*The Evergreen, decked out during the* *Venue Crawl in Portland, Oregon, 2025*

Thanks to the amazing team rallied by wedding planner extraordinaire Andrea with House of Lilly Events, we spent the day of the PDX Venue Crawl in a visual dreamworld that reminded me of a fairytale. The goal? Have fun and show the engaged couples of Portland how we can make their wedding unique.

Waves of couples would stop by our showroom at The Evergreen, one of nine participating venues during their whirlwind tour with 200 attendees, mostly engaged couples and fellow industry professionals scouting out ideas for their clients.

Andrea quickly got the team on board with an elegant 70s theme. Robyn with Songbird Floristry adorned the room in romantic pinks and greens, complete with bright Bells of Ireland and real branches fashioned into little hazelnut trees at each table, complimented by rich velvet furniture provided by Lily and Cane. The DJ, a chill guy named Kevin with long white hair, would play classics from the decade. We had a moment sharing our enthusiasm for the rock band The Cars which emerged in the 70s and hit my radar in 2005 thanks to my dad’s music taste.

In the center of the room was the biggest chocolate cake I’ve ever seen which we could not stop smelling, thanks to Little Banana Bakery. I went upstairs and found Greenlight Creative putting stained glass effects on the windows after creating orange and amber mood lighting throughout the venue. Ginger and Shannon of the Evergreen were stacking champagne glasses which they said they have never toppled once by accident.

Andrea buzzed around the room making sure everything was in its proper place, straightening plates and glassware, arranging chairs, tending to the vision. I was impressed by all to say the least. Capturing it all on photo was Taylor with Howie Photography.

When the guests began arriving, the upstairs where I was stationed was flooded with folks drinking boozy slushees and standing in line for my portraits. I’ve never drawn so fast, seeing a line of 10 or more people and knowing each group only had about 30 minutes at each venue to meet vendors and experience the entertainment. Whether it was the day-drinking or the joy of art, there was much cackling and smiling at my table throughout the afternoon, and more than one couple nearly left behind by the bus while I frantically finished drawing them. Between busloads of guests my vendor team huddled together asking, “How did it go?” and stuffing our faces with tiny cakes from the bakery display.