{ Local Love } Pearl District Party Location – Andina and Tupai

It's certianly not hard to love Andina, but many people are not aware that they offer a private dining option Tupai, as well.  This is a great location to be able to enjoy amazing food in a beautiful setting for your next event.

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Tupai set for a seated reception

    "They offer a variety of rooms that would be great for bachelor/bachelorette dinners, showers, rehearsal dinners and receptions. Their dedicated special events team is committed to tailoring every aspect of each event, weaving together spectacular fare, extraordinary cocktails and an award-winning wine program, to ensure that every experience is memorable beyond compare. They offer a variety of menus and packages that will allow guests to take pleasure in the cuisine and hospitality for which Andina is renowned. Andina is also a great option for those looking to add a little destination element to an otherwise local wedding!"

Tupai is their largest event space, with room for up to 65 guests at a seated dinner and 100 guests for a standing cocktail reception.

"Tupai is located above Andina and offers a full bar and kitchen, mezzanine space for live music, natural light and wooden beams. The menu will feature Andina’s NovoAndean cuisine, which combines traditional flavors and ingredients native to Peru with a global reach that draws from Spanish, Japanese and Cantonese culinary influences. Dishes are prepared using modern technique and presented with finesse and flair. The full bar will deliver both Andina’s classic and NovoAndean cocktails – from the Pisco Sour and Caipirinha to the Sacsayhuamán and Margarita de Manzanita. Wines may be chosen from Andina’s award-winning list with the help of wine director Caryn Benke."

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Wedding Reception at Tupai

If you haven't tried Andina yet make sure to go; and keep Tupai in mind for your next event!

{ Local Love } Great groomsmen’s gifts in Portland

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Number (N)ine x Pendleton Elk Pillow from Ace Hotel Shop

"What kind of gift do I get for my groomsmen?" or "Where should I go to look for unique gifts?"  These are common questions you might hear when working as a wedding planner.  It can be difficult to find a gift that is not only unique, but useful, for the special friends and family that you have chosen to stand up with you on your big day.  If you would like to find something other than the normal monogrammed flask or lighter then you have to check out the Ace Hotel Shop and the Orox Leather Company.

If you want gifts that are very Portland and delightfully different, then look no further than the Ace Hotel Shop.  There is a great selection of Portland themed items, ranging from wool pillows to stylish hats.  A duffle bag would not only be a useful present, but could also be used to keep personal items organized on the wedding day.  You could get each groomsman a different colored hat and wear them for pictures.  The possibilities here are endless!

 

Productimage-picture-wool-city-cap-pdx-black-red-1054_jpg_524x524_crop_q85Wool City Cap from Ace Hotel Shop

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Ace Hotel Portland Duffel Bag from Ace Hotel Shop

 

Less than 1/2 mile from the Ace Hotel is the Orox Leather Company.  Orox Leather Company has an amazing selection of beautiful leather goods.  A great token of gratitude for the groomsmen could be a leather belt.  Then, not only do they have something useful to add to their everyday wardrobe, but they could also wear them to the wedding.  Another option could be to get everyone a dopp kit.  Again, not only a useful gift, but a unique one as well.

 

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Rolling Buckle – Nickel Black from Orox Leather Company

 

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Medicus Dopp – Black from Orox Leather Company

 

So if you are in need of some great gifts for your groomsmen go check out the Ace Hotel Shop and Orox Leather Company.  You won't be disappointed!

Quick note: For Tuesday, May 6, 2014 only, Orox is offering a 20% discount off everything online: Promocode CINCO. Enjoy and happy Cinco de Mayo!

 

{ Happy Pi Day! } The Portland Wedding Coordinator’s Favorite Pies and Tarts

Happy Friday! Today is a VERY special day to me as it is International Pi(e) Day. A day to celebrate the ratio of the diameter of a circle to its circumference. (That’s ∏d, in case you were wondering…) BUT! Today is also a day to celebrate the most delicious circle of all, the pie. (No offense to burger or pizza lovers.)

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By Paul Smith (originally posted to Flickr as Pi pie) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is also a great time to talk about pie for your wedding; it’s a great substitute if you aren’t fond of cake! Here are a few of my favorite examples from weddings we have planned and coordinated:

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Clockwise from top left: Pies and cupcakes by Food in Bloom at Bridal Veil Lakes wedding; Random Order Pies at private garden venue in Hillsboro;
Random Order pies at Union-Pine wedding

Where can you get great pies for a wedding in Portland? Just a few ideas:

Random Order Coffee House, The Pie Spot, Lauretta Jean’s, Pacific Pie Co., All Jarred Up, Divine Pie Co (featuring gluten-free and allergy-friendly pies), Whiffies Fried Pies (who will pull their food truck right up to your wedding!).

If I missed any places you love, please add in the comments to share with everyone. Happy Pi Day!

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{ Local Love } Fun rehearsal dinners and small party venues in Portland

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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.

 

{ Local Love } Eastside Distilling

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."

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Event Marketing Buzz: Tillamook Cheese Company scores big with the Tillaphone #ComfortCall, delivers grilled cheese to #FeastPDX attendees at 2am

Much of Portland is still recovering from Feast Portland (#FeastPDX), last weekend’s festival of Oregon food and drink that has been called “the SXSW of food”. As reports trickle in on which events generated the most buzz, one clear winner emerged in using FeastPDX as a marketing tool: Tillamook Cheese.

Photo via @joancirillo on Twitter.www.twitter.com/joancirillo

Photo via TripStyler on Instagram

Their PR department targeted chefs and VIP attendees, journalists and bloggers, and gifted the ultimate in swag: a charged-up phone marked “Tillaphone” that the recipient could use to call for a hot grilled cheese delivery, at any time during the festival up to 3am. Attendees using the service were told to use the hashtag #ComfortCall when mentioning the benefit over social medial channels.

And did they mention it! A quick search of the #ComfortCall hashtag shows dozens, if not hundreds of happy, satisfied tweets from influential chefs and bloggers; alluring Instagrams of gooey grilled-cheese sandwiches, and jealous tweets from people who went to bed early and missed out.

How Tillamook Cheese will measure the ROI from this clever marketing stunt, I do not know. All I know is that Sunday afternoon as I was doing my weekly shopping, I bypassed my usual brands of cheese and butter, and almost as if in a trance, put the Tillamook versions in my cart.

Feast Portland benefits two important charities: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. To read more about the event, please visit the Feast Portland website.