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Portland Parks & Recreation wedding reservations for most of 2019 taken via lottery system

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POSTED NOVEMBER 5, 2018
(Portland, OR) – 

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) will be holding a lottery for securing wedding reservations in PP&R parks between March 2019 and December 2019.The wedding lottery is an equitable and fun way for future brides and grooms to try for their first choice in picking desired wedding dates and locations in a Portland park. Future newlyweds can participate in the lottery to try and secure their preferred location and date - or wait until after January 1, 2019 and place a reservation for any locations, times, and dates available after the lottery has been completed.

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For specific info on entering the 2019 Wedding Reservation Lottery, please visit this link

For frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Wedding Reservation Lottery, please visit this page.

How the lottery will work:

Wedding lottery registration will be from Monday, November 19 at 8:00am through Thursday, December 13 at 5:00pm. Applicants will need to submit a wedding reservation request as part of the process to enter the lottery. In the request, they will need to provide basic contact information, provide preferred location/date information, and pay a $117 non-refundable application fee. 

Entry into the lottery does not guarantee reservation of a requested location or date. However, PP&R staff will do their best to find a suitable alternative if necessary. The lottery is only for wedding events to take place March 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. To book wedding events taking place January or February 2019, customers need to call the Customer Service Center starting October 1, 2018; reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. 

People who enter the lottery will be assigned a number. On the day of the drawing, all numbers will be placed in a large glass bowl and drawn randomly. The results - the order in which future newlyweds select their desired reservation dates/times/locations - will be posted on the PP&R website and shown Live on Facebook.com/PortlandParks on the day of the drawing (December 14, 2018).

 Key dates:

  • Monday, November 19, 2018 – PP&R will begin taking wedding lottery requests at 8:00am
  • Thursday, December 13, 2018 - We will stop accepting wedding requests into the lottery at 5:00pm.
  • Friday, December 14, 2018 - The drawing for the wedding lottery will take place at 10:00am - held live on Facebook.
  • Monday, December 17, 2018 - PP&R will begin processing lottery requests beginning at 8:00am
  • Wednesday, January 2, 2019 - PP&R Customer Service Center opens to take all other (non-lottery) wedding requests for 2019

About getting married at a PP&R park

Portland Parks & Recreation is the proud steward of more than 200 parks, gardens, and natural settings that can be reserved for weddings and/or receptions. These lovely settings are the perfect locations for ceremonies and celebrations. Please see the PP&R wedding brochure for locations, fees, policies, insurance, and more reservation information. 

Why is PP&R using a wedding lottery system?

In October 2017, the Portland Parks & Recreation Customer Service Center moved to 111 SW Columbia St. Suite 660. This new, smaller location was not able to accommodate the traditional in-person wedding day reservation line, so a lottery system was determined to be the best way to accommodate wedding hopefuls. PP&R held its first ever wedding lottery in 2017 with positive results and has decided to continue with this system for the coming wedding season. 

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