Couples will line up to secure 2025 wedding dates at Portland parks

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Couples looking to tie the knot at a picturesque Portland park next year will be able to secure their wedding dates soon.

Portland Parks & Recreation will begin accepting reservations for the 2025 wedding season on Monday, Jan. 6. The city will give priority to those who show up in person from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Customer Service Center on 1120 SW Fifth Ave.

According to the bureau, some couples begin camping outside of the building hours before it opens. When reservations opened this year, PP&R spokesperson Mark Ross told KOIN 6 that the first bride and groom-to-be arrived around 3:30 a.m.

There were 110 couples who secured reservations on the first day, overall. Most of those were made in person.

As usual, the bureau will offer “light refreshments” to couples in line starting at 8 a.m. However, it also plans to host local wedding vendors for the first time this year.

PP&R expects to host service providers such as photographers, florists, makeup artists, caterers and more — “as long as it does not conflict with the theme of the event.” Further information on the vendor guidelines is available on the bureau website.

Future brides and grooms can also reserve their wedding dates online, although parks officials won’t start processing their requests until 1 p.m. on Jan. 6. This also applies to reservations made by phone or by mail.

PP&R offers more than 200 spaces that can be used for wedding ceremonies or receptions. In 2024, the most popular were the Hoyt Arboretum’s Redwood Deck and Stevens Pavilion Picnic Shelter.