Father O’Donovan is the ideal priest to marry you. My husband was not of the Catholic faith so we had to often meet with Father O’Donovan to discuss the ceremony and church matters concerning the wedding. He is truly a kind man and made my husband feel at ease despite his lack of knowledge of Catholic rituals and masses. He explained things clearly and in a simple manner that made us feel good that he was marrying us. Father O’Donovan holds a high position in the Catholic Church in Portland and no longer serves at the church I grew up going to. Despite this, he still carved out time to meet with us and officiate at the wedding.

Edis is a professional photographer and recommended by a friend. He does a lot of the photography of PSU and other colleges in town for their print media. He does do beautiful work and agreed to spend 10+ hours with us on the day of the wedding. We decided to work with him because he was so much cheaper than others and didn’t charge from hour to hour. For the most part we were happy with our pictures, especially the formal shots at the reception. However, I think that if I had a female photographer, she would have captured more of the cake, dress, flowers, the kinds of things women photographers look at more closely. I can definitely tell that a man took our pictures!

We decided to have our Rehearsal Dinner at this location as I grew up in Beaverton and this was easily accessible for everyone after the church rehearsal. I thought that the display of the food was rather boring and it didn’t feel special to us. The Stockpot wasn’t cheap either, and it was definitely overpriced for the quality and display of food. I wouldn’t recommend this venue at all. When the fish dish ran out, they didn’t replace it and the food was just okay. We found the service to be just okay and the room was rather cold in temperature. Thank goodness we were all in good spirits and the desserts were actually good.

Karren is a master cake maker and super sweet to work with. I really liked that she listened to what I wanted my cake to feel and look like and she did exactly what I wanted. Since the colors of my wedding were orange and crème, we did a simple cake of three layers with fresh flowers and orange ribbon and it was simple, ala Martha Stewart style. Everyone at the reception said the cake tasted fabulous, with the orange ganache in the middle! For my shower, my best friend ordered cookies from Karren that were out of this world. My girlfriends still talk and ask about these cookies!

This is the hotel you want to have your reception. The room was so beautiful and all the employees even added decoration to the buffet table that was personal and thoughtful. When I first entered the reception room, it took my breath away as to how beautiful and classy it all looked. Everything about service at the Governor was detail oriented and classy. Everyone who worked at the reception made you feel super special and cared for. Before my husband and I entered the reception, they even brought us into a small room with champagne and appetizers, just the thing you need before heading into the party. I absolutely recommend this place as a venue for one’s reception because of the service and attention to detail.

I didn’t want a traditional diamond wedding ring as I am a teacher and knock my hands around all day and knew that I am the type of person who would simply ruin a large ring. I also wanted to go to a local jewelry, small and had more modern designs. Equinox has been in NW Portland for years and the guy who sold us the ring also made it. Equinox is a small shop, independently owned and has fabulous customer service. The jewelry maker made me try on a ring that I would have never picked out and it was the one I loved! Go to this place to get personal, high end jewelry with an affordable price!

We decided that we didn’t want a formal, tux look for our wedding but wanted to find a suit that was dressy and formal for the groom. We began to look at Saks, Nordstrom and the like and found that the black, silk suits that my husband liked ranged in the $1,000 area. The suits that looked fabulous also had an expensive tag, so we decided to go to Nordstrom Rack and try our luck. What a great decision. At the downtown store we found a black silk suit that originally cost $1500 for $350. It had subtle pin stripes, barely noticeable but looked regal and classy. My husband then took it to Vermont Cleaners to get altered and they did a fabulous job.

Both of my sisters used the seamstress at this old-Multnomah locally owned cleaners to have their wedding dresses adjusted. Of course, I had to go to, as it was a family tradition. This place is “old-school”, affordable and super friendly. The head woman who does the alterations is so kind and an excellent seamstress. She actually did all my measurements and I had them sent to the dressmaker and my dress came out almost perfect! Only the straps needed adjusting. Vermont Cleaners is truly one of the best alterations place in Portland and is still family owned and affordable. I can guarantee that she is cheaper than most places in the city and you’ll get the best service and work done!

Since both my bridesmaids were living in different cities, it was a great resource for both of them to go on-line and look at dress styles and email each other what they thought. The Nordstrom website has an incredible amount of dresses and range of styles for dresses. So many of them are certainly dressy enough for weddings. My maid of honor finally chose the dresses and each bridesmaid directly ordered theirs on-line without the bride having to worry. The dress was dark green made of silk and was beautifully made and looked just like the picture on line. My bridesmaids said the transaction was easy and smooth and their dresses arrived in a timely manner.

after researching the extravagant cost of letterpress invitations, i finally decided that i couldn't afford them. i really like the way that letterpress looks and feels, so i wanted the same "look" without paying the price. i looked at many stationary shops and felt that a lot of them looked generic and too "wedding" like. i finally heard of the anna griffith line at michael's. wow! i found a great pattern that had a light orange bouquet embossed on it (like letterpress) and my sister and i matched the color to her computer and designed the invitation. it turned out great and it looked stylish and traditional. i certainly recommend this way to make invitations, it is much less expensive and you can truly design the invitation and tailor it to your needs. michael's is the place for anna griffith stationary!