Will and Erik’s Columbia River Gorge Wedding at Thunder Island, Cascade Locks

Two grooms ceremony walk - Columbia River Gorge Wedding
Will and Erik’s Columbia River Gorge Wedding at Thunder Island, Cascade Locks
The “Lookback” Series of blog posts features weddings that happened more than a year ago. Some are repeats, some totally new to this blog! We hope you enjoy looking back with us on these wonderful weddings.

Will and Erik’s Columbia River Gorge Wedding at Thunder Island, Cascade Locks was a wonderful celebration in the midst of the Columbia River Gorge Natural Area. The couple met in Portland, Oregon and chose to celebrate their love in breathtaking beauty surrounded by nature, the river and the foothills.

Bridge of the Gods

I loved so many details of their wedding and their planning journey. Their excellent taste in invitations and their choice of brewpub to hold our planning meetings in, just for starters! Look closely, their invitation from LetterpressPDX incorporated a blind-embossed topographic imprint of Thunder Island. 

Interesting challenges from a wedding planner perspective were:
1. The very large outdoor location. Thunder Island is a private island, about 3/4 of a mile long, attached to a public park. We made sure to provide plenty of staff and signage so it was very clear where to park, where the ceremony was, and where the reception was, as the two locations were about 3/5 of a mile apart. At the end of the event I looked at my Apple Watch and noticed that I had walked ten miles!

2. The quirkiness of being located near rail lines. Because a railroad trestle crosses the entrance to the park, vehicle clearance is only twelve (12′) feet. This is pretty low, and I wanted to make sure transport and vendors were aware so they could plan which vehicles to use. I noted this at the walkthrough and made sure to put it in huge red letters at the top of the event plan I sent to each vendor and staff member.

3. There was a definite division of warm-weather loving Californians and hardy Oregonians in attendance. We optimized for both groups by providing both indoor tables and outdoor tented seating, as well as open-air areas for celebration.

All in all, the careful planning process that included detailing out the couple’s needs, family requests, vendor logistics, and public facility regulations came together into an unforgettable day.

Finally, what you’ve been waiting for – photos and vendor list, right?

{ Portland Wedding Venues } Planner’s Roundup – Five sites that allow outside catering

For many couples, the food is 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 unrestricted outside catering? Here are just a few as of September 2018. Keep in mind that policies do change, so check with the venue first before making any plans or appointments. Know any others? Let us know via sharing in the comments below!

Horning’s Hideout is a great outdoor venue in North Plains, Oregon, only about 45 minutes from downtown Portland. The venue features covered pavilions, a relaxed vibe, and the ability to use any caterer you like.

Photos courtesy Anthony Gauna Photography

 

Continue reading “{ Portland Wedding Venues } Planner’s Roundup – Five sites that allow outside catering”

{ Real Weddings } Bright colors and vintage details: Beth and Sachin

 

Evrim Icoz Photography
Evrim Icoz Photography

How time flies! Beth and Sachin were married last summer in the Columbia River Gorge. Many thanks to Evrim Icoz for capturing the day through these photographs.

The wedding weekend kicked off with a Friday evening rehearsal dinner at Multnomah Falls Lodge, followed by a welcome event at the hotel featuring local Oregon and Washington bourbon, beer, and wine tastings; mehndi hand painting by Amrapali Boutique, and lots of treats including s’mores around the fire and cuisine provided by Skamania Lodge catering. Northwest Navigator was on hand to make it easy for guests to get around the Gorge.

Saturday, everyone was up early for beauty and preparations. Family and friends shared in both traditional Hindu wedding rites and a non-denominational Christian ceremony.Ā  The cocktail hour was held in a quiet garden patio area, and followed by the wedding dinner reception and dancing a meadow lit with twinkling lights and adorned with bright flowers and vintage details.

Continue reading “{ Real Weddings } Bright colors and vintage details: Beth and Sachin”

Vintage and tweed styled inspiration shoot – with a little shot of velvet

I often have the opportunity to work with some really fun public events around Portland. This year I’ve been involved with theĀ Portland Tweed RideĀ organizers’ group and had the opportunity to help them produce some promotional media for their event, starting with a Save the Date card. It seemed like a great way to do some vintage and tweed inspiration for a possible wedding style board. With the way velvet is trending for 2018, I thought it would fun to throw a bit of that in too.

Portland Wedding Photographer Evrim Icoz

We were able to secure the wonderfulĀ Evrim Icoz Wedding PhotographyĀ to shoot the photos, andĀ Event CosmeticsĀ to handle the hair and makeup. Nea Posey, one of Katherine Sealy’s Event Cosmetics clients, and Jeanie Whitten-Andrews, who had worked with Evrim before, stepped up as models. Event Cosmetics also secured the indoor venue,Ā Oregon Historical Society, for us. Luckily, I owned a great deal of the props and attire in my personal collection, so it wasn’t hard to put together the shoot!

Continue reading “Vintage and tweed styled inspiration shoot – with a little shot of velvet”

{ Local Love } Deals & Discounts on Portland Wedding Venues

If you are looking for some great ways to save money during the wedding planning process, look no further. Ā Here are a couple of deals from some of our favorite local vendors.

Vibrant Table is offering two deals to new bookings. Ā If you decide to use Vibrant Table as your caterer they will include a complimentary champagne toast or they will provide their Loft on Belmont for the rehearsal dinner.

Thumbs_classic-wines-winemaker-dinner-03-05-10-loft-icoz-127Loft on Belmont – Vibrant Table

One of our favorite Lake Oswego venues, The Foundry at Oswego Pointe, is currently offering a 20% discount for all remaining 2014 dates! Here’s a photo from a wedding ceremony we did recently there:

JOS-photographers-Kiran-and-Siddharth-Indian-Wedding-09The Foundry at Oswego Pointe

If you haven’t decided on your venue or caterer yet, make sure to keep these deals in mind! We’re always finding out about more of these for our wedding clients, so bookmark us and check back soon; or contact us at info@ejpevents.com.

{ Portland Wedding Venues } “Under the Radar” at Villa Catalana with The Portland Wedding Coordinator

Welcome back to our regular Under the Radar feature on Portland Wedding Coordinator, showcasing a cool new Portland wedding venue. Each time, I'll be sharing a site with you that I've stumbled across recently. Most of our Under the Radar wedding ceremony and reception venues are ones you won't yet find in the glossy wedding guides. If you use one of these sites, please let them know you heard it here first!

Villa-catalana-oregon-city
Today we're featuring Villa Catalana at Rare Plant Research, a gorgeous outdoor garden venue located right in the middle of Oregon farmlands and vineyards. I was invited to tour last fall, and even in chilly November, the unique beauty of the site was undeniable. In addition to the many varieties of rare and tropical plants, olive trees and wine grapes are grown on the property.

Villa-catalana-ceremonies
The wedding sites begin with a terraced lawn area with a cupola as focal point, facing a pond and the backdrop of the Romanesque-inspired architecture of the main house.

While the main house interior is not available for the event, its lower terrace (shown in the first picture) can be used for mingling or cocktails. A smaller outbuilding can be used as a bar setup or bridal party room.

After ceremony and cocktails, the party can move to the grape arbor, which is covered for shade and makes most tenting unnecessary. (This photo from summer 2013 shows the location of the newly-installed grape arbor. Sorry we don't have a picture yet but soon!)

Villa-catalana-tent

In addition to the beauty of the site, and its convenient location within 30 minutes of Portland, Villa Catalana currently allows you to use the caterer and rental company of your choice, so the potential for customization is unlimited.

At the end our of our tour, owner Burl Mostul hinted at the next project; Villa Catalana Cellars, whose wines would be ready in summer 2014 for release, and a new wine tasting facility at the rear of the main house that would be open on weekends.

As with most outdoor wedding facilities, available dates are limited. To request more information you may email Rare Plant Research at rareplant@gmail.com.

Photos courtesy Burl Mostul.