Oregon is a gorgeous state with so much natural beauty to admire. The bride and groom took advantage of all that it has to offer by choosing to have their ceremony at The Grotto, nestled between towering pine trees. On this day they let nature be their décor.

They’ve stood by you through thick and thin, offering support, humor, and friendship in times of need. They are your nearest and dearest friends who mean the most to you in the whole world. The least you owe them is a decent bridesmaid’s dress! As you can see by this image, the bride chose a fabulous black strapless gown for her attendants; nicely complimenting each of their unique shapes and sizes. The best part of this gown is that it can be worn time and time again for years to come, and not one that is retired immediately following the reception.

Don’t be afraid to do something different! The bride and groom took some time between their ceremony and reception and headed off to a very special place for them --the bowling alley where they met! Not only was it a chance for them to honor the start of their relationship, but it also made for some great candid pictures!

Many brides wonder how to occupy their guests between the ceremony and reception, when the bridal party is off getting pictures. We suggest creating a cocktail hour, where guests can mingle while they sip cocktails and nibble on passed appetizers. Here, we used live palm trees to create a separate area for the cocktail hour, which was a great way for guests to chat and get to know each other before the party began!

This couple’s head table was absolutely stunning and made a dramatic impact and statement as guests entered the ballroom. With having a large wedding party, we created one large head table going down the center of the reception; making the bride, groom, and those most important to them on their special day, the center of attention. We brought in fabulous black chivary chairs to compliment the overall décor and dramatic look that we were looking to achieve. Each guest received a custom made chocolate favor at their place setting, finished with a whimsical black and white ribbon which added the perfect touch to the perfect table!

It is essential to have floor length linens when trying to achieve the perfect look for your reception tables! We always recommend to our clients, if even on the tightest of budgets, to make allowance for this particular design element. We’ve seen a couple of unfortunate cases where the bride chose not to go with a floor length linen and where the effect proved to be quite devastating; with the end result sadly taking away from the overall look of even the loveliest of receptions. It has been our experience that many venues do not provide floor length linens in their standard rental fee, and charge a premium for them. With this in mind, it is recommended to confirm with your facility contact what exactly is included, and what is not with your site fee to ensure that there are no surprises on your wedding day.

Simple can be better! We typically recommend, especially with an event of this size, to alternate your centerpieces. This tends to offer a more dramatic and impactful design effect. In this case, our florist used lovely, yet simple glass bowls, and floated brilliant hot pink roses and coordinating rose pedals in various shades of pink. He then finished the centerpiece by adding several floating candles to make an absolute stunning centerpiece.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on decorating to “wow” the guests at your wedding. Candles are an inexpensive way to create romantic lighting that sets the mood. At this wedding, we chose to line the edges around the room with votives which not only “wowed” the guests, but they looked great in pictures too!

This custom designed Polly’s Cake was just as fun and whimsical as the couple themselves, and was a perfect way in which the couple could show off their unique personalities. It also was the perfect compliment to the overall décor that we were looking to achieve! Polly, the owner of Polly’s Cakes and who is located in Hood River, Oregon, works very closely with the client in terms of the overall design of the cake, as no two cakes are alike and are viewed more as individual, hand-crafted works of art! Polly begins this process by issuing a hand drawn sketch at the consultation; and works with the clients on implementing their desired custom colors and design elements that ends up with a final product that tastes just as delectable as it looks!

A perfect fairy tale ending to the perfect day… sealed with a kiss as the couple begins their lives together as man and wife! As stated so perfectly by the client, “Wow, can you believe that it’s been a year since we started planning our dream wedding? Thank you for taking all of our visions, hopes and dreams and creating a night that we and our friends will remember for a lifetime! You made sure that nothing was overlooked and that all of the details would and did go without a glitch. As important as the day was the process… you made it fun, easy and stress free if there is such a thing… Again, we were so lucky to have called you our wedding planner, but more importantly than that, our friend!”