The Mt Hood Center in Boring, Oregon is a gorgeous greenhouse wedding venue. It’s such a large venue, that there are multiple options for ceremony location, reception size, and of course, photo backdrops. It’s also a great venue year-round, especially if you are looking to get married outside of peak wedding season. That can be a difficult task in Oregon with so many venues being outdoor-only. This couple celebrated their marriage at the end of March, which is one of the most unpredictable months when it comes to weather in Oregon.

A feature that I always look for in a venue is a getting ready suite, and one with good lighting can be hard to come by. Inside the main building, the bride, bridesmaids, and close family got ready together behind grand barn doors. The walls are a bright white and they have the Anthropologie mirror that is stunning in any space. Vanity space is not a problem if you’re having a wedding at the Mt Hood Center– there are several seats for people to get ready at the same time. I also appreciate the dedicated changing area behind a curtain. This is another feature I think many venues lack, and it sure beats having to change in a bathroom or out in the open.

As the bride added her finishing touches of jewelry and veil, the groom and I went outside (where it managed to stay dry) for some portraits. The greenhouse welcomes you with large black barn doors, a clean and crisp backdrop for photos. The groom wore a dark green suit, which fit the cloudy day and complimented the color scheme that consisted of terra cotta and forest green.

These two chose to have a first look, including private vows, to keep to just themselves before the formal ceremony. We positioned the groom in front of the same doors at the greenhouse and led his bride outside for the big reveal. She tapped him on the shoulder and they shared a heartfelt moment, easing the nerves of a wedding day. Following their vows to one another, we took these stunning portraits in the same spot, as well as inside the greenhouse where their ceremony would take place an hour later.

The Greenhouse Wedding Venue

The greenhouse is a unique feature for this venue. There may be others, but this is the only greenhouse venue I know of and have experienced in Oregon so far. It offers a very botanical and somewhat tropical feel. I know the guests and wedding party could appreciate this venue, being very warm inside, protected from chilly winds outside. The chairs for the ceremony blend in well with the warm tones inside the greenhouse. To add another hint of their style, velvet bows were tied on each aisle chair in a shade of terra cotta. I love this for inspiration of bows as wedding décor, which is continuing to trend well into 2024 and 2025.

After the ceremony, time to celebrate! The bride and groom did an amazing job with their reception décor and had so many personal touches. My favorite had to be the custom newspaper-style booklet for each guest. It included stories from the couple, games to occupy guests, and opened up fun guessing games such as how long the speeches would last, how many cupcake flavors there would be, and more. This is a great thing to have for guests to keep entertained while sitting at their tables. Overall, I also enjoyed the layout of the reception. Their guest count was on the smaller side, relatively speaking. They had about 80 guests and it felt nice and intimate in the room we were hosted in. This venue has another side, with a massive reception space that holds a few hundred guests. They can accommodate most wedding sizes at the Mt Hood Center.

As a wedding vendor, spending long hours in “go-mode”, I could certainly appreciate the coffee bar that served espresso drinks and lemonade. The rest of the reception included toasts from the maid of honor, best man, and father of the bride. The dancing came and went, and the guests headed outside while the bride and groom had a private last dance. Once they were ready to exit, the guests popped mess-free streamers that made for some fun flash photos. Before us photographers left, they had one more surprise for us. They ordered custom comfy outfits with a fun design and their last name on it to head home in comfort and style.

These photos were second shot under Hvfitz Photos, shot and edited by me.