Cedar Knoll Reviews

We had an excellent experience with Cedar Knoll for our wedding reception. The venue was lovely, the bar staff was great, and we and our guests had a wonderful time. Our space was beautiful and the perfect size for our group. The restaurant staff was superb. The entrees were spectacular and well-received. The cake was beautiful and delicious, as well. Our flowers and cake topper were added perfectly. The passed hors d’oeuvres of asparagus en croute and mini-burgers were a highlight. There was plenty of room for dancing and the views were magnificent. Thank you, Cedar Knoll, for a beautiful and fun reception we will always remember!

Cedar Knoll is absolutely the perfect venue for a small, intimate wedding. We had a COVID wedding there (just 18 guests), and it was perfect. The space is beautiful and unique, with gorgeous views of the Potomac (especially with the sun setting). Our photographer hadn't shot there before, and she was so excited about the lighting and how beautiful everything was, especially down by the river. The restaurant is so charming and well-decorated, so we hardly needed any decorations! We had the ceremony in the botanical room, in front of the fireplace, and had dinner in the presidential room. The space felt extremely private, even though we didn't buy out the whole restaurant. The fireplaces were so cozy and perfect for a winter wedding. The food and drink was all amazing. (We had such a hard time narrowing down the options at our tasting!) All our guests raved about how good the food was. The wedding cake (which was included) was also beautiful and tasted amazing. Jessica, the coordinator, was so sweet and easy to work with. The best part was that everything was such a great value. We were on a tight budget because our plans had changed so much with COVID, and it was easy to get everything we wanted within our budget. If you're looking for a venue for a small wedding, I really can't recommend Cedar Knoll enough!!

This location was perfect. We were able to participate in a tasting to make dinner selections. The food and service were outstanding. They made accommodations to ensure we have a perfect memorable experience.

When we had to postpone our big wedding due to COVID, we knew we still wanted to get married on our original date with just our families. We were under a pretty tight timeline, and I will forever be thankful we found Cedar Knoll. Jessica was incredibly responsive, professional, and kind, and helped us bring a beautiful 9 person wedding to life. The venue is so charming and was perfect for a cold day in December, with multiple fire places creating the coziest space. The food was fantastic, and we plan to return every year for our anniversary. Thank you to the Cedar Knoll team for making our 9 person wedding dreams come true!

Cedar Knoll was the perfect venue for our September ceremony / reception and Andrew / Jessica could not have been easier to work with! From the very beginning of the planning process, they were both flexible, responsive, and open to hearing my ideas, as well as my concerns. They made me feel very comfortable about the event and I didn’t have a worry at all going into the day! They went above and beyond (even fixing the landscaping and other aspects of the properties’ exterior when my mom pointed out some little fixes that could be done).

On the wedding day, everyone raved about our food (which I feel like typically doesn't happen at weddings?) and Andrew (the co-owner / head chef) was so accommodating when it came to food allergies / special requests. Also, guests mentioned how attentive the staff was and how interesting the venue was! The history of the property is an added bonus and I love how much character the entire place has! Because of that, you don’t really need many decorations or flowers - the property speaks for itself. I honestly cannot recommend Andrew, Jessica, or Cedar Knoll enough for your wedding if you’re looking for a venue in Alexandria with amazing food, great views of the Potomac, and an accommodating staff.

We hosted a medium-size reception (60 people) at Cedar Knoll and can't say enough good things about the staff, the food, and the ambiance. From my first interaction to the day of the event, Christine and her staff were professional, flexible, and went above a beyond-especially compared to what other restaurants offered. Andrew, the chef, is very talented; his dishes are creative and full of flavor-seriously delicious!! He is also a laid-back and friendly guy. The ambiance of the main dining room and fireplace area is classic Virginia-an old stone fireplace, chandeliers, and white walls with portraits. It is stunningly beautiful. The outdoor porch area that is connected to the main dining room overlooks the Potomac and allows for freedom of movement and is very lovely. The whole restaurant has a historic, intimate feel, with elegant design touches. The day of the event, the staff was so professional, the food was exactly as it tasted during the tasting, and Christine was there, taking care of every detail. I was thrilled with how evening turned out. Our guests raved about it!!! Thank you Cedar Knoll-we will be back!

Cedar Knoll is a beautiful and unique venue. It's conveniently close to the DC area but feels like it's much further away! So many guests complimented the historic building, the setting/grounds, and, of course, the delicious food! Service was excellent too, and Jessica was so kind and flexible as we worked through multiple pandemic-related postponements. Having your wedding here is also an excellent value, especially considering the quality of the restaurant! While Cedar Knoll can accommodate larger numbers, this venue is best for a small-to-medium sized wedding in my opinion because of the way that the space is laid out. We had 75 guests, and it was just right for us (using both the extended Lafayette room and the Pergola-covered patio, as well as the lawn for our ceremony).

Cedar Knoll Inn on the Potomac is a smaller venue, but perfect for those wishing to incorporate an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception at one place. Close to Mount Vernon on the GW Parkway, it provides a lovely setting with a full view of the Potomac. We held our wedding and reception here in early June with approximately 80 guests. The outdoor ceremony was lovely, and the reception hall was set up beautifully with full formal dining. We held a "Cocktail Hour" on the outdoor patio following the ceremony and prior to the indoor seated dinner and reception, and there were no complaints about the wait staff providing beverages and there was even a bar set up outside for this short period of time. Appetizers were passed by suited waiters in the most elegant manner. The dinner was absolutely delicious, the service impeccable. All of our guests commented on the quality of food and service, and how lovely the setting was. I would HIGHLY recommend Cedar Knoll to anyone who wishes to have their perfect wedding!

We held an 80-person ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception on 11/3/2023 at Cedar Knoll.

The good:
Our guests raved about the food, wine, and ambience. The convenience of having a ceremony and reception in the same space and not having to hire a lot of vendors was important to me in the planning process. Their events coordinator Kate Rowe is great - highly responsive and extremely detail-oriented. The Cedar Knoll pastry chef is AMAZING - our cake and cupcakes were so good! We lucked out with a gorgeous 65 sunny autumn day and the scenery at Cedar Knoll is spectacular.

The bad:
We were promised an event coordinator (Kate) and encouraged not to hire an external day-of coordinator. She seemed incredibly competent and I followed this advice. She was supposed to attend our rehearsal and wedding day but ended up out on a medical emergency. I work in healthcare and understand these things happen - but no one from CK notified us that she would not be there and there was no contingency plan for her absence. I was instructing our family members how to set-up decor (while trying to take pre-wedding photos with our photographer), despite having provided detailed written instructions to Kate/the venue beforehand. I had to ask if our guests had arrived and when I was supposed to walk down the aisle - basically, no one was directing the timeline that I had painstakingly created months beforehand. At 9:45pm (15 minutes before our end time) we were told by the owner that we had to remove all our decor as they had 2 weddings the following day, despite being previously told we could pick it up the next day. So we ran around frantically collecting bouquets, candles, arch decor, etc. and my mom ended up going back the next day at 7am to retrieve items out of the dumpster that CK had thrown out. The weirdest part - they still have not cashed our large payment that we wrote at the end of the evening (end of January 2024). I have reached out several times inquiring whether they need an alternative form of payment with no response.

I think perhaps we had a fluke experience and a day-of coordinator would have made all the difference, but I hesitate to recommend this venue based on our experience.