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. 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.
For so 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 December 2017. Policies do change, so check with the venue first before making any plans or appointments. Know any others? Please share 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 has covered pavilions, a relaxed vibe, and the ability to use any caterer you like.
For so many couples, the food is the 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 outside catering? Here are just a few. Know any others? Please share in the comments below!
The Red Rose Ballroom – We've recently done several weddings at this very sweet space on NE Alberta St with great results. This vintage 1920's ballroom can hold up to 200 guests at round tables and features gorgeous finished hardwood floors to dance the night away, a stage for your DJ or band, a built-in bar, and a sound system. There's even a mezzanine level for guests to use during cocktails or just for relaxing and watching the party.
The Eliot Center – The Eliot Center is the "fellowship hall" aspect of the downtown First Unitarian Church. Not only are they able to seat up to 160 in their conference center for a reception, the adjoining Historic Eliot Chapel can seat up to 250 in a beautiful, elegant chapel setting for a wedding ceremony. They allow self-catering, outside caterers, and alcohol service in accordance with their policies.
Multnomah Arts Center – Located in SW Portland just a few minutes from downtown, the MAC is a Portland Parks and Recreation community center venue with a large auditorium and stage for indoor wedding ceremonies that can be changed over to a reception during a cocktail hour. Mingle areas include a dance studio and an outdoor plaza, which can also be used for ceremonies. All rental rooms, including the auditorium stage, and bathrooms are ADA-accessible and air-conditioned. In addition, most spaces have free Wi-Fi access.
The Glenn and Viola Walters Arts and Cultural Center is near and dear to our hearts, as one of our favorite recent weddings just took place there. The site features a large auditorium for ceremony and reception, downstairs classrooms to use as changing areas, a ground-floor lobby and an upstairs art gallery where guests can mingle during a room changeover. The kitchen facility is well-appointed and convenient for self-catering or your own caterer. The outdoor plaza can also be used for ceremonies.
The Laurelhurst Club – A 100-year-old property adjoining Laurelhurst park in SE Portland, this venue features an historic ballroom, mezzanine bar, kitchen facilities, bride's and grooms rooms, and outdoor ceremony lawn.
NW Events & Environments – By far the largest open catering venue we have seen, NW Events & Environments can accommodate 650 in a banquet setting and over 1000 if using multiple rooms in a reception-style flow. They do not allow outside alcohol, and kitchen facilities may have limitations.
Thanks for reading – if you found this post about Portland wedding and event venues helpful, you might also like:
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!
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.
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!)
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.
Under the Radar is a weekly blog series on Portland Wedding Coordinator, showcasing cool new or little-known Portland wedding venues that I’ve stumbled across recently. Many of our Under the Radar wedding ceremony and reception venues are ones you won’t yet find in the popular wedding guides. If you use one of these sites, please let them know you heard it here first!
Today we’re pleased to present the historic estate at Lewis and Clark College. Lewis & Clark College has been located on the historic Fir Acres estate in Portland’s southwest hills for more than 60 years. The Great Lawn and Reflecting Pool Gardens are the showcase of the campus.
Weddings at Lewis and Clark have true indoor-outdoor capabilities up to 162 guests – the Great Platt lawn can be used for an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour, paired with Stamm Dining Hall, an indoor banquet facility complete with tables and chairs – just add catering from one of the four exclusive caterers on the Lewis and Clark list.
For outdoor-only events with tenting or tent-for-backup, the Great Platt Lawn can accommodate into the hundreds of guests.
Or, if you would like an indoor ceremony and outdoor reception, you may pair the Agnes Flanagan Chapel with any of the outdoor locations. The chapel accommodates up to 500 people, featuring a magnificent
Casavant pipe organ, and stained glass windows. The chapel renovations include a new, elevated stage, a sophisticated sound and lighting system, and ADA accessible restrooms.
Finally, an important detail for outdoor weddings: the nearby Miller Building classrooms provide ample indoor, air-conditioned amenities for your getting-ready period, as well as modern restrooms for your
guests’ comfort.
EJP Events is happy to be recognized by Weddings at Lewis and Clark as a preferred planner. You
can download the official brochure here. Please feel free to contact me at info@ejpevents.com to begin your process of exploring the possibilities at this historic and elegant location. Additional indoor and outdoor wedding and rehearsal dinner sites are available – just let me know and I can give you the full tour!
Next week on Under the Radar: Mazamas Lodge, Government Camp – stay tuned…
The sweet and lovely, vintage wedding look is still a big hit with weddings in Portland. I was looking back through the files (sooo many un-blogged weddings!) and I thought I'd share some of this wonderful wedding, which was also featured on Style Me Pretty. My favorite part about this wedding was that the bride and groom got to put their mark on so many aspects by DIY'ing almost everything — before the event.
But the day of the event (actually, starting months before), they had turned all the goodies over to us to place and style. We loved helping them (and I got to drive a huge U-Haul)! Except for the first photo, photos by Daniel Stark via Style Me Pretty.
