St. Francis Hall Reviews

As soon as we walked into St. Francis Hall we knew we'd found the perfect venue. It has such beautiful Old World charm but is not overly formal or stiff - it transitions perfectly from dreamy ceremony to dance-filled party for the reception. Operations director Edward was so accommodating with us and inspired confidence from the first time we met hands. We're so thankful to him and his staff for an absolutely wonderful wedding day.

This is the first venue that we looked at and we absolutely fell in love. What a gem! Despite living about 2 miles from the space, neither my husband nor I knew about it prior to looking for venues. It is a stunning space and so flexible! Logistically, they have plenty of vendors on their approved list to choose from, you can bring your own alcohol, and there is tons of parking. Personally, we fell in love with the stunning nearby gardens. It's dreamy and the venue manager, Edward, is perfect to work with--he made everything a breeze. 12 out of 10 stars!!

Cannot say enough about the staff at St. Francis Hall, especially the venue coordinator, Edward, who helped us every step of the way to carry out an amazing day! The grounds are incredible. We did our ceremony outdoors on the lawn of the hall in a lovely little garden on grass. The hall itself is breathtaking and really doesn't need much additional decor or lighting. There are cute bistro lights hung up already and they have a disco ball! Then, the most important part, are the people who make it work. Edward was extremely helpful answering all our questions and assuring us the day would go perfectly (which it did!). He also worked very well with all our vendors. He and his team really know what they're doing! Halfway through the night he turned it over to Miranda, who was also wonderful and helped my mother locate my veil the next day when I left it at the venue. Truly wonderful experience (for a pretty reasonable price too) Can't ask for much more!

This venue is so beautiful and the venue coordinator (Edward) was just amazing. We got so many compliments from our guests about the venue and Edward was so flexible and easy to work with.

We feel so lucky that we were able to have our wedding at St. Francis Hall. From the beginning, they were easy to work with, responsive, flexible, and helpful. Edward was extremely helpful during the planning process and they made our wedding weekend so easy for us. The gardens across the street helped our photos turn out beautifully, the outdoor space was perfect for our ceremony, and the hall was a gorgeous venue for the reception. We would recommend this venue to anyone looking to have a wedding in DC. They also had perfect recommendations for vendors.

From the moment my husband and I toured St. Francis Hall, we knew we had to book it. We've lived in DC for years and never knew this part of the city. It's a stunning venue tucked away near the Brookland neighborhood and right next to the Franciscan Monastery. The venue easily fit our (tighter) budget and we held everything right on site. We took pictures across the street at the monastery's beautiful gardens. That may be the best part of it all. But the inside of the hall is just as stunning. We got a ton of compliments on the space. Edward was a pleasure to work with: flexible, communicative and super helpful to make the day and planning easy. We ended up getting married on our original date but the whole team, including Cara, was incredibly flexible during the pandemic. As the website says, a hidden gem...but one everyone should know about.

We had our reception at St. Francis. When looking for venues, we were immediately sold since the venue met all of our criteria. The venue was also absolutely stunning - this was echoed by all our family and friends that were able to attend. All of the pictures that we took inside or at the gardens were all amazing!

We were able to have the caterer we wanted and also all the other vendors as well; we really liked the flexibility of St. Francis. We had a lot of support from the team: Edward, Mo, and Cara. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is difficult, but they were all so accommodating in making any of the adjustments that we needed. The now husband and I planned the whole wedding ourselves and also coordinated the whole day. Edward provided us with a lot of advice, which completely helped us have the reception of our dreams. One of the many things we're grateful for: Edward also helped us ensure that while we were at the ceremony that everything kept moving and was set-up/moved along properly. We can't imagine having done our reception anywhere else!

My new husband and I had originally planned to have our wedding reception at St. Francis Hall; however, due to COVID, our plans changed significantly and we were unable to have the reception as planned. However, in the months prior to and immediately following the COVID safety orders in DC, we had an amazing experience with St. Francis Hall, and we are extremely sad that we were unable to hold our reception there due to the circumstances.

The venue itself is absolutely beautiful, and having Edward as part of the team was extremely helpful. He provided us with a comprehensive tour of the venue with suggestions for vendors and planning advice, and once we booked, we were given detailed CAD drawings of possible layouts for the venue based on our guest count and vendors. He was also consistently available to respond to questions and to help with anything related to planning the event. Additionally, although we were unable to hold the event at St. Francis Hall, we were granted permission to use the gardens at the venue for pictures, which was very special for our smaller celebration with immediate family. We also really appreciated the venue's financial understanding around the COVID situation and its impacts.

Overall, I hope that our couples will be able to fully enjoyed the beauties of St. Francis Hall in the near future!

I couldn’t recommend St. Francis Hall more! Cara, Ed, and the entire team there were such a joy to work with. They were super responsive, super flexible, and we felt so supported as we planned (then replanned thanks to COVID) our wedding. Then there is the space itself - absolutely stunning. They recently updated some aspects of the hall and it is even more gorgeous than when we first saw it. The bridal suite is a huge asset and gave us space to store our belongings during our event, step away when we needed a moment, and have a place for kiddos that attended. It is also shockingly affordable - definitely consider having your event there.

We had our wedding at St. Francis Hall on October 5, 2019. The wedding was amazing at 70 degrees and sunny. We used their side lawn for the ceremony. The outdoor patios for the cocktail hour, and the hall itself for the ceremony. Guest count was 140. We received so many compliments over the venue and how no one knew it existed. It is truly a hidden gem. The venue has arch entrances, brick walls, rustic chandeliers, and the option to add string lights for no extra charge. All we did was add uplighting and it was even more beautiful. There is also a room upstairs for the wedding party to hang out at before and after ceremony. Edward, the new director of ops is amazing and super responsive to emails, great with logistics and event planning. He was very accommodating with any requests and truly cares to make sure the day and the days leading up to it goes as smoothly as possible. Cara was also amazing and super responsive to emails and questions. The venue for a Saturday cost us $7K. Catering is not included but they include a kitchen, chairs, tables, and sound systems for your DJ. They have a list of caterers that they have approved or for an extra fee you can choose to use someone different. I would go with a catering company that already knows the lay of the land and has a relationship with the venue. It will make the day go that much smoother. We went with Catering by uptown. They were amazing! But that is for another review. We used the gardens at the church across the street that make for some amazing pictures. Overall such a great experience for us and our guests. Truly a must and you have to jump on this before word gets out and it becomes pricier, like all things in DC. Best of luck!

Not only is the venue stunning and a hidden gem but Edward (Director of Operations) makes a huge difference. He was flexible and went so above and beyond my husband and I didn't have a single worry. Super responsive and flexible with last minute RSVPs and dropouts to make the room absolutely perfect. Loved this place and anyone would be lucky to have their reception here!!

Absolutely GORGEOUS venue tucked away in northern DC.

The staff at St. Francis Hall, in particular Cara and Edward were phenomenal in helping us to store items overnight and complete important steps promptly. The location is beautiful and unique gem tucked away in busy DC. We received compliments during and after the wedding about how memorable and beautiful the location is. The inside is exactly like a castle hall, much like the Hogwarts great hall could be imagined!

St. Francis Hall is beautiful! A hidden gem in Brookland. Highly recommend! We had 90 guests and added bistro lights throughout the hall to make it feel more intimate. You could easily fit at least 150 guests.

St. Francis Hall was the perfect venue for us. We held our wedding on the lawn and our wedding reception in the hall. It is a gorgeous venue with high ceilings and beautiful wood floors. There is an apartment upstairs with plenty of space and a full bathroom. The monastery grounds are the perfect backdrop for wedding photos. It’s located in the city but feels miles away from the noise and congestion of DC. It has free parking, a great list of recommended vendors, and wonderful staff. Edward, a recent SFH hire, is great to work with. We had a great experience and would recommend SFH without hesitation!

St. Francis Hall was an incredible venue for our wedding reception, we were so happy with how it turned out. We wanted a space with character and both indoor and outdoor space, and St. Francis Hall worked perfectly. From start to finish, the reception staff Cara and Pedro were professional, responsive and helpful. The space accommodated our 200 guests, was nice and cool despite an August wedding, and looked beautiful. An added bonus was that your venue costs go to support a great cause and faith-based mission!

This venue is beautiful and people here are great to work with. Highly recommend it!

So glad we had our wedding reception at St. Francis!! Worth every penny for a beautiful and unique venue tucked away in DC. The venue was beautiful - hardly needed any other decorations, the stage was perfect for a band and the upstairs apartment was great for the wedding party to regroup before the introductions. Pedro (on-site contact) and Cara were wonderful to work with. Also the gardens across the street were great for photos. Highly recommend St. Francis!

I gave St. Francis Hall 5 stars because it is an AMAZING venue at a super reasonable price in DC. It is stunningly beautiful inside and out (amazing gardens for pictures). I got SO MANY compliments on the venue - truly a hidden gem in NE DC. I will note that in the beginning it was a tiny bit stressful to get in touch because the woman who handles the events has another full time job & does this on the side, BUT she was super easy to work with and really in the end it all worked out great so hopefully that won't give you hesitation if you're considering the hall. They are pretty strict in terms of timing (in/out) so I added an extra hour just to give the vendors a little padding so that no one felt rushed and it worked out so well. Highly recommend this place :)

St. Francis Hall was a perfect choice for my May wedding in DC. The location is perfect and is a hidden gem located in a quiet neighborhood. You'd never know you were in the middle of a busy city!! The grounds and venue are truly beautiful, unique, and rustic. I LOVED having my wedding there. Cara and Pedro were very responsive and friendly to work with. I highly recommend this venue.

The venue is beautiful and spacious. The grounds are breathtaking for photos (with pre-approved permission). We booked this venue early out but decided to change it to a beach destination. This venue provides round tables and chiavari chairs which is nice. Any caterer needs to be approved by the facility staff which is standard practice and parking is spacious and free. Our main concern was driving to this area and thru parts of D.C. Although it is safe, some areas may not be ideal especially for guests who do not venture into major cities. Other than that, I would have loved to have our ceremony and reception here. The owner was able to rebook my date and sent me a check to refund the entire deposit (which I had forgotten about at that point) but what a pleasant surprise.

St. Francis Hall is known as one of the hidden gems of Washington DC and it truly is. I had my wedding here in June 2015 and my guests loved it. In the planning stages, I had taken my fiance to a few places, but when we walked into St. Francis Hall, his face actually lit up and he knew we would have our wedding here. It is nestled in a quiet neighborhood, so you can't have a late party. Our DJ was amazing and the only complaint we really heard about the reception was that folks wished it could have gone longer, but the spaced is amazing, considerably affordable, has plenty of parking, and with permission, the monastery gardens are an awesome location to take your pictures. It fills up quickly and Fridays are an awesome day for a wedding.

We had such a great experience with St. Francis Hall. The venue is gorgeous inside and out! The hall itself is so beautiful you don't really even need decorations. The strung lights give it the perfect glow! We had so many friends tell us how impressed they were with the venue. Oh and there is a full parking lot! Can't beat that in DC!

Pedro, the site manager, is wonderful. We had our ceremony outside in their side lawn and the reception inside. It was rainy and cold on the day of the wedding and Pedro walked me through my options and encouraged me to do whatever I wanted. He worked with us before the wedding and after to ensure everything went smoothly. We couldn't speak more highly of his professionalism and his dedication to making your day just right. St. Francis Hall is a hidden gem in the big city. We are so happy we found it!

This venue was absolutely perfect for us. When we were looking around the DC area for good wedding locations, we found a few that were nice, but once we walked into St Francis Hall we just fell in love with the place. It was everything we didn't realize we wanted. The space is absolutely beautiful and has an elegant charm that cannot be described in words or pictures. We were thrilled to find that they were available for our date (we booked exactly a year out) and within our budget. Cara, their coordinator, was extremely kind, honest, helpful, and accommodating. She was very prompt in her responses and did everything she could to answer our questions. Xhemil, the on site coordinator, is one of my new favorite people. He was exceptionally fun, diligent, and because of his extensive time working at St Francis was full of suggestions and tips for how to best arrange things in the hall. Pedro and David, the two other on site personnel, were just as kind and help as Cara and Xhemil and helped make sure the day went perfectly. It is clear that all of these folks have a lot of love and pride for St Francis Hall and they do an excellent job at maintaining its beautiful look. It made me feel so happy to see and hear all of our guests walk into the hall and gasp "Wow..." We had 120 guests attend our wedding and it was the perfect fit. All aspects of the wedding (ceremony, cocktail [held on the porch along the side of the hall] and reception) were held in the hall. It was flawless. Perfect amount of space for everyone to feel extremely comfortable and have the place look stunning. I am so incredibly happy that we picked St Francis Hall and encourage everyone to stop in and visit. I would pick it again and again. It was everything we could have ever hoped for. Thank you to the St Francis Hall staff for the perfect night and a truly unforgettable venue. It made our wedding feel like a dream come true.

We held our wedding at St. Francis Hall this past weekend and are absolutely thrilled that we choose this venue. The entire process was extremely smooth--we worked with Cara, Xhemil, and Pedro--and found them all to be incredibly responsive and professional. Our guests couldn't believe how romantic and warm the venue felt and continue to send us their amazing photographs. We are so glad that we found this hidden gem!