Pure love is all we can say about Shawnee & Zachary who were married in October 2018. Their simplistic wedding design allowed the natural beauty and charm of the historic property to shine. Shawnee chose to utilize our beautiful Palm Room as her bridal suite which allowed her ample space to enjoy hair and makeup by local artist Whitney Audra. Photographer K. Bolin Photography took full advantage of the charming English Garden and timeless hotel exterior to capture their love. After a wonderful dinner catered by LARKS Ashland the two danced the night away with DJ Rick Templeton.
There is no denying the appeal of social media and the desire to post the perfect insta-pic. Especially at weddings. While its common practice for brides and grooms to ask their guests to “unplug” during the ceremony but once the party gets moving it’s nearly impossible and everyone wants to catch Uncle Dave’s epic dance solo.
The question is, should you have an official wedding hashtag? There is no right or wrong answer. But, there is no denying there are some amazing photographs on everyone’s social media feeds captured by family and friends.
So maybe the question is, why would you not do it? You are guaranteed to get some fun shots, it is a great way to make your guests feel involved and a great way for your family and friends to be included in your entire wedding planning process.
When picking your official hash tag, the number one rule is to keep is simple. Making it complicated, easy to misspell or too long won’t make for a successful conclusion. Use hashtags like #meetthemacys, #jeffandbecky or #robinsonwedding.
It’s a good idea to choose your official hashtag early in the planning process and start using it. You can share photos of your cake tasting, bridesmaids dress fittings, tux shopping, venue tours and the always fun DIY projects.
If you send a Save The Date, that is a great place to start getting the word out. You can also add it to your wedding website, invitations, on a sign near your guestbook and don’t forget to give it to your vendors.
Most wedding vendors today have a solid social media following. They love a good hash tag from their brides and grooms. It gives everyone who views your hash tag a fun behind the scenes look and the best perk is, your photographer can use it to post those highly anticipated sneak peeks so EVERYONE can see how gorgeous your wedding day was.
Whether your techy or not, creating a fun and simple hashtag is a great way to collect priceless images and share amazing memories.
P.S. Most wedding venues have an official hash tag too and they love seeing all those fun pictures. #AshlandSpringsHotel
Jason
There’s A New Guy Downtown!
I am beyond excited to begin this new journey at the Ashland Springs Hotel. I don’t know if my shoes will be as sparkly as Lora’s, but I will do my very best to be as amazing and full of creative energy as she is.
I am a Southern Oregon native and have always had a love for hospitality.
My hospitality career began when I was 14 years old. I jumped in as a dishwasher at a diner in the small farming town of Bonanza, Oregon. In my early 20’s, I along with my then girlfriend (who is now my wife) opened a cupcake bakery. It was there that I realized how incredible it is to be a part of someone’s special wedding day. My wife and I had the privilege of creating some amazing wedding desserts all over Southern Oregon. Having a wedding cake featured on Martha Stewart Weddings was the highlight of our bakery career. We sold the bakery to focus on family. I am now the proud father of 2 amazing like boys.
Just over 2 years ago I joined the incredible team at Neuman Hotel Group. It is so fulfilling to come to work every single day with a team that is just as passionate about hospitality as you are. I began here as an Event Manager at our sister property, Ashland Hills Hotel. There I executed weddings not only at the hotel but also at our outdoor venues, The Ashland Springs Estate and Lithia Springs Resort.
I am so excited to bring my organization, my creativity and my years of experience to this new role as Sales & Catering Manager. I have such love for the history and glamour that the Ashland Springs Hotel possess. I love our Oregon-centric, farm to table cuisines, our world class team that executes our weddings and our phenomenal hotel located in Downtown Ashland. I look forward to speaking with you and making your wedding day dreams come true.
Jason
https://www.instagram.com/jasondnelson/
Ashland Springs Wedding Tasting

At the Ashland Springs Hotel we hosted our first Wedding Tasting. The evening consisted of meeting our Wedding Team and tasting a selection of our menu items. Our guests were able to ask our team many questions about their wedding day. It was a delightful evening and could not have been possible without the generous donations from our amazing vendors. Thank you to Jewel Maree Photography, Penny and Lulu Florist and Sweet Stuff Bakery for making this event possible. Our next event is planned for Thursday, June 21st where we will be hosting a dinner for our local vendors. Stay Tuned..
XOXO, Lora
Vendor Credits:
https://www.pennyandlulustudios.com/
http://www.sweetstuffcake.com/
Real Weddings- Christia and Ashley

Christia and Ashley were married here at the Ashland Springs Hotel in February 2017. Two of my most favorite women to ever work with. They were always so kind, thankful and fun!! Christia and Ashley did something that we’ve never done here before. They divided our Palm Room (the getting ready room) in half and they both got ready in the room. There was only a partition dividing them. There was such excitement and anticipation as they both got ready right next to one another, but unable to see each other. I love all the pictures of them getting ready, reading their notes to one another and the holding hands photo! Oh love!!! You are so grand!
Christia and Ashley just celebrated their 1 year anniversary here at the hotel. I was lucky enough to get to see them that night. In their true fashion, they showed up with smiles, happiness, love (and oh yea.. chocolate and wine!!)
Thank you both for being you and bringing so much light into this world.
XOXO-
Lora
Wedding Tasting Flight

Mark Your Calendar

The Ashland Spring’s Hotel wedding team is happy to announce our first “Meet and Greet and Sample Menu Tasting.” More details to come.
Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day to all our couples who said “Oui!”
We hope you are having a wonderful, joyful day of love!
XOXO,
Lora
Choosing Your Wedding Day Squad

After the engagement there are a lot of things to consider when planning a wedding. One of those things is choosing your “people!” I like to refer to them as your personal day squad. With any squad, you need Squad Goals! One of the most important things to think of when choosing your wedding party is setting realistic expectations and goals for each member.
A few things to do before asking away:
- Make sure you want that person to be a part of your wedding day in the capacity of a wedding party member. You can’t really go back on asking someone, even if they are not turning out to be as helpful as you had hoped.
- List out your wedding party expectations. Do you want help with everything pertaining to the wedding? Do you just want them to be there to celebrate with you? If you can be clear with what you are wanting, that will be very helpful.
- Give them some things to be in charge of the day of the wedding. Your squad will probably be ready way before you are and then they will just be sitting around if not given tasks to help out. Squad members typically like having activities to be in charge of. It helps them feel connected to your vision.
- Don’t let gender be a deciding factor. If your best person is a man/woman, there is nothing wrong with mixing up the genders on your squad.
- Last but not least, can you envision having a lot of fun with your squad. In the end, you want to make sure they are supportive and fun and make your life easier!
Photograph courtesy of http://julietashleyphoto.com/
Wedding of Chelsea and Dan @ the Ashland Springs Hotel. Their Real Wedding story will be coming shortly
XoXo,
Lora
Groom Style

Some people might think that the Groom has the easy job of just getting dressed and “showing up” to the wedding. I have found in my 13 years of wedding planning that Groom Style is almost as important as the Bride’s wedding attire (ok, maybe a tad less, but it’s very important nonetheless). There are some necessary steps to getting ready for the Big Day when you are the Groom:
- Make sure you are comfortable. Even if suit wearing isn’t your favorite attire, let’s make certain that it’s comfortable. Today there are many different styles and types of suits that can make any groom feel comfortable. Try on many different versions until you find the perfect fit for you. And make sure it “fits.” A tailored suit to your measurements will make all the difference.
- Have fun with accessorizing your suit: put on a polka dot shirt under, a fancy tie or bow-tie, maybe some geometric cuff links to add a level of hipness to your attire.
- One of my favorite things is seeing fun and funky socks on our Grooms. Add a little pizzazz with colorful socks.
- It’s a good idea to make sure your attire is “on-theme” with your wedding party and the rest of the wedding.
- I suggest wearing an undershirt. This is kind of a necessity because you are probably going to have some jitters and will be in a suit, and hence, we all know what’s happens when we get a little warm while wearing a suit. You will probably not wear your jacket the whole night, so let’s make sure everything looks good for after the ceremony.
- Have fun with your wedding day attire. It’s your day! You probably don’t spend a lot of time in a suit, so make the most of it.
PS. This is our very own Groom, Matt, who was married at Ashland Springs back in June 2017. Just wait until I show you more of their wedding. It’s absolutely amazing. Stay Tuned!
XoXo,
Lora
Photo Credits: http://www.photographybylahnamarie.com/