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!

How “Bling’s the Thing” turned out – Bravo Wedding Affair 2009

So tired after today, but had to post at least one little peek at the magic we created.  Thanks to Royce's Prop Shop, Event Floral, The Bridal Loft, and all who made the room a success.  The entire Bravo! Wedding Affair was the best one I've ever seen.  I enjoyed every room.  More soon!

bling wedding EJP Events portland bravo

And here's another mosaic (Thanks BigHugeLabs.com!) from the entire event.  Every room was amazing. I was sad to see it all taken down.

bravo wedding affair 2009

For a complete listing of all who participated, see here. Thanks again Bravo!

EDIT: Just realized that Flickr makes really easy slideshows. Let's see if this works: 

To see descriptions of each picture in the slideshow, please go to our Flickr set.

“Saturday” Roundup!

OK, apologies for the slight delay on Roundup this week, due to Portland #snowpocalypse 2008!  We do have the goodies for you this afternoon though!

James-christianson-wedding-photographyWe're still a little bit obsessed with the weather lately.  What to do in case of weather-related cancellations or delays?  For the majority of Portland weddings that occur between March and October, really bad weather is not usually a concern. Of course, all outdoor weddings should have a bad-weather plan (including one for too-hot weather), but we're not usually thinking of roads closed and flights cancelled. Today of course, in the midst of #snowpocalypse and #snowmageddon, and with the uptick in winter weddings we've been seeing, I want to remind you all about wedding postponement insurance – a way to pretty much ensure that you can recoup any lost deposits and re-schedule your wedding date for another time.  Some providers: Gales Creek Insurance, WedSafe  Photo courtesy James Christianson via Style Me Pretty.


Pink Galoshes 

imperia vodka, pink galoshes, wedding style blog

Oh, did we get your attention?

Continue reading ““Saturday” Roundup!”

Art of Weddings 2009 – a swankier kind of bridal show!

Art of Weddings Portland Wedding Planning Bridal Show

We are so excited to be invited back to participate in The Art of Weddings, a boutique bridal show happening on Thursday, January 8, 2009 from 5-8pm at LUXE Autohaus. Last year, it was held at the very swanky Secret Society Ballroom, and this year’s installment promises to be even more inventive and interesting!  The Art of Weddings team has enlisted the help of the CRAVE! Portland team — you know, the gals behind the extremely fun shopping parties? — to promote the event, and it looks to be even bigger and better this year.

Some of the highlights of the show’s offerings:

Stay tuned here for all kinds of news and buzz about the show.  You can even win tickets over at Simply Chic Weddings.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Money saving AND luxurious wedding transport option in PDX? WAY!

Bmw-2aI can’t believe I overlooked this until now… I always knew about the rad Limo Bus offered by VIP PDX, but I never really scrolled down to their “Chauffeured Cars” page until today.  They have a Land Rover and a BMW 745Li, both at a rate of $80/hour plus gratuity.  But get this, the minimum is only 1 hour.  So many companies out there have 4 hour minimums on chauffeured cars and limos, and oftentimes I have clients who just want a transfer from church to reception, or from reception to hotel without a bunch of hoo-hah.  You can take a look right here on the VIP PDX website:  Rates for VIP Coach and VIP Chauffeured Vehicles Portland Oregon – VIP PDX.

Saturday Roundup

We are starting something new on the blog today: A Saturday Roundup!  In the Roundup, we'll recap the best of what we've seen in Portland weddings, wedding planning and wedding style this week, so you don't have to scroll all over creation (or Alltop) to find your goodies.

First things first: 50% off sale at Shoefly.com until Sunday. Heard about this from the PortlandPicks.com gals — thanks!

gold pumps sandal shoe, wedding shoe

Next, we have Ethical Wedding's review of The Green Bride Guide:

ethical weddings, green bride guide review 

Next, a topic near and dear to us Portlanders: Rain at the wedding, from Santa Barbara Wedding Chic. (I thought it didn't rain much in lovely Santa Barbara!) Photo below by Laura Novak.

Laura Novak Photography, rain wedding 

Our compatriots to the north (Seattle, that is) at What Junebug Loves have posted a Holiday Gift Guide.  Usually the term "holiday gift guide" is kinda ho-hum to me, but this one had: Bacon-of-the-Month!  Now you're talking!

Junebug's holiday gift guide, wedding planning, portland wedding

Finally, a pink idea for wedding toasts, holiday celebrations, or just to go with french fries:

Piper-Heidsieck Rose Sauvage (another tip from PortlandPicks–if you aren't a subscriber, you need to be!)

piper heidieck, champagne, wedding toast 

That's it for Saturday Roundup!  Have a great rest of the weekend, and if you have thoughts or feedback about anything you saw today, please do feel free to post them here!