Welcome to The Venue Series! We love helping couples find the best fitting venue for their ideal budget via our standalone Venue Hunt Consultation or Venue Hunt add-on for wedding planning packages. As PNW Planners, we've planned and designed in hundreds of Oregon and Washington venues, and we're sharing some of our favorites and why we love them. All photos featured are from weddings we've coordinated, planned, and/or designed.
If you’re looking for a wedding venue that is away from the city and offers a scenic view, you’ll definitely find it in The Willamette Valley, AKA Oregon wine country. We’ve been planning and designing at many of these venues for years, but have had the pleasure of working at newer venues in the more recent years.
For obvious reasons, the Willamette Valley is perfect for wine lovers, with most of the wedding venues being active wineries with year-round tasting rooms, so you can always return to the same place to celebrate your anniversary and reminisce on your favorite wedding memories. However, there are also a handful of wedding venues that are nestled in the valley that are made just for events.
Whether you’re looking for a venue that offers award-winning wine, or love the lush scenery of the rolling hills and vineyards that stretch across them, here are a few wedding venues we’ve worked at and loved!
Photographers: Andrea Zajonc Photography (1-4), Kassandra Out West (5-8)
Why We Love Them: We love Abbey Road Farm because it was MADE for events. Their event area has lighting that you can dim or turn off in sections, curtains to have a dramatic reception reveal, a large enough space for an indoor ceremony and reception without a flip, as well as a large outside area for an al-fresco ceremony and reception. With so many amenities and a helpful and experienced staff, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Maybe one of the best features of Abbey Road Farm is the onsite lodges and suites that can accommodate just you and your spouse after your wedding night, or your whole wedding party and family before and after. Not having to drive somewhere between getting ready and your wedding or go somewhere after your wedding night is extremely underrated!
Insider Tip: The path from the lodging to the venue crosses the parking lot - if you’re staying onsite the night before your wedding and getting ready in one of the suites, be sure to factor in time to move to the getting ready room before your guests arrive so you don’t have to worry about being seen. We also recommend booking out the rooms - you won’t regret it! It gives you a place to stay beforehand, a large place to get ready, and even an area to keep the party going for a small group after the wedding.
Photographers: Brady Bates Photography (1-3) & Monique Serra (4-6)
Why We Love Them: If you’re torn between “getting away” and “staying central” for your wedding, The Bindery in McMinnville is the perfect venue! It’s located right in the heart of the town, so there are local food options, places to stay, and places to party after that are all walkable. The Atticus is right across the street!
The Bindery is a great venue if you’re looking for a blank canvas. With high ceilings, white walls (and ceilings!) and clean concrete floors, you can do anything in this space. We’ve brought in farm tables, had florists hang ceremony installations, and we would love to help you dream up a unique design for this blank canvas.
Insider Tip: The space is large enough to accommodate 180 people, but you’ll need a team to flip the space from ceremony to reception. With two planners for every package we offer, we’ll always have you covered for flips! The venue also offers a full and a half day package, in case you’re only looking for a ceremony or reception only space.
Photographers: Meagan Gibson Photography (1-3) & Kelby Maria Photography (4-6)
Why We Love Them: The Old School house is a great option if you love the location of the wine country but are looking for a quaint, historic venue instead of a winery venue. The Old School is a charming, historic building that was originally a community center and has since been restored to the charming event venue it is today. You’ll love the charming details of the indoor space that make for beautiful portrait opportunities.
This venue offers an indoor ballroom, a garden space and even an orchard space amongst the trees and can accommodate up to 130 people. We’ve planned both outdoor and indoor weddings, and even a combo of the two, but it’s a real bonus that the venue’s indoor space has an AC system for hot summer days!
Insider Tip: You’ll need to choose your caterer from the venue’s preferred list of caterers. Unfortunately, no drop-off catering is allowed, but the list of caterers includes both elevated and affordable options for catering. The venue does require a wedding coordinator, but the team highly encourages one, and we agree! We’re happy to share our expertise at The Old School house and make sure your setup and cleanup follows the venue’s requirements.
Photographer: Sweetlife Photography
Why We Love Them: Did someone say a modern winery with a water feature, magical landscaping and curated art and sculptures? Saffron Field Vineyard is perfect for the wine and art lovers - the whole property from inside to outside is thoughtfully designed. The inside has both installation pieces and art hanging from the walls, the garden paths have sculptures nestled in the landscaping, and even the building itself is a beautiful, modern piece of architecture.
Plus, their staff is kind and caring! Once upon a time, we were working with a couple whose wedding venue burned down and we had to find them a last minute venue - enter, Saffron Field Vineyards. They were such team players and considerate during the stressful change, but the wedding couldn’t have turned out more beautiful! We love this venue for their modern interior, and their magical landscaping.
Insider Tip: You’ll need to budget for bringing in rental items like chairs, tables, and other items for weddings at this venue, and ensure setup and break down happens during your venue rental. Rental coordination is something we always include in our packages, so we can help you organize everything you need.
Photographers: Modern Art Photograph (1-4) & Narrative Images Photography (5-7)
Why We Love Them: Zenith is one of the best spaces in the Willamette Valley to accommodate large guest counts, for either an indoor or outdoor wedding. The spacious lawn offers a few options for your scenic background for the ceremony, and the ornate, indoor ballroom features European-style features and high ceilings for a unique look.
This might also be one of our favorite venues in the fall - the garden area is lined with vibrant trees, and guests are greeted with golden vineyards and trees on the drive to the venue.
Insider Tip: Depending on when you choose to have your ceremony, the tasting room may be open to the public. However, even if that is the case, you can let your guests know that they are welcome to get a drink before the ceremony while it’s open for extended time at the venue. The venue also has a list of preferred and approved caterers you’re required to pick from, but if you’re looking for a professional full service caterer, you won’t have any issues with their options.
Photographers: The Double Shot Project (1-3) & Bekah Taylor Photography (4-7)
Why We Love Them: Being at the Black Walnut Inn feels like you’ve been transported to a luxury Tuscan getaway, with its beautiful courtyard, stone fountain, and a private view of the rolling hills. It’s quiet, serene, and the staff will treat you with the utmost kindness. You’ll love this venue for wedding weekends since a venue rental at Black Walnut Inn includes a room block of 9 rooms in the main B&B. There’s really nothing like a private getaway for a wedding weekend, and there aren’t too many venues in Willamette Valley or in Oregon that offer the same privacy and scenery that BWI does
We’ve had the opportunity to create some of our favorite luxury wedding designs here, some of which have been featured on Style Me Pretty and published in Oregon Wedding Day. The space allows for a few layouts - you can see how different couples have used the space on our blog!
Insider Tip: Black Walnut Inn lies on agricultural land with special noise regulations, which means that amplified music is limited to their indoor spaces. Most often, couples have their dinner in the upper or lower courtyard, so we’ve worked with great musicians that we’d love to connect you with for an acoustic performance outside before the dance party begins! You will also want to factor transportation into your budget as well, as parking is limited to onsite guests. But don’t worry - we’ve helped many couples plan and budget for these things!
Want to know that you've found the best venue?
We love helping couples find the best fitting venue for their ideal budget via our standalone Venue Hunt Consultation or Venue Hunt add-on for wedding planning packages. As PNW Planners, we've planned and designed in hundreds of Oregon and Washington venues, and we're sharing some of our favorites and why we love them. All photos featured are from weddings Your Perfect Bridesmaid has coordinated, planned, and/or designed. View more of our Venue Series Blogs below: