Here's How Much It Actually Costs to Get Married at the St. Johns Inn

Some venues are just rooms with tables. The St. Johns Inn is something else entirely. A 1910 Colonial Revival home on a bluff above the Willamette River in the heart of St. Johns — one of Portland's most beloved neighborhoods — shaded by century-old Heritage oaks and surrounded by a sprawling backyard with river views that stop you in your tracks. Cathedral Park and the St. Johns Bridge are a short walk away for photos. And unlike most venues, the night doesn't have to end. Your people can stay in the Inn's guest rooms, wake up together to views over the Willamette River, and stretch the celebration into the next morning. At most venues, the decisions have already been made for you. Here, nothing has been decided. The lawn, the oaks, the river view — that's your starting point. Everything else is up to you. This post tells you what it costs to create the wedding of your dreams at the St. Johns Inn.

A place with a story

The St. Johns Inn was built in 1910 by Amos Benson, son of Simon Benson — the Norwegian immigrant who made his fortune in Pacific Northwest timber and spent it on Portland. The Benson Hotel, Benson Polytechnic High School, the Benson Bubblers still flowing on downtown sidewalks, and Multnomah Falls itself, which Simon purchased and donated to the public, all carry the family name. So does the Benson Bridge above the lower falls — built after Simon heard a highway engineer muse that a footbridge would be lovely, asked what it would cost, and wrote a check on the spot.

Amos was a civil engineer who served as Assistant Multnomah County Roadmaster during the construction of the Historic Columbia River Highway — helping manage the crews that carved that road into the cliffs above the Gorge. He lived in this house for about fifteen years during those years of work. In May 2026, the highway fully reopened around Multnomah Falls following a two-year restoration. You can now drive the freshly restored road, walk out onto the Benson Bridge, and come back to St. Johns to spend the night in the house Amos built while helping carve it.

The property is also shaded by Heritage Oregon white oaks listed on the City of Portland's Heritage Tree registry — #198 and #199 remain, their enormous ground-reaching limbs shading the lawn where your guests will gather.

Not many wedding venues come with a story like that.

The venue fee

The St. Johns Inn prices their venue fee by guest count. The rates below are for weekend weddings from May through October, as well as holidays. Weekday and off-season weddings receive a 10% discount.

2026 Weekend Pricing (May–October & Holidays)

Guest Count	Venue Fee
Up to 25 guests	$3,000
26–50 guests	$3,000
51–75 guests	$3,500
76–100 guests	$4,000
101–125 guests	$4,500
126–150 guests	$5,000
151–175 guests	$5,500
176–200 guests	$6,000

2027 pricing increases approximately 5% across all tiers.

One important thing to know: the venue fee does not include a buyout of the Inn's guest rooms. The rooms can be added for an additional fee, but they are not included by default — meaning other guests could be staying on the property during your wedding. If you'd rather not have strangers walking through your reception, appearing in the background of your photos, or peaking out of windows during your ceremony, buying out the entire Inn is strongly recommended. It's worth asking Tim about current room rates when you inquire.

What you need to build

When you book a traditional venue, the infrastructure is already there — a building, restrooms, a kitchen for your caterer, indoor lighting, and usually tables and chairs. At the St. Johns Inn, you build that infrastructure yourself. That's where the creative freedom lives, and that's where the real cost conversation begins. Here is everything you need and what it costs.

The tent

A tent is not an absolute requirement, but the decision deserves serious thought. At the St. Johns Inn, you are building your wedding from the ground up, and the tent is often the single biggest infrastructure decision you will make.

Portland weather is unpredictable. Summer sun on the lawn can be genuinely brutal, and rain is always a possibility. But a tent is also expensive, and for some weddings it is simply not necessary.

The key variables are guest count and time of day. If your guest count is around 50 or fewer, you have the option to move the reception indoors if the weather turns, and potentially the ceremony as well. That flexibility changes the calculus significantly. However, if you have hired a DJ and want a proper dance floor with lighting and a party atmosphere, that experience does not translate well to the indoor space. For that vision, a tent is necessary.

Timing matters too. Will your event wrap up before dark? If so, you may not need lighting at all. If the celebration runs past sunset, you will want lighting whether or not you have a tent. The property gets very dark once the sun goes down. And remember: a tent protects you from the sun just as much as from rain. On a hot summer afternoon, shade is not optional.

My honest recommendation for the most budget-friendly version of a St. Johns Inn wedding: a morning ceremony followed by a brunch reception, then a separate evening party elsewhere. A morning-to-brunch format lets you skip the tent (if rain is unlikely that morning), skip the lighting, skip the dance floor, and skip the DJ. You would only need a simple PA system for toasts that also connects to a Bluetooth device for ceremony music and background sound during the meal. That approach dramatically reduces your infrastructure cost.

One more thing worth noting: if your guest count is around 50 or fewer, you also do not need to rent a restroom trailer. The venue's indoor facilities can handle a group that size. This is another meaningful cost you can avoid by keeping the guest list intimate.

The larger your celebration at the St. Johns Inn, the more costs will rise, because you are bringing everything in yourself. That is exactly why this venue is better suited to smaller, more intimate guest counts. The freedom is real, but so is the infrastructure.

That said, there is a charming tentless alternative worth considering: market umbrellas. Umbrella tables with coordinating linens and large market umbrellas scattered across the lawn would be absolutely adorable at this venue, intimate, unique, and completely different from anything you would see at a traditional tented reception. I would genuinely love to execute this vision at the Inn someday. Interstate Special Events has exactly the inventory to pull it off: umbrella tables, coordinating linens, and market umbrellas. If that sounds like your wedding, reach out.

For those going the tent route, the property can accommodate a tent up to 40x100 feet — large enough for a full reception with dinner, dance floor, and bar for up to 175 guests, with bars and DJ set up outside the main tent footprint.

Recommended tent sizes by guest count — with Arden 2026 pricing

Guest Count	Tent Size	Arden 2026 Price	Notes
Up to 25	20x20	$430	Dinner only
Up to 25 (with bar)	20x30	$650	Dinner plus bar or mingling space
25–50	20x40	$810	Dinner plus small dance floor or bar
25–50 (square)	30x30	$970	Alternative layout option
50–75	30x45	$1,460	Dinner with dance floor and buffet
75–100	40x40	$1,890	Dinner only at the high end
100–125	40x60	$2,590	Dinner, dance floor, and bar comfortably
125–150	40x80	$3,455	Full setup with stations
150–175	40x100	$4,320	Full reception at max capacity
175–200	40x100 (bars outside)	$4,320	Max tent, bars and DJ outside main structure

All tent pricing above is from Arden Event Collective — and if you're planning a wedding in Portland, Arden is almost certainly the first call your planner will make. They are the best in the business. Their inventory is always top notch and meticulously maintained, their customer service is unmatched even in the busiest seasons, and they will never let you down on event day. Timely, professional, and genuinely expert at what they do. I wouldn't trust anyone else.

A close second is Interstate Special Events, a company I've relied on for many events over the years. Their customer service is stellar and they always come through. Their inventory isn't as broad or trend-forward as Arden's, but for the staple basics they are extremely reliable — and a great option if you're considering the market umbrella setup.

All prices above are for plain white, open-air tents with no upgrades. Optional upgrades include:

• Leg drapes — flowing fabric over the tent poles. $47 per leg.
• Pole sleeves — white covers that slide over metal poles for a clean look. About $20 each.
• Interior ceiling lining — transforms the tent ceiling into something soft and finished. A 40x90 lining runs approximately $3,816.
• Solid sidewalls — for weather protection. $64 per 10x20 section.
• Clear sidewalls — lets light in while keeping weather out. $127 per 10x20 section.

Lighting

This one is non-negotiable. The St. Johns Inn gets very dark once the sun goes down — your guests and vendors will be navigating in near-darkness without added lighting. If your event goes past sunset, lighting is essential. It also happens to be one of the most impactful ways to make your tent feel warm and beautiful.

• Cafe string lights — the classic zigzag pattern across the tent ceiling, plus over your cocktail hour area. $122 per 50 feet.
• Chandeliers and decorative fixtures — Arden has a strong selection this year. $100 and up each.

Restrooms

The venue has one indoor restroom. It is not ADA accessible. The venue provides traditional porta potties in the back-of-house area, but for any guest count over 50, a restroom trailer is strongly recommended. The porta potties are functional but not the experience you want your guests to have.

Privy Chambers is the industry standard for upscale temporary restrooms in Oregon. Their 2-stall unit handles up to 200 guests comfortably. 2026 pricing:

Item	Cost
2-stall restroom trailer (up to 200 guests)	$1,195
Delivery and pickup	$295
Water tank (required by the venue)	$150
Generator (see note below)	$250
Restroom trailer total	~$1,640–$1,890

The venue provides power infrastructure, but because the restroom trailer is located in the parking lot away from main power access, a generator is recommended specifically for the trailer. Budget $250 for rental plus gas. Privy Chambers also offers ADA accessible trailer options — ask when booking.

Tables and chairs

The venue does not provide tables or chairs. You will need to source these from a rental company. Note that linens, place settings, and glassware are standard rental items at virtually every venue — full-service or not — so those are not included in this infrastructure breakdown. Here are Arden's 2026 rates for the items that replace what a traditional venue building would provide:

Item	Cost
60" round table (seats 8)	$16 each
72" round table (seats 10)	$18 each
8'x30" banquet table (guestbook, dessert, gift, buffet, BOH)	$14 each
6'x30" banquet table (bar back — 2 per bar)	$13 each
30"x42" highboy table (cocktail hour, bar area)	$12 each
8'x40" farm table	$115 each
Wood folding chairs	$5 each

The dance floor

Unless your guests are dancing in grass, you need a dance floor. Available from Arden in black and white checkered or cedar finish at $38 per 3x4 panel. The dance floor footprint comes out of your tent's total square footage — cross-check against your tent size when planning layout.

Guest Count	Recommended Size	Approximate Cost
Up to 50	12x15	~$570
50–75	15x18	~$874
75–100	18x18 to 20x20	~$1,026–$1,254
100–125	20x20	~$1,254
125–150	20x24	~$1,520
150–175	24x24	~$1,824
175–200	24x30	~$2,280

Bar setup

You will need dedicated bar stations with pop-up tents, bar back tables, and bar fronts. Plan for at least two bars for 100 or more guests.

• White pop-up tent per bar — $160 each.
• Bar front — $200 and up each.
• Bar back tables — 2 banquet tables per bar at $13 each.

Back of house and catering infrastructure

The St. Johns Inn has no kitchen and no water access. Caterers must bring everything — all prep equipment, water, and supplies. You will need to create a dedicated back-of-house area to give them a functional workspace and to keep that area separate from your event space.

• 20x30 BOH tent — $650.
• Banquet tables for caterer — several 8' tables at $14 each.
• Pipe and drape to block the back of house area — an 8-foot tall by 30-foot section of pipe and drape at $13 per linear foot keeps the back-of-house area out of sight and creates a clean separation between your event and the working area behind it.

An experienced caterer will always bring their own cooking and serving equipment. You should not need to rent catering gear — confirm this when vetting caterers.

Weather and comfort

• Patio heaters — approximately $150 each to rent. Strongly recommended for fall weddings or any event running into the evening.
• Sidewalls — solid at $64 per section, clear at $127 per section. Add if rain is in the forecast or you want to enclose the tent for warmth.

Cost Breakdown: sample infrastructure budgets

The following estimates cover only the infrastructure costs — the things a traditional venue provides built in that you need to bring in at the St. Johns Inn. They do not include linens, place settings, glassware, catering, florals, photography, music, officiant, or a planner fee. Those are standard costs at any venue.

Delivery, setup, and teardown fees from your rental company will add to these totals. Budget approximately 20–30% on top of rental line items for those charges.

So why do it?

Because the St. Johns Inn is genuinely special in a way that most venues aren't. A 15-minute walk from Cathedral Park and the St. Johns Bridge. A boutique historic inn where your wedding party can stay on the property. A neighborhood with real character — walkable, beautiful, and completely its own thing. And a blank canvas that lets you build exactly the wedding you want, with no vendor restrictions, no required packages, and no one telling you what it should look like.

The trade-off for that freedom is infrastructure. You're building the venue from the ground up — and that takes planning, experience, and the right vendors working together. Which brings us to the most important line item that isn't on any of these lists.

I've coordinated weddings at the St. Johns Inn and at other DIY venues across Portland. The couples who have the best experience are the ones who came in knowing what it actually costs, with a clear vision, and with someone in their corner who knows how all the pieces fit together. The venue is beautiful. The neighborhood is beautiful. Cathedral Park is around the corner. The St. Johns Bridge is in the distance. The wedding can be exactly what you imagined — you just need the right support to pull it off.

If you're considering the St. Johns Inn and want to talk through what your specific wedding might look like and cost, I'd love to help.