Couples from all over the nation come to the state of Oregon to hold their destination wedding, and if you're an Oregon local, then you can take advantage of what treasures lie in your own backyard. Oregon's diverse landscapes include a rocky coastline with towering cliff sides and brilliant marine life, an inland mountain region containing huge ranges like the Cascades and the Siskiyous, and a high desert plateau teeming with interesting wildlife and rare birds. Make your wedding a distinctive, serene experience by choosing any number of Oregon wedding ceremony sites that inspire your connection with nature.
Authentically Oregon Ceremony Locations
Oregon is home to lots of history, including lighthouses, covered bridges, and old barns on historic farmlands. Incorporate some of Oregon's authentic charm into your wedding ceremony by choosing a historic location guaranteed to offer spectacular ocean views, like the 110 year-old
Heceta Head Lighthouse. Besides ten other lighthouses along the Oregon Coast, the state is also home to numerous covered bridges, some of which have lovely grounds to enhance your wedding ceremonies, like the newly rebuilt Stayton-Jordon covered bridge in Stayton or one of seven covered bridges found in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Historic farmlands and barns speak to the agricultural history of the state, which can provide you with a perfectly pastoral landscape for your wedding ceremonies, like the
Green Villa Barn in Independence, Oregon that was once used as a dance hall during Prohibition. You can even hold your ceremony on historic farmland, like at
Dorris Ranch in Springfield, where you can rent out their 1892 barn or stay with your wedding party in their turn-of-the-century style farmhouse.
Ceremonies on the Oregon Coast
Fortunately for you, there are scores of
intriguing wedding spots along the Oregon Coast that will give you a chance to see brilliant anemones and fun-loving sea lions up close and personal. Yachats is a coastal Oregon town that's known as a wedding getaway with rustic, romantic ceremony locations like the
Little Log Church. Another coastal point-of-interest to brides and grooms is
Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, which boasts of towering 235 feet above the beach and provides outstanding ocean backdrops for your wedding ceremony. Outside Coos Bay,
Cape Arago State Park is just one of many Oregon coastal parks that accommodate weddings for a fraction of the cost of traditional ceremony sites.
Majestic Mountain Ceremonies
Mountain views surrounding populated Oregon cities offer a wide array of ceremony sites to choose from that will enhance your rustic, forest wedding. Consider the splendor of the Mount Hood area or the thrill of cityscapes created by Portland's downtown skyscrapers. In the North, the entire Columbia River offers numerous state parks, recreational and scenic areas, and is famous for its breathtaking waterfalls like Multnomah Falls, all of which would make exquisite ceremony backgrounds. Consider also the pastoral pleasures of an Oregon wedding ceremony that takes place in an orchard between Oregon fruit trees. Perhaps you'd rather say your vows in any of the Willamette and the Rogue Valley's picturesque
wineries. For a ceremony surrounding the arts and music there is always the popular option of having an artistic
Ashland wedding in the town of the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival or just a few miles away in
Applegate couples-to-be can enjoy weddings at historic buildings located near the lush grounds of the
Britt Music Festivals.
High Desert Hopes
For a truly country-western wedding, check out the town of
Pendleton, which is famous for its country-western rodeos. In the northeast, one of the most scenic backgrounds found in Oregon is the deep gorge created in Hell's Canyon by the Snake River that's full of awe-inspiring views from thrilling river heights. Probably the most ideal wedding spot that yours truly has encountered lies along the Deschutes River in the town of Bend at the
Riverhouse Resort, where an inexpensive outdoor wedding looks extravagant, simply due to the natural stone background suspended above the peaceful sounds of the rushing river.
