wedding help (Portland, Beaverton, Beaver: outdoor wedding, trees, property)

[surfkilauea]

My fiance and I are thinking of having our wedding in Portland. We are not locals, my fiance being from Seattle and I am from Hawaii, so we are in need of some help.
Could anyone please tell us where we might find a grove of cherry blossom trees? We want to have the ceremony under the cherry blossoms and have our reception near Portland. We are looking for a park or some property that would allow us to have a ceremony.

Thank you for your help!

[FoxyKnox]

I'm not sure of if you can or not, but the waterfront promenade/park in downtown Portland is lined with cherry trees that "snow" pink blossoms in the late spring. I would think you'd need to check with Portland City parks bureau to find out if you can actually wed there. I know lots of people will go there before or after the ceremony for pictures. The Portland Spirit (rentable party boat) is moored along the prominade here and is a good choice for hosting the ceremony and reception, plus you can cruise along the cherry trees.

[123qwe123]

Check out Branch and Bloom (branchbloom.com) for a great local florist in Portland. She does great work and is very inexpensive.

[Nell Plotts]

Check the Portland Park Bureau website for locations you might book for a wedding. Washington Park and the Pittock Mansion are beautiful. There is a park west of Beaverton that can be reserved... has a nice building for a reception. Others may know the name. Cherry trees bloom on their own schedule, don't count on perfect timing.

Outdoor weddings always have a risk of showers.

[Minervah]

I don't think it has cherry blossoms but Tryon Creek State park has a shelter nestled in some lovely woods. You can reserve it and the park will set up tables and so forth for a minimal fee.

[oregonn8v]

I think that your wedding idea is incredibly romantic so I hate to be the downer, but no one else has mentioned the elephant in the room. RAIN!

The cherry trees in Portland tend to blossom around late March, early April...a notoriously wet time of year in Portland.

While it would be beautiful, the odds of hitting a spring weekend where the trees are blooming and the sky is clear will be nearly impossible.

I don’t mean to rain on your parade (pun slightly intended), but I do want you to be aware of the risks and be prepared with a backup plan if necessary.