River's Edge Hotel Reviews

This was a phenomenal experience for us. I mean, what can I say about Elaine and her team -- they're absolute rock stars, end of story. First off, they were super friendly and communicative with us; we were never left waiting on them. Second, Elaine hit a home run with making us feel as comfortable and welcomed as possible. Her and her team were very attentive, and worked closely with us on the details. On the day of, the venue just knocked our socks off -- really, it was breathtakingly beautiful. (And all thanks to the meticulous time and dedication they put in to the details.) We simply had a beautiful event. Bottom line, Elaine and her team are a one-of-a-kind. They're a one in a million. You won't be disappointed.

Elaine was AMAZING! I have never seen someone work so hard for the service of others, and you could tell she was having a blast while doing it. Elaine got us amazing deals and extra space. She makes her work personal. She worked very close with my mother-in-law to prepare the most gorgeous rehearsal dinner. My husband and I were amazed when we walked in...it was a dream! Elaine was open to all communication and even insisted we come in for a brunch with her to get to know each other better and plan our event just they way we wanted it. I wish we had known how wonderful the experience was going to be because I would have chosen to have her in charge of our wedding as well!
Great service and even greater memories!

this is the perfect location and venue for a wedding for about 100 guests. The grounds and hotel are immaculate. The food was superb. And most importantly the entire crew at River's Edge were excellent! From our first meeting we knew we were in great hands....every detail was flawlessly performed and we were so fortunate to be able to work with Elaine and the whole team. It was wonderful to turn the entire event over to such a great planner so that we did not have to worry about a thing.

We would highly recommend River's Edge and their wedding planners to design, oversee and execute your perfect event!!!!

We were married in July, and I can't explain how wonderful our experiences were with the River's Edge / Aquariva. We had our rehearsal walkthrough, ceremony and reception there. All went flawlessly, thanks to Elaine (Director of Catering), Nate (Banquet Manager), Seth Tucker (Executive Chef) and the entire River's Edge / Aquariva team.

Elaine was a huge asset to our wedding planning for months approaching our big day. She met with us often in person and always called and emailed us back quickly when we had one of our many questions. As many couples learn, planning a wedding can be a stressful full time job. Elaine took so much off our plate and helped us with the details we hadn't even thought of. She was just as wonderful the day of our wedding, even running to get me a last minute sip of water right before I walked down the aisle because I was so nervous. I will always be grateful to her for making our wedding such a beautiful and memorable day.

Chef Seth was also wonderful during our food tasting and the appetizers and entrees came out just as delicious on our wedding day. Many of our friends and family commented on how great the food was and I know many have visited the restaurant since our wedding. The servers and bartender were top notch and the lead catering server, Nate, went above and beyond to make sure we were completely content the entire evening. He was absolutely wonderful!

The outdoor ceremony site and the reception area are both beautiful. You are steps away from the Willamette and the views are unbelievably gorgeous. You can't ask for a better location to have your wedding in Portland.

We also stayed the weekend at the River's Edge hotel along with many of our traveling family and friends. The hotel is elegant and the staff is awesome. The views are breathtaking and some of our guests were even given room upgrades. Everyone left completely content.

I would absolutely recommend this location for your big day!

Courtney, from the River's Edge was amazing! She was quick to respond to my many questions and enabled me to relax on the day of my wedding and know that everything was taken care of. The whole staff from the front desk at the hotel to the restaurant and catering staff at the Aquariver were nothing but friendly, accommodating and hardworking. We had our ceremony on the lawn overlooking the river and our reception upstairs in the Aquariver and both provided a beautiful setting. The food was really good and many of our guests commented on how much they liked it. The price is very reasonable for a venue close to downtown and one that can accommodate up to 120 people. We could not have picked a better place to have our wedding!

Absolute Perfection!!!! We looked for a long time to try and find the perfect venue and we definitely found it at the River’s Edge Hotel and Spa. From our initial consult to our big day everything was perfect. Throughout the whole planning process Leslie and Courtney were available to meet and discuss details and they responded quickly to emails. It was clear from the initial consult that they were very organized and detail oriented.
The whole venue is stunning with floor to ceiling views of the river in the banquet rooms and restaurant. Since it’s right on the boardwalk there is a lot of outdoor space to enjoy. Right off the banquet room there is a huge deck with a staircase to the boardwalk so people were able to spread out and enjoy the evening. The ceremony was held in the banquet rooms and from there we went downstairs to the restaurant area for a cocktail reception while the room was being flipped. The room was flipped quickly and efficiently and we were able to begin the reception in no time. The waiters and bartenders were great and my guest commented on how friendly and fun they were. Everything was coordinated flawlessly and was very well organized.
The food looked and tasted great.
We also chose this location because we had a lot of out of town guest that were going to need a place to stay. The accommodations are first class and the rooms are gorgeous. The front desk did a great job of getting everyone checked in quickly and even upgraded some of the rooms where they could.
Overall, if you are looking for a great place to have a wedding there’s no place better then the River’s Edge Hotel. They are detail oriented, organized and you can’t beat the amazing view. I would STRONGLY recommend them to anyone. Leslie and Courtney are the best in the business and you couldn’t find anyone better to help you plan your big day.

I am a wedding coordinator and I helped a couple with their wedding at Aquariva. We had a buy out for the day. We were allowed to arrive quite early in the day to set up. Every single staff member that I encountered was extremely professional, friendly and informed. We had a few last minute changes and they had absolutely no problem adjusting our original plans. The creativity of the staff and the flexibility of the space made this wedding a unique experience. We did the ceremony upstairs and came downstairs for cocktail hour and dinner. The staff flipped the upstairs into a lounge/dance room for toasts, cake and dancing. They took couches and bistro's from other parts of the venue and made it totally cool and hip! I was impressed by the number of staff they had working. No one seemed overworked or too busy to answer questions of the guests or me. I loved coordinating there and I would definitely refer more couples to Aquariva. It was an overall great experience.

If there was a way to rate each category higher, we would. Aquariva/The Avalon went above and beyond what I ever thought our wedding would be. My husband and I still talk about our wedding often, and Still get compliments on how wonderful the wedding and reception truly was. I have talked with SOOO many women who say "i wish our wedding would have had ____" or "it all went well except for___." I can honestly say that the more and more i re-play how the entire process went, i wouldn't change ANYTHING and it really is all thanks to Aquariva/The Avalon. (Leslie and Courtney are fantastic to work with. They were like our personal wedding coordinators without the added expense!)

One thing i found VERY important is when you ask for something and you get a price, that is actually what the price ends up being. There are truly no hidden costs with the final bill. We had a certain dollar amount we wanted to stay under, And make sure we hit the minimum and the staff was fantastic about keeping my parents informed at where we were at throughout the night so that they knew to keep the bar open longer or when to start to cut back so that it truly fit into our entire budget.

I have recommended Aquariva for wedding & reception to many people and will Always continue to do so. The Avalon Hotel was beautiful, clean and quiet. Perfect for the night of the wedding and out of town guests to stay at. It truly was the wedding of our dreams and plan to go back each year to celebrate around our anniversary!

The ambiance, the view, the food, the service and the gorgeous space; if you’re looking for it all this is your place! We wanted an outdoor wedding but in November that just wasn’t possible. Aquariva brought the outside in with beautiful views of the Willamette brought to life by floor to ceiling windows. The dinner was outstanding and the chef and staff were more than accommodating to our needs! Getting ready and coming back afterwards to the boutique Avalon Hotel was bliss! Walking from the spa to my room and then the ceremony was perfect! I looked at so many places that were double the fee's with half of what I was looking for which really did make it “perfect” ~

Food: People are still raving about my wedding food and venue!! The food cannot be beat. I've been to several weddings after mine and I can't tell you how often I've had crappy banquet food! If you care about what you serve your guests, choose Aquariva. I decided to have dinner served family style at each table. Aquariva was very accomodating. I had a vegan guest and she was served an extra vegan meal that was absolutely delicious!! I loved family style because it allows your guests the freedom of choosing what they want to eat the night of and its presented like a feast! I think Aquariva is truly unique because of this. They also offer traditional plated dinners chosen ahead of time or buffet. But to me, family style was the best of both worlds and very classy.

Venue: We bought out the entire restaurant. We took photos on the very green, cottony, bikepath. Our ceremony was outside overlooking the water and then we had cocktail hour outside/inside on the second floor. Guests enjoyed the vast views of the Wilamette River. For dinner and dancing, we moved downstairs. Guests loved this because there were many areas to roam and drink and be at ease. We hired a photobooth, which was alot of fun. We fit comfortably downstairs dining on the lower level at 70, but if you are a larger party, you may want to set up dinner upstairs.

Staff: Leslie was wonderful to deal with through the entire planning process. She was very prompt, flexible and honest. Her staff at Aquariva set up everything for me and allowed me to drop off my decorations and flowers early! Since, my wedding was mostly DIY, this offer of flexibility and service, saved me alot of time. The waiters and bar staff were very attentive and personable. I was advised that my wedding would go smoothely even if I didn't hire a wedding coordinator, which it totally did! However, my only critique is that over the span of the night, my timeline was not always followed which is to be expected. This was okay because it was a fabulous night anyway, but a coordinator may have bought me peace of mind for the few times, I had someone in my bridal party ask about timeline. However, our inquiries were always handled with professionalism and ease.

Overall: I had a blast and everyone in my party was treated with respect and served well! I definitely recommend this venue to all. Aquariva made my night memorable for my husband and I, but more importantly, all of our guests, too.

The Avalon was such a great place to have our wedding and ceremony. It was intimate and all of our guests raved about how beautiful the venue was. Leslie is nicest person to work with! She was so accomidating with our budget and paid attention to every little detail. She made everything so easy by recommending DJ'S, florist, bakeries etc. We went with the florist that they recommended and she did such an amazing job and wasn't as expensive as the others. My husband and I are very happy with the way everything turned out. I would recommend the Avalon to anyone!

Wonderful place to hold my event. They even upgraded us to a suite for our wedding night stay at the hotel. Love the free valet parking. The food was delicious. Beautiful view of the river. They were incredibly personable and accommodating.

The Avalon and Aquariva's staff were fabulous to work with! Leslie and Courtney, who were the main people we were in contact with, were easy to work with, flexible, and helped us create the reception that we were envisioning. The food was delicious and the prices were reasonable, as well.

We had a lot of guests staying at the hotel and many people mentioned that they loved the view of the river and were impressed with the hotel and its staff., and enjoyed their stay.

Over the course of the weekend, we had many people in the bar or restaurant and the staff were very helpful and accommodating. They treated us and our guests very well--we were so impressed! We would definitely recommend this venue to others.

My husband and I got married in the upstairs part of the restaurant, had our cocktail reception outside on the patio and grounds while they flipped the room, and then came back upstairs for our dinner reception. We and our guests had a wonderful time and thought everything looked great! We wanted a very simple, classy reception -- good food and wine but no dancing. The restaurant worked with our florist and baker (we had cupcakes brought in for dessert) on our big day, so we didn't have to worry about coordinating anything the day of. We had homemade touches throughout (we made our own placecards and table cards) and they were put out without a problem. As the bride and groom, we felt totally taken care of that day -- the servers made sure we weren't forgotten (ie: they made sure to bring us a plate of apps during the cocktail hour so we could eat while mingling -- as crazy as it sounds, it's easy to forget to eat on your wedding day). The servers were friendly, polite, and professional. Our guests raved about the food (even my picky relatives were gushing over the steak option), which we were able to taste and customize to what we liked well in advance (ie: we were able to mix and match which sides we wanted with what entrees). When we went in for our tastings (we got to do a food one and a wine one), we were treated generously and respectfully. We had an exceptionally helpful server advise us when we tasted wines. The event coordinator met with us as often as we wanted (I am a Type A person so I had lots of questions and instruction along the way :-) and was always a reassuring and calming presence. She worked with us on the budget we had in mind and was transparent about the costs. After pricing several venues, we felt Aquariva was the most bang for our buck without sacrificing what we deemed most important for our special day: a uniquely Portland experience (river views!), good food (the chef at the time made it happen for sure), and an intimate venue (we had about 125 guests total -- mostly family -- dining upstairs). We definitely felt we spent our money wisely on our special day. The views of the river in the summertime, the service, and the quality of food all made Aquariva a perfect choice for us. The wonderful part is that we get to go back to the place where we got married for our anniversary dinner every year. :-)

We had an amazing event at River's Edge Hotel/Aquariva! The venue was beautiful with a room that had a spectacular view of the river. The food was amazing and the service was absolutely impeccable!

Elaine Young made everything so easy for us - I was able to completely enjoy the day and knew that everything was taken care of. It was even better than I imagined. We had a rather "non-traditional" approach to our event - it wasn't the typical "white dress" and "bouquet toss" kind of thing and she totally let us take the lead. She was flexible and understanding.

The food was out of this world - we had a tasting about three weeks prior to the night and we were able to meet the chef as well as the sommelier, both of which gave us fantastic tips on menu planning as well as lots of yummy bites to try.

I also felt that everything was VERY reasonably priced - we had a lovely, elegant, FUN evening without breaking the bank.

Truly, I can't say enough about Elaine and everyone who helped us mark the special occasion for us. I HIGHLY recommend River's Edge Hotel and Spa to anyone thinking of hosting their wedding!

I would definately recommend this venue! Great staff, great space, great wines and good food! And all of it was SO affordable!!! What more can you ask for.

THE SPACE: The private upstairs event space at the Aquariva Restaurant (next to the Avalon Hotel) is ideal for a smaller wedding of our size with 65 people (although we could have had up to 80 guests and been fine). It's simple interior architecture and large windows lend itself to a peaceful atmosphere where you feel comfortable and relaxed, while still being "sophisticated" enough to pull of a beautiful wedding reception. The view of the Willamette was lovely and the private outdoor terrace was a perfect spot to take a breather throughout the event. Our guests loved it!

THE STAFF: Leslie at the Avalon was a blast to work with and made our reception a fun and memorable experience. She worked with us to design a room layout, followed all our coordinator's specifications and even provided buffet menu's at each table placesetting. She also walked around pouring wine and checking on our guests during the event. She was great!

THE FOOD: If you want uber-gourmet food, this may not be the right place for you. Don't get me wrong, the appetizers, salad and sides of mashed potatoes and asparagus were very tasty. However, the salmon and chicken entrees were just OK. They were not as flavorful as when we sampled the food originally, although I find that in general, buffet food is never as good as food served on a one-order-at-a-time basis. All in all, given the reasonable dinner price of $40 per person, we absolutely can not complain. We still recommend it hands down.

This full-service venue was top notch! They worked with us every step of the process to plan and execute the wedding of our dreams. Famiy and friends were able to stay at the hotel on site and were impressed with all of the ammenities. We enjoyed communicating with the staff and brainstorming ideas. The food is excellent and they offer large portions for the entrees. We had a great wine and beer list to choose from. The views of the Willamette River are excellent and offer a nice escape from downtown Portland. We highly recommend choosing Aquariva for your event!

My husband and I had such a loverly wedding at River's Edge and all the staff were friendly and accommodating on the week of. The spa was amazing, the food delicious, the views to die for. Our guests really enjoyed the amenities such as the free bike check-out. We had some hiccups in planning since we booked the date almost a year in advance. Over that year we had 4 different points of contact, most of whom were not very responsive and would take weeks to get back to me. Then suggest that I stop by to discuss in-person, forgetting we live in Seattle. The final person who actually took care of our event was much better. Way more responsive and detail oriented, very accommodating to my parents last minute requests. Very professional. The free wedding night suite was very nice and probably worth a huge chunk of what we paid for venue rental. The real cost is in the food, which was too good for me to mind much. But everything else is below average cost.

I held my reception at Aquariva Restaurant and my guests stayed at the Avalon Hotel and Spa which is next door, and all my guests loved the venue site and hotel. The staff was very helpful and accommodating with any requests I had for the reception room. The only negative was the wedding coordinator were sometimes had to get a hold of and get straight answers out of, but were very nice and when it came down to the wedding weekend they couldn't have been more helpful. Overall, everything went perfectly and I couldn't have been happier with choosing the Avalon Hotel and Aquariva Restaurant, and all my guests loved the views of the river.

I'll start off with saying that the ceremony and reception ended up turning out great, but working with Elaine was a frustrating experience. She's very nice and acts like your best friend, which is why we chose this venue. It was not a hard sell for her as well, since the venue is beautiful, and such a lovely location along the river.

Pros:
*Catering - Delicious food, the chef was great during the food tasting and came out to talk with us about the food. We chose the buffet, and it worked great.
*Timeliness - The staff was on time during the ceremony and reception. Everything was set up very well.

Cons:
*Booking hotel rooms - Confusing on how to use the wedding party coupon code online. Elaine apologized for the difficulty, but took a long time to email/call me back. Ended up being more expensive than initially thought.
*Scheduling rehearsal - You can't schedule a rehearsal without actually renting out the space for it, which is not included in the initial wedding/catering contract. It was already adding up to be very expensive, so we chose not to do this, and were not able to confirm our rehearsal until 3 days before, even though Elaine initially told us that we could confirm two weeks before without renting out the space.
*Scheduling to have a room to get ready in before the wedding - I gave Elaine my wedding timeline, which included my "getting ready" time as 11am. I asked her if this was possible, since check out is usually noon. She said she would take care of it, and not to worry. I show up at 11am to find that my room is not ready. I wait a half hour, and ask to talk to the hotel manager. He said that he was never informed that I wanted to be there by 11am or else he would have reserved a room, but it was still occupied. I didn't get my room until 2:30pm, which made it extremely stressful to get ready. The whole wedding party felt extremely rushed.

Rest of the staff was great, but I felt Elaine should have been more involved; disappointing.

Venue is pretty and has a nice location, but due to them I was in tears at my rehearsal. I was led to believe I would have access to set up my ceremony area all day, but received an email the day before the wedding (at 330 pm), when my rehearsal was at 430 saying that they had scheduled a luncheon that wouldn't be in there until 230. My pictures started at 3, so there was no way for me to ensure my room was set up corretly. My dad got upset becasue I was crying and they tried to throw him out, instead of admitting they had mislead me. Which added undue stress on me and the family members that had to rush around telling the venue people what to change. Also, I ordered vegan entrees and the salads were forgotton. When I reminded them, they were brought out with cheese! Way over priced for the level of service....7-8 dollars a drink...3 dollars non-alcoholic with no refills. Was also told that my family had to insist they vacuum the floor before the wedding, which they didn't want to do.