A Historic and Welcoming Wedding Venue in Washington DC
Congratulations on your engagement!
For more than 90 years, Friends Meeting of Washington has been a place where people gather to celebrate, reflect, and build community. Today, our historic campus welcomes couples from all backgrounds who are looking for a wedding venue that feels authentic, peaceful, and connected.
Our Quaker values emphasize simplicity, equality, peace, and community. While many couples appreciate the history and spirit of our Meeting House, you do not need to be a Quaker to celebrate your wedding at FMW. We welcome couples of all faiths, traditions, and backgrounds — including LGBTQ+ couples and couples planning interfaith or nontraditional ceremonies.
We look forward to sharing the simple beauty of our historic spaces with you.
Blogs featuring weddings in our spaces
Anne & Syd’s Wedding by Nessa K Photography
Real Wedding for Meghan and Adam by Bright Occasions
Downtown Washington DC Wedding | Amanda and Chuck by Amanda Summerlin Photography
Watch our virtual wedding tour
Why do couples choose our unique venue?
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A Historic DC Setting with Garden Views
Located just steps from Dupont Circle, our Meeting House offers a peaceful retreat from the city while remaining close to hotels, restaurants, transportation, and iconic Washington DC landmarks.
Historic architecture, large windows, and landscaped gardens create a beautiful setting for ceremonies, photographs, cocktail hours, and receptions.
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A Wedding Venue That Feels Personal
Unlike a hotel ballroom or large event facility, Friends Meeting of Washington offers a warm, intimate environment where couples can create a celebration that reflects their own traditions and personalities.
From traditional ceremonies to creative, personalized celebrations, our spaces provide flexibility while maintaining the character and charm of a historic DC venue.
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Indoor and Garden Wedding Options
Our venue includes multiple indoor and outdoor spaces that can be arranged to fit your wedding vision:
-Historic ceremony spaces
-Garden receptions and cocktail hours
-Indoor dining and celebration spaces
-Flexible layouts for intimate gatherings and larger celebrations
- Perfect for Interfaith or Secular CeremoniesÂ
Because Quakerism does not rely on the religious symbolism often present in other faith traditions, couples of mixed faiths or those with undefined religious leanings feel comfortable at our wedding venue. You are welcome to choose any officiant authorized to perform marriages in the District of Columbia.
What are the space options?
A choice of settings for your ceremony, both indoor and outdoor:
- For larger weddings, our Meeting Room—the spiritual heart of our wedding venue—seats up to 300 people. Its simple elegance includes dark wood pews, luminous gray walls, high ceilings, and expansive windows that welcome in the natural light. You may choose to offer refreshments on the east garden’s terrace prior to or after your ceremony.
- For smaller weddings, our Quaker House Living Room offers a more intimate space for your ceremony, seating up to 40 people. It is a simple yet elegant space in a former historic home, complete with vintage style furniture and a non-working fireplace.
- For any wedding, beautiful gardens and terraces make for a beautiful outdoor ceremony—and you may rent a tent in case of rain.
An easy transition from the ceremony to your reception:
Following a ceremony in the Quaker House Living Room, your reception may remain in that space–and spill out into the upper west gardens, surrounding corridor, and lobby for cocktail hour and dinner.
If you are married in the Meeting Room, the lower west gardens and our Assembly Room offer the perfect spaces for a seated dinner and reception of up to 150 people (200 people for a standing reception). Either the east gardens or the upper west gardens are ideal for a cocktail hour following the ceremony and before dinner.
Tent rental may be arranged through our exclusive vendor. Champagne, wine, and beer are welcome (no spirits or liquors) with prior approval and in compliance with DC law.
Perfect spaces for photography to memorialize your day:​
- The east garden’s stone staircases and courtyards are ideal for wedding photos.
- The nearby Spanish Steps offer opportunities for additional photography
Is Friends Meeting of Washington open to all couples?
We are open to all couples and welcome LGBTQ weddings!
We welcome couples of all genders, beliefs, and orientations to celebrate at our wedding venue, conveniently located in the heart of Washington DC.
Our community has celebrated same sex weddings and commitment ceremonies for decades.
You do not need to attend worship at Friends Meeting of Washington or another Quaker meeting. You need not consider yourself a Quaker, have attended a Quaker school, or have any other connection to Quakerism.
And you may use any officiant of your choice as long as they are authorized to perform marriages in the District of Columbia.
Does Friends Meeting of Washington provide an officiant?
No, identifying and working with an officiant is your responsibility.
You are welcome to select anyone that you choose to lead your ceremony. Our list of preferred wedding and event professionals offers several individuals who we know.
As Quakers do not have clergy, we are unable to provide you with an officiant for your wedding, although a few of our members and attenders may be licensed to perform weddings.
Other couples have made their day special by asking a friend or family member to marry them. Or, under DC law, there is an option to self-officiate your own wedding ceremony!
“My husband and I were married at the Friends Meeting of Washington in July 2019 and we could not have been more excited and or happier with the location, facility and Friends community. It was very important to us to be married at the Friends Meeting House because of the rich history in Washington DC and in the United States. We incorporated some of its history into our ceremony.
Not only was the ceremony beautiful and uplifting in the Meeting House, there were many incredible backdrops for pictures, including lovely gardens and flowers, unique architecture and the little-known Spanish Steps a half a block away. The Meeting House has many options for set up. We chose a very simple plan with floral arrangements behind the officiant and on the windowsills. The sun coming through the big windows made the beautiful wood and the room very inviting and everyone entered with a smile.” ~ P and M
Header photo credit: Marsh Kove Media