Wedding Blog

The Story of a Practical Theme

You may of heard a little something about Portland, Oregon… it rains. According to our reputation, almost incessantly. It is my opinion that generally the city gets a bad rap, because the rain is fairly seasonal and the natural beauty it creates is breathtaking.

Suffice to say that, like any stereotype, there is a part to this one which is true - every winter there comes upon the city a rainstorm that begins in early December and keeps on going pretty much until the end of January. Our wedding date is smack in the middle of that.

The part of town where the venue is located is amazing in terms of architecture and city history. Up until fifteen years ago it was an industrial district housing two breweries, and various warehouses and loading docks. Now shops line those loading docks and lofts occupy former brewery space. It’s neat. And I want to go out and take pictures in it. Rain or shine! Before the ceremony! My sister is aghast.

But wait, I have a solution. Umbrellas, cute ones too. I ordered Chinese oiled paper umbrellas for us to use to get from location to location if it is raining. And if it isn’t… well, they look pretty cool too.

Around the time of this decision, my roommate and I had been rooting around in Powell’s Art Section for ideas on invitations. While there we kept running across these amazing Art Deco posters, with stylized graphic shapes and amazing fonts. I wanted a way to evoke this era and style in our invitations and other paper, then I suddenly thought, “Why not Art Deco Umbrellas everywhere?”

They are a quirky fun nod to Portland and its reputation of rainy-ness, and is still in keeping with our vintage modern style. I love it when practical details turn into great inspiration.