OUR STORY

Our story is not the normal way couples usually meet. We found one another in London, England. Ryan graduated in May 2001 and made his way over to London to work and travel. I followed sixth months after graduating in December 2001 to do the same. It was on a cold February night that our paths crossed at a little pub called the “Fitz & Furkin”. He was a tall American man with the best teeth I had seen in awhile. I caught his eye with the blonde hair & blue eyes and as you can see the connection was very deep. We dated over in London but knew the time was special as Ryan would be returning to the states to start Law School at U of O and I was set to go and travel for a couple of months. When I finally got back to the states I definitely pursued him. If you know Ryan he tends to get very focused and yes he excels but also forgets everything else so I had to remind him that there was a great opportunity in front of him. I went to see Ryan for the first time in December 2003 and after dating long distance for awhile we made the decision that I would move to Portland as Ryan had a great opportunity with a law firm here. As you can see it turned out to be the best thing I have ever done.

 

ENGAGEMENT

Well, I guess I have the honors of telling this side of the story as Kate had no idea it was coming. We had planned a wonderful weekend with our friends Marion and Pat Denard plus the dogs at the Oregon coast. It was June and surprisingly it was not raining (that much). The first night we all hung out and relaxed.

Earlier in the week I had clued in Marion and Pat that I would need their assistance if I was going to pull this off. I am sure Kate will tell you (if she hasn’t already) that the time between her moving to Oregon and our engagement might have been…….well……..somewhat “extended.” So, she would have been on top of any getaway weekend I tried to organize. By setting it up with Denards I thought I had a good cover. Now – the real question became how to pull it off. Easy - have the Denards suggest a 5-mile hike with a 1500 foot vertical climb in the morning. When Pat and Marion suggested we all do the hike, Kate looked at me like “are your friends insane?” It was perfect. We politely declined the offer and instead we walked to the beach. We both had a book that we were reading and we set out to relax. The weather was surprisingly wonderful and after an hour or so of uncomfortable nervousness, I began telling Kate how much her friendship and love meant to me. Unfortunately for me, Kate REALLY liked the book she was reading. She said “thank you” and “that’s great” but never took her eyes off the book. I persisted and let her know that I REALLY loved her. Finally, after a good five minutes or so she looked up from her book and saw that I meant everything I was saying. After asking her to marry me there was pause but she said yes. It has been an incredible journey from London to the west coast and I am a very very lucky man.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

Rooms are blocked under the Arkema/Boyle Wedding at the following hotels:

The Governor (.26 miles from the Church)
614 SW 11th Avenue
Portland OR 97205
www.govhotel.com
Room Rates:
Standard King - $169.50
Standard Queen - $160.65
Junior Suite- $211.65
For reservations please call: 503-224-3400 and ask for “in house reservations”. Please note the room rates are for the rooms that have been blocked for the wedding. Regular pricing starting at $199

The Paramount Hotel
808 SW Taylor St.
Portland, OR 97205
www.portlandparamount.com
Room rates:
Deluxe Room - $159
For reservations please call: 503-223-9900

The Westin
750 SW Alder Street
Portland, OR 97205
www.westin.com/portland
Rates:
Deluxe King - $159
Deluxe Double - $169
For reservations please call: 888-627-8401

Mark Spencer Hotel
409 SW 11th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205
www.markspencer.com/
General Rates:*
Standard - $126
Jr. Suite - $135
Executive Suite - $152
For reservations please call: 1-800-548-3934
*Please make sure to mention the Arkema/Boyle wedding to receive your 15% discount. Please also note all rooms have kitchenettes and there is a Wild Oats grocery store around the corner

Alternative Suggestions
(rooms are not blocked and are based on availability. Rates are subject to change).

Benson Hotel
309 Southwest Broadway
Portland, Oregon 97205
Rates:
Queen - $159
Deluxe King or Double/Double - $174
Jr. Suite - $224
www.bensonhotel.com
For reservations please call: 1-888-523-6766 (1-888-5BENSON)

Hotel 50 (formerly Four Points by Sheraton Portland Downtown) (.79 miles from the Church)
50 Southwest Morrison
Portland, Oregon 97204-3390
Rates:
Standard Room - $179
Riverview Room - $199
www.sheratonportland.com
For reservations call: 1-800-368-7764

 

TRANSPORTATION

The Max
Public Transportation for the Portland Metro area: www.trimet.org
The Max Light Rail travels to and from the airport, stopping at many convenient downtown locations.

Portland Street Car
This public transportation allows you to move all around downtown
www.portlandstreetcar.org/

Air Travel & Shuttles
Affordable and easy options for getting to and from the airport can be found at www.flypdx.com

 

DIRECTIONS

To The First Unitarian Church:
First Unitarian Church of Portland
1011 SW 12th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
503-228-6389

View Larger Map

 

To The Governor Hotel:

View Larger Map
From the North: From I-5 South, merge onto I-405 South. Take the Couch St./Burnside St. exit and stay on 15th Ave. for two blocks. Turn left onto Alder. Turn right onto 11th Ave. Hotel entrance is on the left side of the street.

From the South: Follow I-5 heading North to the I-405/Hwy 30 West exit. Continue North on I-405 to the Salmon St. exit, which is the next exit past the Hwy. 26/Beaverton/Ocean Beaches exit. Staying in the right lane will put you onto Salmon St. Follow Salmon St to 12th Ave. and turn left. Stay on 12th for 4 blocks, and then turn right on Alder. Turn right on 11th Ave.. Hotel entrance is on the left side of the street.

From the East: Stay on I-84 until the I-5 split. Be in the middle lane at the I-5 split. Go left at the split and stay in the right lane following the sign that says CITY CENTER. Crossing the Morrison Bridge will put you on Washington St. on the other side of the Willamette River. Turn left on 11th Avenue, proceed 1-1/2 blocks south, just past Alder Street.

From PDX: Take Airport Way to I-205 South. Take exit 21B on to I-84 West. Follow directions above “From the East”. Or, take MAX Light Rail Red Line train direct from the Airport to the "Galleria, 9th Avenue, downtown" stop. The Governor Hotel is just one block from that stop!
From the West: Take Hwy 26 East. As you go through the Tunnel, get in the middle lane. Take the Market St. exit. Turn left on 12th Ave. Follow 12th ten blocks, and then turn right on Alder. Turn right on 11th.

The Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205

 

PLACES TO VISIT

General Information
• Travel Portland – www.travelportland.com
• Portland Guide – www.portlandguide.com
• Portland's Official Tourism website – www.travelportland.com/visitors

Day Trips (ask your hotel concierge for more information)
• Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge – www.timberlinelodge.com
• Columbia River Gorge- plenty of microbreweries, cute little shops and tons of windsurfers to watch this time of year
• Multnomah Falls – http://trips.stateoforegon.com/multnomah_falls
• Oregon Coast- http://www.cannonbeach.org/ - this is about an 1 1/2 hr drive from downtown. This is where the famous Haystack Rock is from the movie “The Goonies”
• Willamette Valley Vineyards – www.willamettewines.com | www.winesnw.com/will.html

Attractions
• The Oregon Zoo – www.oregonzoo.org
• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) – www.OMSI.org
• Portland Art Museum – www.pam.org
• Portland Aerial Tram – spectacular views of town …a very unique experience! – www.portlandtram.org
• Bridges of Portland - www.bizave.com/portland/bridges
• International Rose Gardens (10 min. from downtown)
• Classical Chinese Gardens (10 min. from downtown)
• Tom McCall Waterfront Park
• Forest Park – largest U.S. park within city limits with numerous hiking & biking trails

Shopping
• Pioneer Place (Downtown) – www.pioneerplace.com
• The Pearl District – upscale shops, galleries & restaurants – www.explorethepearl.com
• Nob Hill (Northwest 23rd) – small boutiques & wonderful restaurants –
www.nobhillbiz.com (select “local businesses”). You can ride the street car from downtown to Nob Hill
• Powell’s Books – a Portland institution and a must see for book lovers – www.powells.com

Sip Your Way Around Town
• Portland Pub Tour – the unofficial micro brew capital of the US – http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/16
• Cafes & Coffee Shops – your visit to PDX would not be complete without a sip of java – http://www.portlandguide.com/restaurants/cafes.php

Local Favorites
Late Night Dining – Le Bistro Montage, www.montageportland.com
Late Night Sugar Fix – Voodoo Doughnuts, www.voodoodoughnut.com
Hipster Hangout/Live Music – The Doug Fir Lounge, www.dougfirlounge.com
Live Music/Dancing/Bar – Crystal Ballroom, www.mcmenamins.com
Live Jazz – Jimmy Maks www.jimmymaks.com, The Blue Monk www.thebluemonk.com
Art Galleries – Alberta Arts District www.portlandneighborhood.com/alberta-street.html,
Pearl District - www.shopthepearl.com

 

REGISTRY

Pottery Barn
www.potterybarn.com

Williams Sonoma
www.williamssonoma.com

Crate and Barrel
www.crateandbarrel.com

Macy’s
www.macys.com

 

BRIDAL PARTY

Maid of honor
Mara Arkema

Bridesmaids
Erin Hogenson
Kate Toboja
Melissa Guhanick
Jenna Keiderling

Best man
Carlos Rasch

Groomsmen
Colin Miller
Pat Denard
Steve Hess
Jeremiah Donati
John Arkema