I often get the question as a Wedding Planner what my ideal Venue is and it was definitely different in the past and will probably be different in the future, but for right now: it’s a nursery! Plant lovers have always been around, but I feel like the goodness of green has infiltrated the mainstream and our everyday lives and bringing that into your Wedding Design scheme is always a visual and sensory success. I also often hear people say “oh we’re getting married in a nursery and it’s already so beautiful, so we don’t have to do much” and I’m sorry that that is just NEVER true, regardless of the backdrop of your Wedding. Whether you’re getting married in a forest, a cathedral, a ballroom, in front of a waterfall, or a NURSERY, your design + decor + all of the elements that you choose always matter and your choices should work to enhance the natural surroundings or backdrop.

In comes Jillian + John’s Wedding at a favorite of my clients the last year: Blockhouse and Pomarius Nursery in the Slabtown district of Northwest Portland, Oregon. Yes, I have done Weddings at Blockhouse / Pomarius Nursery many times, but this one just felt so special and sweet in it’s intentionality and details. Jillian planned and designed most of her own decor, stationery and signage, but she trusted myself and Florist Brier + Ivy to bring her vision to life and I couldn’t get over the end result. The day felt romantic, classy and intentional, but with such an underlying ease and all of the guests feeling comfortable and laid back, and if you ask me that is the absolute BEST combination you can ask for as a couple, vendor and attendee!

Jillian + John got ready at the Woodlark Hotel (which is always a classic for Portland Wedding mornings) and then had a sweet Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, and cozy Dinner by candlelight with their 40 guests, which is the PERFECT size if you ask me. I’ve said it once and I’ve said it again: smaller Weddings allow for you to be present, intentional with your time and your budget, and it doesn’t feel “small” in the moment. The memories and the experiences day-of are just as special and poignant as if you had 400 guests; they just come with a lot less stress and a lot more authenticity. Enjoy some of the moments in images by Ali Beck and the feeling of the day so perfectly captured on Super 8mm by Brian Brose.

Day-of Planning: Kayloe Bridal
Photographer: Ali Beck Photography
Video: Brian Brose
Florist: Brier & Ivy
Venue: Blockhouse and Pomarius Nursery
Catering: Grand Cru
DJ: John Ross Music
Rentals: Arden Event Collective and Great Jones NW
HAMU: West Coast Makeup + Hair
Photobooth: Shutterbus Co
Dessert: Fifty Licks
Signage: The Fresh Hues
Dress: Abella from Sophia’s Bridal
Suit: J Crew
Guest + Vow Books: Artifact Uprising
Rings: Mejuri