Tag: portland weddings

Gluten-free beer tasting tonight at Belmont Station

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Gluten-free-vegfamilycomImage from VegFamily.

Gluten-free is a hot topic around Portland weddings and events these days, as many people are eliminating this protein from their diet either for better health, or because they have been diagnosed with an intolerance. Whatever the reason, it's great to have options so you can accommodate those important friends and guests who are going this route.

So it's so great that tonight at Portland's lovely Belmont Station, one of my favorite places to get beer, there's a tasting where you can try every single gluten-free beer available in Oregon.From their newsletter:

THURSDAY JUNE 7  5 – 7PM GLUTEN FREE BEER TASTING. Taste every Gluten Free Beer available in Oregon, from Portland's own Harvester & Omission, plus all 3 New Planet Beers, Lakefront New Grist, Redbridge, Bard's Tale, and imports from Green's, St. Peter's and Estrella.  (FYI: In the case of Estrella and Omission there is some debate about whether they can be called Gluten Free but they are very low parts per million gluten, thus meeting stringent guidelines)  A brewer from Harvester and some of the distributor/brand reps will be present. 

If you've been wondering what gluten-free beer options are like, you'll definitely want to be there!

Are you eliminating gluten from your diet and wondering what to do with menu items at the wedding, such as cake, alcohol, and so forth? What creative ideas have you come up with? Any caterers or cake bakers you just love? Feel free to leave a comment.

Summer weddings and bugs!

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

A version of this article ran on Portland Wedding Coordinator in August 2011.

 Can you believe, it's the end of May and the outdoor summer weddings in Portland and Lake Oswego are here. If you are getting married at one of the outdoor gardens, waterfront or riverfront parks or venues you are probably wondering what to do about the possibility of bugs.

Bug-off spray is a must at outdoor weddings, but here are a few  tips to make you the perfect wedding host:

– Avoid DEET-based sprays that can irritate skin. Lemongrass and geranium oil-based repellents are available and they smell much nicer.

– Transfer the insect repellent spray into nicer glass bottles before setting them out at your event. Empty glass spray bottles can usually be found in the bulk beauty aisle (lotions and soaps) of natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Wrap the bottle in a ribbon to match your scheme, and then it will be guest-book-table worthy.

(Vintage atomizers could be fun too!)

image from Polyvore

– Burning lemongrass torches or candles can keep bugs down in the immediate vicinity. Having gently-blowing oscillating fans can also help.

– If the area seems to be uncontrollably buggy, consider applying non-toxic lawn or yard insect treatments (some examples here and here) several hours or days prior to the wedding (get the permission of the venue owner first).

 

{ Portland Wedding Coordinator loves…} Weddings on the MAX Light Rail

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Wedding-on-MAX-light-rail-portland

Portland couples love to showcase the city for their guests, and for their wedding day to reflect all things truly Portland. So we love it when they show their eco-chic loyalty on their wedding day and make sure to ride the MAX to the wedding. (Bonus: no worries about indulging in cocktails at the reception, you have a ride home as long as you get on before the last train!) Lovely client Lisa chose to have her ceremony at World Forestry Center and reception at The Oregon Zoo.  Guests and bridal party stayed downtown at Hotel Monaco, and Lisa and her ladies had a fun adventure getting to the ceremony via the MAX light rail.

Wedding-on-MAX-light-rail-2
And a few photos of the ceremony at the World Forestry Center:

World-forestry-center-wedding

Portland-wedding-planner-at-world-forestry-center

 

Many thanks to Kory Hauser for sharing the photos. Thank you Lisa and Doug, for letting us be a part of your day.

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Don't forget about beautiful indoor weddings in Portland
{ Under the Radar } The Exchange Ballroom and Cascade Rooftop
{ Portland Wedding Coordinator loves…} Weddings on the MAX Light Rail

{ Meet and Greet } Join us at The Bridal Loft open house – March 14, 2012

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Wedding-planning-services-portland
Have you met our family at The Bridal Loft yet? I am grateful to have had the “Lofties”‘s friendship, camaraderie, and business support since I joined in June of 2002. We are doing our yearly open house to welcome the upcoming 2012 and 2013 wedding clients, as well as renew friendships / make new ones in the community of artists, artisans, and designers that make up Portland’s wedding businesses.

Please join us on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from 4pm to 8pm and enjoy a fun evening out with the wedding professionals of The Bridal Loft, Portland’s original bridal collective. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served as you view the 2012 collections from August Veils and beadALEX, as well as getting your opportunity to meet in person with:

Bridal beauty educator Katherine Sealy of Event Cosmetics

Wedding planner Emee Pumarega of EJP Events (that’s me!)

Photographer Paul Rich

Calligrapher Alesia Zorn

The cinematography team of Scott and Amanda Shama of Ambient Sky Couture Wedding Films

Master seamstress Kim Trickey of Sewing Solutions

and designer Andrea Hoyt of August Veils

Bring your wedding questions and be ready to enjoy the atmosphere of The Bridal Loft. We’ll see you there!

RSVP here for best service.

Photo credits, clockwise from top left: Holland Studios, Holland Studios, Holland Studios, Craig Strong, The Bridal Loft, Craig Strong

An Oregon Garden Wedding Inspiration for a Stylish Manhattan Bride

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

I was so excited to be contacted by another out-of-towner this week who will be planning her Oregon summer wedding, working long-distance from Manhattan. Her big priorities are food and photography. She sent along a few photos of her intended style and I thought I would go through our past event file to put together a few photos to  convey my initial thought process for site selection and other possible details. Here goes:

Oregon-wedding-stylish-insp
Oregon-foodie-wedding-inspi

All photos are from real weddings coordinated and planned by EJP Events.

Full size photos and photographer credits after the cut.

Continue reading “An Oregon Garden Wedding Inspiration for a Stylish Manhattan Bride” →

Are you killing off your wedding vision before it even happens?

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Couple-planning-wedding-vision

Image: Bufferchuck on Flickr.

"We really want an open bar, but we probably can't afford it."

"I love the idea of live music, but it probably won't work in our venue."

"We really pictured guests walking with us from ceremony to reception, but it seems like logistically it would be too hard."

The above statements are just a few I've heard this week from my couples just starting their planning. Notice anything? They are self-editing before they've even begun planning. They are killing off their wedding vision even before it has had a chance to stretch out and take its first breath.

It's sad to me when I see couples assuming that they can't have what they want, that it will be too hard, that they should just settle for the venue or setup that will be easy, so they can stop worrying. Later they'll look back and wish they had just held out for those few things they really wanted that would make the day special and worthwhile to them. In addition, those special touches (which might seem a lot of work at the time) will be their first statement as a married couple.

So, don't self-edit. Don't give up. If you have an amazing idea, get it down on paper. Pin it on Pinterest. Talk to a wedding professional who may have seen something just like it before and can help you get there. Do something — just don't let it die before you give it a chance to be part of your wedding day.