GUIDE TO PLANNING A DESTINATION WEDDING IN PORTLAND OREGON

The landscape of Portland and the surrounding mountains, rivers and valleys make for a seriously stunning wedding backdrop. Recently we’ve noticed a lot of our couples getting married here in Portland Oregon, actually live out of state and are planning their destination weddings from afar. Portland is quickly becoming a destination wedding city for couples who have families here or just an affinity for the city!

We put this guide together in the hopes that it might help you better plan your own destination wedding in Portland, the surrounding mountains or Oregon wine country.

IN THIS PORTLAND DESTINATION WEDDING PLANNING GUIDE YOU’LL FIND…

1. both indoor and outdoor wedding venues in Portland, Mt Hood and Oregon Wine Country with city views, mountain views and river views

2. vendors to help you plan your wedding and bring your vision to fruition - Wedding Planners, Wedding Photographers, Furniture and Tabletop Rental Companies, Portland Bridal Designers and Rehearsal Dinner Venues

3. practical info for getting a marriage license in Oregon

4. where to stay in Portland while planning your wedding

5. the best places to hike, relax, brunch and sip cocktails in between wedding planning tasks

PORTLAND WEDDING VENUES

Now that you’ve decided on Oregon for your destination wedding, it’s time to choose your venue! Our recommendation is to visit your favorite venues before booking, because things can look so much different in person than in photos. If you’re thinking of choosing an outdoor venue, try to visit the same time of year as your wedding, so you can see what your venue will look like on your wedding day - what’s in bloom and the surrounding landscaping.

With lush forests, striking mountains, large urban venues and a thriving wine country, it’s no wonder Portland has become such a popular destination wedding spot in recent years. Here’s our breakdown of the top wedding venues in Portland…

• Sentinel

• Left Bank Annex

• Everett West

• Coopers Hall

• Ecotrust Building

• Ironlight - opening March 2020

• Black Pearl on the Columbia

• Union Pine

• Castaway

• Exchange Ballroom

• Jacobson Salt Co.

• Yale Union

Outdoor Portland Venues:

• Lewis and Clark College

• Bridal Veil Lakes

• Abernethy Center

• Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

• Hoyt Arboretum

Wine Country Wedding Venues:

• Maysara Winery

• Black Walnut

• Saffron Fields

• Zenith Vineyards

• Beacon Hill Winery

Mt Hood / Gorge Wedding Venues:

• Mt Hood Organic Farms

• Gorge Crest Vineyard

• Scholls Valley Lodge

• Skamania Lodge

• Cooper Spur Resort

Intimate Wedding Venues / Rehearsal Dinner Spaces:

• Kex Rooftop - Opening Spring 2020

• West

• Nightwood Society

• Blockhouse

• Black Door

A full list of Wedding Venues in Portland including the Oregon Coast and Central Oregon can be found HERE.

PORTLAND WEDDING PLANNERS

We recommend hiring a full service or month-of wedding coordinator to help bring your vision to life, work with you on design/style elements and keep things organized. You’ll want a planner on your wedding team who’s in Portland to help you while you’re out-of-state. These are the best planners in Portland:

• Gather Events

• Kelsey Timberlake

• Bridal Bliss

• Whitney Werts and Co.

• Southern Affairs

• Bright Night

PORTLAND RENTAL COMPANIES

Once you have your venue picked out and a planner to help you solidify your vision, it’s time to start thinking about rental items for the tabletop, lounge spaces and ceremony. Here are a few of our go to wedding rental companies in Portland:

• Archive Rentals

• Vintage Meets Modern

• The Party Place

• Bridgewood Event Rentals

PORTLAND WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS

There are so many talented wedding photographers who call Portland their home. Whether your drawn to light and airy photography or raw and moody portraiture, these are the people you want capturing your wedding celebration:

Light and Airy:

• Amanda K

• Maria Lamb

• Niki Rhodes

• When She Knew

• Simply Splendid

• Carlos Hernandez

Raw and Moody:

• Alixann Loosle

• Catalina Jean

• Marcela Pulido

MARRIAGE LICENSE INFO FOR OREGON

To legally get married in Oregon you must get an Oregon marriage license, even if you are an out of state resident. Make sure to get your marriage license at least 3 days before your wedding. Although you can get a waiver request form from the Multnomah County Clerks Office if you’re in a pinch. You can either fill out an online form beforehand or apply for a marriage license in person at the County Clerks Office. You both must be present to pick up the license along with a $60 fee. Oregon law requires at least two witnesses (18+) to be present at the wedding ceremony.

WEDDING FLOWERS

Begin to think about your venue, the season of your wedding, your color palette and aesthetic. Are there any flowers that are meaningful and personal to you or close family members? Any floral scents that remind you of past travels or favorite moments in time? Your personal history both as individuals and together as a couple is a great place to start thinking about the flowers for your wedding and the space you want to create.

Think about the flow of your wedding from ceremony to reception throughout your venue (or venues) and start to design flowers for the most noticed spaces - ceremony altars and aisles, reception entryways, staircases and paths, guest table flowers, dance floors and lounge spaces. The flow of an event gives you the opportunity to play with different color stories from ceremony to reception or variation in flower varieties between arches, bouquets and table flowers. Make your wedding speak to your guests as being uniquely you, not only in the venue you choose and the dress you wear, but in the flowers you hold, dine and dance to.

HOW DOES BRITLYN SIMONE FLORAL WORK WITH DESTINATION WEDDING COUPLES TO DESIGN THEIR FLOWERS?

We work closely with all our couples to plan and execute their wedding flowers. And our destination wedding couples are no different. We’re more than just your day-of florists, we’re part of your wedding team - familiar with your wedding venue, what flowers are in season and the best local growers with the finest flowers.

Here are a few ways we work along side our destination wedding clients to ensure their wedding vision is being understood, even if don’t get to meet in person until the wedding day:

VIDEO DESIGN CALLS - Communicating and planning such a visual thing as flowers through email and text conversations can be really difficult. There’s lots of room for misinterpretation and confusion. We prefer to video chat with our destination wedding couples for the initial wedding flower consultation and major design meetings. There’s something about being able to see who you are talking to (even on video) that gets creative ideas flowing and real-time brainstorming happening.

SITE VISITS WITH YOU OR FOR YOU - If you’ll be up in Portland to visit your venue before your wedding day, we’ll come along and walk though the space with you to help you envision the flowers for your day and the designs we have planned. If you won’t make it to your venue before your wedding day, we’re happy to do a venue walk through on your behalf and record a video as we go, talking about flower placement and flow throughout the space. If you have a wedding planner, we’d walk through your venue with them.

MOCK-UPS AND TABLE STYLING - For some couples, it’s helpful to see exactly what the table layout is going to be before their wedding day. Along with site visits, we meet with our couples at their rental companies or in our studio for table styling and floral mock-ups, so they can make sure the place settings and flowers match their vision, making any changes and add flower volume if necessary.

If you’re still looking for a florist for your wedding in Portland, we’d love to be considered! Book a consultation so we can learn more about you and your wedding flower vision.

DESTINATION WEDDING TIP

Make sure you give your out-of-town guests plenty of time to prepare for and arrange travel well in advance of your wedding date! For destination weddings, it’s standard to send out invites between two and three months ahead, vs 6-8 weeks ahead for non destination weddings.

PORTLAND BRIDAL DESIGNERS

Portland is home to a handful of talented bridal designers, so make sure to visit their showrooms on your next visit if you’re still searching for the perfect dress to wear.

• Emily Riggs*

• Lena Medoyeff

• Elizabeth Dye

• Claire La Faye

*Though no longer a brick-and-mortar showroom, Emily Riggs designs from Portland and sells exclusively through her online store and other select retailers.

PLACES TO STAY, RELAX AND PLAY IN PORTLAND AND SURROUNDINGS

Our favorite places to stay when in Portland visiting potential venues or accommodation for out of town wedding guests:

• Kex

• Hoxton

• Woodlark

• Atticus Hotel

• The Society Hotel

• Hi-Lo Hotel

Brunch Spots:

• Proud Mary

• Hey Love

• Tusk

• Verdigris

Places to Relax, Get a Massage and Soak:

• Knot Springs

• Allison Inn Spa

• Bingen

Cocktail Bars:

• Dottir

• Angel Face

• Hale Pele

• Palomar

• Bar Botellon

• Departure

Outdoor Activities - Hikes, Gardens and Scenic Views:

• Multnomah Falls

• Dog Mountain Loop

• International Rose Test Garden

• Japanese Garden

• Vista House

Hopefully this guide has helped you on your destination wedding planning journey! If you’re still looking for a florist for your wedding in Portland, we’d love to be considered! Book a consultation so we can learn more about you and your wedding flower vision.