How to Get Married at the DC War Memorial | Washington, DC
The DC War Memorial is one of my favorite wedding venues in Washington, DC! It’s one of the most popular venues for small, intimate ceremonies and elopements, but there’s also space on the lawn for larger weddings as well.. The location is perfect – the round, marble memorial is right on the National Mall, and is surrounded by beautiful trees. It’s situated right in between the Reflecting Pool and Independence Avenue, near the World War II Memorial, and just across the street from the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial. It’s the perfect balance of being close to all the hustle and bustle of the more popular monuments, while being a bit off the beaten path for some more privacy during a wedding ceremony.
The DC War Memorial is one of only three locations available for wedding ceremonies on the National Mall (the other locations are the Jefferson Memorial lawn and the George Mason Memorial). If you’re considering getting married here, keep reading to find out all the important information!
Basic details
Wedding permits at the DC War Memorial are reserved in two-hour time blocks, and the cost is $90. All setup and breakdown must take place within your two-hour window.
You can book your wedding pretty much any day of the year, but there may be restrictions during certain times (think 4th of July, when the Mall is packed).
If you’re using the lawn in front of the DC War Memorial for chairs, you can fit up to 200 seated guests. If you’re hoping to keep your ceremony and guests under the roof of the memorial itself, the space is much smaller (comfortably seating 50 or so guests).
Making your reservation
Wedding reservations at the DC War Memorial are handled through the National Park Service.
It’s a good idea to call the permit office at 202-245-4715 before submitting your application to ask about your preferred date and time to see if they are available. Applications are processed on a first come/first serve basis.
The application you need to fill out is called a Special Use Permit, and it can be accessed on the permit page of the NPS website. The application must be submitted by fax (202-475-2216), mail (National Park Service, Attn: Permits Management Division, 900 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, DC 20024), or you can also hand deliver it to the same address. The permit application cannot be submitted via email due to the personal information collected on the form.
Processing time for the permit can vary from a few days to a few weeks, so you’ll want to give yourself enough time. And if you’re looking at a popular date (like Saturdays from spring through fall), you’ll want to make your request several months in advance.
The National Park Service will email your permit to you when it is approved.
More information about permits can be found on the National Park Service FAQs page.
Have other questions for the National Park Service? You can reach them via phone at 202-245-4715. The permit office is open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Pros
It’s inexpensive. Compared to many other wedding venues in DC, the DC War Memorial is hard to beat when it comes to price!
It’s covered. Even if you’re faced with rain on your wedding day, you’ll still be able to have your outdoor ceremony at the DC War Memorial and keep everyone dry.
It’s not as crowded as some other areas of the Mall. You’re able to enjoy an iconic DC monument, complete with the white pillars, but without as many the tourists!
No extra photography fees. Normally to take wedding photos around the National Mall you have to obtain a photography permit through the National Park Service, which costs $140. But with your DC War Memorial wedding reservation, your photography permit is included! So there’s no extra fees or paperwork for you to take pictures anywhere around the DC War Memorial. If you plan to take photos at other monuments as well, you do have to request a separate photography permit for those.
Cons
May have tourists in the background. Though you are making a reservation for the memorial, there’s no telling what crowds will be like on your wedding day. Generally people are respectful and will give a wide berth when they see a wedding ceremony going on, but there’s no guarantees.
There’s no parking. Because the DC War Memorial is right off Independence Avenue, there’s no parking in the immediate vicinity. The closest spots are metered street parking on West Basin Drive SW and Ohio Drive SW. But on beautiful, busy days, parking spots can be hard to come by. If you or your guests have accessibility needs, there are handicap spots available not too far away on Homefront Drive SW.
Things to remember
Have a good transportation plan, and be sure your guests understand it. Most people choose to Uber to the venue, because there really is no parking close by. Unfortunately there aren’t obvious Uber drop-off spots nearby either. You could have your driver drop you off on Independence Ave right in front of the memorial, but odds are that’s going to annoy all the other drivers on the road! Your best bet is to have them pull in at Homefront Dr SW, which is just a 3 minute walk from the DC War Memorial.
Be sure to carry a hard copy of your permit with you on your wedding day. There are people who try to skirt the rules and have a quick wedding ceremony without paying for a permit, so park rangers may check to make sure you’ve actually reserved the memorial. It’s a good idea to have the permit listed in the name of whoever is going to arrive at the location first on the wedding day.
Check other events going on in DC and on the National Mall on your planned wedding date to try to avoid things like festivals and huge crowds. Getting married around cherry blossom time gives you an opportunity for beautiful photos, but also means massive amounts of tourists! And you can read about this wedding couple who realized their DC War Memorial wedding was going to be happening at the same time as Insane Clown Posse fans were rallying on the Mall haha! And of course even if you do your research, other events could pop up after you’ve made your reservation. Just be prepared to go with the flow and make the best of whatever else is going on at the Mall that day!
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