Wedding Venue Old Town Alexandria VA – Athenaeum

Athenaeum captured at Sunset

This past weekend Teatime Delicacies Catering was delighted to cater the wedding celebration of Kate and Conor at the historic Athenaeum in historic Old Town Alexandria VA.  Historic, beautiful, intimate and inviting, the Athenaeum is home to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA).  According to their website www.nvfaa.org   “the NVFAA strives to establish premier arts programs that enrich the cultural life of Northern Virginia and beyond.  The Atenaeum is a dramatic and memorable site for wedding ceremonies, receptions, parties and seminars.  The historic building is a beautiful setting for any event.”

Upper Level of Athenaeum

 The elegant rooms have 24-foot high ceilings, enormous windows and beautiful woodwork. There are two galleries on the main floor, located on the lower level, with original exposed granite walls, is a large room that the caterer may use for food preparation.

Set up for Kate and Conor’s wedding reception

 The Washington DC area got a brief respite from heat and rains so we were able to hold the ceremony in the outside courtyard behind the venue, along with the cocktail hour and passed appetizers.

Cocktail hour on the patio

 The main meal was served on the upper level set up with long rectangular tables set end to end with purple runners and hand cut wine bottle candle holders.

Intimate seating for 40 guests

 The menu included Assorted Domestic and Imported Cheeses and Crackers (“Ruth, you had us at Cheese”}; Baked Artichoke, Parmesan and Spinach Dip; Silver Dollar Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce.
The buffet menu included Grilled Indonesian Chicken on Bamboo Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce 

Teatime classic:  Grilled Indonesian Chicken

The menu also included Ruth’s House Salad; Carved Steamship Round of Beef with Chipotle Cabernet Cream; Farfelle Pasta Salad with Fresh Dill, Feta Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato and Snow Peas; Fresh Fruit Arrangement with Seasonal Fruits and Fresh Bread and Roll Basket.
 And we cannot forget the sweet  finale:  one of Ruth’s wedding cakes.

“Becky’s” Cake Design

 Chocolate Fudge Cake with Fresh Raspberry Filling.
The Athenaeum is a perfect spot for a smaller scale wedding reception and for an “outside the box” style.  There is ample parking in nearby lots, and the wedding party had the remainder of the evening to explore surrounding nightlife of Old Town Alexandria VA.
It was indeed our treat to be catering this event, the bride and groom had met in Korea and married there, so this was a celebration for friends and family unable to attend the original ceremony.  Soju?  Who knew?!  It was a blast!
Best of everything to the lucky couple.
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