We loved having our August 2016 wedding reception at Castaway! The staff was so helpful to us every step of the way. We mostly worked with Emily Moore and she was a dream. She was super responsive, very helpful in communicating with the cater...er when I ran into major frustrations with them and proactive in informing us of any changes in the venue. There was some construction going on at a property adjacent to Castaway and Emily was great about letting us know well in advance so that we could make some changes to the layout of how/where we wanted our cocktail hour on the patio. Emily was super flexible about allowing us to do walk-throughs with my parents, my husband’s parents, the caterer and our wedding coordinator on separate occasions.
Why we chose Castaway: We were looking for a city venue that was handicap accessible and provided an indoor-outdoor option. We wanted to make sure that our guests didn’t have to drive or be transported too far from hotels or the church where we were married (St. Andrew’s at NE 8th and Alberta). We also have several family members in wheelchairs and it was important to us that they feel comfortable and not burdened with trying to navigate across lawn, gravel, etc. I really wanted our guests to be able to be outside on a beautiful Oregon summer night – the patio space allowed guests to enjoy the beautiful 80 degree weather. But we also knew that summer weather has been really unpredictable recently (crazy heat, rain, etc) and it gave us such peace of mind to know that our guests would be totally fine indoors if need be. The big beautiful windows still make you feel close to the outdoors! Many of the venues we looked at in the Portland area don’t have AC and we felt like this was a must if we were asking my husband’s 96 year old grandparents to come endure what could have been unbearably hot weather. Even in the 80 degree weather, many elderly guests went inside early to find their spot for dinner which was a great option for them. We had our cocktail hour on the patio in Versailles and dinner and dancing inside.
I love the character of the space – the exposed beams, the beautiful old windows, the cement floor. The fact that the whole indoor space was open made it feel like there was plenty of room for our 260 guests to be seated or at the bar, at the buffet or mingling. I also loved that the space was a blank canvas for us to be able to add whatever color and décor details we wanted. At one point I looked up from the dance floor and just thought “everything looks so beautiful!” -- from the market lights hanging from the beams to the way the table linens, flowers and people added warmth and personality.
We had about 20 kids at our wedding and it was fun for them to be able to go in and out from the patio to the indoor space. It was also nice for me to step outside and take a break from dancing to hang out with people after dinner.
I had many friends plan weddings on outdoor property where everything had to be brought in – bathrooms, tents, tables, chairs, bar, etc. They ended up spending so much more money than we did because so much was included in the Castaway package. As much as its tempting to try have a wedding in the most picturesque view of Oregon’s forests, mountains or other natural beauty, its often so impractical. Once we decided to have a city wedding, Castaway was really perfect.