Portland Wedding Coordinator

{ Local Love } Pacific NW Honeymoon Destinations

If you are looking for great honeymoon destinations, then there is no need to look any further than the Pacific Northwest!  This area offers exciting attractions without venturing very far.

Whale watching, wine tasting, and wilderness are just a few of the things you can expect from Un-Cruise Adventures.  They offer options that include the route that Lewis & Clark took through the Columbia & Snake Rivers, as well as picturesque cruises starting in Seattle and exploring the San Juan Islands.  With all they have to offer, it wouldn't be hard to pick a perfect trip for you and your honey!

Un-Cruise Adventures - Costal Washington & British Columbia

Victoria, BC offeres the feel of a European vacation, but is only a short ferry trip from Seattle, WA.  You can stay in luxury at the Fairmont Empress Hotel which was built in 1908 and overlooks the Inner Harbour.  While there, make sure you don't miss Afternoon Tea, a time-honored tradition.  For a stunning day trip head to The Butchart Gardens.  Beautiful any time of the year, the gardens offer concerts, fireworks, flowers, and fountains.  Quite romantic!

Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC

The Butchart Gardens - Sunken Gardens

When planning your honeymoon make sure to keep these uniquely beautiful Pacific NW locations in mind!

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{ Local Love } Pearl District Party Location - Andina and Tupai

It's certianly not hard to love Andina, but many people are not aware that they offer a private dining option Tupai, as well.  This is a great location to be able to enjoy amazing food in a beautiful setting for your next event.

Tupai set for a seated reception

    "They offer a variety of rooms that would be great for bachelor/bachelorette dinners, showers, rehearsal dinners and receptions. Their dedicated special events team is committed to tailoring every aspect of each event, weaving together spectacular fare, extraordinary cocktails and an award-winning wine program, to ensure that every experience is memorable beyond compare. They offer a variety of menus and packages that will allow guests to take pleasure in the cuisine and hospitality for which Andina is renowned. Andina is also a great option for those looking to add a little destination element to an otherwise local wedding!"

Tupai is their largest event space, with room for up to 65 guests at a seated dinner and 100 guests for a standing cocktail reception.

"Tupai is located above Andina and offers a full bar and kitchen, mezzanine space for live music, natural light and wooden beams. The menu will feature Andina’s NovoAndean cuisine, which combines traditional flavors and ingredients native to Peru with a global reach that draws from Spanish, Japanese and Cantonese culinary influences. Dishes are prepared using modern technique and presented with finesse and flair. The full bar will deliver both Andina’s classic and NovoAndean cocktails – from the Pisco Sour and Caipirinha to the Sacsayhuamán and Margarita de Manzanita. Wines may be chosen from Andina’s award-winning list with the help of wine director Caryn Benke."

Wedding Reception at Tupai

If you haven't tried Andina yet make sure to go; and keep Tupai in mind for your next event!

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{ The Daily Reblog } Tips for a Disability-Friendly Wedding, from Offbeat Bride

Having a wedding is stressful enough. Add in health issues and different physical abilities, and the normal four- to eight-hour long celebration can prove to be a real strain. That's why I'm so glad I stumbled across this blog post from Offbeat Bride that gives some great pointers to think about, from the bride's point of view.

We also have a post from a while back, about checking for accessibility issues at your wedding venue, so all of your guests can enjoy the festivities. You'll find it here: Accessibility in a Wedding Venue

Are you making any specific accommodations for yourself or your guests at your wedding? How did you get what you needed from your venue or vendors? Please share in the comments.

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Gluten-free beer tasting tonight at Belmont Station

Image from VegFamily.

Gluten-free is a hot topic around Portland weddings and events these days, as many people are eliminating this protein from their diet either for better health, or because they have been diagnosed with an intolerance. Whatever the reason, it's great to have options so you can accommodate those important friends and guests who are going this route.

So it's so great that tonight at Portland's lovely Belmont Station, one of my favorite places to get beer, there's a tasting where you can try every single gluten-free beer available in Oregon.From their newsletter:

THURSDAY JUNE 7  5 - 7PM GLUTEN FREE BEER TASTING. Taste every Gluten Free Beer available in Oregon, from Portland's own Harvester & Omission, plus all 3 New Planet Beers, Lakefront New Grist, Redbridge, Bard's Tale, and imports from Green's, St. Peter's and Estrella.  (FYI: In the case of Estrella and Omission there is some debate about whether they can be called Gluten Free but they are very low parts per million gluten, thus meeting stringent guidelines)  A brewer from Harvester and some of the distributor/brand reps will be present. 

If you've been wondering what gluten-free beer options are like, you'll definitely want to be there!

Are you eliminating gluten from your diet and wondering what to do with menu items at the wedding, such as cake, alcohol, and so forth? What creative ideas have you come up with? Any caterers or cake bakers you just love? Feel free to leave a comment.

Debugging your wedding (Keeping insects away from the ceremony and reception)

This cool Portland summer has been lovely, but in some places, the dampness has led to an excess of bugs. Bug-off spray is a must at outdoor weddings, but here are a few  tips to make you the perfect wedding host:

- Avoid DEET-based sprays that can irritate skin. Lemongrass and geranium oil-based repellents are available and they smell much nicer.

- Transfer the insect repellent spray into nicer glass bottles before setting them out at your event. Empty glass spray bottles can usually be found in the bulk beauty aisle (lotions and soaps) of natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Wrap the bottle in a ribbon to match your scheme, and then it will be guest-book-table worthy.

(Vintage atomizers could be fun too!)

image from Polyvore

- Burning lemongrass torches or candles can keep bugs down in the immediate vicinity. Having gently-blowing oscillating fans can also help.

- If the area seems to be uncontrollably buggy, consider applying non-toxic lawn or yard insect treatments (some examples here and here) several hours or days prior to the wedding (get the permission of the venue owner first).

BarStocker - the iPhone app that calculates liquor needs for your party or wedding

Many of our clients are in turnkey venues where they can provide their own caterer and bar. But figuring out how much liquor, beer, and wine to order is always a challenge. Order too much and it's a bit of a waste. Order too little and you risk running out during the event, and having to send a wedding party member to the nearest 7-11.

EJP Events is pleased to unveil our own iPhone app to tackle this continuing problem. Based on an algorithm developed over our 13 years in the event planning, catering, hotel, and wedding planning businesses, BarStocker will save you time and prevent a waste of money or alcohol by helping you figure the perfect amount to order.

 

 

Customize your order based on length of party in hours, time of year, types of alcohol being served, and how much your guests like to party :-)  It's available right now on the iTunes store. Please let me know what you think!

5 slipups that can spoil your reception, Part 5: "The bartender wouldn't serve me!" {Alcohol and bar planning for the wedding}

Today's Slip up #5. “The bartender wouldn’t serve me!”

Do you and your guests want to be able to toast with champagne and not apple juice? Remind your bridal party to bring their ID to the reception. In Oregon, because of OLCC regulations, licensed servers are required to check for ID if a customer appears to be under a certain age. They can refuse you service for non-proof of legal age, even if you are the one in the wedding gown or tuxedo.

Brides, if you don’t already have a gift for your bridesmaids, we suggest a mini-purse, clutch or wristlet. Don't forget one for yourself in a coordinating fabric. This will help you carry those few tiny essentials and help you stay organized as you are constantly on the move during wedding day fun. 

 

Photo courtesy Evrim Icoz.

 

That's it for our special series this week! We hope that by reading our advice on how to avoid the previous 5 mistakes at your wedding, that you can feel more confident in your planning.

What wedding tips have you found successful? Please share with us in the comments.

 

5 slipups that can spoil your reception, Part 4: "We didn't know where to sit" {Planning the seating for your wedding reception}

Slipup #4. “We didn't know where to sit!”

Our next in the "5 slipups that can spoil your reception" series is: when guests don't know where to sit, don't feel comfortable finding a seat, or when there aren't enough seats for the type of meal being served.

Whether or not you decide to assign seating for the wedding reception, you should make it easy for your guests to find a place to sit.

Our rule of thumb is to always provide 100% seating for any full meal, whether it is plated or buffet. This means you need to have a table and a chair for every person (including children) coming to the wedding if you are serving brunch, lunch, or dinner, no matter HOW the guest gets their food.

If you decide to have an informal, hors d'oeuvres reception, where you want people to stand and mix and mingle, we recommend keeping seating to no more than 50%. This is because, the closer you approach 100% seating, the weirder it is to have a few people who do not have a chair and table space. Mix and mingle parties are far less popular than those with 100% seating. Know your group before trying a casual,mix-and-mingle wedding. Err on the side of comfort if you aren't sure which way to go.

If you aren't assigning seats, we recommend having 5-10% more seating than your RSVP count. This is because, unless you tell people where to sit, groups do not always break down into neat tables of 6, 8, or 10 (or whatever table type you and your venue are providing).  The wasted seats add up and can result in a large family or group of friends standing in a corner saying, "There aren't enough seats for us to sit together," even though you provided exactly the number equal to your RSVP count.

If you assign seats, make sure your method of directing guests to their table is intuitive, and easy to understand. Escort cards or a large seating board are the two most popular ways to do this.

Whether you choose a seating board on an easel over escort cards, make sure to list the names in alphabetical order, rather than by table, to make it easier for guests to find their location.

Also, make sure to give your coordinator or venue manager a copy of the master seating list, in case an escort card accidentally does not print out. In addition, the master list can help your coordinator or venue manager find empty spots in case there are last-minute changes. Let this person also be in charge of helping guests find their spots in case there are any questions. There's nothing worse than a guest not being able to find their name on the list and feeling like they were forgotten!

Photos courtesy EJP Events.  

 

Tomorrow: Join us on Portland Wedding Coordinator for the final Slipup, #5: "The bartender wouldn't serve me!"

Did these tips help you? You may like our past advice and more wedding planning tips.

 

5 slipups that can spoil your reception, Part 3: "We missed out on the fun at your wedding!" {Communication and coordination on your wedding day}

Today's slipup: “We missed out on the fun.”

Several things can conspire to cause this problem.  The most common culprits from the guest end of things are sightline interferences and poorly-managed multiple rooms or areas.  Guests at weddings love to do everything at pretty much the same time as everyone else and to feel like everyone is “in the same room”.

Check your facility to see if everyone will be comfortably able to see your grand entrance, the first dance, and the cake cutting from where they will be sitting or standing.  If you have to seat guests in several different areas because of the quirks of your facility, or because of the size of the wedding, you can manage this by working with your DJ, wedding planner and/or venue manager, and sound tech to make sure announcements can be heard in all of the rooms.  That way, guests will know what’s going on even if they aren’t right there.

When “We missed out on the fun!” comes from the family/wedding party side, it’s because they were forced to be the go-to person for things such as setup questions, minor emergencies, and general running of the day.  The result is a bridesmaid, sister, or mother who spends most of the day running around tending to things instead of enjoying all of the family and friends that have come from so far away.

This is a huge misfortune, in our opinion.  It’s not worth it to put all that effort into an elaborate wedding if your family and wedding party won’t get to enjoy it.  Consider their feelings, and make sure that you have someone who’s not in the family or wedding party managing all the little questions and running the setup.

Photo courtesy Melissa Jill. 

 

Tomorrow: Join us at Portland Wedding Coordinator for Slip Up Number 4: We didn't know where to sit" {Planning the seating for your wedding reception}.

Did these tips help you? You may like our past advice and more wedding planning tips.

 

Love Mexico - Part 2: 5 important factors to consider when planning a destination wedding

We hope you enjoyed yesterday's post about our experiences at the LoveMexico destination wedding summit in Playa Del Carmen. Here are five important points we took away from the event:

1. A beach wedding doesn't have to be a casual, barefoot affair if you don't want it to be. The availability of vendors in Mexico beach destinations is such that you can create the wedding vision, theme and color story of your wishes, including ones with high style and custom designs.

Photo courtesy Westin Cancun

2. Mexico isn't just about beach weddings. The strong Spanish and European influence during colonial times means that old-world palaces and piazzas are just as available as palm trees and sand for a wedding backdrop -- and without the 15-hour flight or Euro exchange rate.

Photo: Elizabeth Medina Photography

3. Check to see how many weddings may be held at the resort of your choice. We talked to some in-house resort wedding planners who handle anywhere from 5 to 20 weddings per day. (Click here to read a great article about the difference between in-house catering managers and the wedding coordinator that you hire to work for you only.) If you have chosen a larger resort, consider bringing your own personal wedding coordinator along with you so that you can get personal service on this most important of days. Or, consider working with a personal wedding coordinator who is familiar with the area during site selection, who can direct you to smaller, more exclusive properties and venues that might be off the beaten path.

Photo: Rosewood Mayakoba

4. Find out if the site or beach you have selected is a private location. If you picture exchanging vows in a secluded setting, you don't want any surprises. Visit the location beforehand, or make sure you're working with a representative who has been there.

Photo: Las Mañanitas

5. A destination wedding can be just as affordable as a wedding you might plan in your home location.  Most couples we work with in Portland have a $300-600 per guest overall budget for a midsize wedding with ceremony/reception sites, catering and bar, music, flowers and decor, invitations, photographer/videographer, and coordinator. For the same budget, we've seen all-inclusive affairs in Mexico at excellent resorts such as Westin and Rosewood. If you're having a hard time finding a location you love at home, and most people are flying in anyway, consider a Mexico destination wedding for something totally different.

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