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Mildred Hall in northeast Portland is a hidden gem of a wedding venue. Photo: Shane McKenzie, Portland Imagery
This is my seventh year as a wedding planner and while I would never claim to know every single wedding venue in Portland, Oregon, I know a lot of them. So when a couple recently told me that they were getting married at a place called “Mildred Hall” in northeast Portland, I was like, “This I’ve got to google.”
I’m glad I did. Mildred Hall is a hidden gem perfect for the couple who wants to feel like they got married in their own backyard without actually getting married in their own backyard.
The basics
Address: 5138 NE 23rd Ave., Portland, OR 97211
Fits: 80 to 150 people
Costs: $2,500 to $3,000, depending on the day of the week (Monday through Thursday = $2,500; Friday and Sunday = $3,000; Saturday = $3,500). This includes a whole day rental + time for a rehearsal.
Includes: 80 wood folding chairs, 45 metal folding chairs, 15 six-foot rectangular folding tables, 15 black tablecloths, ice tubs, patio sun shade
Has: Video projector, music-playing device, two cordless mics (if you arrange to do your own A/V and music, consider using this script for a MC)
The main indoor space (the “Main Hall”) at Mildred Hall in northeast Portland. Photo: Shane McKenzie, Portland Imagery
The pros
Extremely central to downtown Portland but also has pretty nature
Parking is actually some of the best I’ve seen for a city venue
A/C (in a historic building!)
More accessible, sustainable, and inclusive than many venues
Solid on-site kitchen that actually composts
Very generous rehearsal and entry timings
There are two questions guests care about most on a wedding day: When are we drinking and where are we parking? The latter is, surprisingly, quite hard to answer if you get married in downtown Portland. Many of the most established venues in town do not have an easy answer to “Um, so how about that parking though?”
On my “things to worry about when wedding planning” radar, I’d give this issue a solid yellow. It’s solvable — encourage guests to car-share or ride-share and/or provide shuttles — but solutions are also fairly time-intensive and expensive — you have to tell people ahead of time and, if you provide transportation, you’re probably paying at least $1,000 for it.
So, when I rolled up to Mildred Hall and saw it was literally next door to residential homes, my first thought was: “The neighbors must hate this place.”
Wrong! At least according to Mildred Hall co-owner Matthew “Matt” Hollingsworth, who told me that not only is he good friends with the family who lives closest to the venue but that the streets were typically as empty on a weekend as what I was seeing on a Tuesday afternoon.
Which is to say really, really empty with unlimited, free street parking.
“OK, fine,” salty wedding planner Beth told herself, “the parking is good but this place is real old. That’s gonna be a problem.”
Again, surprisingly, no. Mildred Hall turns 107 this year and not only was there air conditioning and a video projector, but Matt proactively answered my questions about accessibility. The venue has a wheelchair ramp at the back of the building and a wheelchair-accessible restroom across the street (more on this in the “Cons” section below).
The kitchen and catering prep area at Mildred Hall in northeast Portland. When I visited, the compost bin was under the counter on the left side. Photo: Shane McKenzie, Portland Imagery
Downstairs, I was surprised to see a spacious kitchen and even more surprised to see a compost bin. When I commended Matt on having compost, he said that they’re actually looking to expand composting options — something that I’ve yet to see from even the most well-known venues in Portland.
The getting-ready room is also downstairs. What with the wedding industry’s toxic commitment to gendered spaces, I was relieved that this room didn’t scream anything but “comfortable, private place where wedding VIPs can stow their stuff.” Upstairs was an ever so slightly different story (read about the “Mother’s Room” below).
As for the outside, Mildred Hall looks like it has no backyard but it has all of the backyard. The footprint nearly doubled with the garden out back, which includes a fire pit and, Matt says, can handle an outside ceremony of 90 people.
As of publishing, Mildred Hall doesn’t restrict on when people can get access to the venue on the wedding day, which is extremely rare. Usually venues sell a couple somewhere between six to 12 hours, which, depending on the day-of timeline, the amount of required set-up, and the length of the venue rental window, can make for a time crunch.
At Mildred Hall, there’s a keypad on a back door. Matt will give you or the person of your choice the code and then you can LET YOURSELF IN. This made my planner heart soar because options. (As a note, the wedding info sheet provided to me by the venue did specify an entry time: 8 a.m. I imagine this is there as a reference but it’s worth clarifying this with Mildred Hall if you’re considering booking.)
On the other end of the day, music must be off by 10 p.m. (standard for any wedding venue in Multnomah County). Matt usually encourages people to have everything cleaned up by 11 p.m., but even that out time was flexible when it came to rentals.
That’s a big deal because there’s the potential here for a couple to avoid the typical $600+ after-hours rental pick-up fee by instead arranging Matt to come back a day or, potentially, two days after the wedding to let a rental company back in. (I asked Matt what the “he comes back” option would cost. I didn’t get a specific number but he suggested he would charge for his time. This makes sense and is also different than some venues which will also allow a post-wedding day pick-up but don’t charge because their staff is already on-site.)
I’m going to caveat all of the above by sharing that Matt and his wife Yuka bought Mildred Hall three years ago and 2023 will be the venue’s first “true” wedding season. They struck me as with-it, reasonable people and granted, weddings aren’t rocket science but it’ll be interesting to see if any of the above changes as more weddings happen at Mildred Hall. Speaking for myself, the contract I started with in 2016 is radically different from the one I use these days (read: I’m better at knowing and sharing boundaries that keep me safe).
The cons
Space is at a premium
It would be hard to “flip” the main room
If you live with a disability that makes climbing stairs challenging, options exist but are limited and inconvenient
One room might be triggering for certain family situations
Mildred Hall’s stated capacity limits are indoors, 80 seated or 100 standing and outdoors, 120 seated or 150 standing. This feels… ambitious. I saw the space empty and know the magic event professionals can work with the right layout and even then, I think you’d be most comfortable with fewer than 80 people total inside (and remember, that includes vendors).
Outside is a different story. As noted in the “Pros” section above, the backyard is spacious. Matt pointed out one level gravel area at the back of the yard where previous clients had two rows of long farm tables and yeah, I can see it. You also have to hope the weather is good.
That, I think, one of these two options would be the ideal flow for a wedding at Mildred Hall:
Host the ceremony inside > stage the cocktail hour on the back patio > host a seated dinner at the back of the yard
OR host the ceremony outside > stage the cocktail hour on the back patio > host a seated dinner inside
Note: Your options expand if you opt for any part of this to be standing (vs. seated) but many folks baulk at that idea, which is why I’m not mocking it up here.
In either of the scenarios above, you’re looking at a major portion of the wedding being outside. That always makes that same planner heart race because of all the things we can control on a wedding day, the weather isn’t one of them.
The front part of the “Main Hall” at Mildred Hall. On the right is the front entrance with a short flight of stairs. On the left is the door that leads to a flight of stairs often used to line-up people entering a wedding ceremony during a processional. The “Mother’s Room” is behind the closed doors on the left wall. Photo: Shane McKenzie, Portland Imagery
Is this a dealbreaker? No. Unlike many wedding venues, you actually have good indoor options at Mildred Hall. The venue also provides a sun shade for the back patio.
You’ve also got limited options for if you want to “flip” the main room (i.e. kick the guests out after the ceremony while your vendor team and/or guests you’ve told to do this change the room from the ceremony layout to the reception layout before inviting guests back in for a main meal).
The only place a large group can really go during a flip is the backyard and, well, see my earlier note re: the weather. This isn’t rare but it is something people don’t always think about (ironic in rainy Portland).
Rain or shine, there’s a larger issue at Mildred Hall if you or someone you’re inviting or hiring for the wedding live with a disability that makes using stairs challenging: There are several stairs to enter the building from the front and the most scenic entrance point to proceed down the aisle inside involves a staircase.
I appreciated that Matt knew this was a limitation to the space and, as noted above in the “Pros” section, he had a plan in place before I even asked for one. That’s not always the case, particularly for historic venues that, in my experience, sometimes use “historic” as an excuse for bad choices.
The weakest part of this plan is that the only Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compatible restroom is across the street at a different venue. Matt has a key and you can get in but, obviously, this is an inconvenience on people already dealing with plenty of inconvenience.
The “Mother’s Room” at Mildred Hall, often used for a bar, photo booth, dessert, and/or buffet area during a wedding. Cute dog not included. Photo: Shane McKenzie, Portland Imagery
Back in the main hall, there’s one other room of note: the Mother’s Room. I asked Matt about this name since he’d gone to such lengths to make the getting-ready space downstairs inclusive. He said they thought about changing the name but appreciated the legacy behind it; per his understanding, the space was used by moms to breastfeed or wait for their little one(s) back when Mildred Hall was a church and later, community center.
That’s fine and all but I’ve certainly worked weddings where the word “mother” might be triggering for any number of reasons. Perhaps Mom died or Mom isn’t a part of a person’s life or Mom is just really killing the vibe right now. These examples are specific, for sure, but also, in my experience with weddings, relevant. Proceed with whatever level of caution serves you best.
The bottom line
Mildred Hall made me think of dozens of weddings for which I’ve either consulted or coordinated.
Weddings for couples who told me “We want to get married in the city but be surrounded by natural beauty” or “We want the feel and cost of a backyard wedding without actually having to host it at our house and with some of the benefits of a professional venue.”
I’m grateful to now have a quality option to send people: Mildred Hall.
Learn more about Mildred Hall: mildredhall.com and @Mildred_Hall_Portland
Check out the other wedding venues I’ve reviewed.
Do you know of a venue that I should visit? Tell me: elisabeth@elisabethkramer.com.