DUMBARTON HOUSE EVENTS

Dumbarton House provides an intimate, historic setting for events ranging from small corporate meetings, luncheons or conferences, to elegant wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners or teas. The museum rooms of the house are always open at events, providing your guests with a unique opportunity for casual touring of the museum.

While rental for events allows you use of the entire building and grounds, dinners and receptions are generally held in the Belle Vue Room and our outdoor gardens and terraces. The Belle Vue Room is an elegant modern banquet space with light wood-paneled floors, walls paneled in pale yellow fabric, and thirteen foot white coffered ceilings. The banquet space is also adjoined by a beautiful courtyard area that can be tented to provide additional dining space.

Rental requests are contingent upon the availability of the premises, scheduling, staffing needs, and the nature of the event itself. We are unable to reserve dates -- however we will be pleased to mark a note of interest on any date and give a courtesy call should we receive an inquiry.

Key Policies to Note About Events at Dumbarton House (but see Guidelines, below, for additional information):

The Museum is the gracious entry point for your guests, but food and beverage are not permitted inside the Museum itself.
Red wine and red beverages are not permitted at any open bar, but may be served at a seated dinner.
Event Insurance is required as liability for your guests, and may be acquired via wedsafe.com, or rvnuccio.com.
Tenting on the Lower Courtyard, adjacent to the interior Belle Vue Room, is required as a rain plan for an event hosting over 80 guests for a seated event, and over 140 guests for a cocktail. Sugarplum Tent Co. is currently the only vendor we require rental hosts to use.

All potential event hosts are required to visit Dumbarton House by appointment before reserving a date. To schedule a visit, you may submit an online Rental Inquiry Form, send an e-mail to Events@DumbartonHouse.org, or call 202-337-2288, extension 227. Generally, event appointments are available Monday-Friday, schedules permitting, or Saturdays at 2:15 or 3:15pm, following the last of our public tours. Prior to your visit, we recommend reviewing the following, to assist you in your planning, and encourage you to bring your questions!

Full-size color brochure [pdf]

Event Guidelines

Rates & Contract Requirements [pdf]

Preferred Vendors [pdf]

Sugarplum Tents: Current Rates at Dumbarton House [pdf]

Thank you for your interest in Dumbarton House as the perfect venue for your special event!