Venue Spotlight: Arena Stage

This week in our venue spotlight, we’re introducing a space like no other. Do you have a flair for the dramatic? This week’s venue spotlight takes us off the beaten path to the Mead Center for American Theater, also known as the home of Arena Stage. Have you ever thought of having an Arena Stage wedding? Beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows and tons of natural light are some of our favorite aspects of this venue. But that’s not all!

Photo by Connor Studios

About

Located along the waterfront in the historic Southwest neighborhood of Washington DC, the Mead Center for American Theater offers striking contemporary architecture and a range of event spaces to suit your needs. With the opportunity to use the stage of one of three unique perform spaces, ceremonies can be next level in their uniqueness. Think stage sets and suspended elements, and dramatic stage lights to amp up the drama. A designer’s delight! Soaring two-story floor-to-ceiling windows make the Grand Lobby an airy and light-filled space. After the ceremony, guests can mingle and sip on cocktails at the Rooftop Terrace! As the sun goes down, enjoy the magnificent views of the waterfront while dining in the Molly Smith Study or Grand Lobby. Spacious, contemporary, and enclosed by a towering 56’ glass wall, the Mead center sets a dramatic tone for the most important event of your lives.

Location: Southwest Waterfront

Capacity:

Molly Smith Study – 200 seated dinner

Lower Lobby – 100 seated dinner

Grand Lobby – 300 seated dinner

Richard’s Place – 250 seated dinner

Pro Tips:

With the opportunity to use the stage of one of three unique perform spaces, ceremonies can be next level in their uniqueness. Think stage sets and suspended elements, and dramatic stage lights to amp up the drama. A designer’s delight! For the reception, we love color in this space. Put your stamp on the event, and embrace tall designs that take advantage of the height of the space. Drama, drama, drama!

Couple pose for portraits during Arena Stage wedding

Photo by Connor Studios

Couple pose in a hallway at Arena Stage Mead Center during their wedding

Photo by Connor Studios

Wedding couple post in front of windows at Arena Stage

Photo by Connor Studios

Photo by Connor Studios

Photo by Connor Studios

Tables set for Arena Stage Mead Center wedding reception

Photo by Connor Studio

Photo by Connor Studios

Photo by Connor Studios

Photo by Connor Studios

All photos from wedding designed by Petal’s Edge Floral Design.

Searching for a floral designer in DC to translate your vision for your Arena Stage wedding into flowers? Contact us today!

Let’s talk about the “just a few extra blooms” request. Spoiler: there’s no such thing as extra in the world of flowers. Every stem you see, from delicate sweet peas and perfect ranunculus to lush roses, was bought with intention because flowers are literally our business. 🌸

The blooms for a single flat lay? Retail price any where from $20 to $75 and up. And. Up. Why the mark up? Because selling flowers is how we make our living. It pays the team, the rent, the cooler, transportation costs, and more. (It’s not just petals and poetry over here). Multiply that by 50 - 70 weddings a season and you’re looking at over $3k in gift blooms. That doesn’t include the myriad of other free blooms we get asked for: cake flowers, passing tray flowers, sample arrangements and more. That’s not generosity. That’s payroll.

Here’s how we handle it: We offer all our couples the option to include flat lay florals. If yes, we build it into the proposal so everyone wins. The couple gets their dreamy detail shots, the photographer gets beautiful product to work with, and we stay in business. Fairness (and beauty) for all.

No shade to photographers and other wedding vendors here. But boundaries are healthy. Everyone’s work deserves compensation. Be kind. Ask questions. Respect the craft. Love the results.

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Let’s talk about the “just a few extra blooms” request. Spoiler: there’s no such thing as extra in the world of flowers. Every stem you see, from delicate sweet peas and perfect ranunculus to lush roses, was bought with intention because flowers are literally our business. 🌸

The blooms for a single flat lay? Retail price any where from $20 to $75 and up. And. Up. Why the mark up? Because selling flowers is how we make our living. It pays the team, the rent, the cooler, transportation costs, and more. (It’s not just petals and poetry over here). Multiply that by 50 - 70 weddings a season and you’re looking at over $3k in gift blooms. That doesn’t include the myriad of other free blooms we get asked for: cake flowers, passing tray flowers, sample arrangements and more. That’s not generosity. That’s payroll.

Here’s how we handle it: We offer all our couples the option to include flat lay florals. If yes, we build it into the proposal so everyone wins. The couple gets their dreamy detail shots, the photographer gets beautiful product to work with, and we stay in business. Fairness (and beauty) for all.

No shade to photographers and other wedding vendors here. But boundaries are healthy. Everyone’s work deserves compensation. Be kind. Ask questions. Respect the craft. Love the results.

Jazz-age elegance meets Shakespearean drama. For the 2025 Folger Shakespeare Library`s Annual Gala, we channeled the Gatsby vibes and the Harlem Renaissance through gilded palms, white ostrich feathers, and rhythmic textures built for an evening of music and movement. This year’s celebration honored Shakespeare’s lasting place in American culture and welcomed new director Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper with a floral story full of swing and shimmer.⁣
⁣
Special thanks to Sarah Cissna of The Side Lobby for her inspired creative leadership. The night was a perfect blend of theater, history, and bold design. Events like this remind us that flowers don’t just decorate a room, they carry its soul.⁣
⁣
📍@folgerlibrary⁣
🍽 @designcuisine⁣
📷 @elmanstudio⁣
💐 @petalsedgedc⁣
📋 @thesidelobby

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Jazz-age elegance meets Shakespearean drama. For the 2025 Folger Shakespeare Library's Annual Gala, we channeled the Gatsby vibes and the Harlem Renaissance through gilded palms, white ostrich feathers, and rhythmic textures built for an evening of music and movement. This year’s celebration honored Shakespeare’s lasting place in American culture and welcomed new director Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper with a floral story full of swing and shimmer.⁣
⁣
Special thanks to Sarah Cissna of The Side Lobby for her inspired creative leadership. The night was a perfect blend of theater, history, and bold design. Events like this remind us that flowers don’t just decorate a room, they carry its soul.⁣
⁣
📍@folgerlibrary⁣
🍽 @designcuisine⁣
📷 @elmanstudio⁣
💐 @petalsedgedc⁣
📋 @thesidelobby

Some venues ask for flowers. Others demand a dialogue. At the Corcoran Gallery of Art (RIP), the room itself was a masterpiece. Marble columns, grand lines, and just enough shadow for drama. So we kept the florals monochromatic and structural: elegant white blooms along long tables, punctuated by candlelight. Soft folds of draped fabric enhanced the intimacy of an otherwise grand space. The result wasn’t just decoration. It was atmosphere. A moment where floral design became part of the architecture, and the room exhaled in light.⁣
⁣
📍Corcoran Gallery of Art⁣
🍽 @welldunncatering⁣
📷 @timmesterphotography⁣
💐 @petalsedgedc

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Some venues ask for flowers. Others demand a dialogue. At the Corcoran Gallery of Art (RIP), the room itself was a masterpiece. Marble columns, grand lines, and just enough shadow for drama. So we kept the florals monochromatic and structural: elegant white blooms along long tables, punctuated by candlelight. Soft folds of draped fabric enhanced the intimacy of an otherwise grand space. The result wasn’t just decoration. It was atmosphere. A moment where floral design became part of the architecture, and the room exhaled in light.⁣
⁣
📍Corcoran Gallery of Art⁣
🍽 @welldunncatering⁣
📷 @timmesterphotography⁣
💐 @petalsedgedc

Like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, summer slipped quietly into memory. But not before giving us this moment. Alli & Graham’s floral arch spun from soft blues, creamy whites, and petal layers light enough to feel enchanted. Designed for their waterside ceremony at Celebrations at the Bay, this arch was pure storybook romance. No glass slippers required, just the kind of magic flowers can still conjure long after the clock strikes fall. Here’s to the gentler goodbyes, and to floral fairytales that don’t wilt at the word ‘season.’

📍@celebrationsatthebay
🍽 @catering_by_uptown
📷 @katefineart
💐 @petalsedgedc
💄@mimibtran
📋 @margobrightoccasions

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Like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, summer slipped quietly into memory. But not before giving us this moment. Alli & Graham’s floral arch spun from soft blues, creamy whites, and petal layers light enough to feel enchanted. Designed for their waterside ceremony at Celebrations at the Bay, this arch was pure storybook romance. No glass slippers required, just the kind of magic flowers can still conjure long after the clock strikes fall. Here’s to the gentler goodbyes, and to floral fairytales that don’t wilt at the word ‘season.’

📍@celebrationsatthebay
🍽 @catering_by_uptown
📷 @katefineart
💐 @petalsedgedc
💄@mimibtran
📋 @margobrightoccasions

As baseball season wraps, we’re celebrating a win of our own: bringing Petal’s Edge floral magic to Nationals Park for a special event. While most days take us to historic houses and grand ballrooms, we love the chance to design somewhere unexpected. Because flowers don’t just belong in gardens. They shine in stadiums too!

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As baseball season wraps, we’re celebrating a win of our own: bringing Petal’s Edge floral magic to Nationals Park for a special event. While most days take us to historic houses and grand ballrooms, we love the chance to design somewhere unexpected. Because flowers don’t just belong in gardens. They shine in stadiums too!

When the bride wears black, everything else falls into place. At Lauren & Alan’s Hotel Monaco wedding, the candlelight flickered against layers of greenery, lanterns, and shadow. The palette whispered more than it spoke. White flowers wouldn’t have belonged here; this was a story told in texture, depth, and restraint.

There’s power in contrast: light against dark, softness against structure, the unexpected choice that somehow feels inevitable once you see it. The design was less about decoration and more about atmosphere. Mysterious, elegant, and entirely unforgettable.

📍 @monacodc
📷 @carlelixirstudio
💐 @petalsedgedc

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