Perfect Timing: Portland-Themed Wedding

Published:

Spring/Summer 2015

Jonathan Lee developed a crush on Suzette Ang during high school in Vancouver, British Colombia. But she paid him no mind. In fact, despite his repeated attempts to earn her favor (or at least her attention), she continued to ignore him for the next 18 years.

Jonathan Lee developed a crush  on Suzette Ang during high school in Vancouver, British Colombia. But she paid him no mind. In fact, despite his repeated attempts to earn her favor (or at least her attention), she continued to ignore him for the next 18 years. 
“She was that girl everyone wanted to date,” recalls Jonathan. “It was always me chasing after her and her not giving me the time of day.” 
In 2012, Jonathan’s luck changed. After a chance meeting at a wine tasting in Sonoma, California, management consultant Jonathan and litigation attorney Suzette finally had their first date. After that, they began visiting each other in their respective cities—Jonathan lived in San Francisco and Suzette in Las Vegas—every weekend. 
Jonathan asked Suzette to marry him at the ice-skating rink in New York’s Rockefeller Center in March 2013. She said maybe.
“That’s what I expected from her,” says Jonathan. “We’re not the couple you’ll see holding each other and looking into each other’s eyes. We’re very pragmatic, up front, in your face.”  
“We complement each other well,” says Suzette. “We have the same sense of humor. We like the lightheartedness of life.” 

“She was that girl everyone wanted to date,” recalls Jonathan. “It was always me chasing after her and her not giving me the time of day.” 

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In 2012, Jonathan’s luck changed. After a chance meeting at a wine tasting in Sonoma, California, management consultant Jonathan and litigation attorney Suzette finally had their first date. After that, they began visiting each other in their respective cities—Jonathan lived in San Francisco and Suzette in Las Vegas—every weekend. 

Jonathan asked Suzette to marry him at the ice-skating rink in New York’s Rockefeller Center in March 2013. She said maybe.

“That’s what I expected from her,” says Jonathan. “We’re not the couple you’ll see holding each other and looking into each other’s eyes. We’re very pragmatic, up front, in your face.”  

“We complement each other well,” says Suzette. “We have the same sense of humor. We like the lightheartedness of life.”

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Ultimately, Suzette’s maybe turned into a yes, and the two decided on a destination wedding in Portland because of the proximity to their hometown of Vancouver and their home together in Seattle. They envisioned a celebration that showcased the city’s vibrant culture as well as its food and drink scene.  

On a clear July day, they married on the lush green grounds of Northeast Portland’s Grotto, one of the only outdoor Catholic churches in the country.  

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Following the ceremony, school buses transported the guests—and the Portland Trolley carried the bridal party—to the reception at Leftbank Annex event space, where tabletop candle lanterns and ceiling-to-floor drapes softened the industrial, brick-and-concrete architecture. 

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In addition to copious amounts of ’80s and ’90s hip-hop music, the reception featured a popcorn bar, dessert bar, and a Scotch and cigar bar, as well as the arrival of late-night sustenance in the forms of the Koi Fusion’s Korean taco truck and Ruby Jewel’s ice cream truck. 

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“We are not really that into the fancy or elegant,” says Suzette. “The most important thing was that all our friends and family were in the same place and having a really good time.” 

 “I chased and chased and chased,” says Jonathan. “After years and years of working hard and trying, it worked out.” 

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