These two planned the most amazing micro wedding at Leach Botanical Garden in Portland, Oregon. They wanted a small, special day with 50 of their favorite people and what an amazing day it was! I actually had the pleasure of meeting John + Ellen back in 2019 for their engagement session in Forest Park. These two were originally planning to be married in 2020 but instead 2021 was their year and what a fun time! This micro wedding was beautiful, so thoughtful and one of the most fun events – I literally didn’t want to leave the party! They also were one of the first couples to have their ceremony at Leach Botanical Garden’s new Tree Deck location and what a beautiful space!

The Venue

Leach Botanical Garden is a 16-acre botanical garden located in outer southeast Portland, Oregon. Driving to the garden, you would never expect to find this oasis amidst the typical metropolitan of Southeast Portland but poof! It exists! 😉 The garden was established in 1931 as landscaping for the private home of two botanists. The garden was originally named Sleepy Hollow and currently features a diverse collection of over 2,000 hybrids, cultivars, native and non-native plants, and 40 genera and over 125 species of ferns. Many are labeled. The property is divided by Johnson Creek and most of the land is on an incline. John + Ellen had their ceremony in the upper Tree Deck and their reception on the East Terrace. You can drive down or there are

Their Day

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First Look

John and Ellen chose to have a first look and enjoy some time together before the ceremony. This also allowed some time down on the beautiful East Terrace before the reception. Having a ‘split level’ venue easily allows guests to be arriving up above for the ceremony and the couple to roam freely down in the garden and East Terrace area which was perfect for these two. Having those quiet moments can be so great and ease those nerves on a wedding day.

Their Ceremony

They had to find an officiant last minute as their good friend who was to perform the ceremony unfortunately got sick the day before the event. Thankfully Officiant Holly Pruett came through and did an excellent job with only days notice! If you are looking for an officiant for your own day – highly recommend! She made it personal, and you would never know of the short notice.

John & Ellen’s ceremony was beautiful. They each wrote personal vows to each other that were so moving, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the audience. They included a sand pouring during their ceremony and kept things small with their maid of honor and best man being the only wedding party.

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The Reception

After a short duration of wedding party and family photos, it was on to reception fun! With breakfast for dinner, what’s not to love! Such delicious food and this entire vendor team was phenomenal – do see below for the full list! A special shout out to Manny the DJ, who happened to be a friend of the couple, and is just amazing! After perhaps some goading by yours truly (hey – I’m all about a good time!) – he performed an amazing “Cake Commentary” that brought so much joy to what is sometimes seen as an ‘old’ tradition of cake cutting and just made it super fun! Also – Manny is the one who introduced me to those awesome foam Glowsticks that I now recommend for all my couples for their dance party after dark. 😉

Complete with bringing the macarena back as the first group dance to get everyone to join in, this was such a fun evening! The East Terrace at Leach Botanical Garden is such a great space for a micro wedding with space to mingle, dance and easy access to the bar area. This quickly became a new favorite venue!

From start to finish this Leach Botanical Garden Micro Wedding in Portland Oregon was a relaxed, fun event that was perfect for John & Ellen! And when the night came to an end I didn’t want to leave. Such a fabulous group of people and such a sweet couple! Congratulations again you two! Hope you had an amazing honeymoon in Iceland!

Vendors:

• Venue: @leachgardenevents
• Photographer: @myrtlecreativeco
• Florist: @songbirdfloristry
• Officiant: http://www.hollypruettcelebrant.com/
• DJ: @mannyfrescopdx
• Catering: @cherylson12th
• Cake: @dreamcakespdx and @nothingbundtcakes
• Wedding Dress: @aandbe_portland
• Groom Suit: @indochino

“Ann Marie is not only a talented photographer, but she is incredibly attentive both leading up to our wedding and on the day itself. She offered great insights for how to best organize and capture the day, seemed ready for any surprise during the event, and we’re so happy with the photos so far (just got our first look!). During the wedding, she was great about keeping everyone calm and keeping things moving along. It felt both super relaxed and efficient! We also definitely recommend her if you’re not typically comfortable in front of the camera, like us. She made us feel at ease! We highly recommend her!!”

-John + Ellen

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