BeckenRidge Vineyard

Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award for 2011

2011-01-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2011 ~ WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce BeckenRidge Vineyard has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Venues!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

BeckenRidge Vineyard stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud BeckenRidge Vineyard for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that BeckenRidge Vineyard is among the very best wedding venues within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/beckenridge-vineyard-dallas/75fca5150f2136bb.html.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

Monday, October 11th

2010-10-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful fall day in Oregon. After yesterday's morning of downpours, seeing the sunshine and the crisp air again is delightful, especially for today's wedding.

Thankfully today is a small group so even if the weather was not in our favor we could of easily had the ceremony on the covered patio vs the lawn. But we do not need to worry about a plan B for this group. The sun is bright and the blue skies are brilliant.

The main room was set in BeckenRidge ivory linens and black & tapestry padded chairs. They brought in beautiful overlays the centerpieces.

The covered patio had the bistro tables placed for the appetizer hour along with the gift table.

Catering from Wild Pear was served on dishes and flatware rented from A to Z Rentals. Besides renting dishware, the bride and groom also brought in their own sound system to save some money on DJ costs.

It was great to see how much thought and care went into the wedding ceremony and reception, even with under 100 guests.

Wednesday, Sept. 15th wedding

2010-09-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

The day started out with partly cloudy with a chance of showers later in the evening. As the bridal party arrived the clouds looked like they would stay at bay for a while. The girls got ready in the private room for the bride enjoying the Bella package, while the guys indulged in the Belvedere room (which was a surprise gift to them). Luckily the bridal party started taking pictures around 1p and was able to take pictures on the lawn and by the vineyard before the real rain came in.

At about 3 o'clock the light rain became a little bit heavier and never stopped. Bringing the plan A ceremony on the lawn to a plan C inside the main room in front of the fireplace.

Everything worked out with ceremony inside most guest sat at the tables they were assigned to, with a great theme and centerpieces that were very entertaining no matter what your age.

Each table had a city/state/country that the bride and groom had been to along with a picture of the happy couple in that location.

Instead of a traditional floral centerpiece, the engineer bride, brought in a little of herself with a Lego board and pieces for the guests to play with and make their own creations. Way cool ideas that made for great interaction with guests in getting to know the bride and groom.

The bride and groom stayed involved in announcing the bridal party, very unique. The bride announced her attendants & the groom his, saying a little about the attendants and what they meant to them. It was cool to watch and hear it from them instead of the DJ.

They also chose to only have 8 chairs per table as opposed to the usual 10 chairs per table. Each table was decorated with our white linens, which nice cover the table and almost touch the ground. Outside on the patio, they had our black padded chairs which contrasted well with our white linens, and the BeckenRidge lawn was filled with our classic Italian chairs.

On of our favorite vendors; Sassy Onion came up to do the catering. They had delicious dinner prepared for everyone by 5pm. Meanwhile, photographs were being taken by Katheryn at Photos by Orion, LLC. They pride themselves on 'Star Quality, Earthly Prices', which the bride and groom enjoyed.

Sunday, Labor Day 2 Wedding

2010-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

The clouds loomed over us again in the morning and decided to do a little sprinkle, but nothing serious. Before you knew it the sun was out with a slight breeze this time coming from the west, so didn't barrel through the covered patio.

BeckenRidge was ready for them again with the white chair covers and linens set and ready when they walked in the door. Like yesterday they used black sashes and napkins with a patterned table runner very elegant.

The only change of plan was placing the gift and glass sign in table under the covered patio (do to the sprinkle).

They did a few photos before the ceremony, but seemed very informal and nice. They simply went with the flow. Soon guests started to arrive and the ceremony began. Like any wedding there is always something that occurs to make the wedding unique. The bride and groom had their kids part of the wedding, however theirs had just a little more hair than most. ;) They had the four legged kind and they were so much fun to have around.

If you haven't been out to BeckenRidge yet, be prepared to be greeted by our four legged friends. We are definitely dog friendly out here.

Avery and the smallest bridesmaid were to make their entrance to the ceremony, however Avery was a little more excited and cut loose of the bridesmaid and made a beeline for Caleb (the other kid) to where the groom was to await the bridesmaid. So funny we all laughed it was one of the many highlights to the day.

Devils Catering arrived about an hour before the ceremony and started into setting up and working on the appetizers that were served after the ceremony on the covered patio. BeckenRidge had 5 of the 6 bistro tables out there with the white linens and the patio heaters to help cut the chill in the air. It was a little cooler this weekend than it has been. Fall is just around the corner.

After about an hour of mingling,enjoying the beverages at the bar and smelling dinner in the air it was time for dinner. Devils Catering BBQ just about everything. Oh it was soooo good.

Using BeckenRidge's sound system in junction with their I-pod to have background music during the course of the evening and picking up the mic for a few choice words to the bride & groom.

They utilized the last bit of daylight and took group shots on the lawn while the dogs were occupied with balls being thrown for them.

The last picture of the evening was a dedication to Oregon State University, these guys were true Beaver fans down to the mints at the bar.

GO BEAVERS!!!!

First wedding of Labor Day weekend 2010

2010-09-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

The day started off with a little cloud cover, but quickly burned off leaving us with blue skies a breeze coming from the North and a temp of about 75 degrees. A perfect day for a wedding.

First to arrive was the groom followed by All Start Tents www.allstartents.com, who set up a 30 x 40 tent on the lawn for the ceremony. This wedding is expecting 120 which worked well under the tent for seating of 110.

Denice from Distinctive Designs www.distinctivedesigns.com arrived with the floral arrangement on the arch, bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres.

DJ, Cori from Music Express www.musicexpress.com arrived to set the stage for the music on the covered patio for the reception and ceremony.

Jim Yeager photographer www.somethingforever.com came solo with a photo booth and ready to start taking pictures. He was moving so fast it was hard to check in with him.

Marion from Myriad Cakes www.myriadcakedesigns.com brought a selection of cakes & cupcakes. The most talked about was the Polaris cake, consisting of a him & her snowmobiles along with the groom proposing to the bride. So amazing and sweet.

The bride and groom were over joyed with the results.

Elegant catering www.elegantcatering.com arrived lastly and wasting no time and swung into action with placing the water goblets, setting the tables, starting the chocolate fountain station and espresso station. The first started with appetizers after the ceremony lasting about an hour. Then dinner starting there after.

During this time people were utilizing their time in showing face in the photo booth, always so much fun.

The main reception room was setup in BeckenRidge vineyard white linens and chair covers. Then the bride added her black overlays and sashes making a stunning formal statement. The bride purchased her sashes and will be reselling them after the wedding. Bride, groom and sisters all stepped in to help put the finishing touches on the inside. They decided to have a sweetheart table in front of the fireplace and the DJ outside on the covered patio along with a few bistro tables, espresso station and photo booth.

The patio was hoppin.

Everyone had a great time down to the last minute.

WVHF Gala

2010-08-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

The annual local hospital gala is an event to remember every year. Always great food, views, live music, coffee, people and the auction items are always worth it. So if you haven't been to one you should put us on the calendar for next August 19, 2011.

The West Valley Hospital Foundation board members and helpers arrive early on Friday, August 20th to begin setup. Linens and centerpieces rented from SHE Designs www.shedesignsevents.com where one of the first things to go on. Extra tables from All Star Tents & Rentals www.allstartents.com for the silent auction where placed on the covered & uncovered patios along with some of BeckenRidge's bistro tables. All Star arrived on Thursday afternoon to setup the tent for the additional seating on the lawn, we are really enjoying this new style of tent very elegant looking.

Next to All Star's big tent BeckenRidge setup the smaller 10x10 tent for the 2nd bar to serve those that were seated under the tent.

While guests were arriving, mingling and deciding on which items to bid on, Valley Catering www.valleycatering.com were placing their plated salads on the tables.

The friendly staff and amazing food make Valley Catering a still favorite here at BeckenRidge.

Rick's Place Coffee from Monmouth continued to join the annual event and setup on the North intimate patio next to the vineyard.

Enjoy these great pictures...

Entrance to the North Patio, beginning of the Silent Auction items along with a great view of Mt. Hood and the vineyard.

Wine in hand, let the bidding begin.

Live music was provided by Gaylon Jay Quintet group, most from the Portland area.

The mingling during the Gala event.

A little tranquility.

August 15th Wedding

2010-08-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

August gave us a beautiful day to have a wedding!
About 11am the bridal party arrived, followed by the caterer, and All Star Tent Rentals who brought the linen overlays, an extra table and the place settings.
BeckenRidge had prepared by setting up the main event room with 110 of our white Italian chairs, around tables of our white linens. On the patio were 6 more tables, one of which had to be rented from All Star Rentals to supplement our tables.

The lawn was setup prior to arrival with 156 of BeckenRidge's white Italian chairs. Also, this group decided to have a second bar setup on the lawn for guests to easily get beverages once the ceremony was over.

Each place setting was perfectly decorated and set with a card that explained that in lieu of the traditional wedding favor, a donation has been made in honor of their guests to a local charity.The caterer for this wedding was a lady named Maggie Pike, and her business Maggie's Buns Catering. She did an amazing job, and we had so much fun having her cater up here. Her business in located in Forest Grove, and for more information you can check her out at www.maggiesbuns.com/ 503.992.5632.

Another first for us, and was a super fun experience, was we had our first Ice Cream Bar!!! Unfortunately we didn't snap any pictures of it. The couple who ran it, were a blast! They dressed up all fancy in tuxedo tails and served several types of ice cream and toppings outside on the patio with a roller cart freezer they made! It had a very professional look, and the guests LOVED it!! This idea started because the bride and groom love ice cream, and decided not to do a traditional wedding cake, but instead opted to serve each other ice cream. We enjoyed having The Party Scoop visit BeckenRidge, and would gladly welcome them back! www.thepartyscoop.com/503.539.0011.
Flowers were arranged by Distinctive Designs by Denice, who is one of our favorite florists to work with! www.distinctive-designsonline.com

This wedding really had some great ideas to keep guests cool in the summer heat. First was the wedding program, which was "on a stick!" Yes, they put their program on a tongue suppressor stick, and created it in a way that they could use it as a fan! Great idea to beat the heat. Their second brilliant idea, which the caterer's crew put together was cold rags. They took party napkins, got them wet and then put them in the fridge on a serving tray. After the ceremony was over, as guests came up to the building, the gal would offer a cold rag to guests. It was a brilliant idea!!

The evening went on with fun and dancing. Music provided by The Party Connection.

When it came time to bid farewell to the bride and groom, guests gathered outside the big wooden doors, clapping, and excitingly wishing them a happy life!!

August 14th Wedding

2010-08-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeously beautiful day at the vineyard. One we wish every bride could enjoy. August vines are so bright and green, just a perfect day for a wedding!

The girls were greeted in the brides room with the Bella Package; champagne, orange juice and a fruit and cheese platter.

Upon their arrival the reception room was already set up by BeckenRidge Staff with a long 12-person head table, using 2-8foot tables and 1-6foot. They also decided to rent our white chair covers for the reception room to cover the floral tapestry chairs included in the rental. Outside on the covered patio were the white Italian chairs, perfect for outside, as well as down on the lawn for the ceremony. Each table was also preset with white linens.

With a guest count at 200, the couple decided to wrap the tables around the side patio, and keep a nice big space in the reception building for a nice size dance floor, and only ended up seating about 80 people inside with the rest of the chairs and tables on the patios. This allowed people to enjoy the great weather, but also freed up space for people to stand in an air conditioned building.

Because it was such a warm day the bride and groom decided to buy water bottles from BeckenRidge, and we kept them stocked outside, so as the guests arrived in the warm sun they could grab a water bottle to take with them down to the ceremony. This is a nice thought for guests that are sitting in the heat for the ceremony.

Lucky for the bride, her family owned Firestone Farms, so they were able to do her flowers for her. The beautiful bouquets were then placed in BeckenRidge's hurricane and cylinder vases, also rented.

KS Photography (ksphotography.biz) took advantage of the great weather and were able to take pictures before the ceremony.

Soon after, the DJ from Destination Events (destinationevents.net) set up their equipment. Later they became the life of the party with the flashing colored lights and hot tunes, they had quite the dance party going. But not until the bride and groom enjoyed some one-on-one time dancing together.

Dinner was provided by a family friend with a catering business out of town, who also tackled the big task of the wedding cake!

The evening was filled with dancing and laughter as the couple began their new lives together.

Saturday, August 7th Wedding

2010-08-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Today started off with a few clouds keeping things very cool and Bob Crum photographer www.robertcrumphoto.com started taking pictures excited for the nice lighting was reacquainting himself with the vineyard. The clouds gave us nice coverage all day with a few tears of joy during the ceremony.

This group is from the east coast too, many of those this year. Small and intimate group only about 60 or so, love it. They also have a great coordinator Becky Simpson from No Ordinary Affair www.noordinaryaffair.com, keeping things on schedule and making the staff at BeckenRidge job so easy. BeckenRidge started off the day with setup of the Italian chairs on the lawn and 10x10 tent for the string quartet playing during the ceremony. The room and patios were also ready with guest tables placed with an ivory linens same with the bistros scattered on the covered patio for the social hour.

Food was again nicely done by Wild Pear www.wildpearcatering.com from Salem. The cake was beautiful, but I didn't catch who brought it or made it.

Denice from Distinctive Designs www.distinctive-designsonline.com breezed in with simple centerpieces, swag for the arch (then moved to the mantel above the bride & groom) and the bouquets and corsages. They choose to have assigned seating for their guests with instead of numbers on the tables they had famous musicians.

Did I mention music is huge for this family. They had a string quartet for the ceremony with one of the violinist from Bella Arco www.bellaarco.blogspot.com 512-787-4346 playing beautifully under the 10x10 tent on the lawn next to the handcrafted metal arch.

After the ceremony they came up for a social time on the covered patio and used the baby grand for some background music till time for dinner. They had hired a couple who DJ as well as showed the group a couple of dance moves. It was nice to see everyone participate.

The highlight of this wedding was the bride's dad who instead of giving a traditional speech for the toast played a song on his violin. Very touching.

Thursday Peacock Wedding

2010-08-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Many think of weddings on the weekend, but over the years mid week weddings seem to be more frequent. So far this year we have had at least 2 weddings midweek every month since May. It seems to work and regardless of the day of the week.

Today's Thursday wedding is expecting about 150 guests with, I would say, at least 30 folks before the ceremony helping with the decorating. Simply amazing. There was many details involved, they spent more time getting ready for this wedding then the actual ceremony & reception. The day simply flew by.

They had a unique setup all around. The patio was lined with vases of water inside floating candles, intended as a walkway for guests and the entry of the bride. It was pretty, but kids liked it too, in the end a couple vases ended up broken.

The ceremony was set with BeckenRidge chairs and they added their touches to the arch and the end posts bordering the vineyard and lawn with lanterns. Even the often forgotten patio with water fountain was decorated with lanterns and more.

They were working with a tight budget and wanted some food for their guests, so they decided on a light dessert bar and non alcoholic refreshments (they opted not to have alcohol which is okay here at BeckenRidge, we have no minimums). Capricorn Catering www.capricorncatering.com raised to the occasion and had a wonderful display that didn't last long before the guests found their favorite dessert.

The inside room was intended for dancing & mingling with only a few round tables for seating and mostly bistro tables. The reception was only to be a couple hours and the young couple wanted to make the most of that and spend it on the dance floor.

They had floor lamps reflecting purple and blue light off the walls. The DJ was on it in making the dance floor the focus of the evening. They could of danced all night. This wedding was short and sweet.

Saturday, July 31st Wedding

2010-08-02T14:46:00.001-07:00

It's the last day of July and Summer came through with a beautiful day. The vines are bright green and flourishing. Family came in early to start decorating, and with ivory linens rented from BeckenRidge already in place, it went swiftly. Also rented from BeckenRidge are the white Italian chairs placed around each table inside, as well as on the patio, and lawn. This made a very uniform look.

Flowers and centerpieces were put together by Image Floral www.imagefloral.com, who did an amazing job! They sat atop mirror tiles, which were also rented from BeckenRidge.

When the bride arrived she was met with the Bella Package-a treat for the Bride's room. It includes a fruit and cheese platter with an assortment of crackers, champagne, orange juice and water. This gave the ladies something to munch on while they were busy getting ready.
Although, the groom was not left out on this treat, for the couple used a coupon for $50 off the Groom's room, given at the BeckenRidge Open House this last year to rent the Belvedere Room for the guys, which also includes beverages, a meat and cheese platter, and water service, as well as entertainment provided in the room itself.

Before long the caterer, Sassy Onion-a favorite- showed up. www.sassyonion.com. Also, the DJ, No Talk Tunes, set up their equipment on the fountain patio outside for the ceremony, then brought their setup inside for the reception.

Set up inside also included their own decorations on the bookcase. Many couples have a hard time with knowing what and how to decorate this area. It includes a pull down screen for a slide show, which is what this couple decided to do. They put pictures and purple fabric in the shelves, as well as added the"Love" pieces atop the shelves.

The day was beautiful, and knowing it may be warm the couple opted to use BeckenRidge's metal tubs to put water bottles in for their guests as they arrived. That way they would have something to keep them hydrated and cool for the ceremony. These were located at the top of the pathway to the lawn for easy access, and recycle bins were placed around for the empties. I recommend this for a warm day.

Of course the day would not be finished without the popular tradition of the money dance. And this wedding was no exception!

They finished the evening with music and dancing. What a great way to start a new life together!

July 17th Wedding

2010-08-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful Summer day. You can see the vineyard full of green leaves, a wonderful setting for an outdoor wedding.

Inside the building was set with our tapestry chairs, while the patio was set with the black chairs. These are included in the rental price. Outside they rented BeckenRidge's white Italian chairs for the lawn. Family added shepherds hooks with floral pieces lining the isle walkway. All the other floral decorations were also done by a family member. Also rented from BeckenRidge were the white linens used on the tables. These were already set up when the couple arrived.

A familiar face officiated the wedding-Johanna Respini from An Event to Remember; www.johannarespini.com.

Catering was brought in by the family business Ugo's Pizza, but before that food arrived the bride and groom had their own snacks in their room, a new item this year, arranged by BeckenRidge staff (for additional fee).The Bella Package in the ladies room included champagne and orange juice as well as fruit, cheese, crackers and water.
The guys were set in the Belvedere Room with meat, cheese, crackers, water-not to mention TV and Foosball table.

One thing that this couple did a little differently was they decided to have a no host bar. So instead of just buying beverages for all their guests, they bought the beverages and then priced them per glass, so guests could buy a beverage from the bar, or just drink what was provided by the catering staff. The revenue from the drinks sold then went back to the couple.

Bubble tubes were set at each place setting on the tables, and were used at the end of the evening to signal the exiting of the couple to begin their new life together. Another successful summer wedding!

Friday, July 30th Wedding

2010-07-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well the end of July is here and we are about half way through with the 2010 wedding season. I just can't believe it. This weekend we have two weddings both groups super cool and way different styles.

Friday's bride and groom live in Nebraska where they teach at the university. Their centerpiece's of books fit perfectly for them. Underneath the books you found ivory pinstripe linens with an eggplant runner rented from SHE Designs www.shedesignsevents.com in Salem. They used mostly all of BeckenRidge black padded chairs for the exception of a few tables that had the Italian style chairs. All tables and chairs were set upon their arrival.

They mainly got ready at their hotel, the Grand Hotel www.grandhotelsalem.com in downtown Salem. Jennifer Rand www.facebeautybody.com met them their to do hair and makeup, then the bride put her dress on here at the vineyard. Where I and M photography www.iandmphoto.com was ready to start taking pictures. Once everyone was ready they moved onto the lawn and vineyard for lots of pictures.

While pictures were being taken Ashley their coordinator from Stargazer www.stargazerweddings.com was fast at work finishing the touches of the room. She helped the bride and groom from start to finish and was a valuable asset in making their day go smoothly and enjoyable.

Ceremony was simple with BeckenRidge white Italian chairs already setup and minimal decorations that Ashley needed to do. Johanna from An Event to Remember www.johannarespini.com was the officiant, she is very organized and great to have here at BeckenRidge.

After the ceremony guests mingled on the covered patio while enjoying the amazing views of the vineyard, Willamette valley and their glass of wine.

Catering was by Reed Catering www.reedoperahouse.com in Salem, also nice to see Cora and crew. Food was well presented and tasted fantastic.

The wedding cake was done by Marion from Myriad Cakes www.myriadcakedesign.com. The couple was super cute when it came to cutting the cake. They looked at the cake and then the bride spoke up and said "what are we supposed to do". This got a chuckle from the guests and all, Ashley moved in to help.

Music could be heard from Northwest Mobile DJ www.nwmobiledjservice.com during the reception and also for the ceremony too. It is always nice to have a well presented and professional DJ.

The afternoon slipped by and the trees started to shade the vineyard. The bride and groom took a few more shots in the vineyard while guests looked on.

Before you knew it the bride and groom was ready to make their exit, while guests and family lined up by the front doors to say their goodbyes.

Saturday, July 24th wedding

2010-07-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

The sun is bright warming up the vineyard, thank goodness there is a breeze. We are supposed to see a high of 90 today, so the air conditioners are working hard to keep the inside cool while the decorators are at work. We also try to keep the lights off as long as possible to keep the building cool, so many of the pictures seem really dark. Then during the ceremony we turn everything on and open the doors so that guests can flow in out very easily.

This group had some great vendors, starting with Special Occasions www.onestoppartyshop.net in Corvallis who dropped off the plates, silverware and extra tables. Their staff is always a pleasure to chat with and very helpful.

Denice from Distinctive Designs www.distinctive-designsonline.com brought in the beautiful centerpieces that were placed inside the main building and on the patios. Before Denice could place her centerpieces BeckenRidge made sure their rented ivory linens and white Italian chairs were ready to go. They did pick up the ivory napkins a few days earlier to have them pre-folded for placement on the tables. They added red overlays on the cake (cake from Roth's in West Salem) and head table. The head tables were situated a little differently this time with a wider "U" shape. The space in front of the head table was used for the dance floor.

They did bring in some other great decorating items too. Having a very fun summer feel to their decor they brought in a sun canopy for over the DJ who was Northwest Mobile www.nwmobiledjservice.com, keeping the group entertained for the evening.

They also brought in these big potted plants to string up the place seating cards. So for those that haven't read previous blogs we usually have a breeze out here so making sure outside items are secured is always a good idea.

While the ceremony was taking place at a local church in Dallas, it remained pretty quite at BeckenRidge. However, the caterer Willamette Noodle Company www.willamettenoodle.com did their setup before guests started to arrive.

When guests arrived from the church they entered onto the north patio finding their seating cards and enjoyed refreshments from the bar while waiting for the bride and groom to return.

The bride and groom had pictures, taken by Kris from Stalnaker's www.stalnakersphotostudio.com, at BeckenRidge before the ceremony, left for the church to snap some more shots, then returned to BeckenRidge for the reception and capturing all the great evening events.

Everyone had a great time and as the evening came to a close the guests assembled out front to send off the bride and groom in a bubbly kind of way.

Clean up began after the departure of the bride and groom with always a flurry of activity for about another hour sorting out the items brought and what vehicle they will go into. With all this going on a beautiful sunset was taking place and a magnificent harvest moon came up over the vineyard. You simply just have to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

Monday Wedding

2010-07-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

The vineyard is really becoming lush and the grape cluster are starting to form, amazing to watch.

Mid week weddings are popular this year with Monday through Thursday you save a little in the pocket book and still enjoy the beauty of the vineyard.

Today started off with a little cloud cover and much cooler temps. The inside, patios and lawn all setup and ready to go before anyone arrived. They rented white Italian chairs for the inside, patio and lawn along with white linens.

They added their touches with white rose petals and hints of purple through out the room (even the window sills) and grounds.

Photographer Dawn www.fisherpicturesphotography.com was the first to arrive taking in the lay out before the bridal party arrived. She flew into action once they arrived and were ready to start pictures that happened mostly on the lawn. She shared some with us, so enjoyed.

Joan from Dessert Diva www.divacateringandcakes.com came with her crew for catering and the cake. Both were amazing in presentation and taste.

Celebration Music & Events www.cmevents.com supplied the music for the ceremony and reception.

Some of the highlights from this wedding were the very unique garter toss and the farewell to the bride and groom.

As tradition goes the bride tosses her boutique and the groom tosses the garter to the single girls & guys. The boutique toss was like many that have happened, but the garter toss was diffidently unique. At first we weren't sure what was going on, but should of known that something was up when a football is flying through the room. The garter was wrapped around the football and went spinning to the lucky guy.

The party came to an end and everyone started to line up outside the front doors to send off the bride and groom. The photographer had the idea of having everyone keep their arms up like an arch and then as the bride and groom went through lower them similar to a wave. It looked really cool and less hassle than having to deal with bubbles.

They left in their decorated car and many waves of goodbyes.

Saturday, July 10th

2010-07-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Another gorgeous day at BeckenRidge, slight breeze brilliant blue skies and a high of 80 degrees. Mt. Hood still could be seen. We soon will loose sight once the field burning starts and hope to see it again very soon. Either way it is great to see it on this beautiful Saturday morning.

Florist arrived first, Diane from Diane Green Designs and husband started immediately unloading the car of the flowers. The yellow lemons and Gerber daisies are just stunning.

The bridal party arrived soon there after and helped Kea (coordinator/aunt) with some of the details in preparing for the ceremony and reception. Then they guys headed to their designated area to get ready and the girls in their room finishing the last touches before pictures started. Kaitlyn the photographer www.kc.photography.com started taking pictures of the grounds and of the group getting ready. Then there was the first look of they bride & groom taken by the front doors while all the bridesmaids watch their reactions from inside the main room.

As pictures were being taken around the property, Joan from Dessert Diva and catering www.divacateringandcakes.com showed to start with the final preparation of food and cake. This group decided to do more of a brunch style meal with the ceremony starting at 1pm vs the more traditional time of anywhere between 3p - 5p. This saved a little in the budget with a lunch menu vs dinner menu.

Mom escorted the bride for the ceremony, non traditional, but since the father had passed away it was great to see them both lean on each other.

The ceremony was great they had written their own vows which brought some laughter and tears very emotional.

The laughter continued after the ceremony as all enjoyed the reception and dancing. Dancing was enjoyed by all and nicely provided from NW Mobil DJ's www.nwmobiledjservice.com.

Before you knew it guests lined up outside to say their goodbyes and continued congrats to the bride and groom as they exited to their car and left for the honeymoon.

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 Wedding

2010-07-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I would have to say this was one of the more organized weddings I have done. Many lists and everyone was delegated a job. It worked out well, and the wedding was amazing!

First to arrive was the Mother of the Bride. She set the decorating crew to work. BeckenRidge had the tables preset with white 108" linens, and white Italian chairs inside and on the patio at tables.

Also there was a table down on the lawn for seating cards. This was a smart idea, and although it was windy the cards were taped so they didn't blow away.

All Star Tents www.allstartents.com (503) 585-9408 provided the tent and chairs on the lawn, as well as two extra tables to supplement the 15 we already had.

Flowers were arranged by Denise at Distinctive Designs Floral www.distinctivedesignsonline.com. She did an amazing display with yellow flowers and lemons. It matched perfectly their brown and yellow theme. The tables continued to be decorated with burlap sack squares for the middle of the table. For party favors each place setting had a small burlap sack filled with coffee beans, and a small picture of the bride and groom was pinned on the sack. Bottles of Martinelli's sparkling apple cider were put on each table with a bottle opener for the toasts.

Marion with Myriad Cakes www.myriadcakedesign.com did the cake.

Catering was provided by Sassy Onion Restaurant & Catering www.thesassyonion.com. They had great displays of finger food and a filling dinner of pastas and salad.

Something different about this wedding was, they decided not to do an alcoholic bar, but instead had Sassy Onion serve Italian sodas for the guests. They used our bar area, which was perfect for their setup. It looked like the guests enjoyed this different idea.

The bride and groom specifically asked if they could have sparklers for their exit, usually we don't allow any type of fireworks, but because this was 4th of July weekend we made a special exception. But even so, it wasn't quite dark enough to enjoy their full effect.

The evening was filled with heart-filled toasts, and lots of laughs, as this couple began to start their new lives together.

Friday, July 2nd - Fighting with the rain

2010-07-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Besides continual fighting with the rain this was a beautiful wedding. Considering the circumstances the family was very calm and going with the flow. The selling point for the bride was to walk down the cobblestone walkway to the lawn for the ceremony and although it had rained most of the morning on and off, her wish came true. We waited until the last possible moment to setup the white Italian chairs on the lawn that they rented from BeckenRidge, and when it decided to downpour right after that, towels were provided to wipe off chairs. As the guests and bridal party were about to head down to their seats in came another shower. Round TWO of towel service!! They didn't waste any more time, and the ceremony commenced.

Even though the showers persisted throughout the day, the photographer Katy Sharratt http://www.ksphotographyblog.com/ captured some amazing pictures in the vineyard with the bride and groom. The best part is she shared some of her work with us.

For the ceremony, music was provided by a talented group called the Amici Quartet (sabigail@comcast.net). They set up their own tent on the fountain patio located on the corner of the lawn. This is a great touch for an outdoor ceremony.

While getting ready the bride enjoyed the benefits of the Bella Package. The girls nibbled on fruit, cheese and crackers. They washed it all down with champagne and orange juice-also known as mimosas.

The guys enjoyed a similar setup in the Belvedere Groom's room. They chose Coors Light with their assorted tray of meat, cheese and crackers. This picture taken off the Belvedere porch with the guys in the Riesling.

After the ceremony, as the bride and groom were getting more pictures Brice's Catering provided a nice display of finger foods from fresh fruits and vegetables to chicken kabobs and meatballs.

Tables were set with BeckenRidge 90" Ivory linens, surrounded with our tapestry chairs set inside. On the patio they had our black chairs, so that each room would be uniform.

They brought in their own pink overlays, mirror tiles and had simple centerpieces with floating candles.

The bride and groom had a lovely first dance, and then continued to say their hellos to all their family and friends as the evening went on.

Instead of paying a DJ, they decided to use BeckenRidge's stereo system. They had a laptop plugged in to our speakers and with a friend to man it all, this setup worked great.

The evening came to an end when the bride and groom left to their honeymoon in a well decorated car. Traditional cans were hanging from the tail end, and the sound marked the beginning of a wonderful life together!

Beautiful Saturday June Wedding

2010-06-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well Oregon weather finally took a break from the rain and came through for this destination wedding. Most of the guests, including the bride & groom, are from Wisconsin and they are enjoying the views and the warm sun. This is what June is all about and should be all month long.

This group really eased into their day with a start of hair and makeup from Face, Body and Beauty www.facebodybeauty.com. BeckenRidge started the girls with the Bella package of fruit, cheese, crackers, champagne and orange juice while they finished getting ready.

Becca from SHE Designs (with Sue arriving a little later) www.shedesignsevents.net arrived about the same time as the girls and immediately started into finishing the details of setup. BeckenRidge already had the white linens, white Italian chairs, tables, bistro tables and ceremony chairs in place upon their arrival. Michelle from Image Floral www.imagefloral.com also was on her way with setup inside and on the lawn. Everything just turned out beautifully.

The guys showed up right on que and headed for the Belvedere room, where they were welcomed with their beer of choice, meat, cheese, crackers and to keep them hydrated water was readily available. They enjoyed their room with Foosball, poker set, satellite TV, stereo and those that wanted some fresh air stepped out onto the covered deck overlooking the Riesling and simply took in the views.

Photographer Kris Stalnaker www.stalnakerphotostudio.com arrived next, quickly oriented himself of who was where and started into the getting ready shots. He really had a fun time with this group, both bride and groom where cheerleaders back home in the good old college days along with most of the bridal party. The pictures really show them in action. :)

Right along side Kris Stalnaker was Ryan Chaney from Focal Point Digital Media www.focalpointvideo.biz videotaping all the action. This video is going to be amazing http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1519058898763&ref=mf. If you can't see it via the blog go to BeckenRidge's facebook and take a glimpse of what Ryan has put together, just gave us goosebumps.

With most of the guests arriving on the Raz bus the ceremony started pretty much on time. Deepwood Strings was here with a quartet playing beautifully and staged nicely on the patio with the water fountain and a tent (rented from BeckenRidge) placed to shade them from the sun.

As the ceremony took place Eric from Mobil Music www.mobilmusic.com and Wild Pear www.wildpearcatering.com were making sure everything was in place for guests as they reentered from the ceremony. Food was excellent as always and nicely displayed. This really was an all star cast of vendors, it was great seeing Carolyn from Edelweiss Cakes www.edelweisscakes.com. The cake was simple and elegant with just a few flowers added.

The bridal party was announced through the front doors, always a cool way to go. The reception lasted about 5 hours a little longer than normal, but worked well with this group.

They really enjoyed themselves and when it came to an end the college fight song was sang by all.

The Raz bus waited for the guests and the bride and groom to take them back to their hotels. As only a few stayed behind to gather the last pieces from the wedding, mostly Sue & Becca from SHE Designs handled cleanup, which is always nice to have coordinators makes the day for everyone more enjoyable.

BeckenRidge staff always stays behind a little longer with the re-stacking of chairs and our own clean up in order to prepare for the next event/wedding. While doing so we happened to catch a beautiful harvest moon creeping over the horizon. It is hard to capture the full beauty of it, but here is what the camera got. Enjoy!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

2010-06-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

If all weddings could run as smoothly as this wedding did, it would make our job a lot easier!

The coordinator was the first to show up and start decorating. She placed the vases, rented from BeckenRidge on the head table, so the bridesmaids could put their bouquets in them after the ceremony. This is becoming more and more popular, this also takes the place of having more flower arrangements on the tables.

Next to arrive was Karen Eagen from Madison Avenue Flowers. She has done flowers here at BeckenRidge for over 5 years. She is great to work with, easy going and flower arranging comes so easily to her. The centerpieces included bowls with floating candles and colored marbles. They sat on BeckenRidge's mirror tiles, and scattered with flower petals.

It was a simple design, but looked very elegant with the black table cloths. All tables except the head table were surrounded by our ever popular white Italian chairs. This arrangement allowed the head table to stand out and be a focal point in the room.

The morning was so relaxed and with only the coordinator and florist here it went very smoothly. The guys were the next to arrive. Not only did the groom have his three attendants, he had six more guys that were in the Navy with him. These six guys took part in the ceremony with what is referred to as the Arch of Sabers.

When the Bride arrived with her hair and makeup done she was calm and collected and was happy to see that the decoration and flowers had turned out so nicely. They wasted no time in getting her dress on, which was the first short dress of the season. It was vintage looking and very fashionable. She looked lovely.

They took most of the pictures before the ceremony, and then by 3pm after the rain had cleared up, the groomsman went outside to wipe down all the chairs and make sure they were all dry. It was nice to see that everyone wasn't stressing over the weather, and it all worked out great!

After the ceremony everyone headed to the main building for the reception. Wild pear www.wildpearcatering.com catered the wedding, and by the time the bride and groom were done saying "I do" they were at the food table.

There was a line up of great vendors that made the day run so smoothly. Besides a wonderful florist, and delicious catering, there was Fred Molesworth and his wife Kathie, from Encore photography www.encorephotography.com. They are veterans here at BeckenRidge, and we love the work that they do.

Marion Barnes from Myriad Cakes and Design www.myriadcakedesign.com did the cakes. Yes, plural! This wedding had a special groom's cake. Fun, and interesting. Not really sure the story behind it, but I'm sure there is one.

Family and friends enjoyed the reception with beats by Mobile Music Sounds www.mobilemusic.com. And with a long day behind them guests relaxed as the evening came to an end. The day was a success!

Dancing Machine's Wedding! June 5, 2010

2010-06-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

The sun decided to show off today and we were pleasantly surprised by just how beautiful it was!
The rehearsal was another story with pouring down rain.
Right away as the bridal party, coordinator and family arrived they began to set-up and decorate.BeckenRidge had already preset the tables with white linens and white napkins were available to them. Also, above the mantle we placed cylinder vases which contained floating candles.
As they began to decorate the tables, they came together quite quickly with lots of helpers pitching a hand. They also decided to go with renting BeckenRidge's white Italian chairs for the reception inside the building, on the patio as well as for the lawn ceremony.

When it was time for pictures the photographers: Michael Sherwood (503.358.5417 lcplsherwood@yahoo.com) and Azedin Trnjanin (503.380.8965 ataperture.com) took the girls and guys down to the lawn to do some fun photos.

After the ceremony Kevin Soderstrom 503.363.6908, a well known piano player, who is much acquainted with our baby grand piano, played soft back ground music as the reception was starting and the guys were moving the DJ setup onto the patio for the dance party. This was a great transition because it still allowed music to be playing while the guests were entering the building from the ceremony and it also allowed the DJ to move his setup wile still having music playing.

Dinner was catered by Carusos Italian Cafe www.carusositaliancafe.com who offered some great pasta dishes, and were a blast to work with.

For a DJ the groom had his own equipment, as it is a hobby of his. So, he had a couple of his buddies help him out with running the music. There was one setup down on the lawn fountain patio, for the ceremony. Then when that was done they moved the equipment up to the patio where they continued to play music and start their never ending dance party.

It all started when the bride and groom had their first dance, which looked more like a planned performance. They were hilarious and it was clear they were having the time of their lives!

This reception lasted about four and a half hours of just dancing and drinking and having fun! The covered patio was the perfect place for their dance floor since it was so nice outside and they had plenty of room to move around and lots of space for dancers.

The finale was when family and friends gathered outside to bid the newlyweds farewell. The bride and groom both grabbed hold of a black duffel bag and ran out the big wood doors of BeckenRidge. They jumped in a car and was taken away to their honeymoon. The night was a success and fun at that! Another wedding completed!

Sunshine Couple

2010-06-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

To start off this blog I first need to explain the title. This couple booked with us roughly 14 months ago. Every time since that first day, they always brought the sunshine with them even when they brought family and friends through out the following months. After a very crazy week of rainy weather and many Plan B's it is their day and sure enough the sun follows them and this time they brought the warmth we have been waiting for. Summer is here and pray it stays till October. :)

The vines are loving this sunshine too, we should start seeing up to 5 inches of growth this week a so needed catch up. Guests are also enjoying the vines and the mountains that graced us. Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson and The Three Sisters all appeared on the horizon. Mt. Jefferson you could see clear as day on the lawn while watching the ceremony, so beautiful.

The day started of as easy going as they get. BeckenRidge already had set out the tables, Italian chairs and white linens inside. BeckenRidge bistro tables with white linens were placed on the covered patio for the cocktail hour and the lawn was set with more Italian chairs for the ceremony.

When the bride arrived she was greeted with her Bella package (fruit, cheese, crackers and mimosa's). The groom and his guys arrived not to long after the girls and they headed for the Belvedere Room (overlooking the Riesling) they rented to occupy them while waiting for the ceremony.

Since they decided not to see each other till the ceremony, many pictures still needed to be taken. After the ceremony the bridal party and family did a receiving line and guests came up to the covered patio for appetizers and a glass of wine, beer or a root beer. Everyone enjoyed the yummy eats and refreshing beverages while watching the bride and groom take their pictures in the vineyard and other parts of the property.

Bistro Catering www.bistrocatering.com from Portland had great presentation with the food, friendly staff, very professional and oh my the food was amazing. We will recommend them time and time again. Another Portland vendor we saw was Beaverton Bakery www.beavertonbakery.com who brought the 4 tier wedding cake and set it up in record time. Special Occasions www.onestoppartystop.net we see out here a lot and love having them, brought the china, silverware, champagne flutes, water goblets, glass water pitchers for each table and even high chairs for the little ones (bride thought of everything). After the wedding Special Occasions came back for all of the rented items.

We did see a couple new vendors too. This group was very green/organic, leading to a decision of using Midway Farms www.midwayfarmsoregon.com for the floral arrangements on the tables, arch and cake. Cynthia really knew her stuff and ran around making sure everything was perfect.

Calamity Jazz (a 6 piece band of various instruments) 541-461-8071, new to BeckenRidge, set up in the far Northwest corner of the room with plenty of dance floor in front. However, with the weather being so great most choose to do a few turns on the covered patio.

Soon some of the traditional events started to occur. The bouquet and garter toss stick out the most. Mainly because the intense need of the available maidens to catch the bouquet was quite the sight and then the struggle for the bouquet once it was thrown.

Then it was the grooms turn and the guys were not into it as much as the girls, it was entertaining to watch the contrast.

The evening just moved along so easily, we caught the parents of the bride taking a stroll through the vineyard just soaking it all in. It was great to see everyone so relaxed and truly enjoying themselves.

As the day came to an end it was hard to say good bye to my sunshine couple, but they left with smiles and walking through bubbles to go back to The Grand Hotel www.phoenixgrandhotel.com. This truly was a happily ever after couple.

Thursday Wedding

2010-06-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Day started off fairly slow with only a few people rolling in then the coordinator arrived and the action began. Red overlays were placed over BeckenRidge's white linens. Then the white plates, silverware, mirror tiles (rented from BeckenRidge) water goblets, floating candles and the floral centerpiece done by Denice from Distinctive Designs www.distinctivedesigns.com where placed next on the tables.

Denice put together the floral arrangement on the arch and the end chairs lining the aisle for the ceremony. The room was stunning in the contrast of red and white. All the groomsmen jumped in and helped Erin the coordinator of the day set the tables. After assisting her they were dismissed to the Belvedere Room to enjoy their refreshments and start getting ready.

Alyssa Jul www.alyssajul.com and her husband Cory were photographing all the moments throughout the day and those that occurred in the Belvedere room (hope to see some of those great pictures soon). They also brought with them a photo booth along with some great accessories that people could use while taking pictures (ie hats or a feather scarf). Photo booths are always fun and fun to see the pictures that come from it.

Pictures were taken all over and with the cloud cover the red bridesmaid dresses really popped against the greenery of the lawn and vineyard.

Outside you could every once in awhile catch a little whiff of Mike's cooking from Abagail's BBQ 503-434-2179, oh boy did it make you hungry. With having the ceremony on the patio and every last inch of space was used inside for guest seating, we had to place the buffet on the covered patio after the ceremony. Leading us to a really quick transition from the ceremony, the groomsmen helped BeckenRidge staff remove the chairs after the ceremony and then place the buffet outside.

Guests still entered through the North patio the bride and groom decided to rent the 10x10 tent to cover the gift table and guest sign in book. Doing this left enough room for all the guests to seat under the covered patio.

For the ceremony the baby grand was used by Kim Ralph from Dancing Penguin www.adancingpenguin.com and afterwords he turned into the DJ for the evening (great combo).

The dance floor was well used as was the patio for additional pictures and just to hang out.

Rainy Wednesday Wedding

2010-06-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

The day started with no rain, but the clouds loomed on the hills above BeckenRidge and eventually let loose the moisture the weather guys had promised to come.

Regardless of the weather the plan is still to have the ceremony on the lawn and pray for a break from the rain before the ceremony.

Either way guest will be entering through the North Patio and place the gifts under the covered patio and sign the guest book. BeckenRidge already had the tables, linens and bistro tables on the patio and inside ready to go. Sister of the groom did all the floral arrangements, she did a great job with time she had then getting herself ready for pictures.

Photography was done by Stephanie Paterson new to BeckenRidge, and worked in between showers with the bride, groom and attendants. Even with the showers some amazing shots were taken in the vineyard and inside the building.

The most amazing part was as the ceremony time approached, several family member ran down to wipe chairs from the days rain and start seating the guests so they could get started. Umbrellas were readily available to all, and not a single one was left behind. The music started everyone was lined up and all of a sudden the clouds broke and the sun shined down on the guests,

and of course, the bride and her dad as they walked to the stone platform. It was beautiful and couldn't of been more perfect. When the ceremony ended the bride and groom came back into the main building and the reception began.

The buffet was ready Dana and her crew did a great job on the food and keeping things replenished. The food was yummy and the staff was just simply fun to be around.

While guests were eating a slide show of the bride and groom was being presented. The screen already in place in the header of the bookcase was dropped down and the podium used to place the laptop and projector on.

The highlight of this wedding had to be the bouquet toss. The girls assembled themselves for the bride to toss her bouquet towards the bookcase. The bride standing in the vaulted ceiling area was poised and with all her might tossed her bouquet, which instead of falling into the hands of an awaiting maiden fell into the light beam and remained planted there. With the laughter rolling through the room, many of us ran to grab a ladder. However, the groomsmen where already on it. They lifted one guy up to retrieve the irreplaceable bouquet, so that it may bring luck to the one who catches it, and that they maybe wed next. The re-toss was a success and this story will go down as a first in BeckenRidge history. :)

Saturday, May 29, 2010 Wedding

2010-05-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

Flower petal wedding!
Pink rose petals were around every corner.
As soon as the bride got to BeckenRidge, she was busy decorating with her other bridesmaids. We made it easy for her with tables preset with white linens, and mirror tiles she rented from us.

Because this was a small wedding of less than 50 guests the bride decided to have only our black padded chairs set at her tables of white linens. It looked very elegant, and with her pink rose pedals sprinkled around the mirror tile center pieces, it created a beautiful look.

The most memorable thing about this wedding was, as I have mentioned the pink rose petals. When the bridal party arrived two girls spent most of the morning sitting next to buckets and buckets of pink roses. They took the petals off several dozen roses and put them in a tub that was then scattered down the aisle.

As she was about to walk down the aisle her dad and her exchanged a few last minute giggles and she began her journey to the path of pink.Dinner was a sit-down feast catered by Loustic Catering www.loustic.com. They have been here before and provided a delicious meat, potatoes and asparagus meal. Their presentation is great and the food is full of flavor. We enjoyed having them here to cater this wedding.

The reception was powered by the BeckenRidge Stereo, with an ipod plugged into it. It works well as long as the person controlling it knows what speakers to turn up, otherwise the base could shake the building! Everyone had a good time dancing in the middle of the room and getting drinks on occasion. They day ended as easily as it began.

Sunday, May 23rd Wedding

2010-05-24T12:33:00.001-07:00

Two weddings in a row this weekend.

Sunday was a 50/50 chance to have the wedding ceremony down on the lawn and so to be hopeful we set up our white Italian chairs they rented from BeckenRidge. As it got closer to the start of the ceremony, the weather wasn't looking like it was going to cooperate. The decision was made to move the white Italian chairs, rented from BeckenRidge, up to the patio. The transition was lead by our very own Ken maintenance/vineyard/everything else guy, who with the help of a few other men was able to bring the chairs up to the patio and set-up for plan B.

Everyone arrived at the same time. It was a flood of cars coming into the parking lot. They had everything very organized on trays and carts, ready for easy transport that made it fast to decorate the room. Upon arrival the tables and chairs were preset to the diagram they wanted, but everything else was a blank slate. They brought in their own table cloths from another rental place, and went to town decorating. The florist was a family friend, who brought all the necessary items to make the table arrangements at BeckenRidge. It was very elegant to see each place setting preset with delicate china, and silverware. The look of the tables were very flattering.

The bride and bridesmaids were bustling around getting ready while also enjoying the tastiness of the Bella Package. Fruit, cheese, and crackers with some sparkling champagne and orange juice, set the tone for a fun day.

Alcyone Cafe and Catering (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salem-OR/Alcyone-Cafe-Catering/272350087694?ref=ts&__a=11) was chosen to provide the food. They had a very professional staff personnel, and the chef was very friendly, as well as made fabulous food. We enjoyed having them cater at BeckenRidge, and would, with out a doubt, recommend them again.

Sweet music from a family member playing a cello, filled the patio as the ceremony started.

It was peaceful as the bride walked down the isle to her future husband. Several family members got up to speak about the true meaning of marriage and what it means between a man and a woman. The words were sweet and the moments tender.

Family was a huge part of this wedding, and as a gift to the bride and groom the two mothers got together and composed and performed a piece on BeckenRidge's baby grand piano. While they were playing, champagne was being passed around to create a smooth transition into the toasts.

DJ Sergio played great background music as dinner went on, and livened up the party when it was time to "bust-a-move".

Before we knew it, the limo arrived and the bride and groom were whisked away to their honeymoon.

Saturday, May 22nd Wedding

2010-05-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

After raining all night and that morning it was an easy decision to put the ceremony on the patio, although, the family was able to enjoy the sunshine later that afternoon.

The mother of the bride arrived first with her daughter and other bridesmaids following closely behind. They were greeted with the Bella Package set up in the bride’s room for them. Yummy fruit, cheese, and crackers with of course ingredients for mimosas! The girls wasted no time getting ready when Jennifer Rand from Face Body and Beauty www.facebodybeauty.com arrived to do hair and make-up.

The guys were anxious to hang out in the Belvedere Groom’s room, with the Foosball table and Budweiser they ordered. They were also pleasantly surprised to find the Mother of the Bride had surprised them with customized beer steins for each groomsman.

While everyone was getting ready friends and family helped decorate and set the tables. We made it a little easier with the tables in place and set up with white linens rented from BeckenRidge. The decorations were fun pastel colors of green, pink, yellow, purple and blue. Coincidentally, (planned of course) the bridesmaid dresses were each of those different colors. It was great when they placed on the tables bowls of Easter colored M&M’s they had stocked up on just for the wedding! It was smart that they thought about that earlier, when things are only seasonal, you have to get it when it is available. Good thinking on their part. The M&M’s were accompanied by bowls of peanuts and chex-mix they brought. Also rented from BeckenRidge, was our white Italian chairs for all the tables inside and the ceremony seating outside on the patio.

Before we knew it, the bride was walking down the isle. Johanna Respini www.johannarespini.com, not a stranger to BeckenRidge, officiated the wedding. She has worked up here many times before, and was happy to find out the bride and groom choose BeckenRidge as their venue.

The DJ, a new vendor to us, but one we would definitely recommend again was Jeffe from True Love sound Mobile DJ and Multimedia Services http://www.truelovesound.com/ (541) 684-4598.

He and his wife were great. They came to rehearsal and did a great job on the wedding day.

After the ceremony the bridal party sneaked away and ready themselves to be introduced to the guests. The bridal party reentered through the front doors and the DJ announced who they were and a little bit about them. This is a cool idea that we are seeing more of this year.

While things were happening inside the main room, BeckenRidge and family helped move chairs off the covered patio after the ceremony. Later in the evening the food buffet tables were placed on the covered patio to allow for more dance space inside. They did all the first dances and even a money dance which was a huge success, some who were waiting to dance with the bride and groom didn't get to by the time the song finished. :(

As said before the sun came out and warmed us towards the end of the evening making for a great send off for the bride and groom.

Tuesday, May 18th Wedding

2010-05-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well we wish the weather was a little more corporative today as it was on Saturday, but we have a few more clouds and wind that is keeping it very cool.

There wasn't too many vendors working this event, they choose to have the family pitch in and help. They were all running at top speed turning the room into a masterpiece. They had a little help from BeckenRidge with already having the tables and chairs in place along with the chair covers they rented from us. The real work came with adding the linens, centerpieces (that they put together here), plates and water goblets. Busy bees they all were and the end result was beautiful.

Josh Hudson (photographer) was capturing every detail of the day. The bride was busy getting ready in her room while the guys (opted out of the Belvedere Room) finished their attire in the bathrooms. They were ready very soon and started taking their photos in the vineyard. Oh spring time in Oregon, so wish it was more predictable.

They kept with their Plan A having the ceremony on the lawn and reception inside, with only 60 or so guests switching to a Plan B would of been easy. The main reception room was set in sheer shades of purple, orange roses, floating candles and curly willow. The bride was looking to having a low lighting intimate affair for the reception. In order to achieve this we turned down the lights in the main room and closed all the blinds.

The ceremony went off as planned on the lawn with dark looming clouds all around. Right before the bride was to make her entrance for the ceremony the clouds broke bringing the sunshine and a rainbow in the distance beyond the metal arch. Everything just happened so perfectly.

They had a friend play the baby grand piano and sing using BeckenRidge's wireless mic and sound system. Instead of a DJ they brought in their ipod and had their coordinator run BeckenRidge's sound system. The sound system worked great, until they really wanted to turn up the volume for dancing but the speakers really couldn't keep up. Luckily their were only a couple songs during this time.

Special Occasions catering http://www.specialo.tzo.com/ was present for the food, setting the buffet table beautifully. As always there was lots of food left over for them to enjoy later.

They did the bouquet and garter toss on the lawn giving them plenty of space and not have to worry about hitting any of the ceiling fans.

As the skies darkened the lights around the building lite up. The contrast of the white limo http://www.sunshinelimoservice.com/ and the building was great for pictures. The bride & groom took a few more pictures around and on top of the limo (missed those shots) before heading to the beach for their wedding night.

Sat. May 15th Wedding

2010-05-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Where to begin, so much was happening all day...

Well the day couldn't of been better, temperture was just right and everything ran perfectly all day.

Let's see the photographers Brian and Leah (and the soon arrival of Wellington) Rupp arrived to start checking out the location with this being their first time at BeckenRidge. Both were so sweet and super easy to work with. They received the 101 on the Phylloxera Virus and ended up having their shoes treated to prevent the virus from spreading. I can't wait to see the pictures they took throughout the day.

Well the girls arrived next, had them settled in with the Bella package of fruit, cheese, crackers and semi traditional Mimosa's in the bride's dressing room.

Liz their coordinator wasted no time and started decorating. BeckenRidge already had the main room & patios set with tables, Italian chairs and ivory table clothes. They brought in a green crush overlay's with chocolate colored napkins which really made a pop in contrast. The napkins where wrapped around the plates with the favor bag for the candy buffet. The candy buffet & cake (Liz also made their cake http://www.artisancakecompany.com/ amazing) where all on one table along with a huge board behind them with the bride & groom's names, elegantly done by the groom. Really eye catching.

Shortly there after the guys arrived and made a beeline for the Belvedere Room. Like the girls the boys received some special attention too. With rental of the Belvedere Room the guys had their own porch, Foosball table, satellite TV, stereo, poker set and bathroom. They also had the pleasure of munching down some meat, cheese and crackers. To wash all of that food down they choose to have some Mirror Pond to keep from being parched. I wasn't able to take pictures in there before the guys were already getting ready. So I will have to wait on Brian Rupp to send me some decent shots of the Belvedere Room.

Before you knew it the bridal party started taking pictures, while the rest of the vendors arrived. First of the vendors, was the florist they were in and out so fast I didn't catch their name, but the simple centerpieces were elegant and an easy clean up.

The metal arch had a little extra pizazz this time. It was really quite stunning, but I don't think the camera captured it to the fullest. Liz hung crystal beads from the arch adding some new dimensions to it. It really looked awesome with the Bride & Groom standing underneath & walking through it.

Next came Premiere Catering http://www.premierecatering.biz/, if you have the chance to check these guys out for your wedding, do so. Michael, Peter, Jon and their staff were amazing to work with and all very friendly. The food oh my, was mouth watering starting with the presentation to that first & last bite. Having two buffet stations was nice & helped with the traffic flow. From a venue point of view, they were professional, considerate to the property and staff, and stayed to the very end making sure every detail was taken care of.

DJ Ryan rolled in a couple hours before the ceremony to setup inside the main room and on the lawn. He did a great job, and really catered to the crowd with the music, they were movin and grovin to some oldies but goodies.

The baby grand had some stage time too, they had a friend play the piano for the first dance and the groom's sister sang "At Last" it was great!!!

Before you knew it guests were lining up outside to send off the bride and groom. I wish I would of gotten a picture of it, it was pretty cool looking. I will post it from Brian & Leah when I see those pictures. Overall the day was perfect and fun.

First wedding of the 2010 Season

2010-05-11T12:58:00.001-07:00

Well the birds are singing the clouds are breaking up showing us some blue skies and we are loving the warmth on our faces.

What a perfect day for a wedding, a little chilly for those that came from Hawaii and Arizona but so far they are managing. :)

The florist arrived with beautiful arrangements for the front doors and arches along with the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres. All very simple and easy to clean up at the end of the day.

Adding to their easy setup they choose to rent BeckenRidge ivory linens and Italian chairs inside and out (we took care of all the setup & tear down).

The bride and her attendants arrived in style, DC Limousine http://www.dcoregon.com/ dropped off the girls and went back to pickup the next group.

Tanya from KGB Designs Photography arrived shortly there after with her crew ready to start documenting the day. Before I could turn around Marion from Myraid Cakes http://www.myriadcakedesign.com/ arrived and actually decorated the cake on site, cool to watch.

We had a new caterer Yummies Cowboy Cuisine 541-891-1208 from Klamath Falls, can't believe they came this far, but Norm & Virgina (owners) insist they will go anywhere. The food was mouth watering, the display was very simple and the humor from Norm never ended. :) The whole staff was very pleasant and great to be around.

Things moved along smoothly, the arrival of the Oregon State Acappella Group and the ring bearer, I have to say, were the highlight. The Acappella Group was a first for BeckenRidge and to see these guys sing stopped even the song birds for a moment. The all black attire with an OSU orange tie was very fitting for this group.

The orange and black didn't stop there, the ring bearer took the orange to a whole new power. Check this out. I wish I would of gotten a picture of the bride (rocken Beaver orange heals) & groom's (Converse w/ orange shoe laces) shoes too.

This group definitely had traditional and non traditional points during their wedding day. The bride & groom opted not to see each other before the ceremony. However, the difference for the ceremony was the guys entered on the pathway by the water fountain and the girls entered from the covered patio path.

Then they met on the lawn and this also went for the bride and meeting her dad (dad first time seeing her in her dress) on the lawn and then continued walking towards the arbor.

After the ceremony they had a receiving line on the lawn then went into pictures while guest busied themselves with appetizers, wine and beer on the covered patio.

They did have the traditional toast, dancing, tossing the bouquet and garter toss all fun and emotional, especially during the toast for the bride.

As the evening winded down guest began to leave and the bride and groom said their goodbye's and purposely made it that they were the last to leave. This I must say was the most nontraditional thing they did all day. It was great to see them fully enjoying the last bit of their time overlooking the vineyard and spending it with each other.

The limo did come back for them with no departing goodbye's from their guest, I felt it was my duty to take the last picture of them getting into their limo and riding into the sunset. It was a great day and what a better way to start off the 2010 wedding season.

Featured on Portland Style Unveiled

2010-05-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

So we are super excited about being featured on Portland Style Unvelied. If you haven't had a chance yet to check it out, you need not wait any longer the link is below. :)

http://portlandstyleunveiled.com/portlandrealweddings/georgette-and-charles.html

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures.

Stuido I Do did a wonderful job with a unique style and always a pleasure to work with Bryce photographer/owner at Studio I Do http://www.studioido.net/.

CIS Board Meeting

2010-04-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

This board meeting took place in March and sorry it has taken me so long to post to the blog. I did post pictures to Facebook same day, so if you follow us there you received the most up to date information on the going ons at BeckenRidge. ;)

I only took the one picture with the camera of the main room. They choose to have a square shape in the middle using BeckenRidge tables, ivory linens and black chairs. Then had 4 tables behind the board members for others who participated in the meeting.

They did break for lunch catered by Wild Pear www.wildpearcatering.com (always a yummy meal). After the meeting had concluded they enjoyed a selection of white and red wine from Airlie Winery www.airliewinery.com. What better way to end the day than with a glass of wine.

Open House

2010-03-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

For those that missed such an amazing event here are some pictures.

The setup for the Open House actually started on Friday, with the big tent from All Star Tents and chairs to display for a ceremony on the lawn. Love this style of tent along with the pole curtains, so very wedding orientated.

Saturday, was busy for us too. We started arranging inside tables for participants when they
arrived on Sunday morning. However, Focal Point Digital Media swung in and setup their table a little early had a great chat as Ryan was on his way to setup for another open house too. It was the weekend of Open Houses.

Sunday was a whirlwind of activity right at 9am when All Star Tents, Special Occasions & Belle Fleur hurried in to set up their tables and display what they do. Stargazer Weddings came shortly after along with Distinctive Designs and Capricorn Catering. Everyone loved coming in three's because about 10am Myriad Cakes, Lights in the Attic and Stalnakers Photo Studio fluttered in. Last and certainly not least Johanna from Celebrate (Officiant), Face Body Beauty, Wild Pear, The Bridal Gallery, NW Mobil DJ and bringing up the very rear Encore Photography :) (sorry Fred you will never hear the end of it). The live musicians Doc (guitarist) played 11:30am to about 12:30pm then a duo from Bella Arco came played strings from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.

We are so thankful for the great weather we had and the awesome turn out. Thank you again to all of you who participated and help make the Open House a success.

Open House & this weeks Wedding Workshop

2010-03-03T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well if you haven't been online or reading the paper you may not of heard about what is going on at BeckenRidge.

This Sunday, March 7th from 11am to 4pm there will be a Open House at BeckenRidge. We are opening the doors to the public for this free one day event.

The focus of this event entails two exciting pieces. First, we are showcasing the Belvedere Groom's Room. After much thought and need of the space it is complete for the guys to get ready for their big day (and have a little fun while at it). Secondly, joining us will be several other wedding professionals from the surrounding area sharing their expertise. We look forward to seeing all of our current, past and future brides at this great event.

Also, the second wedding workshop is taking place this Thursday, March 4th from 6:30p to 7:30p at The Bridal Gallery downtown. This week the discussion topic is video, photography and dresses. Please join us and answer those questions you have been storing up.

Cheers ~ BeckenRidge Staff

Workshops

2010-02-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

We are one week from the first wedding workshop. Thursday, February 25th at 6:30p meeting at The Bridal Gallery downtown Salem.

Remember this is a FREE event so sign up at www.beckenridge.com. You do not have to attend all 4 workshops. Pick the one that best fits your needs. We look forward to making your day a little easier and finding those professionals to help make it happen.

See you there ~ BeckenRidge Staff

Free Bridal Workshops

2010-02-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Not completely ready for your big day? If not, you may want to participate in these workshops and pick the brains of professionals. If you have part of the planning done and you are stuck on one aspect then join the workshop that best fits your needs. It is free and located conveniently downtown. Sign up at beckenridge.com, we would love to see you and help make your wedding an easy event.

Let it Snow...Let it Snow...Let it Snow...

2009-12-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Oh the first snowfall of December wasn't expecting it but we will take it.

The snow makes it really feel like a true holiday season.

Enjoy...we hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a safe-fun New Years. See you in 2010!!!!

First Christmas Party of 2009

2009-12-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome Dallas Glass!!!

It was beautiful all day with a crisp breeze that brought smiles to the decorating crew. A small group arrived early to do decorations and some setup for the evening's festivities. The chairs were unique in there arrangement, with alternating padded tapestry and black.

When guests arrived they were greeted warmly with a holiday display of lights and miniature Christmas trees.

Food was provided by Steve at Capricorn Catering http://www.capricorncatering.com/ or 503-507-5788, who's tables were also festively decorated to match the holiday spirit.

Before and after dinner guests were entertained with magic tricks, mind reading and all out laughter by Hart Keene, a professional entertainer, magician and trickster, who would be recommended by BeckenRidge for any event entertainment in a “Hart” beat! http://www.hartkeene.com/. Really wish the picture came out better, but he really got everyone involved.

Even with the cool air, guests ventured outside to mingle while standing by the heaters, rented from Beckenridge.

The evening came to a wind down with a laughter-filled power point, filled with memories throughout the year. What a way to end 2009?! The future looks bright for Dallas Glass! We hope to see them again in 2010!

November Wedding

2009-11-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

The day started out sunny with the rain clouds on the horizon, leading to the decision of Plan B for the ceremony on the covered patio. BeckenRidge staff started off the day placing the white Italian chairs on the covered patio along with the heaters to keep everyone warm.

Inside the room BeckenRidge tables and padded chairs were set with white chair covers and linens rented from BeckenRidge. The first to arrive was Linda with flowers who placed centerpieces on the guest tables & decorated the arch for the ceremony. Caterer ~ DHS catering came early with staff to help pre-set tables before dashing back to the kitchen.

Photographer ~ Tyler http://www.tylerroemerphoto.com/ took lots of photos of the bride and groom. He had many challenges with the weather and stage the pictures mostly under the covered patio.

With the guest size larger than recommended they did have to place 30 guests under the covered patio after the ceremony.

Thank goodness for the patio heaters, though I think one more would of helped with the cool night air. There was a transition after the ceremony, with the help of many hands, making the switch from ceremony to reception easy.

The reception went by fast. They choose to have a slide show of the bride & groom growing up, using BeckenRidge's screen and bringing in their own projector & laptop. Before you knew it guests were ringing bells as the bride & groom said their goodbyes and headed off for their honeymoon.

State Farm Evening Dinner

2009-10-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Great day for a dinner party.

Those that achieved their goals enjoyed an evening in the vineyard and a wonderful dinner from Capricorn Catering http://www.capricorncatering.com/.

BeckenRidge had white linens, chair covers and tables in place ready for the final touches.

The host arrived earlier in the day to place decorations on the tables making sure everything was in place. Later the entire group arrived in style with two different rides.

One group arrived on the Party Bus & the other in the stretch Hummer chauffeured by A Prefect Dream Limo http://www.aperfectdreamlimo.com/ .

The front doors were open and the fireplace was on welcoming the guests arrival. Music was provided by Kevin Venables from NW Mobile DJ Service http://www.mobiledjservice.com/ who had them all dancing and having a great time.

The evening soon came to a close and everyone returned to either the Hummer or Party Bus to take them home. It was a great party and really wonderful people. Congratulations to all the winners!!!

Dallas Retirement Village Dinner Mystery

2009-10-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well Halloween has come to BeckenRidge Vineyard. Tonight's theme a kidnapping mystery has taken place at the "BeckenRidge Ritz Hotel".

The talent of Freeda has taken hold on BeckenRidge and entertaining the many volunteers at Dallas Retirement Village (DRV). The afternoon started with Freeda & crew diving into decorations. Tables, padded chairs & white linens were already in place upon their arrival by BeckenRidge staff. Who would of thought that eye balls & floating candles would mix in a centerpiece.

While DRV volunteers started to arrive they were greeted by those in costume who were already taking on their roles in the mystery. The laughter and fun never ceased all night. Enjoy these great pictures.

The mastermind behind it all.

Last September Wedding

2009-09-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Another perfect day at BeckenRidge. Today is about 75 degrees and plenty of sunshine. Grapes are looking & tasting amazing. Looks like we will harvest here in the next week or so. We will be glad to have them picked and not have to fight the birds anymore.

This group really went to work upon arrival and yet eased into their day with such grace it was wonderful to watch. Linens, tables, chair covers, and the bistro tables where placed by BeckenRidge & ready to go when they did arrive coming into a simple setup.

Michelle from Image Floral & Event Design http://www.imagefloral.com/ arrived with arrangements of flowers for the mantel on the fireplace, metal arch, sweetheart table, boutonnieres & corsages. Everything just came together perfectly.

As the decorations where dispersed you could see that it was going to be a fairytale wedding from the glass slippers to the carriages around the room. The fairytale continued to the kids who had goody bags of fun activities with the same theme. The kids just loved this, especially picking out their favorite princesses.

By far the best was the glass slipper on the pillow beside the guest book sign in.

Pictures started about an hour or so after they all arrived, so they hustled into the dressing room to finish getting ready. Kris from Stalnaker Photography http://www.stalnakersphotostudio.com/ followed and got those getting ready shots along with the vineyard and first time seeing each other. Great day for pictures in the vineyard or down the driveway. Ryan from Focal Point Videography http://www.focalpointvideo.biz/ was right beside Kris capturing all these great moments too.

All music for the ceremony & reception was done by Sound Sensations http://www.soundsensations.net/. Though this group wasn't into dancing so much but appreciated the music & MC'ing throughout the evening.

The pasta buffet was a huge hit and there wasn't many leftovers. The Sassy Onion http://www.thesassyonion.com/ did another great job, everyone had great things to say.

.

However, the best part was when the bride discovered that her mom made her a bib so she wouldn't get anything on her dress (very thoughtful). The Bride's face was priceless it was somewhere in between thankful, eyes to kill and embarrassment, all in all she handled it well.

As the last summer wedding came to an end the bride & groom left in bubbles galore saying their goodbyes to family & friends. Safe travels to all and especially for those who came from Michigan & Arkansas. Take care it was a pleasure to get to know you all.

Weekend of Fall Weddings

2009-09-20T13:28:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a typical fall weekend. We had a wedding on Saturday & Sunday both came with challenges in the weather department, but didn't stop anyone from having a good time.

Saturday, Septemember 19th:

The weather had everyone on edge and borderline plan B with all the rain we received in the morning. We kept looking at the hourly report and they stated no rain in the afternoon, so we ran with it and stuck with Plan A. When it came down to it the day was as picture perfect as they get. White puffy clouds amongst the brilliant blue sky couldn't ask for anything better.

This group choose an excellent selection of professionals. The day started off with Sue from SHE Designs http://www.shedesignsevents.com/ who coordinated and brought in linens and a whole lounge setup (way cool). They had a great appetizer hour on the covered patio with BeckenRidge bistro tables scattered around with white linens. The main room was setup in BeckenRidge white linens and white Italian chairs, Sue from SHE added her sashes around the chairs & overlays on the tables. The final touch was done by Beth at Rhyme & a Reason Floral who did a great job with the centerpieces & arch pieces.

This couple choose not to see each other before hand, something we don't see very often. The guys made good use of their time while waiting for pictures. Listening to the Duck game & throwing the football around in the parking lot worked well. A surprise to the groom from the bride was a cake all for him. He really wanted cheesecake for the wedding cake but from what we heard was out voted. So in the end he got his own cake with his favorite team decorated on it done by Bittersweet Bakery http://www.bittersweetbaking.com/.

Food was catered by Wild Pear http://www.wildpearcatering.com/ with passed appetizers while pictures were taken of family, bride & groom. Guests enjoyed the yummy food along with the weddings of the past that monopolized the bookcase. Once done with the formal pictures bride & groom made a grand entrance through the front doors announced by Kevin from NW Mobile DJ Service http://www.nwmobiledjservice.com/. Food and drink were flowing and before you know it shows were kicked off and dancing began.

While some boogied on the dance floor others enjoyed the amazing sunset over the vineyard.

What a great way to end the day.

Sunday, September 20th:

The sun came and brought with it a breeze that cooled everything down, great for the guys but the girls were a little chilled. Everyone was just pleased we didn't have to think of that Plan B option.

This group was pretty close to opposite of furniture layout than Saturday. They had padded chairs inside and out with tapestry inside and solid black on the covered patio. They also choose to use BeckenRidge white linens, mirror tiles for the centerpieces and a few cylinder vases for the bouquets on the head table. Seeing more of this setup with the head table in front of the fireplace, however using the buffet tables put together to form that surrounding look.

With an easy setup they went into taking pictures close to right away. Taking pictures of all those great moments was Images of You Studio in McMinnville. They did a little one stop shopping in hiring Lambs Thriftway in Wilsonville to handle the flowers, catering and wedding cake. Staff was friendly and well organized.

Arriving close to the same time as everyone else the DJ ~ Steve from Ultimate DJ took care of all music during the ceremony & reception. With a room full of teachers they had a wonderful lesson on a new dance move that Steve helped them learn. Fun to watch and I think they had fun too!!

Before you knew it the evening was coming to a close. Bride, groom and guests all said their goodbyes while family stayed behind to pack up all the items brought. It was a great wedding with some great people.

The whole weekend was so much fun, made me really enjoy what I do.

This last picture is actually of Saturday's favors for their guests, they made this jam & I loved the twist on the word. Enjoy!!

Sept. 12th & 13th Weddings

2009-09-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Still catching up, but here are some pictures from last weekends weddings.

Saturday, Sept. 12:

Sunday, Sept. 13th:

This group choose to enter from the vineyard vs down the path for the ceremony.

Cool cake!

Seen lots of limo's this year.

Last week of August

2009-09-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

I missed a week and it shows with this posting. I took a little get away came back and missed a few weddings. So, with that said here are a few pictures of those events. Sorry, I don't have more input than that.

Wednesday, August 26th

Saturday, August 29th

Sunday, August 30th

Polk Community Development Corp. Celebration

2009-09-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

A beautiful day to have a celebration. This classy event was coordinated by Class Act Events http://www.classactevents.com/ who started off in setting the main room in ivory crush table lines & ivory chair covers w/ a crush sash. Then accented in a brunt orange colors really flowing with the colors of the room.

They utilized the covered patio for the social hour using BeckenRidge bistro tables and Class Act linens. All wine and beer was passed by BeckenRidge bar tenders along with appetizers handled by Valley Catering http://www.valleycatering.com/ staff really setting the stage for this elegant evening. As they moved into their itinerary everyone was brought inside ready for a plated dinner and the amazing video presentation.

All media was handled by Allied Video www.alliedvideo.com who brought in their own projector, screen and sound system. Really making the presentation spectacular.

The evening closed with memorable speeches and motivation for those that work in the corporation.

Rain Rain Go Away

2009-09-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

You just have to love Oregon weather, today being a prime example. Oregon needs the rain to stay so green, but at times you just wish it would work with you when you have a special day of outside activities planned. Oh well, we will make due. Luckily the covered patio at BeckenRidge provides that extra reassurance when we can't count on Mother Nature.

Though this group stuck with their Plan A of ceremony on the lawn, umbrellas are required just in case. Thank goodness the reception will be covered. Guest still entered through the North Patio and placed their gifts on a table placed under the covered patio along with the sign in book.

The weather held for them during the ceremony and long enough to take pictures outside before the heavens opened up. Their flowers by Rhyme and a Reason were amazing and complemented the linens very well. I loved how the bridesmaids dresses were the same design as the cake done by Marion at Myriad Cakes http://www.myriadcakedesign.com/, never seen that before.

The main room was set for 100 using the BeckenRidge tapestry chairs (except for the head table) and covered patio had seating for 30 using the black chairs. Like most, they choose to have their head table in front of the fireplace, however they bumped two 8 foot tables together making a very large table (we could get used to this idea). They kept to the "L" shape around the corner for the buffet still the best location with the beverage station under the mirror. We had the pleasure of a new caterer Loustic Catering http://www.lousticcatering.com/ from West Salem. They had a wonderful presentation, friendly staff and oh my, the food tantalized the nose and had the mouth watering. I would love to see them here again.

Everyone had a great time even with our raining showers, they still managed to enjoy the beauty of BeckenRidge.

Fall is in the Air

2009-09-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today is rain with more rain and we hope a break this afternoon. Luckily today's wedding is small with about 64 guests so moving to Plan B worked well in having the ceremony on the covered patio using BeckenRidge Italian chairs.

The main room is set in white, they rented white linens and chair covers from BeckenRidge and all was ready for them to add their touches upon arrival. Decorating party arrived right on time or pretty close and started away with tying on the sashes for the chairs. This group did not forget about the kids attending and created a kids table with fun activities for them.

Studio Del Fiore http://www.studiodelfiore.com/ came, dropped off centerpieces and created a work of art down the aisle. While Lisa (florist) worked on the art Derek the guitarist ddearment@me.com practiced his guitars and making sure sound was adequate for the ceremony.

The florist left and then the photographer Bryce from Studio I Do http://www.studioido.net/ arrived right before the bridal party. He managed to take a few pictures of them exited their limo rented by Classic Chauffeur in Portland and moved right into shots of them getting ready. It didn't take them long to get ready and then they were out into the vineyard taking pictures.

While they were taking pictures, Sassy Onion http://www.thesassyonion.com/ arrived and started setting up the buffet and appetizers. Everyone had a wonderful time and before you knew it it was time to depart with the limo arriving again to whisk the bride and groom away.

Saturday August 22nd

2009-09-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

After a hectic day yesterday, easing into a simple and delightful wedding was a relief.

They arrived with linens & centerpieces from SHE Designs http://www.shedesignsevents.com/ and started right away at placing them on the tables. This group choose to use BeckenRidge padded chairs inside and on the covered patio, along with the u-shape head table. If you want a head table this is the most efficient in utilizing the space.

They also stuck with the L-shape around the corner for the buffet. Once again this maximizes the usage of space in the main room and allows flow of 2 lines around the buffet. The food was catered by Valley Catering http://www.valleycatering.com/, boy guests couldn't get in line soon enough. Once again Valley did a wonderful presentation on the buffet and the food was amazing. All dishes were rented from Special Occasions http://www.onestoppartyshop.net/ in Corvallis, always a pleasure working with their friendly staff.

Karen from Madison Avenue http://www.madisonavenueflowers.com/ arranged flowers in the centerpiece towers that were placed on the guest tables. Then continued adding 2 large arrangements and a grassy garland framing the metal arch on the lawn.

Jonathan from Blue Castle Photography http://www.bluecastlephotography.com/ was capturing all the action from start to finish. Lots of smiles through out the day. As the day had come to an end it was time for the Bride & Groom to say their goodbyes.

Though before they shot off on their honeymoon we received a grateful email from the bride saying this "Beckenridge is the most AMAZING place to get married...with the most fabulous people to work with!! The venue was PERFECT...the weather was PERFECT...all of my other vendors were PERFECT!! It was a treat watching everyone work together...making my day completely effortless and BEAUTIFUL!!! ~ Smiles, COMPLETELY SATISFIED BRIDE!!!"

West Valley Hospital Gala

2009-08-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful evening for the annual Hospital Gala, much cooler than last year bringing relief to all.

The day started off early with a large tent by Key Manufacturing being set up on the lawn to shade guests during the event.

Plants by Daryll's Nursery were scattered all over the property adding that special touch, linens by SHE Designs http://www.shedesignsevents.com/ were placed on guest tables and silent auctions items found homes on tables under the covered & uncovered patios.

Making sure everyone was informed of the going ons between those inside the main room and on the lawn Lional from Stuart Schmidt Music took care of all sound equipment. Gaylon Jay Quartet live music was enjoyed by all and after the silent auction was closed the covered patio became a dance floor that many couples took part of.

Throughout the evening espresso & coffee was served by Rick's Place in their little nook off the North Patio. It is always a pleasure having them here and the yummy drinks they provide.

Speaking of yummy things. Valley Catering brought their friendly staff and amazing food that dazzled the palate & paired perfectly with Airlie wines.

The evening was perfect and the WVH Foundation members left exhausted yet delighted on the success of their hard work.

Romance on Wheels

2009-08-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

What a spectacular Thursday in August. The weather couldn't of been better at least 10 degrees cooler than anticipated and everyone is loving it. Even the grapes are loving the heat and cooler weather. We discovered vairizon (color change of the fruit) a couple days ago a very good sign, the grapes are right on schedule.

Today's wedding is so unique in many facets where to begin. First, the bride is in a motorized wheelchair, that is one for the history book of BeckenRidge. Two, they choose to have their wedding on a Thursday. Three, so that everyone was equal the entire bridal party was seated for the ceremony. Fourthly, they come together with two completely different cultures. The bride's heritage is Guatemalan and the groom Chinese what an interesting mix of traditions.

For example, the tea ceremony a Chinese tradition where the bride & groom present tea to the parents. This was interesting watching the blending of two families over tea. Robert the photographer www.robertmcnary.com was right there capturing these moments and more throughout the day. There were pictures of the bride & groom in the vineyard and on the lawn with family too.

Flowers were done by Rebecca at Belle Fluer http://www.bellefluer.com/ as always making a stunning impression. Catering was prepared and served by the friendly staff of Catering by Laurie http://www.cateringbylaurie.com/.

Their send off was super cute with the groomsmen attempting to place the wheelchair in the back of the grooms Mini Cooper. The happy couple left in a sea of bubbles and lots of smiles.

Saturday, August 15th

2009-08-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

What a great day for a wedding! The weather was perfect. Really simple flowers from Green Thumb all the centerpieces looked like bouquets with very striking colors.

Seeing each other for the first time. Photography was taken by Jenine's Photo. They also choose to have a videographer too. First Class Video was here capturing those special moments.

Using BeckenRidge chair covers and sashes with a contrast of black napkins in preset glasses & added that splash of color in the middle really making the tables pop.

Every table was set differently inside and on the patios.

Instead of using a unity candle (breeze doesn't help) the latest trend is sand. You can pick the colors you want and combine them to form that symbolism of unity.

After the ceremony moving into food from Roth's http://www.roths.com/ and dancing.

Dancing was fun and emotional with the Father-Daughter dance and then the Mother-Son dance. Once the special dances were done the dance floor opened for everyone.

The kids had no hesitation in showing their moves. Wait, nor did the bride and several guests, in what I am guessing is the Electric Slid. Love it when people are having a good time.

With all the hussel and bussel sometimes you just need a break from it all to sit and reflect. Love this picture.

Sunday, August 9th

2009-08-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

So glad it is cooler and the clouds are sticking around to provide some shade. Today is a pretty easy going day with simple decorations. Before anyone arrived BeckenRidge staff had the tables, chairs and linens placed and ready when they arrived. Making it easy for the decorating staff to add their touches. They choose to use BeckenRidge padded chairs in black & tapestry alternating throughout the room and white linens.

It is often asked how head tables look in the room & here is one example with the tables in one long line in front of the fireplace.

Red, white, black and gold fish are the theme today a huge contrast to yesterdays' wedding. Every day is always something different.

Today the wild turkeys decided to congratulate the bride & groom too.

The bride arrived with some butterflies the bridesmaids took care of her with some Pepto & Ritz crackers (helping immensely). The groom and groomsmen arrived shortly after the bride and the entire bridal party dove into getting ready for pictures. Of course the boys were done first and started into their pictures immediately. Don the photographer started them on the lawn and in the vineyard. In between pictures the groomsmen enjoyed their gifts from the groom. Bridesmaids were jealous.

Inside Johanna and family were finishing the final decorations, making sure exact number of fish were in its bowl on the tables. The cake arrived about an hour before the ceremony, not sure who made it, but the rubber ducks on top were to cute. So fitting for this group.

After the ceremony, they had a formal receiving line in the lounge greeting each guest.

Then the guest entered another line for the pasta bar done by Capricorn Catering http://www.capricorncatering.com/. Yum Yum!!! After dinner & cake the dancing began.

B&B was the DJ http://www.bandbdiscjockeys.com/ they got them movin and groovin. Boy did they have lots of fun.

Saturday, August 8th

2009-08-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Starting off the day with cooler weather compared to last week, it feels so good. Pretty sure we are not going to turn on the AC today.

The vineyard is coming along wonderfully. The vines were tucked last week exposing the fruit to the sun and also making it a little easier to get down the rows for pictures.

The main room is draped in white linens and chair covers rented by BeckenRidge. They decided to bring in their own eggplant sashes for that splash of color (very elegant). Making it easy on themselves with decorating, they rented BeckenRidge tall cylinder vases in order to add a simple arrangement of Calla Lillies for each table inside and out. Keeping to the simple theme they did the same for the arch on the lawn, with a touch of eggplant tulle and a couple of white flowers and they were done. The biggest cleanup for them was the flower petals that lined the aisle, but the look is really stunning.

It wasn't long before the bridal party came from the Phoenix Grand http://www.phoenixgrandhotel.com/ to BeckenRidge to finish getting ready. Moving into pictures that were being taken by Honeysuckle Photography http://www.honey-photo.com/ was a lot of fun to watch & take a few snap shots ourselves. I can't wait to see the professional shots. I love the one with the bridal party all jumping, the face expressions are priceless. Though one of the cutest pictures was the ring bearer.

The ring bearer was blessed with the dream of the groom. The story is that the groom was once a ring bearer when little and he thought he actually wore a costume of a bear and disappointed when he was told otherwise. So for his wedding he had his ring bearer where the costume that he never got to, and he wore it well till show time when a little stage fright struck him.

He was shortly scooped up by the Junior bridesmaids taking him to safety of Dad. Still the pictures are precious.

After the ceremony it was onto food, drink and be merry time. Food & cake was prepared by the well loved Wild Pear http://www.wildpearcatering.com/. Once again Wild Pear had mouth watering food and a friendly staff waiting on the group. The bar was opened right after the ceremony with a nice selection of Airlie wine http://www.airliewinery.com/, beer and champagne. Formal dancing took place with the traditional Father-Daughter dance and then quickly moved into the dancing everyone could enjoy. Kevin from Mobil Music http://www.mobilmusicentertainment.com/ was the DJ for the ceremony and reception and did another great job.

Before you knew it the reception was coming to an end and you wonder where the bridal party is. Oh they were outside decorating the getaway car of course. The bride and groom left in a bubble mania to get to their getaway car and drove away in the sunset.

August 2nd Wedding

2009-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Ending our weekend in sunshine. Today is not supposed to be as hot, but we will see. If it stays under 90 degrees that would be a huge relief. The AC & fans are at top speed trying to keep things cool. The breeze is helping with the outside seating under the covered patio.

The day was another easy going one with once again BeckenRidge placed the rented linens, chair covers and sashes on tables and chairs before they walked in the door. Outside they choose to use the solid black chairs on the covered patio and no chair covers on them.

Their deco was simple with lime green and white. The cake designed by Uniquely Cakes was brought in and set expertly on a round table near the front doors. They decided no alcohol and only cider for the toast which was placed on the tables right before toasting began.

John from Image Photography started with the groom waiting for the bride holding her bouquet on the covered patio looking toward the lawn & vineyards. Then had the bride come out to see each other for the first time.

They also took some other great shots on the lawn and in the vineyard.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom made a grand entrance through the front doors. They said some greetings and then started the buffet off followed by guests. Julie's Catering had an amazing display of food which was well presented.

As the evening progressed they used BeckenRidge's podium and screen to show a slide show of the bride and groom. This always gets the water works going and a few chuckles.

Saturday, August 1st

2009-08-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally a little cooler, creating relief to us all.

The day started off with a flurry of activity. Florist, first to arrive, brought arrangements of white flowers and specks of green. They used BeckenRidge white linens and chairs inside and out. They choose lime green overlays and napkins from SHE Designs http://www.shedesignsevents.com/ out of Salem.

Mother of the bride added a hand painted and sparkling pear on each place setting accenting the overall look beautifully. Parents of the groom also brought a flatscreen using BeckenRidge's podium to place it high so all could see the slide show of the bride and groom growing up and the things they did together.

Fred, Kathy & Amy from Encore Photography http://www.encorephotography.com/ spent the day documenting memories using the natural beauty of the vineyard and greenery within it. This group liked more of the formal pictures and less in the vineyard, though willing to try a few fun pictures.

String Trio from Bella Arco http://www.bellaarco.blogspot.com/ played during the ceremony adding a different element of elegance than what recorded music can do.

Sassy Onion http://www.sassyonion.com/ was here again catering. They did another wonderful job and worked very well with the customers needs. They choose to have assigned seating and a sweetheart table for the bride and groom to ensure they had a place to eat and to make sure they did eat.

With pictures done the guests cut loose and really enjoyed the vineyard and the dance floor.

Mobil Music http://www.mobilmusicentertainment.com/ was the DJ for the reception. We thought for sure this group was not going to dance, but boy it is amazing what good music and wine can do to a group.

As the evening came to an end those that still wanted to keep the party going headed back to the Phoenix Grand http://www.phoenixgrandhotel.com/ were most of the bridal party & out of town guest were staying. Their they continued the party and fell nicely into their beds.

Last Wedding of July 2009

2009-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

Warm sunshine, butterflies, black & hot pink fly throughout the main room and patios.

Jodi the florist brought in curly willow with butterflies attached and array of pink flowers and sunflowers as a contrast. They added the sunflowers on the mantel behind the cake making a huge statement.

Candy buffet idea was used again along with a slide show of the bride and groom (very cute). This always has people stopping and enjoying.

The ceremony was quite the production and Shawna (coordinator) had her work cut out for her. With four ballerina butterfly flower girls, a ring bearer with a remote control car, ten attendants, seating grandparents, seating parents and getting a bride and groom down with 200 people watching, WOW!! Way to go Shawna!

The flower girls were just adorable and the ring bearer had the most fun with the remote control car to drive down the rings instead of a pillow. He practiced all morning along with the groom and best man. They don't ever grow up. :)

DJ Corey from Music Express http://www.musicexpressdjs.com/ brought the group together for dancing, not hard for this crowd. Most of the bridesmaids and the bride are professional dancers and they showed their moves. Though the groom got in there to show he could find the garter. :) Though the best announcement had to be when the bride and groom did their toast. They by far had the largest toasting flutes I have ever seen. Crazy!!

Matt Photographer had fun with this group too!! Taking them into the vineyard for some great shots in the evening when there is more shade and a little cooler. Though they did have some pictures right after the ceremony since the bride & groom wished not to see each other before hand.

The evening ended with the traditional decorating of the going away vehicle. Which the bridal party did a fantastic job. So if you don't want this to happen on your wedding day, rent a limo or other transportation. :)

Heat Wave & A Helicopter

2009-07-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well we ended a great weekend with close to 100 degree weather and something BeckenRidge has never seen before.

The day started off warm and kept on going. It didn't however stop this group from having a great day. Photographer Neil White arrived the same time as the rest of the group, ready to start taking pictures. As many photographers have done they took pictures in the vineyard. While they were in the vineyard the main room & lawn were being transformed into their style.

They had many helping hands to put everything in order in a short time. BeckenRidge already had the tables, padded chairs and Italian lawn chairs placed awaiting for them to add their touches. Beth from Rhyme & a Reason http://www.ryhmeandareason.com/ added her flare to the centerpieces with curly willow and limes contrasting nicely with the orange & ivory linens.

Marion from Myriad Cakes http://www.myriadcakedesgin.com/ brought in one of the largest cakes seen in a long time. At the end of the evening they found that the circle piece was only foam, so it was all for looks who would of guessed. With everything in place and ready to go all they had to do was wait for guests to arrive.

Guests entered under the gorgeous Trumpet Vine onto the North patio and taking in the views as they were escorted to the lawn for the ceremony. The ceremony was unique in that the bride and groom sang a song to each other.

However the most unique part of their day was that they were escorted away in a helicopter. Yes, that is correct a helicopter!!! This was a first for BeckenRidge and the team from Leading Edge http://www.leadingedgeavn.com/ were amazing in making sure everything went smoothly. Guests were guided to safe areas awaiting the helicopter's arrival as the bride, groom and their son stood waiting by the front doors for the helicopter to land. Enjoy these great pictures. This day will never be forgotten by all here at BeckenRidge and I am sure all that attended that day.

Relaxed Sunday Wedding

2009-07-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

This group was easy going from the very beginning and it continued throughout the day. The decorations were simple with arrangements done and ready to be placed on the table.

Added a few ties to the BeckenRidge chairs on the lawn and some decoration on the arch. Rented two of the BeckenRidge tents to shade a few guests during the ceremony.

Inside rented BeckenRidge ivory linens then added a little of their touch and called it good. They did use the bookcase to display pictures of the bride & groom growing up and family members wedding pictures too. Always a joy to look at. Also used BeckenRidge tapestry chairs.

Capricorn Catering www.capricorncatering.com did a wonderful job again and always a great display of food. Cupcakes instead a cake (been seeing more of lately) placed on a beautiful stand truly noteworthy. The reception went smoothly with mingling to background music and simply enjoying each others company. With roughly 65 guests it was nice having a small group so that all could enjoy each others company. Then bam they were done. Though never felt rushed just really enjoyed their day.

Candy Apple Elegance

2009-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

We had some great vendors here making this day easy and relaxing for all.

This group choose to have a wedding coordinator Mandi from Blush Bridal http://www.blushbridalevents.com/ who did a fabulous job working with the family and all vendors. She helped with everything from rehearsal to making sure the apples where placed just so. Mandi did a wonderful job keeping communication with everyone and always having a smile.

Flowers from Madison Avenue http://www.madisonavenueflowers.com/ were stunning as always. The front doors are beautiful, but adding the initials of the bride & groom is a nice touch done by the mother of the bride. She also added touches to the arch on the lawn with a little greenery & white accents. Sheppard hooks were used along the aisle really accentuating the ceremony setup done by BeckenRidge.

Kris Stalnaker (photographer) http://www.stalnakerphotostudio.com/ was enjoying himself along with the rest of the bridal party. First moment for the bride and groom seeing each other was in the vineyard. Pictures were also taken on the lawn with the whole bridal party, they were having lots of fun.

After the ceremony a bat mitten net was setup along with an activity center on the lawn for the kids to help keep them entertained during the reception. Great ideas when kids come so that parents can fully enjoy the wedding with the bride & groom.

It did not take much to engage this group with great food from Wild Pear http://www.wildpearcatering.com/ their shrimp display was oh my amazing (hats off to the chef Jessica). The display was pleasant to the eye and had you coming back for more. With bellies full dancing began with some excellent DJ'ing from Event Team http://www.eventteament.com/ who kept people out there and simply having a good time.

Of course you have to have dessert, so cake was delivered & nicely decorated by Marion at Myriad Cakes http://www.myriadcakedesign.com/. Everyone was in awe!!!

Mother of the bride had one task of the candy buffet and boy did she do it well. Keeping to the green/black theme she had a wonderful display of candies on the BeckenRidge bookcase. It was almost to good to eat, mind you I said almost. It only took one person to get the interest going and soon all were enjoying.

Everyone had a wonderful time and left full of sweets.

A Very Detailed Wedding

2009-07-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2009

Every detail has been accounted for and the decorating begins right at 10am. It has been awhile since I have seen such detail for a wedding. Father of the bride and uncle where set to work immediately on the lawn decorating the arches & chairs. They even put together an arch they brought for another added touch. Mother & sister worked very hard putting the last flower into place.

The Phoenix Grand Hotel http://www.phoenixgrandhotel.com/ once again was accommodating to our guests; with majority from Washington. They had there rehearsal at BeckenRidge then caravan back to the hotel for the rehearsal dinner in one of The Phoenix Grands banquet rooms. They also used their shuttle service bringing the bridal party to BeckenRidge and more guests as they drew closer to ceremony time.

The photographer Kris and helper Matthew took some wonderful pictures and displayed them on a BeckenRidge bistro table during the reception for all to see. Guests and family gathered in front of the bistro table, with expressions of delight.

Roth's Catering http://www.roths.com/ did a wonderful job again. The staff was so friendly, helpful and worked well with the family. Serious Cakes http://www.seriouscake.com/ brought the cake and was a perfect match to the bride's colors. Everyone mingled had a great time. It was a beautiful day.

July 18th & 19th Weddings

2009-07-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

I hate to combine weddings in one blog, but it is just going to have to be that way this round.

July 18th, 2009 Wedding ravishing in white and lime green.

Centerpieces where a work of art. Here was a new way of incorporating the limes with flowers we had not seen before. Instead of water in the vase with the limes a clear cup of water was placed in the center of the vase and then the limes surround the cup of flowers. Genius!! Using buffet linens, white Italian chairs from BeckenRidge and Grandma brought homemade linens of green to bring it all together.

Matt Enrich (photographer) took the groom into the vineyard to wait for his bride and to see her for the first time in her wedding dress. Oh so romantic!!!

Bride's dress was simple and elegant very fitting for her and this group.

After the ceremony they choose to have a cocktail hour on the lawn before they dived into the reception. So, BeckenRidge setup a second bar on the lawn and then moved inside for dinner & remainder of the reception. Went very smoothly and the weather cooperated perfectly other than the couple of gusts which are not uncommon here.

The nice added touch this group did was Grandma, who was ill, made sure she could see the ceremony and reception via a webcam in her hospital room. How very thoughtful they were.

July 19, 2009; Wedding

A real theme event: Old Time Vegas - Mobster Style

This wedding was dramatically different from Saturday's group. Oh how quickly BeckenRidge transforms from wedding to wedding.

The guys checked in decked out in their pin-stripes, spats & fedoras. Even the cake was in pin stripes, accented with deep red roses. The guest tables were decorated in the casino theme as well, and looked prepared for poker.

These little jewels nearly stole the show.

What a fun day - lots of special memories made.

Saturday, July 11th Wedding

2009-07-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Bride and Groom seeing each other for the first time.

This group had so much energy it was great. They started early and ended late the bride & groom were one of the last to leave. They were just having so much fun.

The morning began with the makeup/hair artists (Chris & Amanda) arrival around 8am. The girls arrived by limo around 9am and dove right into hair and makeup.

While some were getting all dolled up others hung out in the Brides Room with coffee and a variety of snacks.

Jodie from Posey Petals http://www.poseypetals.com/ was the next vendor and brought the decorations for the arch, bouquets, boutonnieres and leis for the bride and groom. They did something I had not seen before for centerpieces on guest tables. They decided that every table would have their own personal candy bar. Way cute & colorful idea to add to the BeckenRidge white linens and chairs.

The cake from A Matter of Taste came kind of early, but didn't think much about it till we noticed the cake leaning as the day went on. We soon realized the butter cream layer was the culprit not holding up well with the other layers and it wasn't even a warm day. Learned that if you want butter cream (taste amazing) keep it as a side/sheet cake and not part of a tiered cake.

The food was catered by Wild Pear http://www.wildpearcatering.com/ Jon and his wonderful staff did another supperb job. Sharon (mother of the bride) had this to share "Once again I want to thank you for the wonderful food and the wonderful service. We wanted to let you know that we received numerous favorable raves about your creative gourmet food that was so delicious, and your excellent service. Personally we are so appreciative of you for how you worked with us and provided assistance and cooperation through this process. It was definitely noticed by all and Shannon, Chris and I are so very grateful. You made a big contribution to making this very special day a remarkable memory for all present." This group is from Seattle and sure to have had some amazing meals there, I feel this is a true testament to the delicious meals from Wild Pear.

Since most guests and bridal party were from the Seattle area they choose to stay at the Phoenix Grand Hotel in Salem http://www.phoenixgrandhotel.com/. They also used their shuttle services throughout the day.

Bringing guests and family to and from the hotel to BeckenRidge.

Guests entered through the North patio to sign the photomat and place their gift on the table provided. As they continued to the covered patio they turned into a portable photo booth http://www.portlandphotobooth.com/ not a common item to see at a wedding. Though it turned out to be the one thing that won everyone over. The guests just loved this and went back for more. What a great way to engage your guests and they received a gift from it as well and so does the bride and groom. Unknown to the guests the bride & groom also get a copy of the pictures that people have been taking inside the booth all evening (could get some interesting pics). :)

The bride and groom also choose to have live music throughout their day. They had Susan from Collage Trio http://www.collagetrio.com/ here playing flute/sax and a some vocal. Susan arranged for the rest of the members too. She was well organized very professional in person and through emails. As most musicians they often need a tent, which the bride did rent from BeckenRidge, in order not to throw their instruments out of tune. For during the ceremony they were placed on the lawn patio by the water fountain and for the reception in the main room by the bookcase.

Music played till about 8:30p with the arrival of the limo shortly there after waiting to whisk the bride and groom back to their honeymoon suite. As said before they were just having to much fun to want to leave, but eventually made their way to the limo. Clean up was easy, shop vac worked wonders on the lawn for all the flower petals & except for the bridal room, which never fails is the last to be cleaned up took the longest.

To all those that traveled from far to see this happy couple be married; we from BeckenRidge wish you safe travels back home and hope to see you for another wonderful event.

Friday, July 10th Wedding

2009-07-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful summer day, slightly overcast (great for Jenny the photographer) and a soft breeze that everyone is enjoying.

Denice from Distinctive Designs http://www.distinctive-designsonline.com/ brought different height vases of simple pink Gerber daises in water with a floating candle on top
on some tables and others had an arrangement of pink Gerber daises and accent pink flowers. Both simple and elegant.

The arch for the ceremony was also decorated with pink Gerber daises along with the aisle where a daises was placed at the foot of the BeckenRidge chairs.

Pink bows placed on top of each cupcake was a cute touch. The cake (made of foam was just for looks), cupcakes and grooms cake all were done by Marion from Myriad Cakes http://www.myriadcakedesign.com/ and there was nothing left of that grooms cake. It took a lot of restraint from all not to pluck the chocolate covered tux strawberries on top of the grooms cake.

This wedding went so smoothly having a coordinator makes all the difference. Janet (the coordinator) worked hard and it paid off. The bridal party was lined up on time guest were seated and this wedding was ready to go. While the ceremony was taking place Janet was taking care of the final touches (lighting floating candles) and making sure things were in place. A few guys after the ceremony were assigned the duty of bringing chairs from the lawn to the tables on the patios using the tractor path, helping in not obstructing the traffic flow for the guests getting back into the main room. Linens came from Crossroads in Salem and inside chairs were rented from BeckenRidge.

This group had an unique setup with the head table being in the center of the room and having family and friends surround them. Then after dinner we removed one section to provide more space for dancing. Matt from Matt's Entertainment http://www.matts-entertainment.com/ had a modern setup and used his cordless mic to dismiss groups by tables for the buffet. Though depending on what table group could answer the question about the bride and groom first were then able to get their food. He was very interactive with the group and they loved it.

Food was catered by Caruso's in Keizer http://www.carusositaliancafe.com/ and they didn't stop with amazing food. The staff (especially Stephanie & husband) were respectful cheerful and very helpful; they simply went beyond most caterers. It was a pleasure having them here and hope to see them again.

Towards the end of the evening we received a little moisture from the heavens above as promised by the weatherman. With the help of Janet, Matt (DJ) and BeckenRidge staff we moved tables out of the elements. Shortly after moving furniture the sun broke leaving us all a little dazzled. How quickly the Oregon weather changes. Most guest were inside dancing and had no idea what was going on, the quick transition went nearly unnoticed. It was a great and happy day.