Photo: Photobystinson.com
Congratulations to Cassie and Brad on #brassie17! This wedding is extra special to me, as it involves many people who I'm lucky to know personally. It's always fun to get to do a wedding with friends. Cassie and Brad were married in the Ballroom at McMenamins Edgefield on a lovely spring April day in the Troutdale/Columbia River Gorge area, Oregon.
Photo credit: Madeline Ball, licensed by Creative Commons
Newly engaged? If you've started planning, that likely means heading to the computer. What you’ll come across are many websites that provide some of the same things a coordinator does: a to-do list, a list of vendors, and hundreds of articles about anything and everything wedding related. If you're not sure if wedding coordinator is in your budget, or you want to take on the planning yourself, these websites are amazing resources. However, there are several things a website can’t do:
If you have experience with planning your wedding over wedding websites, good or bad, let us know in the comments!
-- Malia Robinson-Exo and Emee Pumarega, May 18, 2016
Lollipop production at Quin Candy
If you are looking to deck out a candy bar, stuff scrumptious sweets into guest bags, or just take a break from planning and treat yourself, make sure to check out Quin Candy. All of their candy is made in-house and the ingredients are sourced locally when possible. They have an array of caramels, lollipops, and chews with unique and delicious flavor profiles like maple and cracked pepper caramels and smoked cola gumdrops. Their Best of Oregon Caramels are crafted with Oregon grown hazelnuts, local honey, and salt from the coast. You can visit their store on SW Stark or find these treats in shops around town. If you don't live in Portland you can also order these confections online. Just make sure to get enough to share!
A selection of candy from Quin Candy
From Emee: It's so very easy to blog about what's going on around town in the world of Portland weddings -- however, I'm making more of an effort to go back and blog our own weddings that we have coordinated and planned in the past, under the tagline { Real Weddings }. Some will be little snippets, some will be full features -- but my goal by the end of this year, is for our { Real Weddings } tag to be as helpful to Portland couples as possible, full of as many real venue and wedding ideas, and providing inspiration and information to all.
In honor of St. Patrick's day, today's little glimpse is one of our favorite weddings that we coordinated at Bridal Veil Lakes. This Columbia River Gorge wedding included a Celtic handfasting ceremony to reflect the groom's Irish heritage, AND Filipino traditions to reflect the bride's. TOO AWESOME.
Thank you to Scott McNamara for the photos.
Above: Dormae and Brian's Celtic-inspired handfasting.
Read more about Irish wedding traditions over at Green Wedding Shoes.
In the Filipino tradition, the ceremony often involves many extended family members called sponsors, and three important rites are used:
For Filipino weddings that take place in a church, there is also normally a candle lighting. You can read more about Filipino wedding traditions at MyBarong.com.
Above: the Filipino veil and cord ceremony.
Below: Officiant Lisa Kristen-Scott is seen here, presiding over the couple's exchange of coins.
Bridal Veil Lakes, as always, is a gorgeous venue.
We've coordinated tons of weddings there and always love it.
Are you incorporating any cultural traditions in your wedding ceremony? Do share with us in the comments!
Today's installment of Local Love features the amazing Dayna McErlean's sister restaurants on NE Killingsworth - DOC and Yakuza. As different as different can be, DOC is an Italian kitchen with a changing set 4- or 5- course menu each night; while Yakuza is a Japanese-izakaya-influenced lounge.
What I love about each restaurant: DOC's homey, long-tables, family-style service that makes you feel as if you walked into your Italian grandmother's kitchen, even if you don't have an Italian grandmother. What the wedding planner in me loves is the reasonable, afforable rates for buying out the restaurant on a Friday night for a rehearsal dinner.
At Yakuza, I really enjoyed the Asian fusion menu items, including a Wasabi Martini and a Pear Jalapeno sushi roll, but what really wowed me was the secret hot tub in the backyard. I think it would be so fun to rent out the restaurant for an over-the-top bridesmaids luncheon or couples shower.
McErlean also owns The Colony St. Johns for weddings and larger events, and Dash Commercial Kitchen, so within her culinary empire you have lots of interesting choices.
If you are looking for a local distillery for your event, wedding, bachelor/bachelorette, favors, etc., then look no further. Eastside Distilling has a great selection of spirits for any occassion. Their helpful staff can assist you in finding just the right booze to choose for your next party. Not only that, they have a fabulous tasting room that is perfect for sampling everything they have to offer!
"Eastside Distilling has been producing handcrafted spirits in Portland’s Distillery Row since our founding in 2009. All of our unique products are produced locally from natural ingredients in small batches for unparalleled quality and taste."
For so many couples, the food is the THE most important part of the wedding celebration. I often hear from them: "The food HAS to be good"..."We like the Portland food scene and want to integrate it into our wedding"..."We want to give our guests a taste of Portland and the Pacific Northwest". Often, they already have a caterer in mind when they start their venue search, and are challenged when they keep running into venues that have strict exclusive lists.
That got me to thinking. What Portland wedding and event venues allow outside catering? Here are just a few. Know any others? Please share in the comments below!
The Eliot Center - The Eliot Center is the "fellowship hall" aspect of the downtown First Unitarian Church. Not only are they able to seat up to 160 in their conference center for a reception, the adjoining Historic Eliot Chapel can seat up to 250 in a beautiful, elegant chapel setting for a wedding ceremony. They allow self-catering, outside caterers, and alcohol service in accordance with their policies.
Multnomah Arts Center - Located in SW Portland just a few minutes from downtown, the MAC is a Portland Parks and Recreation community center venue with a large auditorium and stage for indoor wedding ceremonies that can be changed over to a reception during a cocktail hour. Mingle areas include a dance studio and an outdoor plaza, which can also be used for ceremonies. All rental rooms, including the auditorium stage, and bathrooms are ADA-accessible and air-conditioned. In addition, most spaces have free Wi-Fi access.
The Glenn and Viola Walters Arts and Cultural Center is near and dear to our hearts, as one of our favorite recent weddings just took place there. The site features a large auditorium for ceremony and reception, downstairs classrooms to use as changing areas, a ground-floor lobby and an upstairs art gallery where guests can mingle during a room changeover. The kitchen facility is well-appointed and convenient for self-catering or your own caterer. The outdoor plaza can also be used for ceremonies.
The Laurelhurst Club - A 100-year-old property adjoining Laurelhurst park in SE Portland, this venue features an historic ballroom, mezzanine bar, kitchen facilities, bride's and grooms rooms, and outdoor ceremony lawn.
NW Events & Environments - By far the largest open catering venue we have seen, NW Events & Environments can accommodate 650 in a banquet setting and over 1000 if using multiple rooms in a reception-style flow. They do not allow outside alcohol, and kitchen facilities may have limitations.
Thanks for reading - if you found this post about Portland wedding and event venues helpful, you might also like:
Also if you found this helpful, please Like, Share, Comment, Plus or do whatever you do! Happy Friday!
We are starting to get back into bridal show season and I though I'd share a few tips on how to get the most of your bridal show experience and how to avoid "bridal show overload."
Gear Up!
First things first, make sure to have a good breakfast or lunch before attending the show if it doesn't have a food function offered. Many times samples of cake or even champagne are offered, and these can wreak havoc on an empty stomach.
Bring a water bottle so you stay hydrated while you're walking around. Sometimes all that air-conditioned, recycled air can dry you out and leave you feeling fatigued.
Finally, make sure to wear comfortable shoes since you'll be doing lots of walking.
Be Prepared!
Use your show time efficiently! Make a few sheets of labels with your name, address, email, and wedding date if you want to avoid standing in lines to enter drawings or raffles. At the same time, remember that if you provide personal information, you'll probably receive mail and email from those vendors. If you provide a wedding date , most vendors will stop contacting you once your date has passed.
Understand the show timeline. Is there a seated food function, or seminars to sign up for? What time should you arrive in order to get a seat for the fashion show? Make sure you take a look at the program offerings; that way you get the most out of your admission fee.
Make a list of items you still need from your wedding checklist, and target those booths first. Otherwise you could spend precious time wandering the aisles! Also, bring notes or pictures to help your planning along -- for example, if you're looking for jewelry and accessories, bring a picture or swatch of your attire.
If you plan on hitting the gown sales, avoid wearing heavy foundation or lipstick, as products are bound to smear. You can always stop by one of the beauty vendors for a touch-up once you're done shopping!
Finally, Enjoy Yourself!
You'll probably receive lots of brochures and business cards. Try to sort through them as you go through the show, otherwise you could wind up with a heavy bag that just gets recycled!
In the end, be sure to have fun and enjoy yourself! Don't be overwhelmed by the choices; in the end you'll be sure to find some great ideas and hopefully, put together a winning team for your wedding day.
A version of this blog post originally appeared on February 22, 2010.
Photographer: Evrim Icoz Photography Wedding Coordinator: EJP Events
Here in Oregon we had an uncharacteristically beautiful October. Blue skies and temps in the 60s and 70s are a reminder that fall can be the perfect time to host your wedding. Here are some ways to incorporate a fall feel into your wedding.
During the summer it's best to stick to cool, refreshing cocktails but fall begs for a warmer beverage. Here is a DIY Apple Cider Cocktail from Green Wedding Shoes that is sure to wow your guests. Plus, the alcohol is added after the cider is already concocted, making this an easy one to offer as a non-alcoholic choice as well.
Continue reading "{ Fall Roundup } Autumnal Wedding Inspiration" »
Under the Radar is a weekly blog series on Portland Wedding Coordinator, showcasing cool new or little-known Portland wedding venues that I've stumbled across recently. Many of our Under the Radar wedding ceremony and reception venues are ones you won't yet find in the popular wedding guides. If you use one of these sites, please let them know you heard it here first!
Photo by EJP Events via Instagram
Today we’re pleased to present the historic estate at Lewis and Clark College. Lewis & Clark College has been located on the historic Fir Acres estate in Portland’s southwest hills for more than 60 years. The Great Lawn and Reflecting Pool Gardens are the showcase of the campus.
Weddings at Lewis and Clark have true indoor-outdoor capabilities up to 162 guests – the Great Platt lawn can be used for an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour, paired with Stamm Dining Hall, an indoor banquet facility complete with tables and chairs – just add catering from one of the four exclusive caterers on the Lewis and Clark list.
For outdoor-only events with tenting or tent-for-backup, the Great Platt Lawn can accommodate into the hundreds of guests.
Or, if you would like an indoor ceremony and outdoor reception, you may pair the Agnes Flanagan Chapel with any of the outdoor locations. The chapel accommodates up to 500 people, featuring a magnificent Casavant pipe organ, and stained glass windows. The chapel renovations include a new, elevated stage, a sophisticated sound and lighting system, and ADA accessible restrooms.
Finally, an important detail for outdoor weddings: the nearby Miller Building classrooms provide ample indoor, air-conditioned amenities for your getting-ready period, as well as modern restrooms for your guests’ comfort.
EJP Events is happy to be recognized by Weddings at Lewis and Clark as a preferred planner. You can download the official brochure here. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] to begin your process of exploring the possibilities at this historic and elegant location. Additional indoor and outdoor wedding and rehearsal dinner sites are available – just let me know and I can give you the full tour!
Next week on Under the Radar: Mazamas Lodge, Government Camp - stay tuned...
Contact Us
mail only: 3439 NE Sandy Blvd #110
Portland, Oregon 97232
Hours: By appt.
(503) 284-6756
Toll Free: 1(888) 682-0040
[email protected]
