(Portland,OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) offers more than 180 parks and gardens that can be reserved for affordable weddings and receptions.
Weddings are only booked for the current calendar year. The first day to book space and secure permits for weddings during 2015 will be Friday, January 2, 2015.
However, prior to January 2nd, customers are asked to please establish their customer account within PP&R’s new permit/reservation system. This will speed up the reservation process. Customer accounts can be set up online at https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks or by calling the PPR Customer Service Center at 503-823-2525 during business hours.
Brides- and grooms-to-be often form a line in advance of the PP&R Customer Service Center’s 8:00 AM opening. It can stretch from inside the Portland Building out the door and around the corner!
“We reserved about 70-80 weddings on the first day to book for 2014,” recalls Shawn Rogers, the Customer Service Manager for Portland Parks & Recreation. “It was cold, but it was an exciting time! We’re helping people with their wedding dreams, to some extent. It’s a great feeling to see people walk away with the date and location they were hoping for, which most of them do.”
Some couples began lining up before 5:00 AM on the first business day of January 2014. Many of those in line said it has become tradition for couples to queue up to reserve their ideal venues.
PP&R’s Customer Service Center opens at 8:00 AM for walk-in customers only. The center located in the first floor lobby of the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Ave. Entry doors are on 5th Ave between Main and Madison. Street parking and several parking lots are available close by. Please bring your first, second and third preferences for a wedding location and date, just in case. Be prepared to pay the Application Processing Fee AND DEPOSIT required to hold your reservation. PP&R accepts payment by cash, check, and Visa/MC.
Please note that on this date, staff will not begin answering phones until all walk-in customers have been served.
The most popular Portland Parks & Recreation venues for weddings have traditionally been Mt. Tabor, the rose gardens in Washington Park, Hoyt Arboretum, Peninsula Park, and Cathedral Park. Following closely are the Portland Memory Garden, Council Crest, Rocky Butte, and South Waterfront Garden.
The Portland Parks & Recreation Customer Service Center (CSC) is at 1120 SW 5th Avenue on the ground floor. The phone number is 503-823-2525.
Office Open: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:30 PM
Phone Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:15 PM
Costs for wedding permits vary by venue. Some venues (including Leach Botanical Garden and the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden) are not managed through the PP&R Customer Service Center.
For more info including the complete PP&R wedding brochure, please visit: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/38300
Permits are required by Portland City Code for any wedding in a public park where guests are invited (parties consisting of more than just the couple, wedding official, and two witnesses).
At most outdoor locations, birdseed and bubbles are the only items approved for showering the happy couple after they have taken their vows. Only bubbles are permitted in the Washington Park Rose Gardens. Rice may not be used in any park site.
Tents, canopies, and awnings are not allowed in wedding gardens, however, they may be allowed at other park sites with the park supervisor’s approval.
It is unlawful to possess or consume alcoholic beverages in any Portland park without a permit.
For complete info on weddings and reservations at Portland Parks & Recreation sites, please visit http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/38300
