Venues that Allow Outside Catering { Roundup Update }

couple marrying at an outdoor pavilion Portland Wedding Planning
Matt and Diana wedding at Horning’s Hideout, 2018. Photo courtesy Anthony Gauna Photography

For many couples, the food is THE most important part of the wedding celebration, so they will only consider venues that allow outside catering. 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 January 2020. Keep in mind that policies do change, so check with the venue first before making any plans or appointments. Know any others? Let us know by sharing 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 features covered pavilions, a relaxed vibe, and the ability to use any caterer you like.

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{ 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!

My dream wedding venue…

One post won’t be enough to enumerate all the qualities of my dream wedding venue, but every time I work a wedding, I think of one more thing that I would add to the list.

Today that thing is rigging points.  With today’s more sophisticated brides and grooms, the decor and lighting needs have become more creative and complex.  Often, I am bringing in specialty lighting, whether it’s pinspots to highlight each table centerpiece, or a custom treatment to hide an ugly airwall in a ballroom.  Or sometimes it’s a certain prop, such as a crystal chandelier, or luxuriant drapery to transform a room completely or create a divider where there was none before.

This lighting or decor has to attach to something, and that’s where rigging points come in.  These often exist in the ceiling, and can be built in, or can be brought in by the event services company.  My dream wedding venue would have existing rigging points and offer diagrams showing their exact locations and how much weight they can hold…so I can pinspot, hang chandeliers, and drape to my heart’s content!