About this vendor
The National Press Club's handsomely furnished rooms accented with marble, mahogany, and brass create an exquisite atmosphere. Stunning views of the White House and the Washington Monument make this a memorable experience. Our lounges create a lovely atmosphere, ideal for any special occasion.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Ballroom
- Historic Venue
- Rooftop
Venue Service Offerings
- Food & Catering
- Planning
- Rentals & Equipment
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.019 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Someone online called the National Press Club the best-kept secret for a wedding venue, and they were absolutely right! We toured six venues around DC, from gardens to historic bui...
ldings and ballrooms. We chose the Press Club because we weren’t hiring a wedding coordinator and needed a venue that could handle the details. With virtually everything managed in-house, it was the perfect fit. We’re a gay couple planning a Jewish, Latino, and Italian wedding, and most of our guests were queer. We wanted to celebrate somewhere welcoming while supporting an institution dedicated to journalism and a unionized workforce. As a bonus, we believe we hosted the first drag performance at the National Press Club! The Press Club’s chef is incredible. During the tasting, he learns your preferences and incorporates feedback. We shared a recipe for inspiration, and he created a custom dish our guests absolutely raved about.
Now, the venue. From the glass elevator and First Amendment Room to the ballroom ceilings and beautiful woodwork in the Holman Lounge, every space is gorgeous. Guests especially loved spotting portraits of Jane Fonda and Kyle Richards! It felt like the quintessential DC venue: historic, elegant, and unmistakably Washington. The amenities were another huge plus. The Press Club provided a childcare room, vendor room, private room for us, and storage space where we could deliver decor days in advance. All were included in the venue fee! The bartenders, servers, and setup and breakdown teams were wonderful: friendly, attentive, and invested in our guests’ experience. Our events manager, Becca, was exceptional. She responded to emails within minutes and always had solutions ready. She coordinated seamlessly with the team, ensuring our vendors were fed, the lighting was perfect, and every detail came together. She made a potentially stressful process feel easy. We were genuinely sad our wedding was over partly because we wouldn’t get to work with her anymore!
For our 200-person wedding, the Press Club was by far the least expensive venue we considered. They respected our budget and helped us land right around our target.
Our final bill included taxes and tips, and the venue provided tables, chairs, staff, food, plates, alcohol, and much more. We avoided coordinating countless vendors and worrying about surprise charges. We couldn’t believe such an upscale venue offered so much for the price!
One budgeting tip: Ask whether food and beverage prices would increase after signing your contract. Our understanding was that the venue fee was locked in, but food and beverage pricing wasn’t. So just make sure you're prepared. The location is unbeatable: close to the National Mall, surrounded by hotels, and easy for out-of-town guests to navigate. Hotel blocks are plentiful, and the World War I Memorial, Freedom Plaza, and the Mall are within walking distance for wedding photos.
I truly cannot imagine a better wedding venue. The building is beautiful, the food is phenomenal, the staff are exceptional, planning was remarkably easy, and the price beat every other option we found. Just as importantly, we felt welcomed celebrating our wedding there as a queer couple and proud to support the institution. If you’re considering the National Press Club, run, don’t walk, to book it! It’s one of DC’s best-kept secrets. It gave us the wedding of our dreams, and we’ll be grateful to Becca and the entire team forever.
We toured about 8 wedding venues for our December 2025 wedding, and when we toured NPC, it just felt different. There are a lot of wedding venues in DC and it can be a big decision...
. For us, choosing NPC made our dream wedding a reality!
First, it was apparent that NPC was a great value. They waived the venue fee if you hit their food and beverage minimum, and they were up front with any additional fees/taxes. Since we were trying to reserve the venue at the end of 2024 but had to wait until 2025 to sign the paperwork due to the holidays, they allowed us to be grandfathered into 2024 prices. Additionally, NPC has different ways of charging for the bar. Knowing our guests, we chose to pay by consumption, and we were glad to have that option since not all venues offer it. Since we were having people fly in, we really wanted to have a venue that was in walking distance to hotels, partly so we wouldn't have to worry about paying for transportation to the venue and adding another logistical element. The NPC is nice because the JW Marriott is literally right next door, which makes for a great room block. Finally, NPC and hotels in the area are metro-accessible.
We ended up reserving the ballroom, First Amendment lounge, and Holeman lounge for our wedding as well as side rooms for the groom's party to get ready and for the wedding party to hang out before the wedding. The rooms themselves look so cool - from the First Amendment lounge you can see the White House, and the Holeman lounge is classic and picturesque for a ceremony. The blue carpet is beautiful and adds to the D.C. vibe.
Secondly, NPC is very flexible and responsive. We ended up asking our POC- Renee (who's amazing!)- a ton of questions as we were planning our wedding, and she was always responsive and professional. After we had a lower number of guests RSVP than we expected (120 instead of 150), we asked to move our ceremony from the ballroom to the Holeman Lounge about 3 to 4 weeks before our wedding, and Renee was able to accommodate us. Some other things we asked for were: specialty cocktails (French 75 and Old Fashion) (although the bar can make many different types of drinks for your guests); we modified the Filet Mignon to be served with Mashed Sweet Potatoes; we had three entrees for guests to choose from; we added a Dessert bar and used the NPC's projector; we asked to remove the flags hanging on the wall in the ballroom and the video screens in the lobby area; and we used a mixture of NPC glassware and rentals. NPC handled our rentals being dropped off and picked up without issue - you just have to communicate the times to them so there's not a conflict with another event. NPC also allowed us to drop off our decor the week leading up to the wedding and pick it up the following week, which made things a lot easier for us.
Finally, everything at NPC went so smooth the day of the wedding. The food was absolutely delicious and we had multiple guests rave about the appetizers, the main course, the dessert, and our additional dessert bar. They worked so well with all of our vendors to make everything run perfectly and on time! I had multiple people tell me it was the classiest and most fun wedding they had ever been to and a lot of that was due to NPC.
So many things about NPC made this such a beautiful wedding, and I absolutely recommend NPC as a wedding venue!
National Press Club is a wonderful wedding venue. We couldn’t have been happier with our choice to have our wedding reception there! Renee and the whole team were incredible to wor...
k with - so responsive, detail-oriented, accommodating, and helpful. We looked at 12 venues in DC and NPC was by far one of the best values plus we loved the flexible space options, that all catering and furniture was in house, and it was a great location especially for out-of-town guests. The food was delicious and high quality was a huge menu of options and they were great about accommodating dietary restrictions too. Highly recommend, NPC is an underrated wedding venue!
After touring the National Press Club we immediately sent an email to book. This unique venue was the perfect fit for our DC wedding! George was an excellent resource from start to...
finish, explaining the Press Club's offerings, coordinating with other vendors, and making sure that we had everything that we needed to have an amazing day. And the food! Unlike so many lackluster venues, the food at the National Press Club was delicious.
Our wedding at the National Press Club was a magical evening, and the venue and staff were outstanding. We had both the ceremony and reception there, and the transition was seamles...
s and perfect. One of the main reasons we picked NPC was the food, and it exceeded expectations. George was fantastic to work with, and his thoughtfulness and professionalism made the whole planning process so much easier. The venue itself is very cool, and it was exactly what we wanted for a wedding that feels like DC without being stuffy. The NPC gave us the wedding of our dreams!
Best kept secret in Washington DC! This was the best decision we ever made and it is insane this famous venue is accessible at this price point. Weddings have become outrageously e...
xpensive with a million moving parts and when we found the press club we couldn’t figure out the catch. We were able to accommodate almost 200 guests in downtown Washington DC with in house catering for better pricing than standard hotels and venues in Virginia or Maryland. Our guests were all coming from the west coast and some for the first time to dc so to bring them into a historic venue with views of the White House and reception in the same room of the correspondence dinner made it an unforgettable venue. George is absolutely fantastic and the definition of a true professional who loves his work. He helped us create our dream wedding and was available to assist us with any question or request. The food is absolutely to die for and the chef is incredible. This is restaurant quality food with a huge selection of options, perfectly cooked beef, and incredible house wines; our guests haven’t stopped raving about it. I have been told by so many of the guests that this is one of the coolest most memorable weddings they have been to. Thank you to George and the press club for the most unforgettable magical wedding.
We had our May wedding at the NPC and we absolutely loved it. The food from their in-house catering team was absolutely amazing (people are still talking about it months later); it...
was a perfect location for out-of-town guests (who stayed at hotels literally around the corner or across the street); and the setup was perfect: three rooms (one for the ceremony, one for a cocktail reception, and the big ballroom for the reception and dancing). We also absolutely adored Patty, our NPC event coordinator! She was super responsive, fun to work with, and extremely helpful throughout the planning process and on the day of (and afterward). They were also very fair with their pricing (for food and beverage), and they even waived the room rental fees since we (easily) met the minimum food/drink total. The NPC is not a traditional wedding venue, but it fit our black tie DC wedding perfectly, and our guests had a great time (especially the out-of-towners who thought the National Press Club was such a "DC" place to host a wedding).
Another big 'pro' for the NPC is the fact that everything is "in house" so you can save time, money, and hassle by not having to work with extra vendors. The catering team was fantastic and adapted the menu to be exactly what we wanted; and their in-house bartending team made our custom "signature cocktail" (as well as pretty much anything else you would order at a regular bar). Everyone loved the food and bar service. They also made EXCELLENT desserts (which were included in the cost of each plate), and they organized a smaller cake to slice just for the show of it. We also used the club's in-house linens (napkins, tableclothes), tables, and even the custom up-lighting for the room. This saved us having to work with extra vendors for those rentals, or external catering companies.
It is also worth noting that we were so happy we ended up going with a nice indoor venue like the NPC because it ended up raining on our wedding day, so we were able to save the $12-18k we would have needed to spend on a tent at any other outdoor venue!
If you're on the fence about whether to have a wedding at the NPC, reach out to them, go for a food tasting, and see the venue for yourself. We absolutely loved it and recommend it to anyone who wants a real "DC" wedding.
Long story short - our wedding was worth the wait! My husband and I started our wedding planning process in 2019. We were one of the couples who did a micro wedding in 2020 (at a d...
ifferent location) and rescheduled our big party twice - once in 2021 and finally had the chance to have our party in 2022. We wanted our wedding to be safe and DC to be open by the time we had our big wedding. NPC is a great one stop shop. They provide the rentals (tables, chairs, stage, dance floor, etc), catering, alcohol, and the space has plenty of rooms! We picked out the food in March 2020 and the food this past weekend was still perfect over 2 years later! George Arfken is who we worked with for years and he is very responsive, straight forward, and professional via email. We can’t recommend the venue enough, especially for busy professionals like my husband and myself! Our family and friends had the best time this past weekend and we appreciate the venue being so flexible with all our reschedules.
Where do we even begin! The venue made our wedding. My husband found this venue and we fell in love with the minute we walked in. It's such a historic, unique place to have a weddi...
ng, and the pricing is not that much different than doing it at a hotel. Not only that, the food is incredible, and working with Cara and Michelle who are the event planners for the venue were the icing on the cake. They handled everything for the day of coordination. They were also so accommodating when we had to move our original 2020 date due to COVID. We are so happy with the way everything turned out and we can't recommend this place enough!
We had an amazing experience working with the Press Club. From the get-go, we worked with George who was incredibly warm, welcoming and easy to work with. Although COVID presented ...
challenges to our plans, George was a wonderful partner throughout and we cannot highly enough recommend!
National Press Club is one of our favorite vendors for our wedding. Their venue is historic, classic and romantic and was located at the heart of the Washington DC - 2 blocks away ...
from the white house! Their in-house kitchen 'the fourth estate restaurant' was awesome, the hors d'oeuvres, crab cakes and desserts are top notch and the price was reasonable. If you want the guests to enjoy a fresh out of the oven meal on your wedding day, then the Press Club is the place for you.
The event manager Cara was amazing, she went above and beyond of her duties and made our wedding day flawless and memorable. She is also very professional and knowledgeable about the venue and the kitchen, she also took the initiative in accommodating our requests. I did not hire a wedding planner and decided to do it by myself - with Cara's help, the entire process was not too painful for me because I could just talk to her about all my questions of the venue, the food and the cake! It felt like 3-vendors-in-1.
The venue staff was friendly too, David was a great help setting up the ceremony/reception room the night before. The entire experience was amazing, we are so glad that we chose the National Press Club and highly recommend it to everyone!
We choose the Press Club for our wedding reception and cannot say enough about how amazing it was. George is the most incredible wedding planner. He helped us through every step of...
the planning process and I could not imagine getting through the day without him. The Press Club was beautiful and the staff is very kind. The guests ranted and raved about the delicious food and everyone enjoyed the venues historic setting. The national Press Club and George made our wedding day absolutely perfect.
We chose the National Press Club for our wedding reception and we had the best experience imaginable! Cara Lanza was absolutely wonderful to work with and was extremely responsive ...
during the entire planning process. We knew that the day-of execution was in good hands with Cara and her team. The venue and food were a huge hit with our guests, and we were so pleased with how everything turned out. We are so glad that we chose the National Press Club for our special day!
Absolutely, positively GO FOR IT if you're considering the Press Club for your downtown wedding. I'd rate them ten stars if I could. The food was incredible - where else have you e...
ver heard (almost all) the guests rave about grilled chicken breast at a wedding? The setting is very elegant and very DC, with all the press photos and wood paneling. The pricing was beyond reasonable for the location and amenities. But the real star of the show is Cara Lanza, who took such a huge load off this bride's mind with her incredible work ethic and expertise. She is attentive, communicative, proactive, and could probably pull off flawless weddings in her sleep. I am so happy with how everything worked out at our wedding, but I think the single best decision we made was the Press Club. It just made so many other things go smoothly, without any added stress on our part. We love you Cara! :) Matt and Charlene, July 30
We held our wedding reception at the National Press Club in January. We planned from afar and I wanted to do as little DIY as possible. The Press Club and Patty Powers were wonderf...
ul! We had the whole space to ourselves, so guests were able to enjoy all the different rooms. The food was outstanding and so plentiful! Indeed, my only regret was that we couldn't take any of the leftovers with us at the end of the night. But it was such a perfect and interesting space with a gracious and helpful staff that it is a minor complaint. Highly recommended!
Michelle is amazing to work with, and creates perfection. The venue, food and service are of the highest quality.
This is truly a hidden gem. So many people had said that they had never been inside the Press Club. It is so close to everything and so calming and warm. We had the Holeman Lounge ...
for the Cocktail Hour and the Ballroom for the Ceremony and Reception. Everything was perfect and many people said that it was the best food they had ever had. Not just at a wedding. Michelle who we worked with was great. She was able to answer all of our questions and answered calls and emails very fast. If I had to do it again (I hope I never have to) I would totally do it at the press club. Everyone was so friendly and professional. I did not have to worry about anything during the day. It was beyond our and our guests expectations.
Wonderful. I had an excellent experience using the National Press Club. My event coordinator, Patty Power, was a joy to work with!
I left this review last as the National Press Club (NPC) is a crown jewel in DC. My husband and I feel so fortunate to have had our at the NPC and would highly recommend it as the ...
perfect venue for a wedding and reception. It was important to us to have our reception at a DC museum-type place and maybe a place that out-of-towners--and certainly not DCers would ever think of. The Press Club is so experienced in planning detailed, top-notch events, that we--my now husband, my parents and I--had 100% confidence in them creating a perfect event. We dealt with George Arfkin in catering, who had great advice on how to schedule the reception, the amount of food needed (we ended up ordering more than he thought necessary for the cocktail reception and all the food was still eaten) and anticipated anything that might come up that day. George is a constant professional in all he does. The care he takes in even the most small tasks are just perfection. We can't say enough about the food at the Press Club--go to their restaurant called Fourth Estate--and you will see why we choose them. We were blown away by the end cost of the event. We expected a much higher cost for all that went into event. Thank you George for making the day perfect!
Contact
529 14th St NW, Washington, DC
National Press Club