{ Local Love } Great groomsmen’s gifts in Portland

Productimage-picture-number-nine-x-pendleton-elk-pillow-286_png_524x524_crop_q85Productimage-picture-number-nine-x-pendleton-elk-pillow-287_png_524x524_crop_q85

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!

 

{ Wedding Wednesday } What’s inspiring me today…

Here’s what’s inspiring me today:

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Clockwise, from top left: (click the links to go to the full awesomeness)

Maptotes. What a wonderful guest favor or hotel amenity gift for your out-of-towners! They do custom work too, just visit maptote.com

The Barr Mansion in Austin, TX – Just realizing that this May, it will be FIFTEEN YEARS that I have been at EJP Events. The thought has been at the back of my mind for a while, but stumbling across this Barr Mansion (where I coordinated my very first wedding as an independent planner) wedding on Green Wedding Shoes, really made things hit home. I am so grateful for every wedding I have had the honor of working with, and so grateful for all the many service providers who have supported me and my sometimes wacky ideas. I’ll be posting more thoughts with the hashtag #ejp15 and I invite anyone who has thoughts and memories to post with the #ejp15 on any social network — past brides especially — or, please email me and send in your memories. Photo by The Nichols via Green Wedding Shoes.

These bell jars / cloches – Just loving the way they set off the florals and details for this science-themed wedding. Photo by The Nichols via Green Wedding Shoes.

Tiny tacos. Who wouldn’t love a tiny taco! Why not try one for your wedding cocktail hour, or late night snacks, perhaps with a signature margarita? Photo via the Beverly Hills Hotel Instagram feed.

It is most definitely spring, and this Apartment Therapy post shows us some ingenious ways to bring spring into your home, and I got some great ideas for unusual ways to arrange flowers at a wedding as well!

Check out the back detail on this Anna Campbell gown, via the Everthine Bridal Instagram feed. (I just love Instagram as a place to see ideas and inspiration – it’s almost eclipsed Pinterest for me.)

Candy kebabs. I want one! Perfect for a wedding favor or a kids’ table idea. Photo by Brooke Stapleton via The Perfect Palette.

What’s inspiring you today?

{ Real Weddings } Thalia and Conor at the World Forestry Center

Today’s EJP Events real wedding comes to you courtesy of Thalia and Conor, who we worked with last summer on their lovely wedding at the World Forestry Center. The WFC is such a great venue because there are so many choices for catering, and there are both outdoor and indoor wedding locations. For Thalia and Conor’s wedding, they chose the tented outdoor plaza for the ceremony, followed by a cocktail hour inside Cheatham Hall. During this time, our team changed the tent setup from ceremony to reception. Finally, they and their almost 200 guests headed back to the tent for a seated buffet dinner with a dance area in the center.

Wedding-world-forestry-center-ceremonycourtesy Fritz Photo

While the guests went in for cocktails, the EJP Events team worked quickly to move ceremony decorations for reuse as reception centerpieces; remove tent dividers and bring out tables, move ceremony chairs around the dining tables; and set placesettings and favors.

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courtesy Fritz Photo

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The catering from Food In Bloom received rave reviews from the guests.

Thank you, Conor and Thalia, and to your families, for having us as part of your wedding day!

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{ Wedding Design } What’s inspiring me today…

Here’s what’s been inspiring me today:

What-inspires-portland-wedding-planner-3182014

Clockwise, from top left:

DIY honeycomb shelving, on Green Wedding Shoes, photo by Jihan Cerda

Mon Voir Calligraphy, featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper. Just love this whimsical style! Photo by Jenna Rainey, the calligrapher.

7 Ways to Add Visual Height to A Room, via Apartment Therapy. Written for residential, but a lot of the tips, especially the one about drapes, apply to events and weddings as well. Photo by Le Belle Photographie

A darling ceremony at House on Metolius, photo by Jessica Watson Photography.

DIY Gem Place Card Holders on Ruffled Blog. Looks pretty easy! And love the subtle geometric touches, right in line with our predictions for 2014 wedding trends.

And finally, the glorious colors from the Oh Joy! Collection from Target. This garden party photo shoot has colors that I just want to swim in. Joy Cho’s taste, as always, is impeccable. Photos by Laure Joliet

Hope you enjoy!

{ Happy St. Patrick’s Day! } Dormae and Brian at Bridal Veil Lakes in the Columbia River Gorge

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.

Celtic-handfasting-2Above: 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:

  • An exchange of thirteen coins representing the promise of the couple to support and provide for one another and the family.
  • A veil, historically symbolizing being clothed in the love of Christ, but in non-denominational weddings, more often interpreted as a symbol of the couple's home and safe haven in each other.
  • A cord, wrapped around the couple's shoulders, to symbolize the strong bond between the married couple.

        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.

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Above: the Filipino veil and cord ceremony.

Below: Officiant Lisa Kristen-Scott is seen here, presiding over the couple's exchange of coins.

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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!

{ Portland Wedding Venues } Where can I have a barn wedding in Portland?

Your definitive-ish list of places to have a barn-style or barn-themed wedding in the greater metro Portland, Oregon – SW Washington area! Includes every barn venue I can think of between Hillsboro and Hood River, from Longview down to Silverton. Most are actual barns, some are barn-type buildings in outdoor sites. Whew!

Roloff Farms

Long Barn Farms

Postlewaits

Lucy's Garden

Tina's Barn

McMenamins Cornelius Pass

Clackamas River Farms

Perryhill Farm

Methven Family Vineyards

Anderson Lodge

Langdon Farms Golf Course

Red Barn Studios

Rebers Riverside

Water Oasis

Cape Horn Estate

Peterson Red Family Barn at Columbia Fruit Orchards, Woodland WA

Oak View Acres Farm, Canby

Pendarvis Farm

Log House Garden, Keizer OR

Miller Farm Retreat

Memorial Park Wilsonville OR

Sam Cox Building at Glenn Otto Park

Did I miss any? Please leave a link in the comments!