As a wedding photographer over the last six years, I feel like I have some pretty good insight into what makes a venue, a good one to enjoy your wedding, your guests and your party but also one that is beautiful. I hope that you find the best space for your day that makes the most sense for your own love story, and find a venue owner/manager/ venue that you love!
Located in: Silverton, OR
Guest Count Max: 500 guests in Grazing Meadow, 100 guests in Rustic Barn
** can provide tables & chairs for up to 300 guests
Investment: (they haven't updated their website for 2024 yet) 2023 pricing started at $6500
This historic family farm that sits in the hills just outside of Silverton, OR, right in the middle of the Willamette Valley, it truly is one of the most versatile wedding venues in the Valley. Right when you pull up to the venue, you see the 100 year old white barn, with the outdoor reception area directly to the right. You head left toward the main parking lot, and there is a small entrance into the Grazing Meadow, where the majority of summer weddings are held on property! The parking lot is divided by a line of greenery so that your guests' cars stay out of your beautiful photographs!
A couple great services that The Farm on Golden Hill offers is their on site wedding day coordinators! The coordinators that they had for their 2022 and 2023 wedding season were absolutely amazing ladies from Have & Hold Events. They were so easy to work with for Hannah & Jeremy's Wedding that I literally could brag about them every day. So I know that every coordinator that they choose to join them for the year is going to be absolutely amazing! Nadara from Hand in Hand Coordination, their 2024 hired coordinator is one of the sweetest people I've ever met and I cannot wait to work with her this year!
Not only that but the Farm on Golden Hill will do the heavy lifting with all your tables, chairs, dance floor, etc. so you just have to grab your decorations and they will do the rest for you! That way your family and friends don't have to come later to help tear everything down, and you don't have to worry about rental companies coming and grabbing items!
Whenever you rent the Farm on Golden Hill for your wedding day, it includes a 3 day rental. You get the whole weekend! That way you have AMPLE time to get everything ready for your Saturday wedding, and you don't have to rush to get everything out of the whole venue right at the end of the night.
OTHER PERKS:
can use venue for Engagement Photos (just like Hannah & Jeremy did for their engagement photos!), they have various wedding arches to choose from on property, and they have two separate getting ready spaces for brides & grooms!
Located in: Mt. Hood, Oregon (about 20 minute drive to Hood River, OR)
Guest Count: 75- 175 guests
Investment: Inquire directly for full investment guide
Mt Hood Organic Farms is truly a jaw dropping 200-acre working orchard estate at the base of Mt Hood. Mt Hood Organic Farms truly has one of the most epic ceremony location backdrops with Mt Hood nestled right in between thick trees. As a guest, you get to see the most beautiful couple get married with the most beautiful view.
The fact that Mt Hood Organic Farms was chosen 3 times by Oregon Bride Magazine's Best Outdoor Garden Venue should come as no surprise because of the variety of the venue in it's entirety. With 10 main areas or buildings being available during your wedding day, you will have the most customized experience for you and your guests to enjoy your day!
They have two separate building for bridesmaids and groomsmen to get ready without running into each other before you want to! One of them, The Cottage has so much natural light and vintage charm that makes the perfect space to get ready, and is close enough to the rest of the venue that makes a great space to wait and ready for your ceremony and processional. The Carriage House is the farm's original 1904 carriage house that is far enough away from the rest of the venue with your own private yard that opens to the mountain views that makes a perfect peaceful space for the groomsmen to get ready at.
As your guests enter the property, they get to walk through the Rose Garden and Arbor to receive refreshments and leads them straight to the Ceremony Garden. From the ceremony garden, your guests then get to share cocktail hour around the Pond Bar, with farm-to-table appetizers, signature cocktails, wine, cider and beverages of your choosing! And since Mt Hood Organic Farms is a working orchard, they make all their own cider on property!
The Apple House Reception space almost steals the show from the view of Mt Hood and Mt Angel around the property! The Apple House has the most eclectic black and white checkered floor and tiled wall that is so unique to this space that seats 150 inside for a plated dinner by their in house catering, Culivate Caterting (note: you have to use this catering service for all weddings at this venue). What's super unique is that they actually do their wine service on each table so that guests aren't having to wait in another line to get another drink during dinner - which is genius in my opinion!
Another perk is their courtyard, which is between the Apple House and the Greenhouse, which can make a perfect space for overflow dining for larger weddings, beautiful outdoor space for intimate weddings or a good sheltered space with bistro tables to watch all the dancing happening in the Greenhouse or the Apple House!
OTHER PERKS:
On site Event Corrdinator: Cassandra Cass, who has many years of experience at Mt Hood Organic Farms, wants you to have the most effortless and stress free day as possible!
Located in: Hood River, OR
Guest Count: 175 guests max
Investment: Inquire directly for full pricing details
The Orchard Hood River is another working farm turned wedding venue with some beautiful large open areas for the perfect outdoor weddings along the Columbia River Gorge! One of my favorite perks of this space is that your guests are in one general location for your whole wedding day! The ceremony space, and reception space are all within eyeshot, so you don't to have to direct people too much to tell them where they need to be!
Your reception space at The Orchard Hood River is in a barn with two of it's walls open with string lights already hung up around the barn (that way you don't have to source any and put them up yourself!), which makes for the best summer evening weddings with a nice warm breeze coming through the space!
Weddings are hosted from May to October, avoiding the majority of the cold, and rainy seasons, but taking advantage of the beautiful springs, summer and fall weekend! They do have both in house catering that you get to use for a farm-to-table experience by Celilo Catering, it will be some of the most delicious food you've ever tasted! (you are required to use this caterer if you have food on your wedding day).
OTHER PERKS:
Venue teardown! That way you or your family doesn't have to tear down the space with the tables, chairs or anything else that belongs to the venue.
LARGE selection of furniture to choose from! The Orchard Hood River wants you to be able to have a strong foundation while you're planning the extra little decor details for your wedding day without any extra expense!
Located in: Aurora, OR
Guest Count MAX: 280 guest max*
Event Center: *130 guest max for a ceremony indoors, 280 guest max for indoor & outdoor seating
Outdoor Amphitheater 280 guest max
Investment: Starting at $4200 for off season
Peak Season (May - October) ranges from $5200 to $7200
Off Season (November - April) ranges from $4200 to $6200
$2000 Catering for in house catering ONLY
About 30 minutes south from the heart of Portland, is this oasis of a wedding venue & vineyards combined at Aurora Colony Vineyards. Aurora Colony Vineyards is not only a working vineyard with a tasting room opened every weekend, especially in the winter to early spring months, but is a super versatile wedding venue for those couples wanted to have big & small celebrations.
When I was photographing Sarah & Ethan's wedding day there, I was blown away by the quality of the spaces around this whole venue. The bride & groom have a getting ready space/ building that is far removed from the rest of the venue/ ceremony & reception space, which makes for the perfect hide out before your ceremony starts. At Sarah & Ethan's day, we actually did all of their photos prior to their ceremony, over by the vines by where they were getting ready, so that no one had to go back and forth between the ceremony space and the getting ready space before they needed to.
The Event Center is large to hold about 130 indoors, but Aurora Colony Vineyards has the most beautiful and spacious deck around the side of the building that can either hold more guests or you can transition easily to the dancing portion and get everyone on their feet!
Note: Starting in 2024, if you plan to have a meal on site, you are required to use their in house catering, and it is a minimum of a $2000 fee for food and beverage.
OTHER PERKS:
Aurora Colony Vineyards has some gorgeous white chairs & round tables for your event that makes for gorgeous photos even for those little details!
Located in: Hood River, OR (just 5 minutes to Hood River)
Guest Count: up to 175 guests
Investment: Inquire directly for full investment guide
The Griffin House is one of the most epic AirBnB style venues that you can get married on along the Columbia River Gorge. This 120-year-old home that was once a dairy farm, a fox farm and a speakeasy turned wedding venue in 2008. The Griffin House sits on the edge of the cliff with jaw-dropping, unhindered views right on the ceremony lawn so you will always have that epic view for any outdoor ceremony.
Some amazing perks of The Griffin House include: their clear tent, and their private getting ready spaces on site so you don't have to worry about finding a second location to get ready at for any sized wedding that you do on property. "The Griffin Wing" where typically the ladies get ready at, has this beautiful skylight where you will have the most breathtaking light stream in for those amazing getting ready shots.
For those intimate weddings, you can totally do a dinner inside the house on property if you would like, but for those big epic parties, The Griffin House has a gorgeous clear tent right on property to help with the wind or in the event of rain on your wedding day.
Another benefit of The Griffin House is their private collection of furniture that they have available for you to use for your wedding so you have one less thing to worry about renting or sourcing for your wedding day. They also will provide you with a list of recommended vendors but you're not limited to those vendors and can choose whomever you like to help make your dream a reality!
Overall, I don't think you could be disappointed using The Griffin House for your wedding day!
Em Photo is an Oregon based wedding and elopement photographer, often traveling across the Pacific Northwest for wedding photography. Specializing in warm and timeless film inspired photos that feel nostalgic and bring you back to your wedding day. Emily loves those couples that are a little goofy, true to themselves, and want to do their wedding their way - big or small!