Frequently Asked Questions

Date choice affects pricing greatly! For example, Saturdays will have both the highest site fee and the highest catering minimum. Time of year also greatly effects pricing. The summer season (June – September) will have the highest pricing of the year. May and October, as well as Summer non-Saturdays are a beautiful time to get married and can save you considerably on your site fee and catering minimum.

A “site fee” is the cost to rent the ceremony and reception venue.

The site fee includes: 5 event hours and 2 pre-event hours, complimentary on-site parking, wedding party suites, and pre-event planning of Abernethy details with your Event Specialist.

To reserve your wedding, Abernethy Center requires a deposit that includes one-half of your rental site fee plus a $750 security deposit, $500 of which is refundable to you after your wedding. The remaining $250 is a non-refundable cleaning fee.

We understand weddings can be expensive and have a payment schedule that allows you to pay over time. After the initial booking deposit, you’ll make payments six months and 90 days before the wedding, with your final balance due 14 business days before the big event.

A Service Charge of 22% is applied to all food, beverage, and accessories.  It is not applied to site fees or coordination packages. The service charge is used to maintain our beautiful property and allows Abernethy Center to pay our staff a living wage.

Gratuity is not included in your invoice. If you’d like to leave a tip in appreciation for a job well done it will be distributed equally among your event staff.

The price of your wedding depends on various factors, such as your guest count and the month and day you choose to get married. For example, weekdays and winter months have lower rates than peak summer Saturdays. Contact our office for a personalized quote.

We have done $5,000 weddings, and we’ve done $50,000 weddings—it all depends on your vision and your spending plan.

The average wedding spends $12,000 on their venue, food, beverage, and bar services with us. However, weddings range from $5,000 – $50,000 depending on date choice and guest count!

Abigail’s Garden can accommodate up to 250 guests. Our Veiled Garden, Chapel, and Ballroom venue can accommodate up to 300 guests.

While the site fee is the same, these two gardens couldn’t be more different!

Abigail’s Garden is a gorgeous, all-inclusive, fully outdoor ceremony and reception venue. Abigail’s Garden includes a stunning gazebo ceremony site accented by a giant draping willow tree. Just up the path from the ceremony site is a large white tent with where your reception will be held. Abigail’s Garden also includes two beautiful suites for getting ready, a patio, restrooms and a bar.

Our Veiled Garden is a natural wooded backdrop covered in ferns and Northwest foliage. This intimate ceremony venue is paired with our temperature controlled Abernethy Ballroom just across the street for your reception! No need to worry about rain, as this venue option also comes with the use of our classic white Chapel! You can use this space for your ceremony, or simply as a back-up plan should there be inclement weather.

We are located in historic downtown Oregon City! Our main office address is 606 15 Street, Oregon City, OR 97045.

Absolutely! This option is perfect for couples wanting an offsite or church ceremony. Please contact an Event Specialist for further details and pricing.

Our standard rental includes seven hours (2 pre-event hours plus 5 hours for your ceremony and reception). You can add additional time for an hourly rate if available. Email your Event Specialist for details.

Please note: brunch wedding time frames include six event hours. (4 event hours and 2 pre-event hours for a total of 6 hours)

You have access to Abernethy Center two hours prior to the start of your ceremony. Anything earlier than that is based on availability and is subject to an additional per-hour charge. Contact your Event Specialist for details.

Abernethy Center does not provide any AV equipment for the Ceremony and Reception. We highly recommend hiring a professional DJ or Live Band to help assist you with your AV and MC needs for your wedding.

You get five hours from start to finish—a perfect amount of time for a ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and packing-out! It may be possible to add on additional time—just ask your Event Specialist for pricing and availability.

Absolutely! We love when couples bring in personal touches and DIY projects—just make sure you run everything you plan to use by your Event Specialist to ensure all elements are Abernethy-Approved. (For example, please don’t bring confetti or devices that create open flame.)

Abernethy Center requires that you use our in-house catering and alcohol services. However, you are more than welcome to hire additional vendors, such as DJ, photographer, cake, etc.

We have recommended wedding professionals on our Preferred Vendor list HERE.

 

We do not allow outside catering. Our extraordinary in-house chefs have designed a wide range of catering packages with diverse menu selections to meet the needs of our guests. If you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, let us know!

A food and beverage minimum is the minimum amount that you must spend in addition to your site fee. Food, drinks (including alcohol), and accessories all count towards your food and beverage minimum.

Every catering package comes with service linens, china, flatware, glassware, water at each place setting, all necessary tables and chairs, wedding party room service, cake cutting service, basic event staff, set up and break down of everything except the personal décor/items you bring in.

The food and beverage minimum will depend on the time of year and the day of the week you choose. It usually matches the site fee. The highest food and beverage minimum will be Saturday from June through September, and the lowest will be on weekdays during the winter.

Please get in touch with an Event Specialist to ask about the food and beverage minimum for a specific date.

Absolutely! We are happy to customize any of our packages to suit your needs and spending plan!

Abernethy Center’s liquor license is very similar to a bar’s liquor license, meaning we are responsible for all liquor served on the premises. For this reason, we do not allow any outside alcohol. We do include a fully stocked bar and bar tender with your bar set-up fee. We offer a variety of affordable hosted bar options. If you have a special request let us know and we will try to accommodate you.

Of course! We recommend serving a special dish to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten free guests rather than designing the event menu to accommodate them.

We do not charge for children under the age of 2. For ages 2 – 10, we have an exclusive discounted rate. Please note that we do not offer children’s pricing for reduced menu packages.

Abernethy carries event liability insurance. However, if you plan to have a bar at your wedding, we require you to purchase Host Liquor Liability Insurance. You can get a policy from your current insurance provider or by clicking HERE.

As soon as possible! Abernethy Center is one of the most sought-after venues in Oregon! After building your guest list and establishing your spending plan, booking your venue is the next step in wedding planning.

Our available dates are booked on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you cancel your wedding, all payments made prior to the cancellation are non-refundable.

We totally get that your guest count may fluctuate in the weeks before your special day, so we don’t need to know your final count until 14 business days prior to your event—the same time your final payment is due (your guaranteed final guest count will influence your final cost). If your final count suddenly increases less than 14 business days before your event, let us know immediately so we can make the necessary adjustments. Sudden increases will be subject to extra charges on your contract.

Cold sparklers are always a hit whether you pair them with your first dance or final departure! Abernethy Center has four approved vendors for cold sparklers and similar special effects:

Event Team Entertainment
DJ Cutt
Paradox Productions
Pure Vision Entertainment

Note: we do not allow traditional combustible sparkers under any circumstances due to fire risk. Don’t hesitate to contact an Event Specialist with questions.

Your Event Specialist is your first point of contact and Abernethy detail liaison! You will first meet your Event Specialist at your tour. She will be there to answer your questions throughout the planning process. You will have one sit down meeting with her called a details appointment, where you will go through the details of your wedding day that pertain to Abernethy (such as timeline, menu, layout, and linen colors). Your event specialist will not be present at your wedding.

On the day of your wedding, your Ceremony Manager will set your room service, be there to line up and queue everyone down the aisle, and get you ready for your formal introduction. Your ceremony manager is not a wedding coordinator.

Your Abernethy Event Manager is the person in charge of your reception. They oversee the Abernethy event staff with meal service, partner with outside vendors (like photographers, florists, and DJs), and manage any unexpected situations that may arise so your nearest and dearest can relax and enjoy the party.

Abernethy Center has optional coordination packages for those wanting more hands-on assistance, design, and direction throughout the wedding planning process or on the day of. Check out our coordination packages for more information HERE.