Eastern Market too pricey - ideas for similar venues?

browneyedduck

(I'm sure this has been covered umpteen times already, but it wasn't coming up in any of the searches I did on this board -- so please indulge me!)

We're looking for a venue (ideally in DC, but MD or VA is fine too) for our vintage-y, relaxed, foodie, nontraditional wedding. Our dream setting would be the North Hall of Eastern Market -- but we're on a tight budget, and they charge nearly $5K for just the raw space, so we are looking for alternatives.  We've done quite a bit of research but I have the feeling there are other venues out there that we just haven't uncovered yet.  We're looking for a space that:

--Costs less than Eastern Market!
--Would have room for 75 people for both ceremony and reception.
--Has a lot of character -- historic, artistic, and/or rustic.
--Would allow us to use our own caterer (and ideally alcohol too) -- we want to bring in this guy we know who cooks the most amazing paella onsite, so we would need the ability to have him set up somewhere to do the cooking
--Does not involve using a tent.  I know tented spaces can be really lovely if done right, but they're just not for us.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for any ideas or suggestions! 

nhelene

Fairfax County VA has several historical properties available for events and parties.  

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/hprs/greatfalls.htm

I've linked to one example I thought might work for you, but if you click the names on the left side of the frame you can check out each property individually.   I think most of them can be rented for under $2,000.

fchan1

one of my coworkers just booked the rust house manor in leesburg, va. i don't know a whole lot about it but it might be worth looking into. there's a really nice place in middleburg. the name escapes me right now but i think it's like...briar patch or something like that? it's a cute bed and breakfast where you can get married outdoors on this beautiful meadow and then it's got a separate hall for the reception. 

browneyedduck

Thanks so much for the ideas!  Much appreciated.

Lisa50

How about Glen Echo?

indibrit

I'm planning on doing our ceremony at the Franciscan Monastery (www.myfranciscan.org), it has some amazing garden areas as well as different indoor spots including a library and the St. Francis hall which is gorgeous! It's around $2,800 I believe.

Also, I have to ask if you could give me the info on the guy who cooks paella onsite. My fiance and I both love Spain (thinking of honeymooning there) and we want to have something untraditional like that for our wedding reception. Please let me know if you can. I would love to hire him!

Thanks and good luck!