Ask us anything.

Not in the package:

• Your Oregon marriage license and its county fee, which goes to the county rather than to us
• Hair, makeup and attire
• Rings
• Personal florals. Bouquets and boutonnieres are available as add-ons
• Transportation and lodging for you and your guests
• A rehearsal. The ceremony is short and your officiant walks you through it on the day
• A wedding permit, if you want to reserve the staircase for your whole guest list. That's around $817 and you apply for it yourselves. The site reservation permit every booking needs is included

Everything else on the day is ours: the ceremony, officiant, license filing, photography, florals, food, desserts, drinks, permit fees, and all setup and teardown.

A legal ceremony beneath the St. Johns Bridge, portraits in Cathedral Park while we set the tables, then a styled picnic reception where your people join you. The ceremony is always at 3:00 PM. Just the Two of Us finishes at 6:00, The Garden Party and The Soirée at 7:30.

It's a collaboration between two St. Johns businesses. Weddinglandia handles the ceremony, the officiant, and your marriage license filing. Higher Love handles the reception, the vendor team, the permits, and everything on the day.

All three are genuinely all-inclusive. Ceremony, officiant, license filing, photography, florals, charcuterie, desserts, beverages, permit fees, linens, place settings, setup and teardown are all in the price.

The only things you pay for separately are your marriage license fee, which goes to the county, and personal florals if you want them. Rings, what you wear, hair and makeup, and travel are yours as well.

A typical Garden Party wedding with a bouquet and boutonniere comes to $3,855 all in. The full breakdown is on the packages page.

• Legal ceremony with an ordained officiant, ceremony recording, and marriage license filing
• Photography, with a sneak peek in 48 hours and the full gallery in four to six weeks
• A styled picnic reception with linens, place settings, votives, plus blankets, cushions and trays on the lawn
• Charcuterie and grazing from She Serves, with vegan options
• Desserts from Flower & Flour
• Fresh floral table arrangements from Still City Flowers
• Water and lemonade, plus an allowance toward Oregon wine and North Portland beer
• Your Portland Parks permit fee
• A Bluetooth speaker on your playlist, and for the two larger packages, bocce, cornhole and a bubble send-off
• All setup, styling and teardown

About fifteen minutes from downtown and thirty from the airport. It's a public park, free to visit, and open the whole time you're there.

The picnic reception is in a quieter, more tucked-away part of the park that we reserve for you. The ceremony is either at the staircase beneath the arches or at a spot we reserve nearby, which is your choice. The ceremony section explains both.

The Garden Party and The Soirée run 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Ceremony at 3:00, portraits until 4:30, then the picnic. Just the Two of Us runs 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM: same shape, an hour and a half shorter, with portraits until 4:00 and the picnic after that.

Times are measured from the scheduled start, so arriving late shortens your day rather than extending it. We can't add time on the day.

You bring a valid Oregon marriage license, your officiant performs the ceremony, and Weddinglandia files the paperwork afterward. It's a wedding, not a symbolic one.

If you turn up without a valid license we can still hold the ceremony, but it won't be legal and the package isn't refundable, so please build the license into your timeline.

Higher Love is woman-owned, and we welcome couples of every background and orientation. Our add-ons include two bouquets and two boutonnieres precisely because not every couple needs one of each.

The staircase beneath the arches is one of two locations Portland Parks treats as an official wedding venue, and reserving it takes a wedding permit that only you can apply for. Without one you can still marry there, but only as a simple ceremony of five: the two of you, your officiant, and two witnesses. Everyone counts toward that five, children included, and witnesses have to be 18 or over. It isn't something we can flex.

Everywhere else in Cathedral Park is covered by the site reservation permit we already hold for your reception, and that permit allows up to 30 people at a ceremony. That's more than any of our packages hold, so your whole guest list can be there, children included. There's no seating, so guests stand, and then you all walk to the picnic together.

We need to know before we call Portland Parks, because the location goes on your permit application. Both options are laid out here.

Park lawn ceremony

• Covered by the site reservation permit we help you get
• Your full guest list can attend
• ADA accessible, on level ground
• Restrooms and parking nearby

Staircase ceremony

• Five people, unless you buy a separate wedding permit
• From 2027 that permit is the only way to reserve it
• Not guaranteed without one
• Not ADA accessible
• Restrooms are a fair walk away
• Ample parking close by

Without a wedding permit the staircase is first come, first served on the day. If someone else is standing there at 3:00 PM, we move to the lawn and carry on. That isn't grounds for a refund or a reschedule, which is why we'd rather you know now than find out then.

From 2027, Portland Parks is bringing back full wedding permits, so couples will be able to reserve the staircase in advance. On any given 2027 date, someone else may hold it.

If having a confirmed location matters to you, choose the lawn. You'll still be under the bridge and in the photographs.

That permit has to be in your name. Portland Parks will only deal with the person named on it, so we can't apply for it, hold it, or stand in line for you.

• It can't be requested by phone, email or online. You have to attend in person.
• Reservations open on one specific day each January, first come first served, and Cathedral Park is expected to be in very high demand.
• The staircase usage fee is $683.75 for up to 100 people, plus a non-refundable application fee of $133.50 if you book more than 45 days ahead. Around $817 in total.
• Fees are set by Portland Parks and can change, so confirm current pricing with them.

If you hold that permit, your whole guest list can attend the ceremony on the staircase. Tell us you're going for it and we'll explain exactly what to expect.

Witnesses have to be 18 or over. If you're eloping alone, or you'd simply rather not ask anyone, Weddinglandia will provide two and it's entirely normal.

Personal vows, traditional vows, readings, a moment for someone who isn't there. Raise it with Jasmine and Zach at Weddinglandia and they'll build the ceremony around it. There are only a few lines that are legally required.

The ceremony is short and your officiant walks you through exactly what happens on the day, before it starts. Nobody has ever needed a practice run.

Your package covers a fixed window, and vendors have other commitments, so we can't extend the end time. If you arrive late your officiant may shorten the ceremony script, except the parts required by law, to keep everything on schedule.

The Garden Party is the two of you plus 8. The Soirée is the two of you plus 18.

You can add up to four more people to either at $75 each, taking The Garden Party to 14 and The Soirée to 24. Added guests sit in the blanket picnic area rather than at a table, because table seating can't be extended past what your package includes. Their beverage allowance goes up $25 per person.

Twenty-four total is our hard ceiling and it isn't something we can waive. Over 14 people you'll need The Soirée, because that's the package with the second table.

Children under three aren't given a table seat or a place setting and are expected to be held or seated with a parent. Everyone three and older counts as a guest and gets their own seat.

At a staircase ceremony, children count toward the five-person limit like everyone else.

Park lawn. Your guests are there for the vows, so put Ceremony at 3:00 PM, Cathedral Park on your invitations.

Staircase. Only five people are at the vows, so put Reception at 4:30 PM, Cathedral Park and leave the ceremony time off entirely. It saves a lot of explaining and means nobody turns up early hoping to watch.

If they're not attending the ceremony, guests who arrive early will be asked to wait away from the ceremony area. It's not us being strict for its own sake. The first ninety minutes are yours, and the moment they see is you walking up already married.

That lot is the closest to the lawn ceremony spot and the picnic area, which is worth passing on to anyone who'd rather not walk far. Street parking around the park is free and generally straightforward, though it gets busier on warm weekends.

Tell your guests to allow ten minutes either way. The map on the accessibility answer shows where everything sits.

Tell us the dates or months you are considering and approximately how many guests. We check with our vendor team and come back to you, usually within 48 hours. If the team is free, we send you a contract and an invoice. You sign, pay the deposit, and your date is held. Check your date.

If you would rather talk it through first, that is completely fine. Book a free 20 minute call with Kylie and she'll go through it with you. No pressure and no sales pitch.

Deposits are $1,000 for Just the Two of Us, $1,500 for The Garden Party, and $2,100 for The Soirée, and your date isn't held until the deposit arrives. That's the only payment the booking system takes. Everything after it is invoiced by us.

The balance is then invoiced by us and due 10 days before your wedding, the same day your final details are confirmed. That's one invoice, not a schedule of them.

You're welcome to pay it earlier if you'd rather have it off your mind. There's no interest and no fees either way, and you can ask us at any time what's outstanding.

Anything you don't spend from your beverage allowance is credited to your final invoice.

The deposit books eight or nine independent vendors for your date and turns away other couples, which is why we can't return it. We also don't offer credit toward a future booking.

There are two situations outside your control where you do get your money back, and one where we'll reschedule. The next answer covers those.

• Portland Parks declares your date unavailable, or withdraws or refuses a permit for reasons that aren't your fault. You choose: reschedule, or a full refund of everything you've paid.
• You reserved a 2027 date and nothing on the calendar suits you. You can withdraw and we refund your deposit in full.

Separately, we'll reschedule you once within 12 months if conditions make travel or being outdoors genuinely unsafe, like a declared weather emergency or road closures. Rain, cloud and cold don't count.

Moving up a tier is normally fine if the vendor team can accommodate it. It gets harder close to the date, and once the site reservation permit application has gone in, any increase in numbers needs Portland Parks to agree and may not be possible.

Add-ons and drinks lock 14 days before your date, and your final guest count 10 days before. Your ceremony location we need earlier still, before we call Portland Parks for your permit.

A declared weather emergency, road closures, that kind of thing. In those cases you get one reschedule within 12 months, subject to the whole vendor team being free on the new date.

Rain, cloud, wind or a cold afternoon aren't grounds for rescheduling. We have a rain plan for exactly that. All requests need to be in writing to hello@higherloveeventco.com.

We'd genuinely rather you read them first than be surprised later. Ask us for a copy and we'll send them over. They're also in the booking flow before you pay anything.

Email us with the dates or months you have in mind and approximately how many guests, and we will come back within 48 hours with what is available.

Give us as much notice as you can. Availability depends on eight or nine people, not just us.

Portland Parks publishes the list of dates the park is closed to private events in January of each year. Until that comes out, nobody knows which 2027 dates are unavailable, including us.

You have two ways to go:

• Reserve now. You book using January 1, 2027 as a placeholder. That locks today's pricing, holds the vendor team, and takes your place in the queue. When the calendar publishes in January we work through our booked couples in the order their deposits arrived, so you choose your date before anyone who waited. We pick it together and update your booking. Nothing about your package or price changes. We will email you when it is your turn, and if we do not hear back within three to five days we move on to the next couple in line, so please watch for that email in January. If nothing on the calendar works for you, you can withdraw and we refund your deposit in full.
• Wait and book in January. You see the calendar first and decide with full information. The tradeoff is that you're behind everyone already holding a deposit, so the popular dates may be gone before you get to choose.

Neither is wrong. The first protects your pricing and your team and gets you first pick of the calendar. The second gives you certainty about the date before you commit anything, but you'll be choosing from what's left after the couples already holding deposits have picked, and Saturdays go first.

The festival takes over the entire park and Portland Parks doesn't issue event permits during it. Those three days are unavailable and there's no way around it.

For reference, these dates were blocked in 2026. They aren't confirmed for 2027, but the pattern tends to repeat: June 7, June 28, July 12, July 16 to 20, and July 25. If you're drawn to mid-July, that's the stretch most likely to go again.

The Weddinglandia chapel is two blocks from the park. Same ceremony, same photography, same food and florals, in a warm room instead of on a lawn.

Email us for winter dates and pricing.

The site reservation permit. This is the one every booking needs. It covers the picnic reception and, if you choose it, the lawn ceremony. The fee is included in your package price, and we apply for it together on a short phone call with Portland Parks about a month before your date. You'll barely notice it happening.

The wedding permit. This one is optional, and it does one thing: it reserves the staircase beneath the bridge so it's yours at your ceremony time and your whole guest list can be there. It costs around $817 rather than being included, and Portland Parks will only issue it to you, so you apply for it yourself. We'll tell you everything we know, but we can't do it on your behalf.

Without a wedding permit you can still get married on the staircase. It's first come, first served, five people only, and if another couple is standing there at 3:00 we move your ceremony elsewhere in the park and carry on.

Cathedral Park hasn't been issuing wedding permits for years, largely because of the bridge work. 2027 is the first season they come back. That means several years of couples who wanted that staircase are all applying in the same window, for the same summer Saturdays.

Applications open in January, in person, at Portland Parks. They're handled in the order people arrive, not online and not by email. For a date in high summer, people queue before the doors open. If the staircase genuinely matters to you, plan to be there early that morning, or send someone who can be.

We'll tell you the date as soon as Portland Parks announces it, and we'll talk you through exactly what to bring. But we can't stand in that line for you, and we can't reserve a slot in advance. Nobody can.

This is the honest reason we steer most couples toward the lawn ceremony. It's confirmed in advance, it's covered by the permit we handle for you, and every one of your guests can be there for the vows. Both options, side by side.

Nothing beyond those two. Everything else is ours.

The permit has to be in your name because Portland Parks will only communicate with the person named on it. So about a month before your date we book a time and call them together as a three-way call. You do the requesting and submitting, we're on the line to answer anything, and once the application is in you can hang up. We stay on and pay the fee.

About 10 to 15 minutes, and you don't have to work out a single form on your own.

The full timeline is here, with when each thing happens.

They'll only correspond with the person named on the permit. It also means you're the host of your own event, which is what allows alcohol to be there at all.

That doesn't mean you're on your own with it. We call Portland Parks together on a scheduled three-way call, so you're the one making the request but we're right there for every question they ask. You hang up once it's submitted and we pay the fee, which is already in your package price.

Portland Parks recommends at least 30 days, so we aim to make our call about a month out and have it submitted well before the deadline. If you book fewer than 21 days out, we call them within 24 hours instead. Less notice than they'd like means approval is at their discretion and rush fees may apply, which would be added to your final invoice.

If the application doesn't go in on time, or isn't approved, your reception moves indoors to the Weddinglandia chapel that same day at no extra cost. Nothing is refunded in that case, which is why we book the call early and chase you for it.

An Oregon license takes three days to become valid and expires 60 days after it's issued, so there's a window rather than a deadline.

It costs $60 in Multnomah County and most Oregon counties, or $65 if you ask to waive the three day wait. Any county clerk's office in Oregon works, it doesn't have to be Multnomah, and you both need to attend in person with photo ID.

If you're booking a 2027 date, don't get it early. It would expire long before your wedding.

The ceremony takes place in Oregon, so an Oregon license is what makes it legal. Any Oregon county can issue it regardless of where you live.

Cheeses, cured meats, fruits, nuts and breads, arranged across the table among the florals and candles rather than confined to a board. The Soirée gets an expanded spread.

The Garden Party and The Soirée also get a separately styled dessert table, so the sweets have a home of their own and the main table stays comfortable.

One honest caveat: the food is prepared in kitchens that handle nuts, dairy, gluten and other common allergens, so we can't guarantee against cross-contamination and nothing is described as allergen-free. If a guest has a severe allergy, please tell us and also tell them.

The allowance is $75 for Just the Two of Us, $225 for The Garden Party, and $450 for The Soirée. It goes up $25 for each additional guest you add. It covers beer, wine and champagne.

Because the site reservation permit is in your name, you're the host and the alcohol is yours. We buy it on your behalf, at cost with receipts available, and hand it over sealed for you to serve. We do not pour or serve alcohol at any point, so you will want to nominate someone to hand it out.

Park rules: no glass anywhere, so cans or plastic only, and no spirits.

The allowance is a budget rather than a fixed charge. Spend less and the difference is credited to your final invoice. Spend more and the difference is invoiced, agreed with you in writing beforehand.

The beverage allowance covers beer and wine only, and it's a budget rather than part of the price. Decline alcohol at booking, or simply don't spend it, and the full amount is credited to your final invoice: $75, $225 or $450 depending on your package, plus any increase from additional guests.

You're not paying for drinks you didn't want, and nobody has to hold a glass of something to be part of the toast.

You're the permit holder, which makes you responsible for everything consumed at your event. Sticking to the arranged beverages keeps that clean. If you want more than the allowance covers, tell us at least 14 days ahead and we'll sort it.

No glass and no spirits, whatever the source. Those are park rules rather than ours.

A cutting cake from Flower & Flour: $75 serves 2, $105 serves 10, $165 serves 20. The dessert spread is included regardless and already has cookies, brownies and cupcakes in it.

We reserve a quieter, tucked-away corner of the park. The Garden Party includes one picnic table seating up to 10. The Soirée includes two. Both get a third table styled separately for desserts.

For The Garden Party and The Soirée, blankets, cushions and trays are also set out on the lawn alongside the tables, so people can move between the two across the afternoon. Tables are the main setup because we think every guest should be comfortable and included, so nobody has to sit on the grass to eat unless they want to.

Expect walkers, dogs, and someone else admiring the bridge. We can't close the park and wouldn't want to. In practice it's part of the charm, and the spot we reserve is one of the quieter ones.

Send us the playlist and it's ready when you arrive. Amplified sound is restricted by Portland Parks rules, so a live band or a DJ isn't possible in the park.

Sparklers aren't permitted in the park. Bubbles photograph better anyway, and nobody has to hold a lit thing near a wedding dress.

Plus the park itself, the river, and a neighborhood full of places to carry on afterward. We'll send you a guide if you tell us where your guests are coming from.

The one thing that's yours to take is any unopened alcohol, since it's legally yours rather than ours.

We provide clear umbrellas for you and all of your guests, so the ceremony proceeds outdoors as planned.

Your food, florals, photography and everything else in your package stays exactly the same. It is a real backup rather than a fallback.

We make that call by 10:00 AM on the day and tell you straight away, so you are never standing in the park wondering what is happening.

This package is built for Portland, and a grey sky or a light shower is part of the experience rather than something to solve. We provide clear umbrellas for you and all of your guests, so a shower does not interrupt anything. On the lawn we will also choose the spot with the best shelter for the conditions.

A declared weather emergency, road closures, dangerous air quality or heavy snow would qualify, and you'd get one reschedule within 12 months subject to vendor availability.

Rain, cloud, wind or a cold afternoon wouldn't. That's what the indoor plan is for.

The park has paved, accessible paths and accessible restrooms. The picnic area we reserve is reachable on paved path, and everyone sits at picnic tables rather than on the ground, so no guest has to get down to a blanket to be included.

The staircase and deck beneath the bridge is the exception. If anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or a walker, or finds stairs difficult, choose the lawn ceremony. It's on level ground, it's reachable on paved path, and it's also the option where every one of your guests can be there for the vows.

The permanent restrooms sit lower in the park, a few minutes' walk from the picnic area.

Beyond that, tell us what your group needs and we will work it out with you. Seating someone where they can hear, keeping a path clear for a wheelchair, putting a chair somewhere for a guest who can't stand for long, holding a space near the restrooms, anything at all. None of it is a special request and none of it costs extra.

The earlier you tell us the easier it is to plan properly, but you can raise it any time right up to your date. If you are unsure whether something is workable, please ask. The answer is usually yes.

Park lawn ceremony

• Covered by the site reservation permit we help you get
• Your full guest list can attend
• ADA accessible, on level ground
• Restrooms and parking nearby

Staircase ceremony

• Five people, unless you buy a separate wedding permit
• From 2027 that permit is the only way to reserve it
• Not guaranteed without one
• Not ADA accessible
• Restrooms are a fair walk away
• Ample parking close by

Email hello@higherloveeventco.com or raise it on a call. We'd much rather build the day around what your group needs than have you find out on the afternoon that something doesn't work.

One thing we can't control: the park is public and Portland Parks maintains it, so we can't guarantee the state of the facilities on any given day.

Just the Two of Us covers 30 minutes of ceremony and 30 minutes of couple portraits. The Garden Party and The Soirée cover 30 minutes of ceremony, an hour of couple portraits, and 30 minutes of guest candids.

The sneak peek is a small set of edited images, delivered digitally, so you have something to share almost straight away.

It's documentation rather than a wedding film, so treat it as a keepsake rather than a substitute for the photography. If you want proper video, digital and Super 8 are both available as add-ons.

By default we and our vendors may use images, video and artwork from your day for portfolio, website and social media. Email us before your date and that's the end of it, no explanation needed.

• Digital videography, from $500, by Lost Fox Creative
• Super 8 videography, from $1,000, by Hummingbird Films
• Film photography, $50 per roll, by Megan Moore
• Live event painting with guest involvement, $1,800, by Yoonie Mae
• Bouquet and boutonniere, $195, by Still City Flowers
• Two bouquets, $295, by Still City Flowers
• Two boutonnieres, $95, by Still City Flowers
• Cutting cake, $75 serves 2, $105 serves 10, $165 serves 20, by Flower & Flour
• Ceremony livestream, $75, by Weddinglandia
• Polaroid camera with film, $30
• Additional guests, $75 each, up to four

Every one of these comes from the team already working on your day, so there is no one new to find, brief or pay.

Video is Lost Fox Creative, Super 8 is Hummingbird Films, film photography is Megan Moore, who is already shooting your day, florals are Still City Flowers, cake is Flower & Flour, and live painting is Yoonie Mae. Your ceremony livestream is run by Weddinglandia.

You do not contact any of them and you do not receive separate invoices. Tell us what you would like, we book it, and it appears on your final invoice at the price listed. The whole vendor team.

Fourteen days is the minimum notice we give our vendors, so it is a firm deadline rather than a guideline.

Live event painting and Super 8 are the two most worth asking about early, since each depends on a single artist with their own calendar. If either matters to you, mention it when you book rather than waiting.

They're separate because couples need different combinations. Two bouquets, two boutonnieres, or one of each. Confirm your choice 14 days before your date.

Add-ons are subject to availability and become non-refundable once confirmed.

Everyone contributes something across the afternoon and you leave with an original piece made by the people who came. It's the only thing from the day that nobody can order a second copy of. $1,800.