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Weddings

About

Need a memorable site for a special occasion….a quiet space for a meeting?


The Historic Overlook House is just the place. A handsome brick and stucco Tudor residence built in 1927; the house sits on more than an acre of beautifully landscaped grounds with views of the Willamette River and Portland’s West Hills. Inside, the charm of the original woodwork, beveled glass, tile fireplace, plentiful windows and access to a patio overlooking the grounds offer an intimate environment. Mature trees and lovely perennials frame the garden, and a rose covered trellis creates a focal point for a romantic outdoor wedding or reception in summer and early fall.

The Overlook House is a perfect venue for your wedding, anniversary party, business retreat or any special event that deserves a beautiful and unique setting, in the heart of the city but off the beaten path.

The house and grounds are adaptable for indoor and outdoor events. Capacity for indoor events is 75 people and outdoors is 150. Chairs, tables, dishes, and flatware are available for your event, along with a full kitchen for food preparation, do-it-yourself or by your caterer.

Contact our Event Coordinator to schedule a tour and additional information!

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$1,100

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$600

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$1,400

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$800

Which of the following are included in the starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Chairs
Parking
Tables

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

3

Describe your venue:

Historic Building
Mansion

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Get Ready Rooms
Outside Vendors
Wifi

What food and beverage items are available?

Glassware

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

July
August

What months are included in your off-peak season?

May
June
September
October

Reviews of Historic Overlook House

E
Emily Sent on 06/02/2014
5 out of 5 rating
I believe the prices increased just after we had our event, but it was an amazing value and an absolutely beautiful place for a smaller budget wedding. We feel like we didn't have to cut any corners and everyone had a wonderful day.
Anna
Anna Sent on 06/21/2012
5 out of 5 rating
The Historic Overlook house was a fantastic venue for our diy wedding!
I wanted control over which vendors we hired and that was one of the biggest reasons we chose the house. (That and the fact that the backyard is beyond gorgeous!)
We had fantastic service from the house coordinator Jessica. She kept in contact with our catering vendor to ensure we had the right paperwork and she did so much to ease my workload with the paperwork involved in throwing a wedding at the Overlook House.
This house has a fantastic backyard and comes with a lot of amenities that other places charge much more for. My husband has already said he can't wait for our 10th and 20th anniversary so that we can go back to the house for another big celebration.

D
Danene Sent on 11/08/2010
5 out of 5 rating
We planned an outside wedding and had to make quick adjustments due to weather. Jessica was great at giving information, the local vendors had all worked with the site before so rental delivery and pick up was very easy. We loved that we could visit the site on Tuesday evenings so it was easy to plan how we wanted to set up for the day. We put up a large tent and had a beautiful garden wedding. The photographer especially liked the many shapes and textures that provided really great photo ops. The on-site person was very helpful the day of the wedding and went over the check out list with us before we left to make sure all items were taken care of an we received a full refund of our security deposit. It was a wonderful day, site and experience!
H
Hayley Sent on 10/19/2010
5 out of 5 rating
If you’re looking for a place that will give you a planner and does the wedding/party work for you…this is not the place for you. I got married at the Overlook House in 2007 and had a fantastic experience. I wanted a place that gave me the location for a cheap price and let me bring in my own vendors and plan everything the way I wanted…this was the place! They were always available for me for ALL my questions and made suggestions for vendors and such. My Grandparents also had their 50 wedding anniversary and my family just threw a surprise 80th Birthday party for my Grandmother there last month. Needless to say the Overlook house holds a special place in my family’s hearts and we plan to use it for upcoming family events. I have to say that all events I have done at this location have been outdoors (their backyard is a gorgeous canvas for any event). I would not recommend using the inside for an event because it seems small (but maybe you could make it work?).
E
Emily Sent on 11/03/2011
4.8 out of 5 rating
We recently had our wedding at the Historic Overlook House and were very pleased with the final product. This is definitely the venue for a do-it-yourself wedding, which is exactly what my husband and I were looking for. The house and grounds are gorgeous and the perfect setting for a moderately sized wedding (we had 75 people). We utilized both the indoors and outdoors of the property, which was ideal for our early Fall wedding. The large top floor of the house worked wonderfully as a private place for the entire bridal party to get ready in peace. It also provided us with tons of fabulous photo-ops, incorporating all of the historic charm of the house. We held our ceremony outside, and our dinner reception under a rented tent, but also used the bottom floor of the house as an area to mingle and have our cake cutting ceremony. The large outdoor cement deck and patio below was a great spot for our DJ to play while we danced into the night!
Jessica, our Event Coordinator, was extremely friendly, professional, helpful and always available via email to answer all of our questions. We were able to visit the property several times on Tuesday evenings during their Open House to take measurements, check out possible set-ups and even take a test run down the lawn with my heels on to make sure I didn't sink in! The staff in general couldn't have been more attentive and available.
Again, this is the perfect venue if you are excited and ready to take on the project of putting on your wedding yourself. You will have to find all of your vendors, secure your own insurance and are responsible for both the set-up and clean-up, all of which Jessica will thoroughly explain to you. Being in the service industry, we had lots of friends and family willing to help us make our day the most amazing of our lives! Make sure to book extra hours to allow for set-up and clean-up. We booked a 10 hour slot for the day, and were still amazed at how affordable it was. This property is truly a blank slate for you to put your own unique touches on. So many of our guests asked us, "Where did you find this place? It's amazing!" We concur and couldn't have asked for a better place to start the rest of our lives together.
C
Celia Sent on 12/29/2010
4.8 out of 5 rating
Mother of the bride, here, with only one child, so not much experience with weddings! The Overlook House was terrific for our needs. Our caterer (Typhoon) worked with them on everything, including setting up the last-minute tent that sheltered us all outside from the rainstorm. Everyone was lovely and helpful. I gave them a "4" in professionalism above as a backhanded compliment, because it's pretty much (as others have said on this site) your own show - they are renting you the space, and it's a nice old house and lovely garden. You are providing the worker bees, other than the one staff member who will stay in the background while your event is in progress. If you want something that feels "professional," that's not the feel, here. This feels like your rich aunt offered you her Old Portland place, and then left town. I would advise that you happily book extra hours and pay for them if you want to set up early, or if you will only have a small crew to clean up with you afterwards. We had an absolutely wonderful event, and worth every penny. I'd do it again in a minute!
I
Ilana Sent on 10/02/2018
4.7 out of 5 rating
We got married here September 8, 2018, and I am so glad that we chose this venue. Originally, I had my eye on a few other venues that were more expensive and didn't have any amenities included. We chose this venue due to the beautiful backyard, indoor option for food prep, bathrooms, and a rain plan B, and the included perks (DIY flexibility, tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, AND they wash the dishes for you after the event!) I wanted a low-stress, low-cost, beautiful and intimate wedding, and we had that.

Our wedding had 60 people, and we held the ceremony and reception in the backyard. I rented chairs and a pallet bar because they chairs that they have, while free, look a bit like cafeteria chairs. The chair rental was my one splurge. The venue needed minimal decorations to make the space beautiful- the landscaping and arbor make for a beautiful backdrop. We used vendors/friends with businesses for: flowers, video, photo, chairs, ceremony musicians, and sound equipment. We went the DIY route for decorations, food (a friend coordinated cheese/meat trays), drinks (had a friend who has an OLCC license), and everything else.

The couple who manage the venue are kind, quick to respond, and volunteers, so not available at all times of the day, like at other venues. That wasn't a problem for us. We emailed when we had questions, drove by when we needed a refresher, and visited during open house hours on Thursday evenings when we needed to visualize things. The venue rental is for 6 hours, with a fee for each additional hour, but that is my only complaint. I think if it's booked for the day, it would be nice to not have to worry about timing as much. A 7-8 hour rental feels reasonable to me.

We were able to have a beautiful wedding that we could afford. I think their materials and website could be updated to reflect how great of a venue it is, but then it would probably get more competitive, and I was grateful to not have to worry about that. :)
B
Alan Sent on 10/19/2010
4.5 out of 5 rating
Not a wedding reception, but we held a party, with about 40 people attending, for three of us that were having a birthday. Really like the house and the ability to handle an event inside or outside, or both. The coordinator was very helpful in working with us over several months to make sure that all the details were taken care of. Also found a bartender that has insurance coverage, which saved us $137. Had a great time, and everything went smoothly. Received our security deposit back within 3 weeks. One minor issue: set-up and take down time was not included in our original booking schedule. Resolved by adding 30 minutes on both ends of our event schedule, and only had to pay an additional $50 for that. Would definitely recommend it as a facility to hold an event, keeping in mind that you do have to do some of the setup yourself.
M
Michelle Sent on 12/13/2010
4.2 out of 5 rating
A lovely and quaint setting for a smaller wedding.
K
Kathy Sent on 09/07/2011
3.9 out of 5 rating
I really enjoyed having my wedding here. There wasnt alot of troubles with this company and thats what made it enjoyable. I love the trees and flowers and natural setting around!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

12

Professional Network & Endorsements

5 Endorsements
Stumptown DJs Stumptown DJs Wedding DJs

This is a really cool event space for a wedding. It gives you the feeling that you are having your wedding at one of your wealthy relatives places. It has a beautiful and spacious garden in back, a covered area for a buffet and a nice place for a DJ to setup their gear on the back patio. Not to mention the house is historic and decorated such that you could take cool wedding photos in every room. Staff at the Overlook house has always been very kind. The only downfall of this venue is that they have a noise ordinance to have all music shut off by 8pm. If you are looking for nice place to marry your loved one on a nice Summer afternoon in a Portland neighborhood, this is the place.

The Wedding Judge The Wedding Judge Wedding Officiants

Beautiful Venue!!

Your Personal Ceremony Your Personal Ceremony Wedding Officiants

Lovely spot to get married!

Map

Historic Overlook House frequently asked questions

Historic Overlook House includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Bridal Suite
  • Chairs
  • Parking
  • Tables
The space offered by Historic Overlook House for wedding events is known for:
  • Historic Building
  • Mansion
Historic Overlook House offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
Historic Overlook House offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Elopements
  • Rehearsal Dinner
Historic Overlook House offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Get Ready Rooms
  • Outside Vendors
  • Wifi
Historic Overlook House is recommended by 86% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.3 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.5 in quality of service, 4.4 in average response time, 4.3 in professionalism, 4.3 in value and 3.9 in flexibility.
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