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

Portland-indie-wine-festivalIn 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)

Where should I have my Portland wedding? Some new venue ideas!

(At least, new to me!) The past few months, we at Portland Wedding Coordinator have seen several interesting new sites for weddings and receptions spring up.  We have visited a few on this list, but until we get to do the full tour and blog post, thought that we might do a little preview for those of you in venue-shopping mode.

Caples House Museum

The Villa at Little Cape Horn

Oregon Olive Mill Event Center (also see our recent blog post here)

Museum of Contemporary Craft

Bay 13 Restaurant (blog post coming soon!)

West Union Gardens

Lavender at Stonegate

Because EJP Events' coordinators are constantly out in the field, we often get calls from landowners who are curious about turning their site into a space for events.  So we're often the first to know about these new sites. 

If you are a venue owner — Did you know, we also offer Event Site Consulting and Wedding Day Coordination services for site owners?  Our services allow you just be the owner, while we take great care of your event clients and make sure they have a wonderful wedding day.  Take a peek at our services for Camp Colton as an example.  Email emee@ejpevents.com if you're interested.

Blogging Bootcamp by The Smart Planner™

I had the pleasure of traveling to Seattle this week to attend Blogging Bootcamp by Liene Stevens of Liene-stevens-wedding-planner-coach The Smart Planner.  Liene owns Blue Orchid Designs which plans weddings in Scottsdale, NYC, and Washington DC, and she also owns The Smart Planner, a coaching resource for the business side of wedding planning.

I felt very lucky to be able to spend time with Liene in a small workshop where we talked about our goals for wedding blogging, how to achieve them, and all sorts of tools and tricks to help us get to that success.  I feel like that because of this workshop, our focus at Portland Wedding Coordinator will become even more fine-tuned, and we will be able to offer you better content, prettier design (eventually!), and more frequent updates.

Many thanks as well to Renee Metty of It's Eventful for bringing Liene to Seattle, and to Aria Style for hosting the space for the workshop.  I also had the pleasure of meeting other like-minded wedding bloggers, including Laura from Edit1 Media, Mindy of Tweet My Wedding, Dianne Greene, the Washington State Coordinator for Association of Bridal Consultants, Kirstie of Simply Wed, Sarah of Alderbrook Resort and Spa, Daniela of Bella Signature Design, Jennifer of Taylor'd Events by Jennifer, and Brandi of Soiree Wedding and Event Planning (Idaho). Finally, kudos to Hotel Max for my very swank accommodations!

Do you have something you'd like to see on Portland Wedding Coordinator?  Please feel free to comment, whether you are a bride, groom, or a vendor.  Comments make the blog world go 'round! And thank you for reading!

Saturday Roundup: Spring-spiration!

We've now experienced some really epic spring days this year in Portland, followed by a bit of rain and even hail, to remind us how fleeting these sunny days can be. The plum and cherry trees are really blossoming though, and there is definitely a new sweetness in the air!

With that in mind, I just have a few little thoughts…

1.  If you're in the earliest planning period for 2010, why not consider a spring wedding?  Events from January through May in Oregon are often still considered "off season", and it's possible to save a lot of money.  Think about it! Sure, you may take your chances with the weather, but honestly, any time of year you need a backup.  And April, May, June are the months when you can get tulips, ranunculus and peonies…some of the most most sought-after wedding flowers.

Adelman-peony-gardens-spring-wedding-flower

(above photo courtesy Adelman Peony Gardens)

Moonjazz-flickr-riot-of-ranunculus

(above image by moonjazz on flickr)

Woodburn-oregon-tulips-wedding 

(above image, Wooden Shoe Gardens)

2.  I dropped by a recent art opening at Alma Chocolate on NE 28th Ave, by local artist Sayuri Sasaki. Just really adoring her felted and wool animal creations (bunnies, sheep), encaustic paintings of vegetables, and tulle jellyfish! I hope you will stop by Alma in the month of April and get some springtime inspiration as well.

3.  In addition to the art, Alma rocks some delicious chocolate, including lavender caramel truffles, Oregon hazelnut bark, and a wonderland of 24kt gold-painted religious icons in chocolate. I was definitely inspired with some favor ideas that I'll be sharing with you down the road shortly…

4. Finally, there are springtime elements that could work in your wedding, no matter what time of year.  Flowering branches are usually available, or can be created by your florist with a little creative use of hot glue and your favorite blossom.

Nettleton-hollow-faux-flowering-branches (above image, Nettleton Hollow)

Rebecca-thuss-flowering-branches 

(above image, Rebecca Thuss)

July, August, and September are still the top wedding months in our area, but don't forget spring!

Rite in the Rain: A Very Portland Wedding Favor

Favor alert!  I was strolling through Powell's Books the other day and came across these cute little all-weather notebooks from Rite In The Rain.

Rain-proof-notebook-wedding-favor

Can't think of very many things that would be more Northwest-y to give to your guests than this!  A waterproof notebook in which they can record their thoughts about the weekend, the wine tastings they might go to during their visit, or important names and numbers as they catch up with friends and family.

The great thing is, the fiber is from FSC Certified sources, printed with soy ink, the covers are made of post-consumer content, and the whole shebang is made in USA in the Pacific Northwest. You can even order custom imprints and sizes.

National Federation of Nurses Launch

Tonight we’re blogging live from the National Federation of Nurses Launch Party in Portland, Oregon.  We’re going green with the guest book and letting our attendees sign in with comments!  Also, allowing our remote attendees to twitter with the #nfn09 hashtag and text to http://tinyurl.com/nfnlaunch with their congratulatory messages.
Please join us by leaving a comment for this wonderful new nurses’ union!