Nearly 70 Oregon Couples Line Up Early in the Morning to Book Wedding Venues

Some couples started lining up as early as 3 a.m. local time, the Portland Tribune said

The early bird gets the worm (or in this case, the wedding venue).

Early Monday morning nearly 70 couples stood in line at Portland Parks & Recreation in Portland, Oregon hoping to book their dream wedding venue. The Portland Tribune said that some couples began lining up at 3 a.m. local time, although the doors for bookings didn't open until 8 a.m.

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is the home to more than 200 parks, gardens and natural settings that can be reserved for weddings or receptions. According to the outlet, this is the first time the center is offering in-person booking since the pandemic. When COVID-19 began they shifted bookings online.

Judy Koonce, a PP&R recreation coordinator who has worked on wedding reservation mornings in years past, told the Portland Tribune that most employees didn't know what to expect since it had been a few years since bookings took place in person.

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The Portland Tribune reported that the first couple in line was Marcela Gomez, 33, and Bailey Davis, 28. They lined up early hoping to secure a spot for their wedding at the Hoyt Arboretum in September. The venue's website says the park has four beautiful outdoor spaces close to downtown Portland.

Another couple, Trillion Cooper and Hunter Antonelli, both 24, who were fifth in line, also got there early hoping to book the Hoyt Arboretum. "I thought I was nuts, but no,” Cooper told the outlet about arriving at 4:30 a.m.

Fiona Evans, 24, and Jordyn Paul, 29, were also among the couples who waited in line to secure the park for their wedding. “Being in the forest and being amongst all the evergreens is something that really signifies Oregon to us,” Evans said to the publication.

“Part of the reason we chose the park is both of our dogs are going to be in the ceremony,” Paul added.

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That morning, McKenna Stocker, 27, and her mom also arrived at the center early looking to book a different local outdoor space called Cathedral Park as a venue. She took her mom along because her fiancé, BJ, had to work at the time of the bookings, noting to the Portland Tribune that her mother provided “stress relief, moral support" and "extra hands.”

“When I make a decision, I call her as a sanity check,” Stocker said.

“Cathedral Park has always been our favorite park,” Stocker added. “With the architecture, the bridge, the water, all the green space, we just love it there, so it makes sense.”

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