Booking Our Pacific Northwest Wedding Venue: Union/Pine in Portland, Oregon | Getting Hitched
The “sunken living room” where ceremonies are held and dancing is done.
There’s a ton of buzz about the venue of our dreams and deservedly so! Union/Pine in Portland, Oregon is *the* Pacific Northwest wedding venue (and event venue) for anyone looking to cultivate an intimate vibe. My jaw DROPPED when I found Union/Pine. It was everything we could hope for: industrial, yet elevated, minimalistic and spacious.
Our Dreamy Pacific Northwest Wedding Venue
As soon as we learned that September/October is actually a popular season for them and came to our own conclusion that it’d be better to book now, we decided to take the trip down to PDX and schedule a tour + consult with manager Cassy (who is a delight, by the way! Stay tuned for our feature on her, we added her to the team for something extra exciting!). Cassy gave us the walk-through of both the loft and the main venue, and thoroughly answered all of our questions (she’s done a beautiful job holding my ultra-planner hand through it all).
Here’s a few of the questions we asked her:
There’s no vendor fee for any vendor we book, correct? (This is key to ask venues as some do require a certain percentage fee).
What is your food and beverage policy? (Union/Pine has an open catering policy allowing you to work with whomever you choose, unlike many venues!).
Are you insured? Do you have a force majure clause in place for events such as COVID-19 rescheduling?
Does the surround sound audio system work with Spotify, or do we need a DJ? Similarly, do you have any mics or hookups we can use for a single live performance?
In terms of timeline, can we rent The Loft for different, separate hours than the Main Venue?
What all is included in your cleaning services? How do we go about coordinating furniture rental load-in and pickup?
What we looked for when choosing our venue:
Affordability
Get a load of this bonus perk: Union/Pine is offered right around $3,000 depending on your event specifics… no joke! Perfect for anyone who likes a budget-conscious approach.
If you’ve been on the hunt at all, you’ll know that a decent wedding venue can easily begin at $5K and increase quickly depending on all the bells & whistles that you’re looking for. In this case, we were able to easily book not only the main venue, but the additional large upstairs loft for ease of getting ready onsite.
The Loft is an available add-on for a minimal fee. Pictured here is just a small corner of the spacious area!
Contemporary, Minimalist Feel
My non-negotiable was the aesthetic. I knew I was going to have to LOVE the space when I first laid eyes on photos of it, and Union/Pine was no exception during my venue search. I’m a big fan of white walls, wood floors, barn doors, and that mix between grungy, industrial and quaint, farmhouse vibes. Ultimately, it needed to carry with it a certain kind of 2023 charm and be fit for a millennial couple! We wanted an easy, blank canvas to add our own flair to with hand-lettered details and plenty of florals/greenery.
The bar and lounge area are just a few steps up from the ceremony/dancing space.
Friendly Staff
I was pleasantly surprised when Cassy responded almost instantly to my request for information/first inquiry, and was further sold with her continued prompt communication and friendly, helpful personality that translated through in person as well! Although Cassy won’t be a day-of coordinator, it’s lovely to know we’re in good hands up until the ceremony (and afterwards) and that we are supporting a fabulous business with fabulous practices.
This is the back room, quickly transformed into a beautiful dining space.
All in all, we couldn’t be happier with this space that has way more perks than we anticipated! It really is our dream come true and we can’t wait to celebrate with our loved ones here. With this appointment, we began the process of paying vendor deposits, declared our date, and gained an event designer along the way. :) Stay tuned for what comes next!
Vendor Rec:
Union/Pine
@unionpine on Instagram
unionpine.com
About the Couple
We’re Jared and Kathryn - Olympia, Washington natives that have dated since April 2013 (nearly a decade in, baby!) and have lived together a majority of those years as well. Jared is launching into his career in IT, and Kathryn is the owner of a freelance content marketing agency serving clients across the country. Together we’re tech nerds, Pacific Northwest travelers, the ultimate foodies, and drag show lovers. We’re so excited to share our wedding journey with you + hope to provide some insight that helps you along the way!
