Annual Wedding Tradition Continues in Downtown Portland

Frigid temperatures didn't freeze the spirits of the dozens of brides-to-be who stood outside the Portland Building in the wee hours of Monday morning to reserve a wedding spot in one of Portland's parks in 2011.

Jan. 3 was the first day couples could register for popular wedding sites like the Washington Park Shakespeare Garden and the Peninsula Park Rose Garden (pictured above) for 2011.

And although both spots have strict rules like a 12-chair limit for weddings of no more than 100 people—see more rules here [PDF]—the city reports those two sites continue to be the most popular in the system, at least so far this year.

A total of 69 couples signed up Monday to get married in a Portland park in 2011. Last year, the first day of registration saw 75 couples clamoring for an inexpensive, unpretentious wedding spot in one of more than 180 city parks, according to a Portland Parks and Recreation spokeswoman.