A wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC is intimate luxury on the edge of historic Georgetown, with a ballroom, a conservatory and a terrace along the canal. We love working here because everything sits close together, and the neighborhood outside can become part of the celebration in a way a downtown ballroom never could.
This is not a hotel for a thousand guests, and that is the appeal. Couples who choose it usually want service and closeness more than scale. For an entertainment team, that changes the job. It is less about filling a giant room and more about getting the details right for people who can all see each other.
About the hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC opened in September 1979 at 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. It stands six stories tall, overlooks the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and sits about 12 blocks from the White House, with Washington Harbor and the Kennedy Center close by. It has 212 rooms, 63 of them suites. Those suites were redone in a project announced in 2024, the same year the spa and fitness center reopened.
The event spaces total about 19,000 square feet by the hotel's count. Its signature rooms are the Corcoran Ballroom, the Dumbarton Conservatory, an outdoor courtyard and a private terrace along the canal.
5 reasons we love working at the Four Seasons DC
1. A ballroom that keeps the dance floor full
The Corcoran Ballroom is 4,602 square feet with a 14-foot ceiling and a banquet capacity of 420. At that size, nobody is far from the floor. In very large rooms, a DJ fights the distance between tables and dancers. Here, the people still at their tables can see the fun and get pulled in, and the sound can stay full without being loud at the back. It also divides into two salons if your guest count is smaller.
2. The Dumbarton Conservatory gives you a second mood
The Dumbarton Conservatory is listed at 2,850 square feet with a 10-foot ceiling and a 220 banquet capacity. Having a second room of real size in the same hotel gives you options: a ceremony or cocktail hour there and a reception in the Corcoran, or a welcome dinner the night before. With a lower ceiling, we use smaller speakers and softer levels so conversation stays easy.
3. Outdoor space that feels like Georgetown
The hotel lists an outdoor courtyard, a private terrace along the canal and an outdoor banquet capacity of 100. For us, a terrace is a place for acoustic sound: a guitarist, a sitar player, or a small jazz group during cocktails. Sound carries over water and between buildings, so ask the hotel what is allowed outside and for how long, and have a rain plan.
4. Georgetown turns a baraat into a street event
This is the one that stays with us. For Rahul and Lexie's fusion wedding in December 2016, we provided a mobile DJ and a dhol player for the baraat, the groom's dancing procession. Here is how Rahul remembers it:
"In addition we used them to have a mobile DJ in Georgetown for my Baraat. They also arranged for one of the greatest dhol players ever. It was an epic event where we essentially shut down traffic in Georgetown with great music and dancing. I will remember that forever."
Rahul Gandhi and Lexie Starrett
Every baraat is different, and streets, sidewalks and horses all need permission. Confirm the route and any permits with the hotel well before the date. But few settings give a procession a better backdrop.
5. Everyone is close, and suites make the mornings easier
With 212 rooms, this is not a place to house 300 relatives. It is a place for the couple, the parents and the wedding party to wake up together. With 63 suites, there is space for getting ready, for hair and makeup, and for the photographs before a ceremony. Foggy Bottom is the listed Metro station, and larger families can use a nearby second hotel for the overflow.
Planning your wedding here
| Space | Listed size | Consider it for |
|---|---|---|
| Corcoran Ballroom | 4,602 sq ft, banquet 420 | Reception, or ceremony and reception with a flip |
| Salon A / Salon B | 3,068 sq ft / 1,534 sq ft | A smaller reception, or one side for a ceremony |
| Dumbarton Conservatory | 2,850 sq ft, banquet 220 | Ceremony, cocktails or a rehearsal dinner |
| Courtyard and canal terrace | Outdoor banquet 100 | Cocktail hour or a small dinner |
Published capacities differ slightly between sources, so ask the hotel for its current chart. A dance floor, a mandap (the canopy for a Hindu ceremony) and a stage all take space from those numbers.
For a big South Asian weekend, the size of the hotel shapes the plan. Rahul and Lexie held their sangeet, the pre-wedding music and dance night, at a banquet hall in Potomac and kept the Four Seasons for the wedding itself. That can be a smart split: a larger, louder night elsewhere and a polished finale in Georgetown.
Questions for your event manager:
- Where could a baraat begin and end, and who handles any street permissions?
- Can a ceremonial fire be used in the Corcoran Ballroom or the Conservatory?
- Is there a limit on amplified sound on the terrace or courtyard?
- Can a band and a DJ share a stage and sound system?
- Where is the load-in, and how early can vendors enter the ballroom?
What Planet DJ brings to the Four Seasons
We have worked this hotel for more than one family. Sheena and Ben's wedding in August 2012 was listed at Stroga Mansion and the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, and Rahul and Lexie's followed in December 2016. For their reception, the band played and we covered dinner and the band's breaks, which is a common setup and one we like: the music never stops, and the guests never notice the handoff.
In a room the size of the Corcoran, sound should be clean and well placed, and lighting should warm up the room without overpowering it, with a stronger look once dancing starts. We can add dhol and live musicians for an entrance, and an MC who knows how to bring a fusion crowd onto the floor without a lot of talking.
Ceremony sound deserves the same care. In a smaller room, every word of a priest's chanting or a parent's reading should reach the back row without feeling amplified. We use discreet microphones and speakers placed around the guests, so the ceremony feels like a family gathering instead of a broadcast.
If you are looking at Georgetown, send us your date and tell us what you have in mind.
Frequently asked questions
How many guests can the Four Seasons DC hold for a wedding?
The hotel lists its largest ballroom at 4,602 square feet with a banquet capacity of 420, and a meet-and-feed capacity of 450. The Destination DC listing shows a higher figure for reception style events. Real capacity falls once you add a dance floor, a stage or a mandap, so ask the hotel for a floor plan at your guest count.
Is the Four Seasons in Washington, DC the same as the Four Seasons in Baltimore?
No. Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC is at 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Georgetown. Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore is a different property in another city, and we work at both. They have different rooms, capacities and event teams, so check which one a review, price or photo refers to before you compare them.
Can you have an outdoor wedding at the Four Seasons in Georgetown?
The hotel lists an outdoor courtyard and a private terrace along the canal, with an outdoor banquet capacity of 100, so a small outdoor event is realistic. Ask how each space is set for a ceremony, what the indoor backup would be, and whether music can be amplified outside, and until what time.
What Metro station is near the Four Seasons in Georgetown?
Foggy Bottom-GWU is the station listed by Destination DC, the city's tourism organization. Plan on a walk or a short car ride from there. If your guest list includes older relatives or anyone in formal wear and heels, a shuttle or valet plan is worth discussing with the hotel early on.
