Portland International Rose Garden Wedding
Raven and David’s Portland International Rose Garden Wedding was a perfect Spring day in Portland, with warm weather and clear blue skies. They chose to celebrate their wedding with a smaller but intentional gathering.
From the start, Raven and David wanted to keep things relaxed and enjoyable. They wanted space to be present and move through the day without rushing. We started in Washington Park for their first look at the top of the stairs of the Lewis and Clark Column. From there, we wandered around the trails surrounded by trees and quiet trails, for their portraits, where they could enjoy that time for themselves. Raven had found one location she loved the most, where they decided to exchange their vows privately before their ceremony. We paused for a moment there and let them soak it all in. We had the place for ourselves, which was the perfect way to start their day.
After their time alone within the park we headed for the Portland International Rose Garden where family and friends waited for them. We continued in the Garden for their wedding portraits, surrounded by peak-season blooms. I absolutely love how colorful all the blooms were, and they created the perfect backdrop for their images. When in full season, the Garden is absolutely stunning. Although it is crowded on the weekend during the full season, we were able to stay tucked away and use what it has best to offer to our advantage.
Their ceremony took place in the Shakespeare Garden located right next to the Portland International Rose Garden. It is a private space, which was perfect to keep things intimate and away from everybody visiting the gardens. They exchanged more vows in front of their guests so everybody could feel included in the start of their new chapter together. The ceremony was short but meaningful something they really wanted before heading to their reception where all the fun was waiting for them.
To end their day they decided to choose 10 Barrel ind downtown Portland as their reception space, where beers and pizzas were waiting for them. The reception was exactly what they wanted, something easy, delicious and fun atmosphere for everybody to enjoy, a location they both love to go to on their time off.
Their day was so meaningful to me as I first met Raven and David, while photographing David’s brother’s wedding a couple years ago. I’ve also had the chance to see them again at one of their friends wedding later on where David was one of the groomsmen. So when it came to their day, they immediately reached out to me to capture their special day. I feel incredibly lucky to have the chance to photograph couples I get to meet on a different occasion!
More about the Portland International Rose Garden:
The Portland Rose Garden where Raven and David said their vows is part of the International Test Garden in Washington Park, one of the most historic public gardens in Portland. Spread across several terraced, the garden is home to more than 10,000 individual rose bushes, featuring over 600 varieties that bloom from late April through October, with peak season in May-June. Established in 1917, it’s the oldest operating public rose test garden in the United States, with many of those roses eventually becoming widely available to gardeners nationwide.
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