Portland Wedding Show recap from Silk & Shadows
We attended the Portland Wedding Show this year as observers, exploring the latest from Portland wedding vendors and connecting with creatives across the local wedding community. While the event felt a bit underwhelming in inspiration, it sparked meaningful conversations, new friendships, and clarity about how Silk & Shadows wants to show up in the Portland wedding industry next year. From surprise run-ins with our own couples to magical encounters and bold balloon installations, here is our honest recap.
Silk & Shadows on Zola!
We’re excited to share that Silk & Shadows is now on Zola. As a Portland-based wedding planning and event design studio, this gives us a new way to connect with local couples right at the start of their planning journey. We can’t wait to meet more couples, hear your stories, and help create weddings that feel thoughtful, personal, and stress-free.
Weddings & Magic
What do magic shows and weddings have in common? More than you might think. Drawing from two decades of performing grand illusion around the world, Sasha Mereu explores how meticulous preparation, storytelling, adaptability, and trust turn both a stage performance and a wedding day into something unforgettable. This essay pulls back the curtain on the parallels between magic and weddings, and why the real wonder is never accidental.
Just Got Engaged? A Few Gentle Things to Know Before You Do Anything Else
Getting engaged is exciting, emotional, and sometimes a little overwhelming. Before diving into venues, budgets, or timelines, take a moment to pause. This guide shares calm, practical advice to help newly engaged couples in Portland and beyond start wedding planning with clarity, intention, and confidence.
S&S Joins Mama Mia!
Silk & Shadows is excited to partner with Mama Mia as a trusted vendor for event planning and décor, bringing thoughtful styling and seamless coordination to weddings and celebrations in one of Portland’s most beloved restaurant spaces.
Writing Your Vows: The Big Question
Writing meaningful vows starts with one simple but powerful question: why are you marrying your partner? In Part IV of our vows series, we explore how reflection, storytelling, and intentional structure can turn scattered thoughts into vows that feel deeply personal and unforgettable.
Silk & Shadows on Spotify
Silk & Shadows launched a Spotify account to share thoughtfully curated playlists for weddings, parties, and events. Music shapes atmosphere, and this is our way of sharing how an event should feel, not just how it looks.
Partnering with Flower Gold Florals
Silk & Shadows has partnered with Flower Gold Florals, a Vancouver, Washington wedding florist, to offer couples a seamless blend of intentional planning, styling, and seasonal floral design throughout Oregon and Washington.
I Love You x 3
Writing wedding vows is one of the most meaningful parts of preparing for marriage. In this reflective essay, Sasha explores love not as a simple yes or no, but as a layered experience built on being in love, loving deeply, and genuinely liking your partner. Drawing on personal marriage insights, literature, and lived experience, this piece offers thoughtful guidance for couples crafting heartfelt vows that reflect who they are and the life they are choosing together. Ideal reading for couples planning a wedding ceremony rooted in authenticity, intention, and lasting connection.
Welcoming Kvetka Flower to Our Trusted Partners
A love for thoughtful design, seasonal beauty, and true craftsmanship is what brings our favorite collaborations to life. This partnership celebrates artisan florals created from scratch, inspired by European traditions and rooted in sustainable, story driven design here in Portland.
Bell & Bubbly in now Live!
We are thrilled to launch Bell & Bubbly, a brand new sparkling wine activation for Portland weddings and events. Guests ring a bell and receive a glass of champagne through a hidden opening, creating a playful and unforgettable moment. It has been months in the making and we are so excited to finally share it.
Silk & Shadows On Wedding Wire!
Silk & Shadows is now on Wedding Wire and The Knot, and we could not be more excited. These platforms open the door for us to meet more couples who love moody romance and cinematic details as much as we do. From candlelit drama to shadowy elegance, we are ready to bring our style to even more weddings across the Pacific Northwest. Come find us, say hello, and let’s start creating something unforgettable.
12 Real Reasons You Should Hire a Wedding Day Of Coordinator
See 12 real world reasons couples hire a wedding day of coordinator. Understand how coordinators protect your timeline, manage vendors, solve emergencies, and keep your wedding day organized and stress free.
Writing Your Vows: Part 2 - “… Aaaaaand It’s A Home Run!”
In 1932, Babe Ruth pointed to centerfield, called his shot, and sent a baseball soaring into history. That moment is more than a sports legend. It is a perfect metaphor for writing your wedding vows. Your vows are not about perfection or performance. They are about declaring your intentions and then spending a lifetime delivering on them, not through grand gestures, but through daily practices of love. A vow becomes powerful when it moves from vague promises to clear, meaningful commitments that reveal who you want to be for your partner. It is your chance to call your shot and then spend your life stepping up to the plate.
Writing Your Vows: Part I: Sit Down Before You Begin
Writing your wedding vows can feel a lot like staring at a blank page the night before a school assignment is due. You want to say something meaningful, something true, but the words hide just out of reach. If that feels familiar, you are not alone. Many couples sit down to write their vows and suddenly find themselves overwhelmed by emotion, expectations, and the pressure to get it right.
In this series, I share what I have learned from years of performing, storytelling, and officiating weddings for couples who want ceremonies filled with honesty and heart. My goal is not to give you a script. Instead, I want to help you ask the right questions, understand what vows really are, and find the courage to speak from a place that feels deeply personal.
Take a breath, sit down with your partner, and begin. The words will come.