If a resource is on this page, it's because I've vetted, trust, and personally like it. I do not receive any monetary compensation for any referrals I provide. None of the links below are affiliate links. I also actively work to fight the racist history of referral lists in the wedding industry. Read more about my code of conduct.

As you use this list, please note that all are people or organizations whom I feel confident will treat people planning weddings in the way I would treat them, which is to say in a way that values and respects their lived experiences. Many of these people I know through my work with Altared, a space for wedding vendors who change the wedding industry. Altared specifically focuses on education and resources that make the wedding industry more diverse, inclusive, accessible, equitable, and sustainable.

If you aren’t finding what you need off this list, I invite you to email me (elisabeth@elisabethkramer.com). I’m here to help.

Audio Keepsake

Ourtifact
ourtifact.com
I’ve yet to work with Jake and Ryan in-person but their work at Ourtifact really intrigues me. Pretty much, they capture an audio record of your wedding (think videography without the video). It’s like a podcast you can listen to every anniversary.

Balloons

Small & Mighty Event Rentals Plus
smallandmightyevents.com
Doris Calhoun offers a lot of different services including rentals and throne chairs, but her balloon creations are next level. I’ve also previously hired Doris as an assistant wedding coordinator so can vouch for her as a hard-working, empathetic, and kind person.

Carbon Footprint Calculator

Wedding Footprint Calculator (Less Stuff, More Meaning)
lessstuffmoremeaning.org/weddingfootprintcalculator
Scary, I know. Also, a very useful tool as you brainstorm ways for your wedding to have a lighter footprint (not as hard as it sounds). Learn more about Less Stuff, More Meaning at the end of this list.

Clothes

Dresses
Brides for a Cause
bridesforacause.com
This is where I got my wedding dress.

The Pretty Pear Bride
prettypearbride.com
This is a resource for plus-size women planning weddings because, alas, the wedding industry is among, other things, terrible at body positivity.

Sparkly Gowns
sparklygowns.com
This store opened in Northwest Portland in 2022 and offers a wide range of formal gowns. A good place to find something not “traditionally” bridal.

Suits
Duchess Clothier
duchessclothier.com
For folks planning in Portland, this is a popular custom suit shop with a specific focus on inclusive clothing.

The Natty Dresser
thenattydresser.com
I’ve had several clients recommend this Portland-area suit store.

Custom
House of Bretón
thehouseofbreton.com
Lei has taught me so much about the importance of inclusive fashion design and the value of custom work (fun fact: it’s not nearly as cost-prohibitive as I thought it would be). Lei is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, but serves people from all over.

Alterations
Tailor Chic
facebook.com/tailorchic1031
I used this spot to tailor a bridesmaid dress and was very happy with the results.

European Master Tailor
europeanmastertailor.com
My husband had his wedding suit tailored here and was pleased with the work.

Silhouette
silhouettetailoringstudio.com
I’ve had previous clients use this spot with great results. That said, I do believe they're v. popular so you may hit an issue with availability.

Alterations by Heather
alterationsbyheather.com
These folks often do work at the Portland dress shop Brides for a Cause if you want to ask for a local closer to you then their St. Helens HQ.

Childcare

NW Nannies
nwnannies.net
I first worked with NW Nannies at a wedding that provided on-site childcare. I then hired them for an event I hosted. I appreciated the team’s communication before and on the day, and that they were available to accommodate my request for vaccinated staff.

Compostables

Dtocs
dtocs.com
This is an Oregon-based and BIPOC mom-owned business that makes compostable palm leaf plates. They’re very sturdy and they look good too!

Decorations

Dash of Pride
dashofpride.com
Dash of Pride makes wedding and event decor for the LGBTQ+ community, and also offers a wedding vendor directory with a specific focus on long-term accountability.

Embroidery Jewelry

Ayumi
oooayumiooo.com
Ayumi is an artist in Japan who makes embroidery jewelry. I’d never heard of this before she contacted me on LinkedIn and golly, am I glad she did. Her work is gorgeous.

Experience Design

The Experiential Wedding
theexperientialwedding.com
I’m not going to do Julie and Priscila’s work justice but think of this as a way to think holistically about your wedding. They offer several different online sessions that you and your partner can do together to set up your planning with intention and purpose.

Flowers

Novella
novellatheory.com
Christina and her husband Akili do a stellar job and are always thinking of new ways to bring value to both their clients and their industry. Talk to them about à la carte items, too (i.e. a cheaper way to get a smaller set of flowers for a wedding).

Songbird Floristry
songbirdfloristry.com
Robyn is always a delight to work with and fun fact: She owns a three-acre flower farm with much of what she grows appearing in Songbird’s designs. I also find Robyn’s flower planning tool an extremely useful resource for folks who want a streamlined way to order flowers for a wedding.

SlowCult
theslowcult.com
Sustainable. Beautiful. Passionate. Just the tip of the iceberg when talking about Alexis’ excellent work.

Wildflower Portland
wildflowerportland.com
Chas does excellent work and is also a terrific communicator before and on a wedding day. I highly recommend Wildflower Portland.

Bridge City Blooms
bridgecityblooms.com
This mother-daughter duo made my job easy, and their work was lovely!

Hyacinth Orange
hyacinthorange.com
Sera and I met at a wedding that I can only describe as “elevated gothic” and golly, did she and her team deliver. Sera’s florals truly took the wedding to the next level. She was also a pleasure to work with before the wedding day, and I have no doubt her talents would apply to any aesthetic.

Small Yard Flowers
smallyardflowers.com
Ellio did the flowers for my wedding. These days for weddings they focus on “à la carte” floral options.

Solabee
solabeeflowers.com
This is the spot I recommend for folks who have minimal floral needs. The catch is that you will likely need to designate someone to pick up the order ahead of the wedding and, potentially, return items in the days after the wedding. (If I’m your coordinator, I’ll do that.)

Flower Pressing

Vancuterie
vancuterie.com
I met Daphne through Altared and while I haven’t worked with her directly, I think her work is both beautiful and exciting. It also strikes me as a nice keepsake or gift for after a wedding.

Food and Drink

Bartending

Bar Truck PDX
bartruckpdx.com
Logistically, it’s hard to beat a mobile bar. I particularly enjoyed working with Jeff and his team.

Harper & Gracie Mobile Drinkeries
harperandgracie.com
Liska and I met through Altared and I was impressed with her thoughtful approach to this fun, useful service.

Dessert

Lauretta Jean’s
laurettajeans.com
This place really doesn’t need my referral as they’re a well-established dessert location in southeast Portland but gosh, does my heart sing when a client books them. The pies! Too good!

Kyra’s Bake Shop
kyrasbakeshop.com
A celiac-safe and gluten-free bakery that serves Portland and you know what? Some of the best wedding cakes and treats I’ve had.

Dream Cakes
dreamcakespnw.com
I appreciate Johannah’s attention to detail. You can taste the difference!

Banquette
banquettepdx.com
I haven’t had a lot of great “traditional” wedding cakes but damn, this place was good! And the 14-inch single-tier cake? It fed a lot of people (100+).

Honey

The Barreled Bee
thebarreledbee.com
Lee makes barrel-aged honey, which is relevant to weddings because it’s a favor that guests will actually enjoy. (I know this from first-hand experience at my own wedding.)

Full Meal

Field & Vine
fieldandvineevents.com
When the entire vendor team says this is some of the best wedding food they’ve ever eaten, you know it’s good.

Mermosa
mermosapdx.com/mermosapdxshop
Des’ team does an excellent job serving up Caribbean-Southern fusion.

Rockin’ Kitchen BBQ
rockinkitchenbbq.com
Elmer offers top-notch food as well as service. Note that he and his team use a smoker/grill trailer that cooks on-site.

The Vegan Caterer
thevegancaterer.com
I admit my bias in that I really didn’t think this food was going to be good when, in fact, it’s some of the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding.

Niblack Events (North Oregon Coast)
niblackevents.com
Doug was one of the two leads on the catering team that did my own wedding. He’s since started his own business, which I highly recommend.

Gifts

With Love, From PDX
withlovefrompdx.com
Inger and I met through Altared. Maybe it’s my Northwest roots showing but I love her focus on local products with cool stories. Think of this place for any welcome bags or wedding party gifts you may be considering.

Hair and/or Makeup

The Wildeflower Collective
thewildeflower.co
Good communication is key, particularly with hair and makeup, which made Jenny and her team all the more impressive.

AvantChard
@AvantChard
I really enjoyed working with Catelyn not only because her hair and makeup work was beautiful but because she communicated well both before and on the wedding day. Bonus: She makes wigs!

Anny Chow Bridal
annychowbridal.com
One notable detail: Anny and her team kept things running on time, which make all of the difference on a wedding day.

Bella Gioia
@bella.gioia.styles and vagaro.com/gioiagomez
Beyond being my personal hair stylist, Gioia Gomez has a ton of experience working events and doing cutting edge things in hair and makeup — and her team can take wedding parties of up to 10. For my own wedding, I hired her for a one-hour makeup tutorial. DM her!

Kelli Thomsen Beauty
kellithomsen.com
Kelli knows what she’s doing. Efficient, responsive, and talented, Kelli makes sure the start of the day goes well. Kelli also offers a DIY wedding makeup lesson that may be a good fit if you want a “make me look glam” tutorial but would prefer not to hire an on-site makeup team for the actual wedding day.

Mane Bridal
manebridal.com
I met Andrea and her team at a wedding where I was a bridesmaid; great experience! Bonus: Two of Andrea’s stylists are fluent in Spanish, and Andrea offers one-on-one makeup classes too.

Illustrations

Briana Kranz
brianakranz.com
Briana has drawn at events for years, creating full figures or close-up portraits. (Think: stylized fashion drawings more than caricatures.) She’s based in Portland, Oregon.

How Heart Thou
howheartthou.org
Miranda creates (very cool) custom artwork on-site at a wedding. See examples here. She’s based in San Francisco but travels for work.

Amy Wike Illustrations
amywikeillustration.com
Amy does a variety of illustration work including this cool thing where she can takes photos of a wedding bouquet and memorializes it as an illustration. She also works live at events.

Invites and/or Paper Goods

The Art of Etiquette
theartofetiquette.com
Mellisa creates vow books for people to share their vows with each other on their wedding day and then revisit them long into their marriage. I love how intentional this is and how it re-centers the wedding day around the ceremony, i.e. the thing that makes a wedding more than a party.

Everglow Handmade
everglowhandmade.com
Fun fact: Rachel and I went to high school and college together to only, lo and behold, both wind up in the wedding industry. You won’t meet a kinder, more talented lady for your paper good needs, from invites to signs and everything in-between.

Reb Peters Press
rebpeterspress.com
I have a lot of good things to say about Rebecca but I’ll mention only one: She whipped up a faux invite with a checkbox for vaccination status for me in less than 24 hours because that’s just the kind of talented person she is.

Paperless Post
paperlesspost.com
My husband and I used Paperless Post for our wedding invites and specifically their Flyer option. We also used that same Flyer as our wedding website.

Music

Bands and Individual Musicians

Blue Wave Band
bluewaveband.com
I’ve worked with Blue Wave several times and always enjoyed the experience. They’re an agency so create different ensembles depending on which of their musicians are available for your wedding.

The House of Cards Music
thehouseofcardsmusic.com
The House of Cards Music offers a variety of musical options. I’ve been impressed with their excellent communication ahead of a wedding as well as their musicians.

Eldon “T” Jones
eldontjones.com
Eldon’s surprise saxophone performance during first dances was truly legendary.

DJ

NW Mobile DJ Service
nwmobiledj.com
I’m always relieved when I work with NW Mobile DJ Service as I know the A/V is going to be excellent. Also, karaoke!

Chad Dowling
chaddowling.biz
Chad is a delightful person who offers a great energy and more than 30 years of experience. I also highly recommend adding the photo booth option! (Scroll down for details.)

DJ Mandy
soundreflectionspdx.weebly.com
Wow! Did I love DJ Mandy. Great energy. Great equipment. Great MC. Also, Mandy’s husband Owen is a cellist who’s available to play live at weddings.

DJ K Marie
djkmarie.com
I think you’ll like DJ K Marie’s well-rounded music taste and, notably, her prices include an assistant.

DJ Gregarious
djgregarious.com
If you’re looking for a DJ who knows how to make a dance floor pop, go with Greg.

Thomas Productions
thomaspdx.com
I’m always impressed by Benni’s thoughtfulness and attention to detail.

Officiants and Vow Writing Tools

Rooted & Wild
rootedandwild.co
Emily goes the extra mile for her clients. She also offers a $49 video to help first-time officiants learn the basics and she hosts vow writing workshops, which are a great way to jumpstart any planning for your ceremony (my husband and I used one ourselves!).

The Soulful Wedding
thesoulfulwedding.com/how-to-write-wedding-vows
Maureen is based in the Boston area (vs. where I work, Oregon) but she offers a virtual option to help people write their wedding vows with the help of an experienced professional as well as secular pre-martial counseling. Check it out!

Pet Handling

Tails & Vows
tailsandvows.com
Yes, you can indeed hire a pet attendant to take care of your fuzzy VIP(s) on the wedding day, which can be particularly useful if they’re involved in the ceremony. (Note: Lindsay is based outside of Seattle, Washington, and serves the Pacific Northwest.)

Photographers

Venture Ever After
ventureeverafter.com
Nadia is the genius behind Venture Ever After and I can’t recommend her work highly enough. We first met at a webinar called “Decolonizing the Wedding Industry” and since then have crossed paths multiple times through Altared. I particularly love Nadia’s commitment to donating to an organization focused on environmental and/or equity issues each time she books a new client.

Marissa Solini Photography
marissasolini.com
Five percent of all of Marissa’s bookings go toward a nonprofit. You get to pick which off of a provided list! (I like this idea so much, I, with permission, used it myself.)

Nate Meeds
natemeedsphoto.com
What a delightful person! Nate keeps things upbeat and positive, and really goes above and beyond to support his clients.

Andreia Claro Photography
andreiaclaro.com
Andreia’s collaborative spirit both before and on the wedding day really wowed me. I think you’ll appreciate it, too.

Mariana Fernández Photography
marianafernandezweddings.com
Mariana has such a great energy about her and her work is gorgeous!

Simple Joie Photography
simplejoie.com
Joia has nearly two decades of experience, and offers a calming presence — ideal for a wedding day!

No Rules Photography
norulesphotography.com
Daniela and I connected when she moved to Portland, Oregon, and I’m so glad we did. She offers a refreshing take on “traditional” wedding photography.

Sightglass Photography
sightglassphoto.com
Eric and Amber are a dynamic husband-wife team with a wealth of experience.

Aaron Marineau Photography
aaronmarineau.com
Aaron and I met in journalism school and reconnected while working weddings. He brings a photojournalistic background to his work, and is excellent at the cat herder bit of wedding photography, too!

Red Aspen Photography
redaspenphotography.com
It’s my personal belief that Ashleigh of Red Aspen is an underutilized gem of a photographer. She’s based in Ashland but travels all over Oregon.

Ashley Jennings Photography
ashleyjenningsphotography.com
Ashley offers film, digital, and even tintype photography. She’s a great pick if you want a more historical or vintage vibe.

Photo Booths

Flash Photo Booth
flashphotoboothpdx.com
A solid local outfit.

White Tower Photo Booth
chaddowling.biz/whitetowerphoto
Gretchen always brings her A game to any event she does, and the resulting photo booth guest book never fails to impress. (FYI: White Tower is connected with a DJ named Chad Dowling; scroll up for details.)

Premarital Coaching

Doris Fullgrabe, Coach and Consultant
dorisfullgrabe.ck.page
Good golly do I wish I would have known Doris Fullgrabe when I got married. She offers what my husband and I were looking for in the months leading up to our wedding: secular relationship counseling to get ready for marriage.

The Soulful Wedding
thesoulfulwedding.com/how-to-write-wedding-vows
Maureen is based in the Boston area (vs. where I work, Oregon) but she offers secular pre-martial counseling as well as a virtual option to help people write their own wedding vows.

Live Wedding Painting

Kesryth Portrait Paintings
kesryth.com/liveweddingpainting
While I haven’t had a chance to work with Kesryth and Kelly in-person yet, I think what this brother-sister duo is doing is pretty nifty. Watch how Kesryth uses his years of experience as a portrait painter to bring a portrait to life during a wedding.

KHEM
instagram.com/KHEMmadeit
This painter has a pretty cool backstory. Like Kesryth, I haven’t worked a wedding with KHEM yet but admire his work.

Quilts

Lori Mason Design
lorimasondesign.com
Yes, wedding quilts exist!

Registries and/or Websites

Joy
withjoy.com
I learned about this company after they worked with radical joy coach Jordan Maney on her Step Up Pledge to fight racism in the wedding industry. They were also the sponsor of the second season of my podcast.

Blueprint Registry
blueprintregistry.com
This is what my husband and I used for our own wedding registry; worked great! (As a note: Since we got married, it looks like Blueprint has changed ownership. It’s now brought to you by Pearl by David’s, as in David’s Bridal. Not my favorite news but still, a useful tool. Also note that you can’t claim any cash gifts through a free bank transfer until after your event date has passed.)

Rentals

Lily & Cane
lilyandcane.com
I connected with Sherine Iskandar through a list of BIPOC vendors in the Pacific Northwest and immediately appreciated her honest approach to her work.

Power of Love Rentals
powerofloverentals.com
They’ve got great yard games!

Setting the Table
settingthetablerentals.com
Melinda and I met through Altared. I really vibed with her idea of taking a personal passion — collecting vintage & specialty tableware rentals — and turning it into a service for others.

Rings and Jewelry

Fiina (from the team of Betsy & Iya)
betsyandiya.com/collections/betsy-iya-fine-jewelry
This is the fine jewelry store affiliated with Portland favorite Betsy & Iya. Get a sample of their work here and here; then, stop by the storefront in northwest Portland or contact them about custom work.

Ringed
ringedpdx.com
You make your partner’s wedding band! I did.

Security Guards/COVID Safety Officers

In November 2021, I called eight security providers in my area (Oregon) to ask if they would check for proof of COVID vaccine and/or proof of a negative COVID test at the entrance to the wedding. The result was this article.

Staffing

The WaitStaff Team
thewaitstaffteam.com
This is a convenient service if you’re in need of labor on your wedding day. Think: bussing, bartending, serving, set-up, and clean-up.

Stickers

Sticker Ninja
stickerninja.com
Sticker Ninja made the stickers for a project with Altared and I loved every minute of the process. I asked if they do weddings and hell yeah, they do. Note that they do not do design so you need to send over print-ready files.

Transportation

ecoShuttle
ecoshuttle.com
Not to be salty but I’ve never referred a transportation company before because, honestly, they’ve always struck me as kind of the same (which is great but didn’t feel like it needed a specific shout-out). But ecoShuttle. Wow. They blew me away at a wedding we did together. Before and during the event, they were responsive, helpful, and communicative.

Video

Lovebug Pictures
lovebugpictures.com
Lauren and I met at the very first Altared and have since worked together at a wedding. I believe in her commitment to making the wedding industry less gross.

Vibe Visuals
vibe-visuals.com
I find Katie a kind, calming presence, which seems great for the job she does at weddings.

Casperson Productions
caspersonproductions.com
Through our interactions with Altared, Dane strikes me as a team player who’s committed to creating a quality product for his clients. I think you’ll like him too!

Candy Glass Productions
candyglassproductions.com
Candy Glass and I first worked together on a wedding where they were brought on less than two weeks before the wedding and wow! They did a great job.

Paper Heart Films
paperheartfilms.ca
I met Chelsea and Bryan at a class about inclusive language in the wedding industry and love what they’re doing to help people have meaningful, intentional wedding days. Note that they are based in Victoria, B.C., so reach out about travel (or go to them!). They’re also the creators of “Sustainably Wed,” a multi-episode documentary about how to have a sustainable wedding.

Additional Resources

These are my go-to wedding planning websites, books, and vendor directories.