The Ceremony Venue

We have a place for the after-party (aka "reception"), but finally, after a very extensive search, have found a venue for the wedding ceremony. All we want is something outside in nature and we aren’t even that picky about the nature of the nature. Maybe it is trees. Maybe it is flowers. Maybe it is water. We weren’t really that worried. What with living in Oregon and the entire Willamette Valley being downright gorgeous in July, one wouldn’t think it would be too hard.

But one would be wrong. We called or looked into close to 30 different venues. In general we didn’t even have to think about whether we would actually WANT to get married at that spot because it either wasn’t available (one needs to reserve a good 18 months in advance), they don’t allow weddings, or it would cost a ridiculous amount of money for something that is going to last less than 30 minutes.

The lure of Vegas and a drive-through wedding window was getting stronger, but we wracked our brains and came up with a few more potential spots. Two of them were a no-go, but the third not only allows weddings, is also available and when asked about price was downright cheap!

Even better, when we went to go look at the place, we liked it!

So, for some details...

Hoyt Arboretum is a Portland public park adjacent to the better-known Washington Park, both of which are part of a 10-mile-long, mile-plus-wide swath of parks starting west of downtown and running north. Washington Park, home to the zoo and world-famous Rose Gardens, is a popular site for weddings, but tends to be overrun with people, especially during the summer. Hoyt Arboretum, by contrast, is a 200-acre park consisting mostly of trails and, as its name might imply, more than 1,000 species of trees. It gets traffic, but more hikers than tour groups and is filled with quiet nooks and crannies. One spot in particular is known as the “Wedding Meadow.” It isn’t fancy or polished like a garden, but when we went to look at it, it just felt… good. It has a simple, natural beauty with gorgeous trees and enough space for our family and friends, but still maintaining an intimate feel.

Details regarding logistics will follow!