BeckenRidge Vineyard is hosting an Open House featuring professionals in the field of weddings and special events on April 3rd, 2011 from 11am to 3:30pm.

Participants include: Myraid Cake Design, Willaby’s Catering, NW Mobile DJ Service, Distinctive Designs Floral, The Bridal Gallery, Encore Photography, Guitarist Derek DeArment, Capricorn Catering, Lights in the Attic Videography, All Star Tents, SHE Designs, Focal Point Digital Media, Stalnakers Photo Studio, Image Floral, Special Occasions, Music Express, Haugen’s Photography, Johanna Respini Officiant and Stargazer Weddings.

BeckenRidge Vineyard will be offering a special discount for attendees.

Cost is free, and open to the public. For more information, map and directions go to www.beckenridge.com

BeckenRidge Vineyard Open House

  Courts for Kids!

 Midge Dobbs with North Pacific Management, a long time Bravo Partner, is traveling to India to participate a service project this May.  She is leading a team of 5 along with her husband, Chris.  The main purpose of the trip is to gift and build a multi-purpose sport court for an orphanage.  Midge visited India in January of 2009 and it was truly life changing for her.  The orphanage that they are traveling to is the same organization that she visited in 2009.

 The partner in India is ALMA (Abundant Life Ministerial Associates), which among other things has orphanages in South India. Many of these orphans come from the lower caste in India, which means, apart from some sort of intervention, they would be destined to a life of extreme poverty.  One of the most pressing needs for the orphanage is a safe place for their kids to play. They have few opportunities for play, which is such a vital component of healthy development. As a result, the team is coming in to help construct a multi-use sports court. The work will be incredibly hard, and seeing the kids playing on the finished product will make it all worthwhile.  The team will be completely immersed into the community, staying at the orphanage with the kids, working together to build the court, and also taking part in other volunteer activities such as leadership training and whatever else can be done to serve! The team is going to help support the local Indians,and each of them know this will be a life changing trip for the team-members as well.

 As you can imagine the court is not inexpensive, the total cost of the court is over $8,400.  In addition to the court costs each person on the trip covers their own trip fees, a total of $3,400 per person.  If you are interested in helping with a tax-deductible contribution to allow the court dream for these orphans to be fulfilled, you can send donations directly to Courts for Kids. All donationsare tax-deductible (Courts for Kids’ Tax-ID number is 20-8332371) and 100% of what you give will help make the court a reality!  Thank you!

 Midge Dobbs

North Pacific Management

(360) 635-2629

midge.dobbs@northp.com

 Courts for Kids

PO Box 61874

Vancouver, WA 98666

(360) 521-0592

info@courtsforkids.org

www.courtsforkids.org

Join us in helping to raise funds for Wish Upon A Wedding, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization that provides weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. Often, couples facing such situations do not have the energy, time, money, or resources needed to plan their wedding. This  organization takes care of all the details, offering couples a chance to relax and enjoy a very special day while surrounded by the love of their closest family and friends.

Gracie’s Restaurant at Hotel deLuxe is donating 20% of all food sales to help support Wish Upon A Wedding on Tuesday, March 29th.  Bring your friends and family for a wonderful meal and help support a great cause. Dinner starts at 5pm!

Big Al’s Beaverton

You are invited to attend the Corporate Showcase and Ribbon Cutting Event on March 30th!

 Located at 14950 SW Barrows Rd. in Beaverton

4:30 to 6:30 to enjoy the 70,000 square foot facility!

A few of the things you can look forward to are:

• Door Prizes
• Buffet Samples
• Chain Saw Ribbon Cutting!
• Community Involevment
  • Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue
  • Beaverton PD
  • US Navy Color Guard

Please RSVP to allen.nicoson@Ilovebigals.com or call (971) 269-8035.

Big Al’s provides full service entertainment venues to meet all of your event planning and party needs, there are many spaces available or you can rent the entire facility.

Sitting high above Big Al’s Sports Bar & Grill, the Caddyshack and the Skybox have an incredible bird’s eye view of Big Al’s 55’ wide high-definition jumbo-tron. The Skybox is the ultimate banquet room with seating for 45 guests and is decked out with Pac-10 flare.

Adjacent to the Skybox you’ll find the Caddyshack, which has a private bar, two pool tables, a Wii lounge, and our Full Swing Golf Simulator. Bring your golf clubs and swing away on one of our 67 courses, which include Pebble Beach, The Old Course at St Andrews, and many more. Reserve both rooms for the ultimate entertainment event.

Try your luck in the enormous 7,000 sq. ft. Arcade. They’ve packed in 180 player positions with all of the latest and greatest video and redemption games that kids and adults will enjoy.

Built to resemble a stadium, Big Al’s Sports Bar & Grill boasts wrap-around booth seating, exposed trusses, metal decking, concrete floors, a painted sky ceiling, four 50″ HD plasmas, eight 42″ plasmas, AND an 14ft x 55ft jumbo-tron that can be viewed as three massive wide-screens or divided into any combination of smaller viewing screens

Big Al’s has everything to accomodate any kind of event you are planning.

Weddings, Destinations, Engagement Shoots, Portraits and so much more. Paul Rich provides photography for those special occasions you want captured forever. Paul was recently featured in Martha’s Vineyard Magazine Island Weddings for a Winter Wonderland Wedding.

A Winter Wonderland Wedding

Paul Rich Studio has taken on a number of destination wedding assignments over the years ranging from tropical locations such as Oahu and St Lucia to other areas such as Massachusetts and upstate New York. A more recent destination wedding assignment brought Paul to Martha’s Vineyard island for a winter wedding. While guests may have been a bit concerned about the weather conditions, Erin (the bride), “…told them it almost never snows on Martha’s Vineyard and if it does, it melts in a day.” Kind of sounds like Portland, right? Well, during the week leading up to the wedding, meteorologists began ruminating about a weekend Nor’easter. Forecasts for total snow accumulations started at just 1-3 inches, then climbed to 6-8 inches, and then rose to a whopping 12 inches or more! Very late into the evening the night before the wedding, the snow began to fall…and fall…and fall. By morning, over a foot of snow blanketed the entire island. Erin, who had hoped for flurries on her wedding day laughed and said, “I guess I over-hoped.”

Jonathan (the groom) with the aid of his groomsmen shoveled the steep stairway to the church to ensure no delays come ceremony time. Guests made their way to the church and all were in attendance except for one individual who was not able to make the ferry over to the island due to the weather conditions. While driving from the church to the reception, Jonathan’s parents slid into a snowdrift and had to be rescued by a taxi. Jonathan’s mom accidentally left her dress shoes behind but happily made it to the reception in time to dance with her newlywed son in her black winter boots.

You can see images of Erin & Jonathan’s Winter Wonderland Wedding in Martha’s Vineyard Magazine Island Weddings. See more destination wedding photography by Paul Rich Studio.

Since 1987, Class Act, Event Coordinators, Inc. has been serving clients throughout the Northwest.  Class Act’s team of coordinators has designed some of the most creative and memorable corporate and private events in the area.  These events include Weddings, Conferences, Business Meetings, Seminars, Ground Breakings, Auctions and Galas, Company Picnics, Legislative Events, Open Houses, Retirements, Appreciations, Holiday Events, and Private Dinner Events. 

I recently had the opportunity to visit the new location for Class Act in the Sunnyslope Shopping Center at 4555 Liberty Rd. S., Suite 120, Salem, Oregon. This location features unique gift and baby items, cards, home décor, home entertaining, candles, stationery, and seasonal gifts and home décor and much, much more!

Class Act offers a wide selection of specialty event rentals, from iridescent crush linen to silver candelabras to reflection bowls to garden aisle stakes… Step into one of their event showrooms for design inspiration!

You can contact Class Act at 503-371-8904 or stop by their boutique!

This beautiful, historic building offers two elegant ballrooms ideal for your ceremony, reception, or both! In addition to two exceptional event spaces we have an experienced and energetic staff that can accommodate all of your needs and make your day spectacular. Our long time chef will create a special menu for you, while our friendly and professional service will ensure a smooth party from start to finish.

We know that planning your wedding can be incredibly fun, but at times overwhelming and stressful. Well do not worry, we can also offer our planning services to make your day smooth, stress free, and fabulous!

Contact us today!
Phone: 503.232.2759
Email: melodyballroom@themelodyballroom.org
Office Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 – 4pm or by appointment.

Mention this Bravo! blog when calling or stopping by to receive a $500 discount* on your event!
 
*This does not apply to events already booked, only new ones!

  The Grand Ballroom

  Lower Ballroom   

Spring Open House at Catering At Its Best

Meet the staff and tour the kitchen! Enjoy their delicious food!

Thursday, April 7, 2011, 4pm-7pm

611 SE Grant, Portland, Oregon 97214

503.238.8889

RSVP by March 30 to Kevin@caibpdx.com

BEST Business Center awards “Portland Climate Champion” honors to Catering At Its Best

To achieve Portland Climate Champion status, Catering At Its Best improved the energy efficiency of its business operations, provided alternative transportation options for employees, and implemented a robust waste reduction and recycling program

Many of us have Project Runway dreams, even though we can barely sew a button on a shirt properly. Since making it to Project Runway is out of the question for most of us, we can take those dreams and help local Portlander and recent FIDM graduate, Hannah Friesen, who is well on her way to making her design dreams come true – she just needs YOUR help!

As a semi-finalist for Bride Magazines Operation Dream Dress 2011, Hannah is 1 of 24 designers vying for the chance to make it to the top 5. These 5 designers will be flown to New York in June for a fashion show and judging on live national television. To make it to NYC, Hannah needs to make it though a few more rounds of public voting.  Please help out by voting daily for Hannah and supporting her dreams of becoming a wedding gown designer. http://www.operationdreamdress.com/hannah-friesen

Good Luck Hannah!

Wedding dress by Hannah Friesen

A notable collection of the area’s best bridal resources, all together for An Evening Full of Luxury Stimulation & Inspiration…The ultimate high-end bridal event for today’s most contemporary and style-obsessed couples; guests will indulge in a cake, champagne and wine samplings and get to mix and mingle with the very best wedding planning resources in the city! Portland’s Luxury Bridal Event of the Year!

Hosted by Luxe Event Productions at Urban Studio, event starts at 3pm beginning with our Luxe Ultra Lounge experience for VIP ticket holders from 3-5pm to include: Wine and Vodka sampling, High-end Bridal Gown Viewing, Makeup consults with Event Cosmetics, European Bridal Bouquet Showcase featuring Francoise Weeks, meet & greet with the team from Oregon Bride Magazine and more!

Regular guest entry from 5-9pm will include Live DJ, passed canapés, urban trade show experience and a full bar!

• We are featuring a LASH BAR/ Make up consults-Presented by Event Cosmetics
  • A row of directors chairs and make up light boxes will be set up by the Even Cosmetics team who will be offering faux lash applications and complimentary make up consults

• European Bridal Bouquet Showcase -Featuring Francoise Weeks
  • 11 fully constructed bouquets will be on display -actually suspended from the ceiling for a dramatic display of blooms

• THE GOWN LOUNGE -Featuring: Urchin Redesign, English Dept., Divine Designs, Charlotte’s Weddings and More
  • Featuring some of Portland’s BEST Gown Shops -the upstairs loft of Urban Studio will transform into a private viewing lounge for groups to go up and view the dresses presented on forms.

You don’t want to miss out! Tickets and more information can be found at http://luxebridalevent.com.

Luxe Bridal Event in The Pearl