{The Daily Re-blog} Unique Wedding Transportation Options

Finding the right transportation for your wedding is important.  From bicycles, to pedicabs, to limousines, there are a wide variety of options! We found a great blog post from our friends at The Art of Weddings, that gives some great tips on how to make your wedding transportation personal and memorable.  Read their full post on wedding transportation here!

“When it comes to organizing a wedding, many brides like to veer away from the lure of traditional and into something altogether more unique…”

vintagebike

Photo from Cycle Portland Bike Tours via Art of Weddings

{ The Portland Wedding Coordinator DIYs } No-Sew, Sequined Coffee Cozy

(Note from Emee: Pssst! Today's blog post was written and photographed by my awesome new collaborator and assistant, Katherine O'Brien. You'll be seeing lots more from Ms. K in the coming weeks, thanks Katherine!!)



Wedding-DIY-crafts

 

What could be better than a cost effective, customized, and creative gift? These coffee cozies are perfect for a bridesmaid gift, thank you, or even as a favor at a bridal shower. You can also feel good about doing your part for the earth by not using the disposable cardboard version any longer. Plus who doesn't love a little sparkle in their day? Read on for the full tutorial.

 

Continue reading “{ The Portland Wedding Coordinator DIYs } No-Sew, Sequined Coffee Cozy”

Putting the local spirit in your wedding

Portland Oregon local liquor and spirits for weddings
The Portland Wedding Coordinator blog contains party and event planning content that discusses the legal and responsible use of alcoholic beverages for events. This blog is not intended for a minor audience. If you are under 21, please click away. Read our full policies here.

I had the opportunity to visit with a catering company owner, and we started chatting about the popular requests for locally-sourced food items on wedding menus.

So why not booze?  I’ve noticed many wedding bars stocked with Grey Goose, Absolut, Maker’s Mark, and the like… all very well and good, but with all the amazing distilleries we have right here in the Portland area, why miss this opportunity?

Here’s a list of local distilleries just to get you started, I’m sure there are more.  If you think of one that I haven’t mentioned, please add it to the comments! We urge you to drink responsibly and observe all alcohol safety laws at your event.

Eastside Distilling (co-owned by our friend Lenny Gotter at Studio 98, who has contributed many a photo to The Portland Wedding Coordinator)

Clear Creek Distillery

New Deal Vodka

House Spirits, makers of Aviator Gin and Medoyeff Vodka

Bendistillery

Rogue House of Spirits

Integrity Spirits

Indio Spirits

Subrosa Spirits

McMenamins Edgefield (and other McMenamins locations)

Updated for 2013. Incorrect info? Please email emee@ejpevents.co with any corrections. A version of this blog post appeared on The Portland Wedding Coordinator in November 2008.

via weddingcoordinator.typepad.com

Avoid having invitations, save-the-dates, or RSVPs returned to you – Postal Rates Increase Jan 27th

 

via alesiazorn.typepad.com

This just in from our good friend Alesia at Alesia Zorn CalligraphyUS postal rates go up January 27th. Many of you are about to get to mailing your save-the-dates or wedding invitations, so head on over to Alesia's blog and read all the details.

My takeaway from all this: Always use the Forever stamps, so no matter when your guests mail back their RSVPs, the postage will be valid and the responses won't be returned to sender.

Whew – as if engaged couples didn't have enough to worry about already!


Idea of the day – LED light letters

LED-light-letters
Happy October! We are lucky in Portland that summer still seems to be holding on, in the afternoons at least. Makes me want to blog all the past warm-weather goodness from the last few months! One great idea we saw at a September wedding we coordinated, was a "BAR" backdrop sign designed by René Steelman of RK Steelman Events and Interiors (also mother of the groom!). It's always so flattering when event pros themselves hire us.

I loved this idea to create a "name in lights" using battery-operated LED tealights. No cords needed! René chose chevron fabric and pink rickrack which she mounted to a board. Then added embellishments like tiny mirrors with more tealights, pink flowers in test tubes, and of course, the letters. More pictures from this fun wedding are on our Facebook page.

Hope this gets your creative juices flowing – do let me know if you've seen or heard any great design ideas at weddings in Portland or beyond; email me at The Portland Wedding Coordinator or comment below.

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5 things we’re still loving in 2012… { Wedding Fashion, Style, and Trends }

Over halfway through the year, can you believe it? I just returned from some Independence Day festivities in Florida where I did lots of people-watching in Miami and West Palm Beach. Super fun!

It just reminded me that there are a lot of hot styles that generated buzz around the first of the year, that I noticed are still super relevant and could be fun to use in your upcoming wedding.

1. Chevrons and Bold Stripes – It seems like we just can't get enough of these bold, preppy patterns. Whether it's a delicate herringbone paired up with lace, or black and white stripes with bright color accents, there's something about chevrons and bold stripes that just makes me go ooh!

Bold-stripes-white-dress-by-shorePhoto: Carla Ten Eyck; Coordination: Jubilee Events; via The White Dress by the Shore

Chevron-wedding-jesi-haack-designPhoto: Avery House; Jesi Haack Design; via 100 Layer Cake

Chevron-sequin-tablecloth-la-tavolaLa Tavola Fine Linen Rentals

2. Colorblocking – Yes, the 80s trend is back, but this time it's more layered and less Mondrian-esque. Look for styles incorporating similar color families and sherbet brights.

Twobirds-bridesmaids-colorblock-gown-trent-bailey Twobirds-bridesmaids-colorblock-gown-trent-bailey-2Twobirds Bridesmaid Gowns, photo by Trent Bailey

Chuchus-suarez-chicismo-colorblockChuchu Suarez's street style featured on Chicismo.

3. Envelope clutch purses – I say avoid the giant ones that dwarf your body type, but there are so many sweet styles out there that can go with the wedding gown or bridesmaid's outfit. And of course, there are chevron ones too!

Harlex-etsy-nude-envelope-clutch
Neutral envelope clutch purse by Harlex on Etsy

Harlow-envelope-clutch-bcbg
BCBG Max Azria "Harlow" envelope clutch

Edie-parker-clutch-purse
Edie Parker acrylic clutch purses via This Is Glamourous

4. Ombré – varying shades of the same color can make a big impact, whether in a gown, a cake, or somewhere else in the decor scheme.

Ombre-gown-Christian-Dior-Couture-Spring-2012
Christian Dior couture gown via The Simply Luxurious Life Blog

Peach-ombre-cake-martha-stewart
Peach ombré cake via Martha Stewart Weddings

(The ombré cake craze is well documented in this post by Polka Dot Bride.)

5. Maxi dresses – Not every formal, long bridesmaid gown is really what I think of as the hot "maxi dress" of 2012. I'm thinking, the long, flowy, goddess-y dresses that make your bridesmaids look like romantic figures in an 18th-century painting…

Mismatched-maxi-bridesmaid-dress-aaron-delesieKay Unger gowns on the bridesmaids; Photo by Aaron Delesie via Style Me Pretty

What do you think? Will these styles and trends hold up through the rest of the year and in the years to come, as we look back at the wedding photos? Are you using any of these in your Portland wedding? Or are there any styles or trends that you are (gasp!) getting a little tired of? Please share your comments.