Category: Green Weddings

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Cupcakes For A Cause

Jane Green

56806657_2261129590795829_1075094970626473984_nIntroducing THE perfect dessert treat for your celebration. Sarah Bellum’s Bakery & Workshop offers delectable sweet and savory cupcakes that look adorable and taste amazing. Even better, they do it with a purpose. Since opening in SW Portland six months ago, the not-for-profit bakery has provided return-to-work opportunities for adults with acquired brain injury. Small but mighty, the team at Sarah Bellum’s hopes to raise awareness about brain injury while delivering a scrumptious product. The ingenious name – a nod to the cerebellum in the brain – will give you some idea of the heart and humor at work here. With advance notice, the bakery can delivery a variety of mini or full sized cupcakes for your wedding shower, rehearsal dinner, celebration of life and receptions of all sizes. Check out the full range of flavors on their menu page. It’s hard to pick favorites but the cheddar chive savory is always a hit, as is the salted caramel. And the lemon-blueberry. And the chocolate-raspberry. And … okay you get the idea. Organic, bargain priced, delicious, gluten-free/vegan options and all for a fabulous cause. This is a love story that everyone can celebrate. TIP: You can also send guests home with a treat for fido – exclusive PUPcake gourmet dog treats.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Bellum’s Bakery & Workshop. 

custom wedding gifts, Green Weddings, local wedding gifts, PDX wedding, Wedding Favors, Wedding Gifts

Lover’s Leap to Give or Keep

Jane Green

Processed with VSCOcam with n1 presetIt’s that time of year again. Every Valentine’s Day, Steve Smith, a favorite Portland tea blender, releases its signature Lover’s Leap tea. Now in its eight year of popularity, this fragrant black tea blended with rose petals and chamomile makes a perfect gift for the love in your life. Serving tea at your wedding? Lover’s Leap is an ideal choice served hot or cold. And the attractive packaging makes for handsome favors for guests to take home. Gift sets are also available starting at only $30 and are an excellent choice for wedding showers or bridal party thank you’s. Be sure to order a box for yourself!

Brides, ceremonies, Couples, Events, Flowers, Food, Green Weddings, outdoor weddings, PDX wedding, portland brides, summer wedding, Vendor, Wedding Cakes, wedding ceremonies, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Vendors, weddings

Relaxed Elegance at Garden Wedding

Jane Green

Yesterday’s wedding was the perfect blend of elements for sweethearts Danny and Shannon. Held at a private home in the Irvington area of Portland, the celebration combined a lush garden with lawn games, DIY flowers with jeweled dresses and catered cuisine with s’mores by the fire pit. A dining room table at Restoration Hardware brought the couple together (she was buying, he was selling) so it was fitting that they include a salt ritual during the ceremony. The blended salt will be used in their cooking as a reminder of the zest of their wedding day. The bride’s three sisters, two-year old niece and newborn nephew were in attendance as vows were exchanged under the backyard trellis. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and beverages on the patio. The chefs from Art de Cuisine worked their magic in the kitchen creating a lavish dinner that included cedar planked salmon, tri-tip beef and roasted market veggies. In lieu of wedding cake, the couple served triple blackberry cheesecake with a chocolate crust from Papa Haydn. Yum! After a honeymoon in Belize, the newlyweds return to their Sellwood home and life in PDX where Shannon works in marketing research and Danny is completing his masters in statistics at PSU. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Duncan! May your life be forever flavored with joy and laughter.

Brides, Event Venue, Flowers, Green Weddings, outdoor weddings, PDX wedding, portland brides, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Vendors, weddings

Wedded Bliss in Cathedral Park

Jane Green

Cathedral Park wedding Towering Gothic arches of the St. Johns Bridge provided a dramatic backdrop for Saturday’s wedding at Cathedral Park. Sweethearts, Rachael and John, said their vows beneath the iconic bridge as family and guests shared the sweeping view. The bridal party arrived in style and kept cool in the limo bus as temperatures reached to the mid-80’s. Gray and ivory were the predominant wedding colors and the gorgeous flowers (hand crafted by the girls) included soft shades of ivory, gray, pink and green. For their tree planting unity ritual, the couple chose a gingko tree – the oldest tree on the planet – representing endurance, adaptability and harmony. A reception was held at the North Star Ballroom. After the weekend celebration, the newlyweds returned to their Seattle home (the groom proposed on the giant Ferris wheel at Pier 57) and plan to honeymoon in South America next year. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Prieto! May the memory of your wedding day sweeten your love for a lifetime.

Brides, ceremonies, Event Venue, Events, Green Weddings, outdoor weddings, PDX wedding, wedding ceremonies, Wedding Ceremony, weddings

Rustic Wedding at Historic State Park

Jane Green

David and EmilyPerfect weather and acres of old growth trees awaited guests at yesterday’s wedding celebration for Emily and David. Held in the Pavilion at Historic Champoeg Park, the ceremony blended old and new traditions under the huppah including a Jewish circling, the seven blessings and breaking of the glass. The unity sand ritual featured a mason jar belonging to the groom’s grandmother. Following the ceremony, family and friends feasted on a buffet of homemade vegetarian specialties including three kinds of lasagna baked by the bride. The newlyweds will relax for two nights in a cozy park cabin before returning to their home in SE PDX. The groom works for UPS and the bride is completing her degree in psychology. They are planning a destination honeymoon in the fall. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Quinton … mazel tov!

Brides, ceremonies, custom wedding gifts, Green Weddings, Helpful Hints, local wedding gifts, new products, portland brides, Repurpose, wedding ceremonies, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Favors, Wedding Gifts, Wedding Reception, weddings

Keeping Kids Happy at Your Wedding

Jane Green

gift bagsThe biggest challenge with having little ones in or at your wedding is keeping them entertained. Kids get understandably antsy – all that hurry up and wait! Being seen and not heard while the bridal party gets dressed, photographs get taken, guests arrive … that’s a LOT of being on your best behavior. I’ve seen all kinds of attempted “wedding kid control” over the years. The BEST solution? Keep them occupied. If you don’t have the luxury of a relative or friend who can be a Mary Poppins on site; provide age appropriate activities so they can entertain themselves. Books, puzzles, hand-held games, disposable camera, mini-water bottle, clear gummy worms … items that are noise and mess free. Putting it all in a customized tote makes it portable and special. MyLovingTree from Portland, OR makes adorable canvas bags with lots of custom features. In addition to personalized names, you can select skin tone, hair color and outfit. Lots of options for bridal party gifts, too. Check them out on Etsy.

Brides, ceremonies, custom wedding gifts, Event Venue, Flowers, Green Weddings, local wedding gifts, outdoor weddings

A Plum Perfect Autumn Wedding

Jane Green

Zach and TiernieClear skies, a lush garden setting, bridesmaids in plum satin and groomsmen in gray … what a lovely wedding celebration last Saturday at one of my favorite PDX venues, Leach Botanical Gardens. Teirnie and Zach exchanged vows under the courtyard arbor during the 4:00 ceremony. Truly a family affair; the bride was presented to the groom by her uncle, her five year old son, Beckham, participated in the unity sand ritual and the groom’s mother, Linda, made all the exquisite flower arrangements in the theme colors of plum, magenta and orange. DIY extra nice touch: Bridesmaids were gifted with a memento frosted glass vase to keep their bouquet fresh. Guests were treated to music by No Talk Tunes while enjoying a delicious dinner buffet and took home a gift of Pure Wildflower Honey compliments of the bride and groom (and the bees of Leach Gardens). Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Hemelstrand! May all your days together be as lovely as the energy of Saturday’s celebration.

fingerNOTE: Kudos to Linda Hemelstrand for recovering from a zero hour accident with style. She sliced off the tip of her finger while working on the wedding flowers and had to go to ER the day before the wedding!

Brides, Couples, Green Weddings, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Reception, weddings

Family Reunion Sweetens Wedding

Jane Green

courtney and nickFamily and guests from Indiana, New York and North Carolina gathered at Sellwood Park on Saturday to celebrate the long awaited wedding of Nick and Courtney. Sweethearts for ten years, the couple’s green wedding included Hawaiian leis, a tree planting ritual and a shower of lavender buds. The temperature was in the 90’s so everyone appreciated the canopy of fir and oak trees. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a happy hour picnic in the park. A reception followed at the SMILE Station before family returned to their Airbnb lodgings. The week was a double celebration for the bride who just graduated from the Oregon School of Oriental Medicine. She’ll be taking a well deserved break before prepping for her boards and opening her practice as a licensed Acupuncturist. Congratulations, Courtney! Best wishes to you both for a lifetime of love and laughter.

bridal fashion, Bridal Gowns, Brides, Green Weddings, Helpful Hints, Recycled Weddiings, Repurpose

Putting on the Rit … Repurpose Fun

Jane Green

Rit dye wedding gownsTake a look at what a box of Rit Dye can do. These bridal gowns and trains went from tired white to costume pizzazz thanks to the creative efforts of volunteers from the Adorned In Grace bridal shop. Beads, lace, sequins, satin and taffeta each react to dye differently so it’s always interesting to see the final reveal.

Use your imagination and repurpose that old prom, bridesmaid or cocktail dress. Tulle petticoats and slinky lingerie work well, too. Halloween is right around the corner … a perfect time to grab your Rit of choice and color your world with fun. For tips on dyeing fabric and more, visit The Rit Studio.

Send me your result pics and I’ll post here.

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5 Star Review From Newlyweds

Jane Green

jessica and nathanNew 5 Star Wedding Review just in. Thanks, Jessica and Nathan!: “Jane is a wonderful officiant and we would definitely recommend her to others! She is kind, professional, knowledgeable, sincere, and spiritual. We were looking for someone who accepted both my husband and my different spiritual backgrounds and Jane was a great fit because she is accepting of all beliefs systems. She had great ideas and suggested several unity ritual ceremony options that were unique and we chose a tree planting ceremony that fit our personalities and venue making it a very personal and special ceremony. In addition, she offers life coaching classes as an option which was something we were looking for. She really helped us gain valuable insight about each other and our relationship. We were also able to get to know Jane better through those classes and it made having her officiate our ceremony feel that much more special. Jane we can’t thank you enough for filling such an important role at our wedding and excelling at it!” Click here to see review and read others on Wedding Wire.