial information, threw in surprise costs, and have an alcohol policy that amounts to theft.  It took months to complete the contract, payments, and catering agreement.  It was even harder to get an accurate catering and beverage quote.
In addition to other issues (i ran out of space to list them all), the final straw was the alcohol policy.  Which states we cannot take any open containers from the venue.  Their alcohol prices are astronomical, so we used an outside vendor.  At the end of the night, the half-finished bottles became the property of the house.  I paid for the bottles twice—once from the vendor and a second time for the corkage fee (which is outrageous).  And the horrible venue kept the bottles to re-sell the contents for a profit.  I asked for an explanation of the policy in writing, which I did not receive.  This amounts to theft.
Do not use DACOR Bacon House.