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Venues in Portland

mehri2011mehri2011
10 Comments
in Oregon
I tried finding an old post related to this, and I'm sure there's one out there, but I didn't see any recent ones related to my specific problem, so excuse me if this is way repetative xP

I have no idea how to search for venues for the ceremony. Originally I was thinking we'd do it at our church because we could probably choose the date and do it for free. But now I'm thinking I would prefer to do it somewhere with more atmosphere.

I'd like something in a reasonable price range, but I have no idea what reasonable is. For example when I browse the site I have no idea what a "$$" range is. I know I can get a quote, but I'd at least like to have a basic idea as I browse these ideas.

Also I'm curious if anyone has any specific comments about places in Portland. We want to be indoors. Any pretty churches, or any reception sites at a "reasonable" price? 

Its so hard not to know what/how to look!

Edit: I'm thinking I'll start by looking into First Baptist Church, The Oaks Pioneer Church, and The Old Laurelhurst church. Anyone have comments on these?
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Re: Venues in Portland

  • stephm77stephm77 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Anything McMenamins... try Edgefield. It is beautiful and they have lots of indoor spaces. When I was looking into them it was a $5000 food and beverage minimum for a Saturday and $4000 for a Sunday. No room rental fee, you just have to hit the F&B minimum. They didn't have the date we wanted, so I am getting married at the McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, OR.
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  • tiffgriffin7tiffgriffin7
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Steph - when are you getting married? We are getting married at the Grand Lodge too - May 30th! Can't believe its only 2 more weeks.
    Mehri - honestly there are so many things you can do with google search lol. "portland wedding venues"
    Our minimum at the Grand Lodge for a Sunday in May was $2200. We are way over that and spending about $4000 on food and drinks. But like steph said - at mcmenamins there is no rental fee just a minimum you have to reach in food and drinks. 
    I have heard good things about ecotrust, urban studios and there are tons of hotels in portland to have a reception too.
    As far as cost - I am lucky spending $4000 on 110 people for food, beer and wine but we are doing super casual BBQ food and spending a max of $1500 on alcohol.
    I would say you are going to have to figure out what will work for you in terms of the number of guests and type of reception you want to have. A sit-down meal with 100 people and open bar will probably be $10,000+. Good luck!

    Our total wedding cost is about $10,000 not including honeymoon, rehearsal dinner or rings. More than we wanted to spend but we aren't going in to debt either.
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  • mehri2011mehri2011
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Ehehehe. I'm usually pretty good with google. I tried googling "portland wedding venues" but nothing stuck out to me so I just wanted to see what other Portland Brides have been finding...I was just trying to use another resource. Foot in mouth

    I really appreciate all the ideas! We have a caterer who did my brother's wedding and was fantastic and will do the labor for free. We just have to pay for food. Yay! So McMenamins isnt exactly what we need but it sounds really cool! I'll have to look up some of the other stuff mentioned.
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  • klitkieklitkie
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Power Studios also had some neat venues in the Portland area and they let you use your own caterer. We toured one and really liked it but didn't work for our needs - I think the special was $1,900 for a theatre downtown.
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  • klitkieklitkie
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Correction - not Power Studios - www.powersoregon.com
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  • mehri2011mehri2011
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Very very cool! Thanks so much for sharing! I'll have toc heck them out. Looks really interesting!
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  • felkelsfelkels member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    try holliday park church of god over by lloyd center...you want atmosphere, they have it.  the wedding and reception hall was around $1k I think.  They don't have many weddings there anymore, so it should be easy to get into, but there is no dancing because Church of God does not dance.  Good luck!
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  • mehri2011mehri2011
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for sharing! We were kind of hoping to be able to dance but we may sacrifice that for a more affordable location. I've saved their site and will check them out!
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  • mayflymanitoumayflymanitou
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Try the Bravo Wedding Guide for lots of venue options.  www.bravowedding.com

    I believe the North Star Ballroom will let you bring in your own catering. 
    www.northstarballroom.com
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  • Steph_84Steph_84
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Check out the West End Theater at www.powersoregon.com. It can hold up to 200 people and is located in SW Portland just off of 12th and Taylor.
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  • mehri2011mehri2011
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks!!
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  • seacorfuseacorfu
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Check out The Little Church (TLC), it is off Alberta in NE PDX and is not functioning as a church any more. It holds 100 ppl, dancing is permitted and you can bring in your own catering. It has a humble charm. The husband and wife who run it can be hard to get a hold of.
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  • mehri2011mehri2011
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks! I'll check it out!
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  • kizatkizat
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    You should look into the North Star Ballroom...

    One of the reasons we went with them was because they're going to let us bring in whomever we want as far as catering goes. 

    They've been super fast to respond to any emails I've sent... which was a big thing for me when I was first looking for a place to go with.  So many places waited a long time to even respond... I think I got a response within 2 days from them.

    Anyway, there is a PCC right next door and apparently the parking lot can be used during a saturday or sunday... and even so, there is a TON of off street parking available.
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  • renromrenrom
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How many people?  We're having a small wedding (40 - 50 people) at the Portland HIlton, on the 23rd floor (Alexander's Room).  It's a beautiful space with windows all the way around and an amazing view of the city.  We're having the ceremony & reception there, and it only cost $500 for the room + $1500 food/drink minimum.  And Christina, the wedding specialist for the Hilton, is amazing!
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  • mehri2011mehri2011
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oooh, the North Star Ballroom looks cool! Yay for finding more and more options. 

    And we're not sure how many yet. He's been literally working nonstop for the past few weeks so we've haven't had a chance to talk about it much. But we're going to discuss it this week! I was looking at the Hilton Hotel and was tempted by it. That price seems very reasonable. ^^ Once we figure out how our # of guests I'll have to get a price estimate from them!

    Thanks!
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