Mt Tabor in Southeast Portland has always been one of my favorite parks within the city. When I lived on Hawthorne walking there was a regular part of my weekday routine. It’s also one of my favorite locations for family sessions and portraits. It’s a wonderful forest oasis amidst the sprawling neighborhoods of Southeast Portland. Up until this May, I had yet to photograph a wedding there so I was super excited when these two reached out about their wedding plans and wanted me to photograph their day.

We started the day at the KEX Hotel in the Central Eastside. It’s such a cute hotel with plenty of common areas as well as a rooftop restaurant/bar space. The bride and her friends got ready in the bunk room which was a really cute space for some wedding party fun. Following a quick first look on the patio downstairs, we transitioned to Mt Tabor for their ceremony.

Their wedding day was all about family and friends and enjoying the beautiful spring weather in the Pacific Northwest. Having an outdoor wedding in Portland in the Spring is always a gamble with weather but these two got lucky and struck gold with sunny weather in the low 80’s. Their ceremony and reception took place in the amphitheater, one of several ceremony locations at Mt. Tabor. The lawn was filled with an array of games for kids and adults and open buffet of yummy food and desert for those ready to eat.

I always love weddings with kids and one element that was really special about this wedding is the couple made a point to make sure families knew I would be available for some portraits throughout the day. I’m always happy to shoot some quick family photos at any wedding but not everyone feels comfortable asking so this was a great way to prepare folks ahead of time.

Following their ceremony we walked around the park to some of my favorite areas and we shot some couple portraits with nice light. Having been to Mt. Tabor countless number of times I have a pretty good idea of how light hits certain areas and what time of day is best which lets me take full advantage of the time we have allotted for portraits.

This was a great Portland wedding and a wonderful way to kick off the summer at one of my favorite parks and wedding venues!

How to get married at Mt Tabor

If you’re interested in getting married at Mt. Tabor it’s definitely a great wedding venue to consider. Getting married at one of Portland’s city parks is typically a more affordable option than most wedding venues. The fee for renting out the Mt Tabor Amphitheater is $634 (2023). Not bad for a wedding venue that can accommodate 500 people. The city operates a wedding lottery for it’s wedding reservations that you can learn more about here.