Well Dunn Catering

Rhiannon Swanson of Well Dunn Catering was personable, detail oriented, and great to work with in every way. She spent time with us on every stage of the planning process and made our wedding day exactly how we wanted it to be. Her effort in making our wedding day special exceeded our expectations. We used a space, Epic Yoga, where we had to bring in all the equipment. She coordinated with all of our vendors and worked especially well with our planner, Rebecca Sparks at Rex & Regina Events, who was also amazing. The look of our wedding was exactly what we wanted. She had great suggestions for table, chair and linen rental. The food was amazing. Many of our guests said that it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. We used ACE beverage for alcohol at Rhiannon’s suggestion and were very happy with the bar and drink selection. Rhiannon had great suggestions for drinks as well as food. Guests raved about how friendly and attentive the staff were. Every detail of our wedding was executed perfectly. Our wedding day was even better than we had imagined and we have Rhiannon at Well Dunn Catering to thank for that.

We worked with Yulia for my daughter’s wedding and I can’t recommend them enough. The menu planning and attention to detail was second to none. We found Yulia to be helpful and proactive in making suggestions for the day of wether it was a vendor suggestion or a food recommendation. It was her suggestion to serve warm apple cider with cinnamon stick as our guests arrived for my daughter’s November 7^th Wedding. The guests loved that touch and it’s this type of attention to details that has Well Dunn head and shoulders above other caterers.
The servers were professional, courteous, well groomed and did a great job serving. The food was served hot and efficiently.
Overall I couldn’t be happier with the experience.

We worked with Yulia, who is the most prepared, professional, and reliable event coordinator I have ever met. We didn’t have a wedding planner, so she went the extra mile and made sure that our plan was thorough and that we didn’t miss any detail. She was always responsive to even the smallest request for information or assistance.
Every detail of Well Dunn’s preparation and execution the day of the wedding was perfect. Not just good or great… perfect. I had to step back a few times and just take it all in. The entire staff made sure the venue was prepared well ahead of time, and they did a fantastic job. Many details we didn’t even notice until looking at pictures in the days after the wedding.
The waitstaff was extremely attentive and courteous to everyone. We had a server, Sonya, assigned specifically to us. When I couldn’t find anyone else in the wedding party after the post-​ceremony photos, Sonya helped me out, all the time offering me drinks and hors d’vores.
Many people told us stories of the bride and groom not getting a chance to enjoy their meal at their wedding. Well dunn made sure that didn’t happen to us. We were at a sweetheart table, and they served us first. They even brought out our entrees well in advance of the other tables. They made that suggestion so that we could socialize at the guests’ tables while they were still eating and we were finished. It was a great idea. One of many suggestions by their staff that evening that were extremely helpful in making the event so enjoyable for all.
Speaking of the food… it was phenomenal. Sometimes you’ll hear meals at weddings referred to as «wedding food.» It’s not a compliment. Usually that means dry, overcooked meat and fish. Several guests complimented us on the meal saying, «that was NOT wedding food!»
Well Dunn deserves the absolute highest praise.

We recently used them at our wedding. Everyone was raving about how good the food was and how professional the staff was. Yulia is a pro and very on top of things. I had no issues with this company and the way they catered to our guests made it seem «like a State Dinner». Every one on the waitstaff was very accommodating. I highly recommend them to anyone. I didn’t have to worry about them at all, they had this thing down!
If you want top notch, detail oriented wait staff for your important event, this company is for you. If you want to focus on your guests and not worry about a darn thing, this company is for you. They think of everything so you won’t have too. One less stress on my special day. :)

Well Dunn is the best! My husband and I worked with Yulia and Cameron. They were both incredibly hard working, organized, great listeners, a joy to be around, and very creative. We got married in Maryland but live in California. They made planning our wedding from across the country so much easier by being very responsive and on top of everything. Yulia was with us on the big day. She and our wedding coordinator worked so well together. They were like a dream team. The food was all so delicious. We had a vision for a champagne infusion bar «bubbly bar» with fruits and different flavorings. We described what we had in mind, and they executed it perfectly. Overall, we could not have asked for a better experience. Choose Well Dunn, they truly are awesome. :)

My partner and I were so lucky to stumble upon Well Dunn and end up with Natalie Walker spearheading the catering for our wedding. We came to Natalie with a few vaguely formed ideas about what we were looking for, and she transformed them into a wonderful party that was just the mix of fancy but not stuffy that we were looking for. She made sure the room looked beautiful, and the food was delicious and perfect for the occasion. I’d recommend Well Dunn to anybody looking for a caterer.

We were so pleased with the Well Dunn experience. Event Coordinator Madeline Zavesky ensured that I was her only client that weekend. She was very responsive initially when we were «shopping around» for caterers. Once everything was confirmed, Madeline was on hand to provide general guidance and field frantic questions and requests. I didn’t hire a wedding planner and I didn’t need one. Madeline made it easy, fun, and low-​stress. All our needs were met and I would recommend Well Dunn to anyone without hesitation.

I recently photographed a wedding that was catered by Well Dunn Catering at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. They did a fantastic job with the food and the service was incredible. The communication between them, the client, the event planners, and the other vendors was also impressive. It’s easy to recommend a vendor when you are a guest or client at an event, but when you are a vendor and you see «how the sausage is made» you get a completely different perspective. And from that perspective, I can only say that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them!

We used Well Dunn Catering for a work event we had that was in the evening. We did a fall theme. The Chef catered our menu to the theme. The food was absolutely delicious!!! Some of the best food I have ever had. The staff was extremely friendly, and courteous. We will definitely be using Well Dunn again.

Amazing preparation and implementation! From Start to finish Madeline Zavesky, our coordinator was Outstanding! Always attentive to our needs and worked out all the details. The food was delicious and the staff simply perfect.
Thank you Madeline!

My wife and I could not be happier with the service provided by Well Dunn. From our first email interactions with Natalie Walker to the big event itself, everything was personal, professional and well done ;-) The food was amazing, the cake was beautiful (and delicious) and the service was discreet and impeccable. We would highly recommend Natalie and Well Dunn to our closest friends and family.
Thanks, again, Natalie!
Paloma & Alex

Simply fantastic. The food was delicious and Rhiannon went above and beyond in helping us with the wedding (even calling tent companies a few days before we realized it might rain and giving us a quote). I would highly recommend them and would use them again in a heartbeat!

I was the wedding coordinator of a couple that both Natalie and I were separately hired for. It was such a pleasure to work alongside Natalie during this couple’s wedding! The food was amazing, Natalie was very familiar with food allergies (I’m gluten-​free) and she even made a plate for all of the vendors taking a quick break. On the wedding side of things, all of the food was presented beautifully and the staff was very friendly and professional. All of the food bars looked amazing and the cake was also cut beautifully by Natalie’s team. Natalie’s staff also handled to furniture set up and arrangements. Natalie and I saw eye-​to-​eye on the overall look and feel, making it very easy to work together. I would highly recommend them to any of my couples looking for a wonderful caterer for their big day!

Well Dunn catered our wedding in October 2013 and did a spectacular job! We wanted to have our food served station-​style for a fun, laid back feel but still have some unique dishes and a quality that would blow everyone away. Madeline Zavesky and the Well Dunn team went above and beyond in every way. Besides their fantastic options — of which there are a huge variety — they had no problem accommodating our many special requests including Kosher meals for an Orthodox Jewish couple on my husband’s side, a hot chocolate station with apple cider donuts, and a table with fruits/​veggies/​cheese/​crackers/​finger foods (included to appease my parents who feared our choices for the passed hors d’oeuvres might be too «foodie» for some). We were also greatful that we were allowed to try pretty much whatever we wanted at our tasting. And Madeline offered some great suggestions on seating arrangements for the ceremony and reception when we scheduled our walk-​through of the venue. She was extremely on top of everything and never missed a beat! We very highly recommend Well Dunn!

I just worked a wedding with Well Dunn at the Hill Center venue in Capitol Hill and they were wonderful. Throughout the planning process they were very organized and responsive. On the day of the wedding they worked as a team, were very polite and worked with me to get the venue ready for the wedding and to top that, the food was outstanding. Everything was on time and the wedding was flawless. Well Dunn Catering is a Catering company I would highly recommend!

Well Dunn catered a party for 50 guests at our home and did a superb job. Our coordinator, Natalie, was very friendly and responsive during the planning process. The menu was designed perfectly around our initial requests, with added tweaks to accommodate special dietary concerns. The staff — supervisor Jair, chef Franz, server Natalia, and bartender Greg — were super efficient, friendly, and professional. They even dressed up our patio with lanterns and votive candles, an elegant bonus we hadn’t even requested. They also served us apps and drinks while we waited for our guests to arrive — a pre-​party!
Our menu included passed hors d’oeuvres and finger-​friendly buffet food, all beautifully presented. Every item was a hit, but a few standouts were: grilled margarita shrimp, mini rioja short rib tostadas, portobello veggie sliders, and pecan crusted chicken skewers with maple bourbon sauce. At the end of the evening, the staff cleaned up and packed leftovers into our refrigerator for our family to enjoy later. Great food, great service. We highly recommend Well Dunn Catering.

We used Well Dunn for a corporate reception on our building’s rooftop in downtown DC. It was a short reception from 5:30 to 7 pm. Natalie, the coordinator for my event, was very helpful and accommodating when we wanted to switch in certain beverages for our guests and the team that night was very professional.
I cannot recommend Well Dunn catering enough.

We continue to turn to Well Dunn because they continue to amaze our staff and guests at each event that we do together. As an events manager, it is wonderful to know that when I work with Well Dunn i can trust their team completely from first planning email to last dish cleared.
All of the WD catering managers have been easy to work with in the planning process, and on-​site. They think of everything and execute so that it looks effortless (though I know its not!). On-​site staff and servers always dress and conduct themselves professionally. The servers seem to have a great eye for reading a crowd and responding subtly to every need.
And, of course, the food is great! Interesting, crowd-​pleasing options and fun extras like the signature drinks.
Thanks again, Well Dunn!

Well Dunn catered our wedding in May, 2013 and they did a fantastic job. They came highly recommended to us by my dad’s company which works with them quite frequently on events in Washington, DC. I did not have a wedding planner and Yulia Shegai took over nearly every role that a day of planner would have served for us. She set up our place cards, guest book, card box, framed photos of our family members that we wanted to place on a mantle in our venue– and much much more. I cannot thank her enough for all that she did. Other caterers we spoke to before hiring Well Dunn would not agree to take on all those tasks.
The food was very important to us too– my husband and I had lots of ideas for appetizers and the entrees and Well Dunn was able to do everything. Our appetizers were so tasty. They made us small pulled pork sliders with purple cabbage slaw, a mini fried chicken and waffle with maple syrup, the cutest little miniature taco with peking duck and an asian slaw on top, a delicious little crab cake, a fig, gorgonzola and balsamic drizzle bruchetta and a grape and rosemary flatbread pizza. (I was able to post a few pictures of the apps). They also made a very tasty french 75 for a signature cocktail for guests when they walked in the door. My only complaint would be that the entrees were not as delicious as the tasting– however I guess that should be expected when serving a room of 100 people at the same time. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding where the entrees were «restaurant quality.» The other thing I must compliment them on is the wedding cake. They offered us a wedding cake included in our price package. While we were limited on the flavors and icing we could choose, we couldn’t believe we got our wedding cake included for no extra charge and it was beautiful (not to mention delicious). We got a 3 tiered butter cream frosted cake with one layer or red velvet, one layer of carrot cake and one layer of tiramisu cake. It was white and simply decorated– just gorgeous!
The service during the wedding was fantastic– they had a dedicated waiter for my husband and I and he jumped through hoops for us all night– popping up from time to time to make sure we had drinks and to see if we needed anything. I also really loved the tasting prior to the wedding. they make you feel like royalty– with a dedicated bartender/​server that brings you cocktails, appetizers, and then serves your entrée options in this beautiful little townhouse on capitol hill. This is probably the longest review I’ve ever written on Unilocal so I’ll end it here! But I found that choosing a caterer for a big event like a wedding was very hard– and its good to know as many details as possible. I would absolutely use Well Dunn again — and especially Yulia– if I have another big event to cater. Thanks to Well Dunn and their staff for making our wedding so wonderful!

Well Dunn catered our wedding in early July of this year at the Decatur House, and they exceeded our rather lofty expectations. My wife and I could not be more pleased with our experience with this caterer.
Here are a few of our favorite Well Dunn memories:
1) Yulia’s responsiveness. Yulia was our point person at Well Dunn, and — over the past six months — her average response time to our e-​mails and calls had to have been under 10 minutes. Even late at night and on weekends.
2) The tastings. We had an initial tasting back in December to decide among at least four different DC-​area caterers. Well Dunn had the best food. We then had a second tasting in March to decide among the different appetizers and entrees and we were again blown away. The mini-​BLTs and the «dessert bar» stood out, in particular.
3) Javier. At the day of the wedding, Well Dunn assigned Javier to shadow us and make sure we were cared for. Our photo shoot was in front of the White House in the sweltering summer sun, and he brought out trays of lemonade and hors d’oeurves to make sure we were hydrated and satiated. During our dinner, he literally fanned us when our venue was hot. (I also heard that he convinced the Secret Service to let our vendors use another entrance, but that may just be a rumor)
The morning after the wedding, one of our guests told me that the food was the best she had ever had at any wedding. Her words literally were «five star restaurant quality food.»
Thank you to Well Dunn for helping create such an unforgettable wedding experience for us, and thank you to our Unilocal friends for telling us about Well Dunn. :)