Erika and Lionel were married at The Grotto with a reception at The Nines Hotel in Portland. The Grotto and The Nines Hotel are two of the most unique places to have a wedding in Portland, and Emee, from EJP Events, did a fantastic job, as always, coordinating and running the day! I love working with good wedding planners, makes life so much easier for the couple and everyone else!

It was love at first sight for this couple. Erika says they first spotted each other in a restaurant, and she made the first move by finding an excuse to go talk to Lionel. “We talked for hours the first day we met,” Erika tells us. “I think we both knew from that day we would one day be married.”

That first look was just as important on their wedding day. The bride and groom both agree that one of their favorite moments was seeing each other for the first time at the altar, and it’s obvious from the big smiles they each wore as Erika walked down the aisle to Lionel. As the two stood in front of the beautiful backdrop at The Grotto, they couldn’t keep their eyes off of each other.

Erika wore a beautiful trumpet-silhouette dress, and jewelry and a veil gifted to her by her mother-in-law. Though Erika bought the second dress she tried on, the couple tells us Lionel was a little trickier. He bought one suit, only to decide two weeks before the wedding he wanted to change it up! Erika calls it “true Lionel style.”

Following the ceremony, the wedding moved to The Nines in Downtown Portland for a great reception full of delicious food and lots of dancing. The bride shared a dance with her father, and the groom danced with his mother, before guests joined the couple for a money dance and more fun throughout the night.

Also a shout out to the amazing vendors we worked with – Portland Florist Shop, rentals were by Party Place, DJ Was Stumptown DJ. Catering and Cake was by The Nines Hotel.  I love that the cake and decorations were Hello Kitty themed! There was even an ice sculpture! We are also seeing more and more candy bar with various different candies at weddings. Great idea!