Portland Lakeside Wedding by Sikora Photography
Rene and Adam perfectly combined their Chinese and German backgrounds into their Portland wedding and included many DIY details that were both budget-friendly and reusable. The couple and their guests took full advantage of their picturesque outdoor wedding venue with games of croquet and badminton, and canoeing on the lake.
Dress: Cocoon Silk (family owned, custom silk shop in Portland, OR)/ Shoes: Nickel from Famous Footwear/ Groom’s Suit: Billy London/ Groomsmen: Tommy Hilfiger/ Men’s shoes: Converse/ Bridesmaid outfits: Tops were handmade by a very talented family friend based on a photo from the web, fabric was purchased from a wholesaler in NYC’s fashion district, pants from Ann Taylor Loft/ Venue: Bridal Veil Lakes/ Photographer: Sikora Photography/ Cake: The Dessert Tray, cake was decorated by Rene’s cousin with the leftover foliage from the centerpieces/ Catering: Madison’s Grill/ Invites & Programs: Bride/ Flowers: purchased at a wholesale market through a friend’s nurserymen’s license, arranged by Bride’s mother/ Music: Myriam Gendron, cellist (ceremony) and mp3 player (dinner/dancing)
From Rene and Adam:
When we got engaged, we knew at once that we wanted to have our wedding in Portland, Oregon. Since most of our guests were coming from out-of-town, we wanted to “show-off” the Pacific Northwest.
We tried to reuse as much of everything as possible. Our “DJ” was an MP3 player that had been pre-programmed with play-lists for different parts of the evening. Our gift to ourselves was the speaker system which we now use as our home theater. The paper lanterns are now used to decorate the patio in our yard. Little reminders throughout our home of our first day as husband and wife.
Rather than renting flatware and glasses, or using compostable utensils and paper plates, we decided to buy reusable utensils and “canning” mugs. Each place setting had a red or blue cotton napkin, 3-piece set of red camping utensils, and a glass mug. Guests were to use these items through dinner and then take it all home as a wedding favor. The mugs were a huge hit!
Rene designed the invitations and all the matching stationery. The theme was based on a loose translation of Adam’s German last name; Chickadee + house. Two birds, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage…you get the idea. Our colors were red and aqua. Red is the traditional Chinese wedding color. Aqua was our “something blue”.
For our venue, we chose Bridal Veil Lakes. It afforded us full use of the site, including a meadow for lawn games, a lake for canoeing, and gorgeous views overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. As with most weddings, things can get expensive really quickly. In order to save money, we held our wedding on a Wednesday afternoon, keeping it casual and small. We also enlisted the help of many friends and family. The moms made all the floral arrangements, a cousin made the veil and hair piece, a friend did makeup, other family members helped set up and tear down the ceremony chairs, lawn games, and decorations.
The guest book was a bare tree that a friend drew, and guests put their fingerprint as leaves on the tree and then signed the print. Afterwards, the tree was framed and is now up on our wall as a momento for all to see when they visit.
We incorporated Western and Eastern wedding traditions during the ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by Adam’s good friend, Dave, who got ordained just for our wedding. The Chinese tea ceremony was performed in the middle of the wedding (where the bride and groom offer tea to the parents, and the parents’ acceptance of the tea signifies the acceptance of the couple’s marriage and the welcoming of the new daughter/son into the family).
As you can probably see from the photos, the activities weren’t limited by just dinner and dancing. People played croquet, badminton, and bocce ball. We even had access to the venue’s canoes for some paddling on the lake.
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