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Produce Row is a restaurant and events space in southeast Portland, Oregon. Photo: Me (Elisabeth Kramer)
So, you want your wedding to be an incredible dance party but you don’t want to leave the Portland, Oregon, metro area to do it? Good news: Produce Row is open for business.
This new-ish venue came across my radar earlier this year when I received an invite to an open house. Recently, I stopped by the southeast Portland location to find a good food haven with a dance tent just waiting to happen.
Is this the spot you pick if you want to be married among the natural beauty of Oregon? No. Is it the spot you pick if you want to crank the volume and dance dance dance? Yes.
Here’s my take as a professional wedding planner.
The basics
Address: 204 SE Oak St, Portland, OR 97214.
Fits: 20 to 105 seated or 25 to 262 not seated.
The day I visited, Pro Row catering and event sales manager Kylie Forslund had just received the all-clear to rent out the entire restaurant to people who host a wedding (vs. “only” allowing them to buy out one location of the restaurant).
Kylie imagines the flow of a wedding as guests:Arrive in the main restaurant/Mural Room for pre-ceremony drinks and/or food
Proceed to the Main Patio for the ceremony
Return to the restaurant/Mural Room for a post-ceremony cocktail hour
Head to the tented Event Patio for the main meal and any reception activities (i.e. toasts, dancing, etc.)
You can view detailed floor plans of each of the three spaces here including occupancy limits.
Costs: The minimum number Pro Row needs to hit for a full buyout is $8,000, including venue fee and food and beverage. Arguably, that’s low for a venue and catering including alcohol so, depending on your guest count, this place could be a real deal.
If you “only” want to rent the tented Event Patio, that’s available at $350 an hour with a two-hour minimum. In this scenario, the other parts of the restaurant — the bar, Mural Room, and Main Patio — would remain open to the public.
Corkage is $20 per bottle and despite being a restaurant, Produce Row is open to outside catering though would likely charge an additional fee. Outside catering for dessert is always welcome with an additional fee.
As a note, Produce Row often hosts post-rehearsal meals on the Main Patio for groups of under 35 people. That option is available for a $100 reservation fee with no minimum on food or drink. Kylie will work with you to develop a preset family-style meal, and the rest of the Main Patio is open to the public.
If you have more than 35 people, you’re going to be directed to the tented Event Patio.Includes: As of publishing, Produce Row’s inventory was part of the rental fee (that $8,000 minimum number listed above) and included:
Six 60-inch rounds (sit eight people comfortably)
100 black folding chairs
10 cocktail tables
Mobile bar for the tented Event Patio
Black tablecloths (other colors are available for an extra fee)
Black napkins (other colors are available for an extra fee)
White plates, utensils, and cups as provided by the restaurant and bar
A variety of potted plants that clients can use for table decor
The team is also planning to offer a wireless mic and already has a robust A/V system in place. A DJ would want to bring in their own equipment (vs. plugging into the system) but for clients who forgo a DJ, Kylie says they can use a Spotify playlist as connected to the venue’s A/V.
Note that there are two rather large TVs on both the Main Patio and the Event Patio. Kylie says they’re working on solutions to hide those TVs for those who don’t want to see them during an event though, of course, there’s potential that you work them into the wedding (slideshow anyone?).
There’s also currently no required list of vendors and no requirement to have a coordinator.
Timings: Access begins at 12 p.m. on event day. That means, comfortably, the earliest I’d recommend a ceremony start at Produce Row is 3 p.m. (and even then, a 4 p.m. or later ceremony start time would likely be a better fit, pending how much set-up and decor you’re planning).
The current rental window ends at 11 p.m., which means reception done at 10 p.m. to allow an hour for clean-up. However, unlike many venues in Multnomah County, Produce Row has an option to go as late as 2 a.m. Those hours (11 p.m. to 2 a.m.) cost $700 per hour.
A one-hour rehearsal is included in the rental fee but, as is a (somewhat regrettably) standard at many venues, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to do a rehearsal the day before (it might be a couple days before the wedding instead).Parking: As detailed under the “Cons” section below, you’re looking at street parking during the week until 5 p.m. but there is a lot available for after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Updated information (9/8/23): I learned the spots in the lot are free and the address for the lot is 333 SE 2nd Ave, Portland, Oregon, 97214.
Accessibility: Kylie proactively shared that this is a weak spot at the venue. Specifically, to use the Event Tent, the back gate facing SE Oak St. has to be open to allow a wheelchair to enter the space (otherwise, it’s a series of low steps into the tent). There’s also no ADA restroom on-site.
The current solution: Kylie’s researching companies that could provide an ADA restroom to be parked on the street. This would be an additional cost to the client.Sustainability: I asked about compost and didn’t get a totally clear answer though I was assured that sustainability is a priority in the kitchen. Specifically, any reusables are compostable and recycling is available throughout the venue.
The Events Tent at Produce Row. The tan napkins featured in the photo are not available without an additional fee (the standard and included napkin color is black). All tables, chairs, plates, glasses, utensils, decor, and mobile bar come with the venue. Photo: Me (Elisabeth Kramer)
The pros
Get loud
Stay late
Comfort food
Ready to work with you
Produce Row is the third venue I’ve reviewed in southeast Portland and a mere seven-minute walk from fellow music and events space The Den. I’m beginning to understand why the area is so popular for late-night venues.
“We’re zoned industrial,” said Kylie. “That means we can get loud and we can go late.”
Helping things further: The pandemic sent many of Produce Row’s neighbors home (it’s part of the reason they’re doubling down on events — post-work happy hours aren’t bringing it in like they used to). One upside of a quieter neighborhood: Fewer people to complain about that noisy wedding next door.
Pair the potential of a popping dance floor with Pro Row’s catering menu and I can see the appeal for a client who wants a wedding that feels more like a party. The restaurant, which was founded in 1974, was originally the first McMenamins. Intentionally or not, the menu is reminiscent of the iconic Oregon chain. Craft beer, sliders, wings, pretzels — this is food intended to comfort and satisfy. (Kylie says the kitchen can also easily accommodate any number of food and dietary preferences and allergies.)
As of publishing, family-style or plated meals aren’t an option for the main meal at a wedding; it needs to be buffet.
Perhaps the most noteworthy part of Produce Row, however, is the team. I approached Produce Row about a tour before I knew Kylie was onboard; I was thrilled to learn she’s the new sales manager. From her previous work at other local venues with a specific focus on weddings, I know she brings a level of expertise that makes me confident the sky’s the limit for this spot.
That also means that if you like what you see at Pro Row, get in while you can. Prices are affordable (and, if anything, on the low end) for this year; as word spreads and demand grows, I can see that changing particularly as this venue serves not only to weddings but many community and non-profit events.
This is the Main Patio at Produce Row in southeast Portland, Oregon. It would be used for the ceremony and is also available for post-rehearsal meals. Photo: Me (Elisabeth Kramer)
The cons
Industrial (there’s a train)
Parking (kinda)
Climate control options
No getting-ready locations
This is industrial southeast Portland and that means a few things. First, there’s a train. Sometimes it whistles. Will it whistle during your ceremony? Unlikely but yes, it could happen.
Second, parking is (somewhat) limited. Unlike many local venues, Produce Row actually has a parking lot. It’s available after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. As of publishing, there’s not a charge to use the lot (though I believe the spots themselves use Parking Kitty). But if you’re planning to visit outside of those hours, it’s street parking.
Third, rolling evergreen hills this is not. For many clients, that’s ideal. They want a wedding in the city and they recognize that means brick and graffiti, hard edges and asphalt. Those clients are looking to celebrate Portland and for them, Produce Row has a lot to offer.
This is the swamp cooler in the Event Patio at Produce Row in southeast Portland, Oregon. It’s how the tent stays cools during warm weather. Photo: Me (Elisabeth Kramer)
Of course, this is also Portland, which means that air conditioning is scarce. To rectify that particular problem, Pro Row has brought in a swamp cooler. I won’t lie: It’s not pretty. I also doubt guests will care. There may be that momentary, “Oh damn. That thing is big” reaction but as soon as the booze is flowing and the cold air blowing, I find wedding guests tend to forget about those kinds of things.
Without the swamp cooler, the tent will be hot. On the day I visited, temperatures were in the 80s and I felt it. Perhaps this bodes well for wintertime events, something Kylie says Produce Row is very interested in hosting. They’ve got several heaters on-site and the greenhouse effect of the tenting could play in the favor of making the tent cozy even during Oregon’s rainy season.
There are currently two options for the side walls of the Event Patio: the leaf pattern or tan. Both options are available at no additional cost. Photo: Me (Elisabeth Kramer)
A last con is that there are no getting-ready rooms on-site. This has been a running theme at many of the venues I’ve reviewed and, for what it’s worth, I’ll take no ready rooms over gendered spaces any day of the week.
That said, if you’re doing a ceremony here, you’ll need to plan on getting ready elsewhere. Neighboring Hotel Grand Stark might be a good place to start (it’s a five-minute walk, two-minute drive) or, as Kylie suggested, finding a hair and/or makeup provider that offers a mobile getting-ready location (some do; think: Airstream).
The bottom line
“Dance party rave tent” were the (perhaps regrettable) words I used to describe the Produce Row Event Patio but really, I can see it.
Get some fun colored lights in there, maybe a disco ball and this place could turn into your own personal club (that also happens to serve decent food and drink).
And for the right client? That’s exactly what they’ve been looking for.
Learn more about Produce Row: producerowcafe.com/private-event and @ProduceRowPDX
Check out the other wedding venues I’ve reviewed.
Do you know of a venue that I should visit? Tell me: elisabeth@elisabethkramer.com.