Glen Echo Park Partnership Reviews
Reviews
4.6 out of 5 rating
4.6 out of 5 rating
40 Reviews
93% recommend it
Awards
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![Linni]()
Linni Sent on 11/01/2019Perfect Art Deco neon national park party!
If you love interesting architecture, national parks, history, or design, and are looking for a semi-outdoor, semi-wooded wedding destination that is nevertheless easy for your guests to get to, Glen Echo is the spot. It's also great if you don't have a ton to shell out on a venue, because the National Park status makes it very affordable.
The experience had a few hiccups, but I think that's to be expected with any wedding. We booked the venue over a year in advance, and over that time period our coordinator quit, which meant we had to work to make the vision we'd executed with coordinator #1 make sense to coordinator #2. (Glen Echo only accepts approved caterers/vendors, but we really wanted to serve pizza / keep food costs low. Coordinator #1 said we could hire a pizza vendor and just have an approved caterer on site to oversee compliance with venue policies.)
Our new coordinator worked with us to make it happen and ultimately we got everything we were hoping for. In retrospect, though, you may not want to get married here unless you're ok with the approved caterers. It wasn't always easy to do things the way we did.
All that said, this venue is a photographer's dream, it was accessible, it was breezy. There are multiple locations on the property for your reception, ceremony, cocktail hour, whatever. We had our rehearsal dinner there the night before as a potluck-style picnic and that was really great, too (although heads up: We asked for approval of our rehearsal date many months in advance and were granted it, then in the months and weeks leading up to the date we were told the date may or may not be booked by someone else. Basically, it seemed like they can't hold that date for you, you only get it if no one else books. This was really nerve-wracking, so for peace of mind, you may want to just go somewhere else.)
My fiancée and I wanted privacy, and were nervous because it's a public park. We were so caught up in our wedding, though, that I could not tell you if a single stranger walked by. I literally never thought of it once! I was so caught up in this idea, and then never considered it night-of. Just in case that's something you're nervous about!
We were also nervous the sound wouldn't be loud enough to really get a dance party going, because we were told the rule was you have to be able to stand in the parking lot and not hear the music. We never tested that, but our music was LOUD and people got down. So don't worry about that :) They also let us store a harp and lots of decorations there overnight on Friday, decorate all morning Saturday, and use some of their fun stage lights to make one area of the Bumper Car Pavilion PINK! The overhead twinkle lights were too dim for our photographer, so we had to turn the pan lights on, and these didn't provide the best ambience (not terrible, just not ideal). I'd recommend testing your lighting out ahead of time and talking to your photographer about it, if it's something you care about.
Ok, that's it! Recommend it highly, it was very unique and SO convenient, yet felt secluded and woodsy. Ample parking, too! Leave plenty of time for pictures, we had an hour and it wasn't enough to capture all the cool parts of the park.Glen Echo Park Partnership's reply:
Thank you so much Linni! We had a fantastic time being a part of your special day and wish you and Brady a lifetime of happiness! I'm glad we were able to make sure that your original vision was carried out - and it was incredible! -
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![Kerry]()
Kerry Sent on 10/10/2019Our dream venue and our dream wedding!
We always loved Glen Echo's bumper car pavilion as a potential venue and were psyched there was an opening we can snag after we got engaged. Laura was awesome to work with--super helpful, responsive, and easy going. She guided us through the prep and drop off the days leading up to the wedding, and made sure everything went so smoothly on the day of. We have gotten so many compliments on the fun, quirky, beautiful venue, and it was truly the dream wedding we'd hoped for!Glen Echo Park Partnership's reply:
Hi Kerry & Mark!
We had such a fantastic time being a part of your big day! I love your love story and am so happy that you chose Glen Echo Park to celebrate with all your family and friends. From the Glen Echo Park team, we wish you a lifetime of (seasons of :) ) love! -
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Elizabeth Sent on 06/27/2018Such a perfect wedding location venue! Great value, great space, and staff that was always easy to work with and professional. Couldn't have asked for a better spot to celebrate our big day, and our guests had a blast riding the carousel!!!
Glen Echo Park Partnership's reply:
Thank you so much, Elizabeth! We loved working with you and are so grateful you let Glen Echo Park be a part of your special day! -
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User1577741 Sent on 04/06/2014I know this sounds cheesy, but I can only describe Glen Echo as magical. I rented the Cuddle Up Pavilion for my ceremony and the Bumper Car Pavilion for my reception. They were perfect for our nontraditional, DIY wedding. Jackson was very helpful and responsive. I couldn't have ask for more. -
![Grace]()
Grace Sent on 09/29/2011This was a great place for a reception! The arrangements were perfect, and Emily Mah Rodgers was the consummate professional. We rented the Bumper Car Pavilion and in keeping with the atmosphere, decorated the tables with lollipops and cotton candy. The guests loved the fun setting and raved about getting to ride the carousel. I don't think we could have done better. -
User848688 Sent on 07/02/2012We LOVED this location as our venue for our wedding and reception - we got married in the bumper car pavilion. The price was very reasonable compared to many venues in the area. -
User918983 Sent on 09/01/2012Glen Echo was the perfect find for our wedding. We wanted a venue that would allow us to have a fun and non-traditional wedding and Glen Echo gave us just that. We totally played up the vintage carnival theme and used that for inspiration in our decorations, food, cake topper, etc. We rented the carousel during cocktail hour which our guests loved and it made for great pictures of us and the bridal party.
The staff at Glen Echo were extremely helpful throughout our planning process. Emily and Dwight were prompt and helpful in answering questions and problem solving to make our day go smoothly.
The only slight downside to Glen Echo is that there are rules and guidelines that you must follow because it is a National Park. However, this was all stuff we could work around (i.e. no liquor allowed so we just served beer and wine) and it really was not a big deal.
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