June 1, 2025

Washington Golf and Country Club Wedding

The last time I had a wedding at Washington Golf and Country Club (in Arlington, Virginia) was in 2007! But I was so thrilled to return for the wedding of E&K. They planned a colorful, thoughtful wedding celebration at the club where the bride’s family already had many great memories.

This wedding day started out with a surprise. The bride woke up in her Arlington, Virginia hotel to discover that it did not have any power. We sprang into action, and moved her, the bridesmaids and all their personal belongings to the bride’s childhood home, just a mile away. I stayed in close contact with the beauty artists, and we were able to start the morning on time and stay on time throughout the day!

How fun is it that the bride’s mom had her own wedding invitation framed at home, which we could document alongside the couple’s?!

Washington Golf and Country Club Wedding Ceremony

We started with the couple’s first look in the Conservatory before we went out to the course for portraits and group photos.

The wedding ceremony was on the Terrace and we did rent one set of whitewashed chiavari chairs that we used for both the outdoor and the ballroom seating.

Washington Golf and Country Club Wedding Reception

A classic navy linen works so well for a colorful wedding table centerpiece. We brought in the linens and the chairs from DC Rental. Each place setting had a unique origami crane at it.

How about this gorgeous cake with the piped florals and the topper a replica of the couple’s beloved pup!

Japanese Sake Barrel Ceremony

This was my first time with a Sake Barrel Ceremony at a wedding reception. The father of the groom gave some remarks about the ceremony, and then the couple used a wooden mallet to break open the cask. Then, using a wooden ladle, they served each other sake. The family then came up to the barrel and the couple poured sake for them as well. The sake glasses were customized and preset on the dinner tables. These were also the favors that the guests could take home with them.

Part of the ceremony is the communal sharing of the sake. With that in mind, we placed carafes of sake on each dinner table for guests to pour for each other after the barrel was broken. If you take a tactic like this, you need to limit how much is placed on the tables. We don’t want anyone to be over-served.

If you are still looking for a wedding venue, check out my round up of Virginia wedding venues.