Are you still looking for the perfect wedding venue?  This coming Sunday, February 8th, may be your lucky day!

Eighteen local Marriott and Renaissance hotels are opening their ballrooms for a huge open house event.  You don’t need to make an appointment; just visit any of the participating properties between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.!

And it gets better:  At each property you visit, you can enter to win one of four pretty amazing grand prizes:

• A $1000 gift certificate to Adorn Brides
• Manolo Blahnik shoes for your wedding day
• 250,000 Marriott Rewards^® points to use toward your honeymoon
• An engagement photoshoot with Bella Pictures

Last week I had the pleasure of lunching at the Carlyle Club with Arlene Hewitt, who generously invited me for a visit.

The Carlyle Club is a relatively new venue; however, you’d never know it.  It’s a painstaking recreation of a 1930s supper club that immediately transports you back to the swing era. No art deco detail has been spared, and Arlene explained that many of the decorative items — including the carpets! — were imported from Europe. The supper club atmosphere doesn’t stop at the decor: Our lunch was served at a table with white linens and lovely china by a tuxedoed waiter who unobtrusively attended to our every need. It was nice to enjoy the kind of service that, for better or worse, is becoming something of a throwback in our rapid-paced society.

My spinach salad with chicken was delicious, and Arlene’s plate of squash ravioli looked pretty yummy too. The special events menus feature a wide range of possibilities, and I’m sure they’re all equally tasty.

After lunch and a great conversation all about being businesswomen in Alexandria, Arlene took me on a brief tour of the club.  In addition to the main dining room, there’s a private VIP room, a beautiful bar, and a luxurious bathroom that would be a nice getting-ready area for a bride and her maids.

I tried to take some photos to share, but most of them turned out pretty awful (I’m still learning my way around our new DSLR).  Here’s a picture of the bar:

There are many other great pictures on the Gallery page on the Club’s website.

The Carlyle Club can accommodate up to 250 people, although a smaller group would probably allow for better use of the dance floor. The Club features a large raised bandstand and a beautiful parquet dance floor your guests will love. Their A/V capabilities include an excellent sound system, some special lighting, and even video! Parking for your guests is available in a nearby garage, and the Club can arrange valet parking service for a very reasonable rate.

Like any good supper club, the Carlyle Club is open for lunch and dinner almost every day, and frequently hosts local and national dance bands. Check them out for your next date night, and if you’d like a bit of a vintage, classy atmosphere for your wedding and reception, then be sure to add the Club to your list of venue possibilities.