Portland Wedding Coordinator

Reminder - The Portland Wedding Coordinator Blog has moved!

How time flies! We've been doing some really fun things over on our own website, ejpevents.com

Photo: Evrim Icoz

Come check it out! This is also where The Portland Wedding Coordinator Blog has found a permanent home. It's hard to believe we've been writing this blog for *gasp* 12 years! We've seen technologies, venues, and vendors come and go, and it's been so interesting to document how people wed in our area, the beautiful Pacific Northwest. 

We decided to combine all of our blog interests into one place, and cover Weddings, Destination Event Travel, Corporate Events, How-Tos, and Advice to the Events Industry. Ambitious maybe, but when your company has been around for 20 years, it's time to look for more challenges, and never stagnate, only innovate. Happy 20th Anniversary to EJP Events!

We've planned special events from Portland to Boston, from Minneapolis to Texas, throughout this time. We added (back!) our conference and corporate event planning departments in 2009 -- Corporate is where our love of events started in 1997, so it only made sense to come full circle and serve our most loyal customers with our signature creative and inclusive style. 

So even though we haven't been super active here on Typepad, this site will remain as an archive -- feel free to browse our posts going back to 2007. And then roll with us into the future over on ejpevents.com.

With love,

Emee Pumarega
Founder, EJP Events LLC

Congratulations to Amrapali Boutique and Big Sale!

Our friends at Amrapali Boutique in Hillsboro are celebrating their 4th anniversary, and we just got this great sale notice from them. If you need to outfit yourself for a South Asian or Indian wedding this summer, you have to check out their great selection of clothing, jewelry and gifts!

"Thank You For Your Patronage

It is because of your love and support that AMRAPALI is celebrating  its 4th Anniversary.
It only feels like yesterday when we opened our doors on
9th January, 2010.
A dream came true and all of you helped nurture & support it.
Thank You Once Again.

FORWARD TO A FRIEND

Celebrate Amrapali's Anniversary

With Our Clearance Sale Extended to 2/16/14

Huge Selection of Scarves $10 only!

Most Salwar Kameez, Saris & Tunics
Flat 30% off

All Jaipur Jewelry
BUY 2 GET 1 Free

All Jewelry Sets" 

via us1.forward-to-friend1.com

Happy shopping!

Related articles

{Wedding Attire Tips} Can I mix ivory and white at my wedding?

{ Portland Wedding Coordinator's} Top Wedding Trends for 2014

Radical Bling: Manish Arora for Amrapali

24 hours of great shopping in Mumbai

Wedding Wonderland Sneak Peek — Crafty Wonderland {Upcoming Wedding Planning Events in Portland}

Image via http://craftywonderland.com/2013/05/wedding-wonderland-sneak-peek/#

We just got a reminder about a really fun-sounding event this coming week! On Saturday, May 11, Crafty Wonderland is happening again at the Oregon Convention Center. And this time, there will be a special "Wedding Wonderland" area featuring handmade and vintage items from local Portland retailers, all carefully curated by the clever folks behind Crafty Wonderland. Definitely check it out!

"We are super excited to have a special Wedding Wonderland section in our Super Colossal Spring Sale this year! What is Wedding Wonderland, you ask?! Vendors with items we thought might be of interest to folks planning a wedding have been conveniently placed together in several rows! All of our vendors have amazing goods to show you, so please be sure to visit all of the booths whether you’re planning a wedding or not!"

via craftywonderland.com

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.

{ Meet and Greet } Join us at The Bridal Loft open house - March 14, 2012

Have you met our family at The Bridal Loft yet? I am grateful to have had the "Lofties"'s friendship, camaraderie, and business support since I joined in June of 2002. We are doing our yearly open house to welcome the upcoming 2012 and 2013 wedding clients, as well as renew friendships / make new ones in the community of artists, artisans, and designers that make up Portland's wedding businesses.

Please join us on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from 4pm to 8pm and enjoy a fun evening out with the wedding professionals of The Bridal Loft, Portland’s original bridal collective. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served as you view the 2012 collections from August Veils and beadALEX, as well as getting your opportunity to meet in person with:

Bridal beauty educator Katherine Sealy of Event Cosmetics

Wedding planner Emee Pumarega of EJP Events (that's me!)

Photographer Paul Rich

Calligrapher Alesia Zorn

The cinematography team of Scott and Amanda Shama of Ambient Sky Couture Wedding Films

Master seamstress Kim Trickey of Sewing Solutions

and designer Andrea Hoyt of August Veils

Bring your wedding questions and be ready to enjoy the atmosphere of The Bridal Loft. We’ll see you there!

RSVP here for best service.

Photo credits, clockwise from top left: Holland Studios, Holland Studios, Holland Studios, Craig Strong, The Bridal Loft, Craig Strong

{Bridal Show Recap} Bravo! Wedding Affair Spring 2010

Last Sunday, we visited with The Bridal Loft as they sponsored a themed room (The Queen Marie Ballroom at the Embassy Suites Portland Downtown) in the Bravo! Wedding Affair. The theme was "Gentlemen Prefer Brides": vintage-Hollywood glamour with decor provided by Royce's Prop Shop and floral by Event Floral.

Other rooms featured themes of gardens/nature, travel, autumn colors,Wine Country and Columbia Gorge weddings, and retro whimsy.

Here's a photo album of some choice shots from the event. Enjoy!

{Portland Bridal Shows} Upcoming wedding showcases in Portland

The bridal show season kicked off in earnest for 2010 with last month's Art of Weddings, Seattle Wedding Show, Central Oregon Wedding Showcase, and Portland Bridal Show.

Bridal show season is not over yet, though. Today we're at the Bravo! Wedding Affair at the Embassy Suites Portland Downtown which continues until 4 o'clock today. Come on down and see the loveliness!  Here's a shot from The Bridal Loft-sponsored vintage-Hollywood vignette in the Queen Marie Ballroom, entitled "Gentlemen Prefer Brides".

More informative and useful bridal shows to visit in the Portland Area:

Weddings at the Beach - also Today!February 20, 2010 - Seaside Convention Center

NW Wedding Scoop - Saturday, Feb 20th @ Salem Conference Center;
Saturday, Feb 27th @ Portland City Center Courtyard Marriott.
EJP Events will be moderating the "Attire and Beauty" panel.

Bridgeport Village Bridal Show - Bridgeport Village Shopping Center - Sunday, February 28, 2010

NW Vintage Bridal Show: Beautiful and Sustainable - Queen Anne Victorian Mansion - February 27 & 28, 2010 

Greater Vancouver WA Bridal Show - The Hilton Vancouver Hotel - Saturday, March 13, 2010

Perfect Wedding Guide Show - The Heathman Hotel Portland - Saturday, March 20, 2010

Tomorrow, we'll be posting a roundup of tips for attending these bridal shows, so stay tuned!

From Willamette Week: Win a Space-Themed Wedding at the Space Room Lounge

 We loved this little blurb in Willamette Week about the Space Room Lounge's contest to give away a free wedding: 

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: The Space Room, the Hawthorne Boulevard Stumble Zone’s recently remodeled shrine to drunken retro-futurism, is giving away a wedding at the bar, including a licensed officiate, photography, invitations and free appetizers for up to 50 guests, to the couple who write the best 200-word essay on why they want a space-themed wedding. Even at recession wedding prices, this deal’s probably worth $5,000. The deadline to enter is Sunday, Nov. 15. Spaceroomlounge.com/wedding-contest

via wweek.com

We checked out the website, and if you win, you'd have to use the prize and get married by March 2010.  For the right Portland couple, this might be perfect! Are you thinking of entering? Tell us!

Let's toast to Cinco de Mayo! (with a Margarita and Mexican Martini recipe)

Even though Cinco de Mayo is a minor regional holiday in Mexico proper, its significance in the US is that of a major cultural celebration similar to St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, or Chinese Lunar New Year¹. Don't confuse Cinco de Mayo, May 5th, with Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16th), however.  The 5th of May marks the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, where Mexican forces defeated French invaders seeking to install a French emperor of Mexico. 

What does any of this have to do with Portland weddings? I just want to acknowledge the all-important Mexican-American contribution to the summer wedding menu: the Margarita. No matter what food is on the menu, a freshly-squeezed, hand-shaken Margarita lends an easy festivity to any wedding.

In honor of the holiday this week, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite Margarita recipes from Texas, as well as one of my favorite variants, the Mexican Martini. For both recipes, all your juices should be fresh-squeezed, and the tequila should be light or Silver. (I recommend Herradura or Patron.)

Portland Indie Wine Festival this weekend - May 1-2, 2009

   In Portland we love to shop local, independent, and handcrafted, in everything from our handbags to dresses to food. I find this especially true when clients come to us to plan a wedding; there's no better way to show out-of-town guests a taste of the Northwest than by featuring local crafts and foods.

So when I heard that the 5th Annual Portland Indie Wine Festival was right around the corner, starting tomorrow and going through May 2, I thought, Wow! What better way to offer your guests a taste of the Northwest than by introducing them to wines that they won't be able to get anywhere else.

I had the pleasure of tasting the Three Angels Primitivo a couple of weeks ago at the Hotel Vintage Plaza grand re-opening, and if that one wine is any indication of the quality of the Portland Indie Wine Festival overall, the event will definitely be worth attending.

(Photo from indiewinefestival.com website)