Portland Wedding Coordinator

{The Daily Re-blog} Unique Wedding Transportation Options

Finding the right transportation for your wedding is important.  From bicycles, to pedicabs, to limousines, there are a wide variety of options! We found a great blog post from our friends at The Art of Weddings, that gives some great tips on how to make your wedding transportation personal and affordable.  Read their full post on wedding transportation here!

"When it comes to organizing a wedding, many brides like to veer away from the lure of traditional and into something altogether more unique..."

Photo from Cycle Portland Bike Tours via Art of Weddings

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Summer weddings and bugs!

A version of this article ran on Portland Wedding Coordinator in August 2011.

 Can you believe, it's the end of May and the outdoor summer weddings in Portland and Lake Oswego are here. If you are getting married at one of the outdoor gardens, waterfront or riverfront parks or venues you are probably wondering what to do about the possibility 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).

 

{ Portland Wedding Coordinator loves...} Weddings on the MAX Light Rail

Portland couples love to showcase the city for their guests, and for their wedding day to reflect all things truly Portland. So we love it when they show their eco-chic loyalty on their wedding day and make sure to ride the MAX to the wedding. (Bonus: no worries about indulging in cocktails at the reception, you have a ride home as long as you get on before the last train!) Lovely client Lisa chose to have her ceremony at World Forestry Center and reception at The Oregon Zoo.  Guests and bridal party stayed downtown at Hotel Monaco, and Lisa and her ladies had a fun adventure getting to the ceremony via the MAX light rail.

And a few photos of the ceremony at the World Forestry Center:

 

Many thanks to Kory Hauser for sharing the photos. Thank you Lisa and Doug, for letting us be a part of your day.

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{ Portland Wedding Coordinator loves...} Weddings on the MAX Light Rail

Poll: How do you like to make and keep contact with your wedding vendors and service providers?

I am always curious about what my clients prefer. Today I'd love to know how you like to initially contact the folks you are hoping will work for you on your wedding day.  Please take this one-second poll and let me know!

 

{ Working with Caterers } The Service Gap, or, "If I Didn't Bring It, I Won't Touch It"

Image by Jihan Abdalla Photography via WeddingChicks.com

Food carts, onsite pizza ovens, Texas barbecue, "the guy who brings a giant paella pan to your house" -- the trend in wedding catering is to use interesting, untraditional caterers for your wedding or rehearsal dinner. It's wonderful to have so many choices, but what about you and your guests' expectations about what a caterer does? Here's a list of a few questions you must ask your caterer, especially if they don't bill themselves as a full-service caterer or one that specializes in weddings.

- Do you set up and take down ceremony chairs? What about the tables and chairs that guests will sit at to eat?

- Will you lay down the linens/tablecloths and/or set the table with silverware, napkins, and the glassware that we rent?

- Do your waiters bus the tables? (You'd be surprised how many caterers do not include picking up dirty dishes, taking them to a busing station, scraping and putting away -- as one of their duties. Especially if they did not rent or bring the dishes.)

- Do you remove the trash and recycling from the site? Do you recycle bottles and cans? What about liquid waste such as ice and unfinished drinks? (Venues don't appreciate these items being tossed in the bushes or on the lawn.)

- If you provide a bartender, is that person licensed and legal to serve at our wedding venue? Will that person be prepared to serve all of the drinks that we bring? (Now is a good time to let your bartender know if you were planning on having an appletini, mojito, or other specialized drink. I have had so-called bartenders show up who did not even know how to open champagne!)

The divide between what your caterer does and what you expect to have happen is called the service gap, and the time to figure out what resources you need to fill that gap is well before your wedding. Find out about wedding coordinators; waiter, bartender, and janitorial services EARLY, and what they can do to make sure that everything happens the way you envision.

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!

Rooftop weddings and wedding venues in Portland

Want an outdoor venue but don't want to stray too far from the Portland city center? Consider a rooftop venue as your very own urban serenity. Rooftop venues serve as your private panorama to a breathtaking view of Rose City. Portland's rooftop venues offer your guests a first hand glimpse of the visual treasures of Portland. Rooftop venues provide a modern, romantic atmosphere for your wedding and Portland's rooftop venues are among the best! Three Portland rooftop locations include Hotel deLuxe, Embassy Suites Portland Downtown and DeSoto Rooftop Terrace.

Hotel deLuxe is known for its old Hollywood style elegance. While they have an indoor meeting facility, they also have a rooftop space available for your outdoor wedding. This venue is perfect for any glamorous bride!

Photo credit: Kate Kelly Photography

Embassy Suites Portland Downtown is located in the heart of Rose City. This historic venue is surrounded by Portland's city lights and an excellent choice for a night time wedding. 

Photo courtesy Embassy Suites Portland on Facebook

DeSoto Rooftop Terrace is an intimate venue nestled in Portland's ambiance of the Pearl District. This modern venue has rustic elements which creates a fashionable urban style.

Photo credit Evrim Icoz Photography

Rooftop venues are a fun and trendy place to tie the knot. However, they are much more rare than other outdoor venues, therefore be sure to book your ideal venue in advance. Additional logistics to consider; most rooftop venues need tenting and additional decor in order to create your wedding vision. In some cases, they do not have an indoor component or have very limited indoor amenities. 

We like rooftop venues because they can be a "blank slate" for design, meaning that they can transform to fit your ideal wedding style. Additionally, if the rooftop belongs to a hotel, then you have the added convenience of hotel amenities. Specifically in Portland, you can enjoy city attractions, outdoor views and be within close proximity to lodging. Hotel rooftop venues are a great option if your guest list consists of a large amount of out of town guests. 

Booking the perfect rooftop venue is the first step in planning your unique wedding. A rooftop wedding is a chic alternative to the ordinary outdoor wedding. Imagine yourself surrounded by the beautiful Portland skyline as you dance beneath the stars and toast among the clouds. Cheers!

- Lauren Gilbertson, edited by Emee Pumarega

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.