Sunflowers, smiles and sunny skies made for a perfect wedding yesterday at the Fairgate Inn in Camas, WA. Tessa and Jordan exchanged vows in a ceremony that included a walk down the yellow rose petal aisle by Tessa’s dog, Josette, and an Indian Wedding Vessel unity ritual. Guests enjoyed lavish appetizers and dinner amidst the sunflower bouquets and navy blue accents. Tessa and Jordan met on a roller coaster in Oaks Park five years ago and the groom proposed at a castle in Germany last year. After a honeymoon in Oahu, Jordan heads to Georgia for Army boot camp and Tessa will join him later this fall. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Potter! May all your travels be safe ones and your married life be filled with joy.
Tag: portland brides
Sweet Vineyard Wedding
Sunny skies and lush landscape added to a perfect wedding yesterday for Hana and KC. The Camas couple exchanged vows and hosted their reception in Aurora, OR at the Aurora Colony Vineyards. Guests kept cool with straw hand fans as temperatures climbed into the 80’s. Stephanie and the staff of Petalos made sure that everything went smoothly from start to finish. Congratulations, Hana and KC. May your married life be filled with laughter and loving moments as sweet as your hearts!
Here Comes the Bride – 13k of them!
There were 13,960 weddings in the PDX metro area in 2012.* That’s a wow of vows! Since June is the official kick-off of wedding season, I thought I’d share a few numbers on what is being spent on nuptials. You don’t need to see the charts to guess the number one expense: food. There’s no shortage of ways to spend the bucks for reception menus. Based on the average size reception of 140 guests; simple, appetizers only average about $4k with full dinners going upwards of $10k. Tack on the bar, the cake and the rehearsal dinner and you can see how the dollars add up. After how it tastes, brides care about how it looks. Diamonds truly do appear to be a girl’s best friend. No. 2: the engagement ring (wedding band is extra). Average starting price was $3k with higher end bling going for upwards of $9k. Reception venue came in at No. 3 with a price tag average of $2500 up to $6k depending on location and package. The wedding dress and photographer round out the top five expenses.
So, is anything going DOWN in spending? Well, music for one. Only 25% of couples now choose to use a live band resulting in a savings of between $1500 to $3k. DJ’s provide favorite tunes starting at less than half of that. And it’s not in the report, but I know more brides are on the DIY track opting to be creative with invites, favors and decor. My take on all of this? I’ve yet to hear a bride say “I wish we had spent more money on our wedding.” And how many times does this come up in conversation? “That basil chicken rice pilaf at Jan’s wedding was the best I’ve ever had!” Enjoy your day but spend wisely. It doesn’t take a bank roll to create magic. Speaking of curbing expenses, watch here for announcement on NEW package deals for savvy brides.
*Source for numbers: Proprietary Surveys; The Wedding Report Inc.2013
Show Stopper Takes the Cake
My choice for the winning cake at the PDX Bridal Show was this stunning white peacock design by Crave Bake Shop in Lake Oswego. Not only did this cake look amazing in color and detail it was completely GLUTEN FREE. If you are not already a fan of Crave, now there’s more reason than ever to celebrate their GF wonders … wedding cakes. Who knew? Priced right and with lots of scrumptious options, this is one bake shop you’ll definitely want to check out before making your cake choice. And if you’re not in the market for a wedding cake, head there anyway to enjoy their cookies, scones, cinnamon rolls, cream puffs and award winning cupcakes. ALL blissfully gluten free. Thanks, Crave!
A FESTIVE HEART 