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Portland Wedding Tips & Tools
This list of Portland wedding tips and tools will help you address many of the planning issues that couples tend to overlook
I often tell couples that producing a wedding isn’t much different than producing a movie or a stage play. There’s a cast and a crew, a budget, a timeline and a script. There are props, costumes and a set. It extends to writing, rehearsing, performing, lighting, make up and camera work. In some cases there may even be financial backers. And of course there are the stars of the show and their devoted audience.
Below you'll find some in-depth, detailed Portland wedding tips and tools that should help make your special day go smoothly. Following this advice will make a big difference, I promise!
Transportation and Timing
I strongly recommend that you include a detailed map or driving instructions with the invitation, and a contact phone number. Ideally, send a digital invite along with your printed invitation so people can click on a Google map.
After 30 years of facilitating wedding ceremonies, one of my pet peeves is ceremonies that start late because an important friend or family member arrives late and the couple doesn't want to start without them. The worksaround is this... For a ceremony that begins at noon, invite guests for 11:30. If the invitation says 12:00, most people won’t start arriving until 12:00, and this will result in delays. Plan for this and other inevitable delays (waiting for a late member of the wedding party to arrive for example), because it you don't, you’ll have a chain reaction; the catering/food service will be delayed and if the musicians, photographer and other vendors have a second wedding to attend, this may cause them to cut short their time with you. One way to guard against these things is to let your friends know that you expect them to be on time.
Your guests are human and they need things like chairs, bathrooms and protection from the weather. If your wedding is outdoors where these things aren't readily availble, don’t make guests wait too long for the ceremony to start. This is especially important if there are older people present (see weather/shelter/comfort, below).
Portland Wedding Tips & Tools
Taking Care of Business
Be sure to have paperwork completed and checks written to vendors in advance. On the day of the wedding, delegate a friend to manage money for you, someone who can keep track of contracts, checks and other business details. Almost all officiants -- myself included -- prefer to take care of money and paperwork before the ceremony begins, because afterwards you’ll be too busy to deal with it.
The marriage license comes in an envelope that is pre-addressed to the county recorder’s office. Inside the envelope is a form for requesting a certified copy of the license. Fill out this form in advance and bring it to the wedding in the envelope with the license. In some counties this can be done online.
The Reception
I don't expect to be invited to the reception (most officiants don't expect this). Generally, musicians, photographers and others do not expect to be fed, unless they’re working at the actual reception. It's perfectly acceptable to ask them what their standard routine is.
Weather and Physical Comfort
The sun can be brutal in the summer, and at 6 or 7 pm the weather can still be in the high 80s and low 90s. So please consider the need to stay cool. The bride's makeup will be running down her face and the armpits of her dress will be soaked. Flies will be buzzing around the wedding cake, which will be melting. If you want to marry outdoors, do it early morning, late at night, in the Spring or Fall, or in a place where there’s LOTS of shade. For more on this, click HERE.
Hide The Bride?
If guests will be mingling when they arrive rather than going directly to their seats, make sure they have a comfortable space in which to do it. Will they have to stand, or will there be seating? Standing for more than a few minutes at a time is miserable for older people and for women wearing high heels. Will they be in the hot sun? Provide shade or shelter. It’s also advisable to make refreshments available during this period.
For an outdoor ceremony, you will most likely need a microphone. Before the big day, go to the site and see how well you can be heard. One of your should stand on the spot where you will be standing during the ceremony, and the other stand where the farthest guest will be seated. Speak in a normal tone of voice. Can the farthest guest hear you? If there’s wind or water (the ocean or even a tiny waterfall can interfere with sound), the ceremony will need to be amplified. Your DJ can help with this. At a restaurant, hotel or other public place, microphones will usually be provided. Ask.
Portland Wedding Tips and Tools for Your Ceremony
Please look at each other during the ceremony (not at the officiant). Smile, giggle, cry, whisper things to one another. You don’t have to be formal or stiff. Make it fun!
After the pronoucement, you don’t need permission to kiss. Just kiss, and then turn to face the audience triumphantly. They will automatically applaud.
Don’t worry about remembering your lines. That’s my job, and that's why we use the “repeat after me” method.
If you are planning to say any lines or words during the ceremony, rehearse them first. Practice saying your vows to one another and see how it sounds. Many couples write flowery, wordy vows, and when it’s time to say them during the ceremony, the couples end up giggling because it sounds so corny. Practice first. The same is true for any readings – a poem or passage for example – that may be given by a friend. Listen to how it sounds out loud before you commit to using it in the ceremony.
More Portland Wedding Tips and Tools
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Portland Wedding Advice
Rev. Dr. Terri Daniel
