Wedding Guide, The Washington Post


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When The Washington Post created their wedding survival guide, they profiled some of the most distinctive venues in the D.C. area. Read what they had to say about our unique venue.

Fun and historic wedding venues

If you’re still looking for the perfect place to get married and don’t like the idea of a hotel ballroom, the Washington area has plenty of great alternatives. Here are some of the most interesting local wedding venues to consider.

President Lincoln’s Cottage: If you want to give your guests an unparalleled taste of historic Washington, check out Lincoln’s Cottage, where the Civil War president spent several summers. Your wedding could take place in the house, the visitor’s center or on the lush grounds. Guests will be impressed when they see the chair “Reserved for President Lincoln.”

Interested in having your wedding at the Cottage? Visit our Site Rental page and download our brochures with information on our special event packages.

Article originally published online at www.washingtonpost.com on May 3, 2013.

Special Event Packages at President Lincoln’s Cottage


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It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you for the first time, Rental Packages for private and corporate event, meetings, and retreats at President Lincoln’s Cottage! Our new packages reflect our most popular offerings and provide special savings for events of all sizes. Please take a look at these fabulous options here and consider having a memorable gathering at this special place.

Contact Sahand Miraminy at 202-829-0436 x31232 or by email at SMiraminy@savingplaces.org.

Come Celebrate With Us!


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lincoln's hatDuring the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln sought refuge from swampy, stinky Washington by living at the Soldiers’ Home. The gentle landscape of the Soldiers’ Home provided the Lincolns some respite in the middle of the Civil War. Even today, President Lincoln’s Cottage sits apart from the traffic-congested mess that downtown Washington can become. Like the Lincoln family, you can now use this place to create memorable family experiences.

With access to free onsite parking, a highly-trained education staff member, and a private party room, having a birthday party at President Lincoln’s Cottage is something you and your child will not soon forget. This guided birthday experience includes a 40 minute interactive tour of the house Abraham Lincoln lived in when he was president, a 40 minute hands-on activity with a take-away for each child (their own Lincoln hat!), and 40 minutes of party time. Have a seat in the library where Lincoln worked, hear accounts from people who visited him here, and take a load off on the porch where he would sit and play checkers with Tad. Come celebrate with us and see why Lincoln spent so much time at this “hidden gem.”

For additional information or to book your party, please contact our Events and Programs Coordinator, Sahand Miraminy. He is reachable by email, Sahand_Miraminy@nthp.org, or telephone, 202.829.0436 x 31232, during normal business hours, Monday-Friday.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential China


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By Leslie Bouterie

The spring season brings relatives and friends together for holidays, graduations, and family celebrations, and the dining table is often set with a special selection of china for the occasion. The Lincoln family followed this tradition in their family and presidential homes.

In one of her first official duties after becoming First Lady in 1861, Mary Lincoln ordered a full set of presidential china to be used for White House functions. Mary came from the prominent Todd family of Lexington, Kentucky, where formal entertaining and social status were of great importance. The Todd family welcomed family, friends, and prominent political leaders to their table, which was beautifully set for dining.

Upon her arrival at the White House, Mary was very disappointed with the inventory of White House china. She felt that the limited selection of disparate china services from previous presidents was inadequate for presidential entertaining, and she set out to replenish the White House china cabinets.

Working through the firm of E.V. Haughwout and Company in New York City, she selected Haviland and Company of France to produce a set of dinnerware for presidential use. She specified that the white porcelain was to have a scalloped edge, a hand painted solferino (red-purple) and gold rope border. The white center ground was to be decorated with clouds, superimposed with patriotic imagery of an American bald eagle with wings outstretched, holding arrows and olive branches in its talons, standing atop a shield with stars and stripes, and entwined with a banner bearing the national motto “E Pluribus Unum.”  At the same time, Mary ordered a similar set of Haviland china for Lincoln family use. The family china was also white porcelain, with a bright pink border, hand pained with Greek key-style gold decoration and the initials “ML”.

The solferino-bordered presidential china, dubbed the “Royal Purple” set, was greatly admired. It was so well-suited for official White House use that subsequent presidents ordered additional pieces to augment the original Lincoln purchase. The design of the Lincoln Presidential China remains popular today. For those wishing to dine in Lincoln style, The Woodmere Company of Pennsylvania has produced a modern version of the “Royal Purple” china very similar to that used by the Lincolns (available for purchase in our Museum Store).

This replica version of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential China is available for use by guests dining at President Lincoln’s Cottage. Both the Cottage and the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center may be rented for private and corporate events, and many hosts have chosen to enhance the “Lincoln experience” of their guests by renting Royal Purple china and serving a menu inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s favorite foods. The sumptuous table settings and special menus prepared by the superb caterers on the site’s Preferred Vendor List have made events at this historic site particularly memorable.

You, too, can dine in presidential style at President Lincoln’s Cottage! The Cottage offers intimate dining space for 10 to 20 guests in the Lincoln family Dining Room, and more extensive dining space for up to 100 guests on the second floor. Learn more about the Site Rental Program at President Lincoln’s Cottage.

Ms. Bouterie manages Private and Corporate Events at President Lincoln’s Cottage.

Dine with the President


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By Leslie Bouterie

President Lincoln’s Cottage offers guests a unique opportunity to “dine with the Lincolns.” In my role as manager of events at the site, I have the pleasure of guiding clients with their event plans. Private and corporate clients have found the pastoral venue to be the ideal setting for meetings, receptions, dinners, and family celebrations.  Many wish to enhance their “Lincoln experience” with period appropriate decor and food.  Some clients have requested dinner menus based on Abraham Lincoln’s favorite foods. These requests have afforded me the opportunity to investigate menus and culinary customs of the Victorian era. I have found a number of reference books to be helpful, including: Lincoln’s Table, A President’s Culinary Journey from Cabin to Cosmopolitan, and The First Ladies Cookbook, Favorite Recipes of All of the Presidents of the United States.

Continue reading →

Event Possibilities at President Lincoln’s Cottage


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By Leslie Bouterie
Refreshments by Festive Foods Catering were set up in a tent adjacent to the cottage.
Refreshments by Festive Foods Catering in a tent adjacent to the Cottage.

On the evening of November 6, President Lincoln’s Cottage hosted an Open House and Reception to promote special event rentals at the site. Generously co-sponsored by Bialek’s Music, Capital Party Rentals, Festive Foods Catering, Inc., Frost Lighting, HDO Productions, L.P., Kohler, and Plants Alive!, the event offered guests the opportunity to learn of the many options available for renting the site for private and corporate events, a program which supports the preservation and educational programs at President Lincoln’s Cottage.

At the Cottage, Festive Foods Catering served sparkling libations on the veranda and passed savory hors d’oeuvres throughout several rooms. Our historic interpreters provided information in the period rooms of the first floor while guests were serenaded by harpist Gail Shanta of Bialek’s Music. While touring the second floor of the Cottage, guests viewed the elegant dinner settings and décor provided by Capital Party Rentals and Plants Alive! and learned about the many options for holding dinners and receptions in these rooms.

In the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center, guests enjoyed refreshments in the atrium and toured through permanent exhibition galleries, as is customary during evening facility rentals.

A large carpeted tent, erected on the adjacent lawn, provided a third setting. This spacious tent, provided by HDO Productions, was dramatically lit by Frost Lighting, powered by Kohler Company’s new generation of silent generators. With Frost’s crystal chandelier, Capital Party Rental’s shimmering linens and décor, Plants Alive’s flowing areca palms, and elegant floral arrangements, the area created a vision of event possibilites for the guests.  Guests enjoyed wine, champagne, and sparkling beverages, and sampled a sumptuous buffet with a wide array of delicacies prepared by the seasoned chefs of Festive Foods.

All of these indoor and outdoor venue options offer a wide variety of space usage and are available for hosting private or corporate events at President Lincoln’s Cottage. The site is a unique and ideal location for holiday gatherings, corporate retreats, meetings and dinners, and private parties. Additional information about the site rental program, including room capacities, rental prices, and amenities may be found on our website: http://www.lincolncottage.org/events/index.htm

Thank you to our corporate donors who made this event a success.

Ms. Bouterie is the Private and Corporate Events Specialist and a Lead Interpreter at President Lincoln’s Cottage.

Entertain in Presidential Style


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By Leslie Bouterie

During the Lincoln presidency, Mary and Abraham Lincoln used the tranquil setting of their country retreat at the Soldiers’ Home as a venue for entertaining many guests. The “Summer White House” was the site of memorable and enjoyable gatherings of Lincoln family, friends, and business and political colleagues. Twenty-first century hosts and hostesses may now entertain friends and associates in “presidential-style” in these same spaces. President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home has initiated a facility rental program, making the historic site available for private and corporate events.

The property was once the country estate of the prominent Washington banker, George W. Riggs. Abraham, Mary, and Tad Lincoln later made the Cottage their home for one quarter of Lincoln’s presidency. The comfortably appointed and tastefully restored 1842 Gothic Revival style home was cherished by the Lincolns and today it serves as an ideal location for those seeking a unique and memorable site for modern day entertaining: for cocktail receptions, seated dinners, and corporate, academic, and networking events. The adjacent, beautifully restored Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center, an impressive white marble 1905 Beaux Arts style building, provides spaces for lectures, meetings, receptions and intimate dinners in “turn of the century” style.

The two historic buildings and the bucolic setting offer many options for indoor and outdoor entertaining. Events may be held in either or both of the buildings and a tent may be erected on the lushly landscaped grounds to accommodate larger gatherings of up to 250 people. Ample free parking is available on site and both buildings are fully accessible.

Make your next event a memorable one worthy of presidential acclaim. For additional information about rentals at this unique historic site, please consult the Events Brochure (1.5MB) or contact Leslie Bouterie by phone: 202-829-0436, ext. 31232, or email: Leslie_Bouterie@nthp.org.

Ms. Bouterie coordinates Private & Corporate Events at President Lincoln’s Cottage.

Newsweek White House Correspondents Visit the Cottage


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By Erin Carlson Mast

This afternoon Newsweek sponsored an event at President Lincoln’s Cottage for White House Correspondents in town for the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner, held tomorrow, April 26, 2008.

The press group toured the Cottage, met with staff, and retired to the “Lincoln’s Toughest Decisions’ gallery where Evan Thomas, Newsweek Editor at Large and Presidential Historian, discussed presidential leadership, from Washington to Lincoln and up to the present, followed by his take on the leadership traits of the three leading candidates in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Lincoln’s leadership is one of the main topics discussed in exhibits and the tour at President Lincoln’s Cottage.  Here Lincoln made many decisions about the war and emancipation, and used the site as a place to meet with both allies and adversaries about his campaign for reelection in 1864, a campaign that looked doomed in August of 1864.

Ms. Erin Mast is Curator at President Lincoln’s Cottage.