An Alexandrian Hotel wedding can include an outdoor courtyard ceremony and indoor reception, allowing much of the wedding day to happen in one location.
Ceremony timing matters in the courtyard. Depending on the date and time of day, the position of the sun can create uneven light, so it is worth evaluating the courtyard with your photographer when building the timeline.
Between the hotel’s interiors and Old Town just outside, couples can create plenty of variety in their wedding portraits without spending a large part of the day traveling.
An Alexandrian Hotel wedding gives couples something I particularly love as a photographer: the convenience of having so much of the wedding day in one place while still being surrounded by the character of Old Town Alexandria.
For Mallory and Tommy’s late-August wedding, the day moved from getting ready and their first look inside the hotel to a courtyard ceremony, followed by a ballroom reception with a live band. In between, we had beautiful indoor spaces and the streets surrounding the hotel to create portraits that felt completely different without taking them away from their wedding for long stretches of time.f time.
A Wedding at The Alexandrian in Old Town Alexandria
The Alexandrian Old Town Alexandria, Autograph Collection sits directly on King Street in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
That’s one of my favorite things about photographing a wedding here.
You’re not choosing a hotel ballroom and then needing to drive somewhere else to give your wedding photographs a sense of place. Walk outside and you’re immediately surrounded by brick sidewalks, historic architecture and the energy of Old Town.
Inside the hotel, the feeling changes completely. Light-filled hallways, arches and neutral interiors give you softer, more refined backgrounds for portraits.
For a photographer, that variety within such a small area is incredibly valuable. For a couple, it means less time traveling for photographs and more time actually enjoying the wedding.
The Alexandrian currently has seven event rooms, and the hotel lists its Old Town Ballroom for up to 180 guests for a banquet.
An Elegant Green, White and Gold Wedding Design
Mallory and Tommy chose a color palette that felt perfect for their late-summer Alexandria wedding.
The bridesmaids wore rich olive green dresses, while the groomsmen wore light neutral suits with coordinating green ties. Their florals combined white and ivory roses with greenery and beautiful magnolia leaves, including the warm brown underside of the leaves that added another layer of color and texture.
Gold accents appeared throughout the details and brought warmth to the green-and-white palette without making the design feel overly formal.
What I loved most was how naturally the colors worked with the venue.
The greens and whites felt beautiful against the courtyard foliage, while the neutral suits and warmer details worked just as well against the brick streets and lighter interiors of the hotel.
It was elegant, but it still felt relaxed and very much like them.
An Outdoor Courtyard Ceremony at The Alexandrian
One of the biggest draws of an Alexandrian Hotel wedding is the opportunity to have an outdoor ceremony without leaving the property. The hotel’s courtyard is a substantial event space in its own right, at 3,520 square feet.
There is one thing I would pay particular attention to when planning a ceremony here: the light.
Depending on the date, weather and ceremony time, the courtyard can have challenging lighting as the sun moves through the space. Ideally, you don’t want to begin your ceremony in beautiful even light and then have direct sunlight move across one person halfway through your vows.
Mallory and Tommy’s ceremony was scheduled at exactly the right time. The light remained consistent throughout the ceremony rather than having a line of direct sun move across them partway through.
This is also where firsthand experience matters. Another photographer’s guide to The Alexandrian describes the courtyard as avoiding harsh midday glare because of the surrounding architecture. My experience photographing this wedding was a little more nuanced: I wouldn’t assume the courtyard will have ideal light at every ceremony time.
For another Alexandrian wedding, I would look specifically at the courtyard in relation to the couple’s wedding date and planned ceremony time when building the photography timeline.
First Look and Wedding Portraits at The Alexandrian
One of my favorite things about this venue is how many different portrait locations we can use without putting the couple in a car.
There are plenty of little corners inside The Alexandrian that photograph beautifully, particularly its light-filled hallways with arches, white architectural details and a soft neutral palette.
Mallory and Tommy chose one of these areas for their first look. It gave them a quiet space away from everything happening downstairs and allowed the moment to feel private while still giving us beautiful natural light.
We returned to the hallways for portraits with their dog, Charlie, who was naturally a very important member of the wedding party.
Then we could step outside and change the look completely.
We photographed the wedding party directly outside the hotel, using the brick sidewalk, glass façade and surrounding architecture for a cleaner, slightly more editorial feel.
And if a couple wants even more of Old Town incorporated into their wedding photographs, I would intentionally build a little walking time into the photography timeline.
You don’t need to disappear from your wedding for an hour to do it.
With thoughtful planning, a relatively short portrait window can give us indoor portraits, the hotel exterior and some of Old Town while still getting you back to your guests.
That’s important to me. I want couples to have beautiful, intentional portraits, but I never want their wedding day to feel like it was designed around a photoshoot.
An Alexandrian Hotel Ballroom Reception
After the courtyard ceremony, Mallory and Tommy moved the celebration indoors for their reception.
The Old Town Ballroom is 2,352 square feet, and the hotel currently lists it for up to 180 guests for a banquet or 250 for a reception-style event.
Their elegant green, white and gold design carried into the evening, but the feeling of the wedding shifted once the live band started playing.
This is one of my favorite transitions to photograph.
Earlier in the day, I’m paying close attention to the details, the light and creating beautiful portraits. Once the reception gets going, my approach becomes much more documentary.
I’m watching for the things nobody planned.
People laughing across the table. Someone pulling another person onto the dance floor. Parents watching from across the room. Friends singing along with the band. The little interactions happening at the edges of everything else.
Those moments matter just as much to me as the beautifully styled parts of the wedding.
I want my couples to look incredible in their photographs, but I also want them to look back years later and remember what the room felt like.
My Perspective on Photographing a Wedding at The Alexandrian
From a photography perspective, The Alexandrian’s strength is simple: you can create a lot of visual variety without sacrificing a lot of the wedding day to create it.
The courtyard, interior architecture, ballroom and surrounding streets of Old Town can each give the photographs a different feeling while remaining close together. The hotel’s own wedding information also emphasizes its Old Town location and access to King Street.
The one element I would plan particularly carefully is the courtyard ceremony time. Have your photographer think about the light for your date and your ceremony time, rather than assuming the courtyard will photograph the same way throughout the day.
Beyond that, The Alexandrian gives us the opportunity to create polished portraits, document genuine moments and incorporate a strong sense of Alexandria into the wedding gallery without constantly pulling you away from your guests.
That’s exactly the balance I want for my couples.
Planning an Alexandrian Hotel Wedding?
If you’re planning a wedding at The Alexandrian or elsewhere in Old Town Alexandria and want photographs that combine polished, editorial imagery with the real, unscripted moments of the day, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
Inquire with Pat Cori Photography about your Alexandria wedding.
Wedding Vendors
Mallory and Tommy’s wedding at The Alexandrian Hotel came together with the help of an incredible team of wedding professionals. From the lush florals and elegant reception details to every thoughtfully planned moment, each vendor played a part in creating a beautiful and memorable celebration in Old Town Alexandria.
Venue:
The Alexandrian Hotel
Wedding Planner:
Pearl & Poppy Wedding Co
Hair:
Hair Kanika Styles
Makeup:
Fyu Bi Studio
Florist:
The Little Garden Spot
Band:
Bachelor Boys Band
Cake & Dessert:
Hollin Hall
Photographer:
Pat Cori Photography
