Jenkins Estate

We just can’t talk highly enough about our experience with Jenkins Estate! When our daughter told us that she wanted to get married within a week due to a unique family situation, we started calling venues. The site coordinator, Ruthie, called us back right away and set up a time for the couple to view the beautiful grounds, charming stable, and historic home. Ruthie spent all week walking us through the process to secure the venue, the catering, and she went above and beyond to help us work within our budget. When our «small family wedding» grew to almost 100 guest in one day, she rearranged things to make it work and was so positive in the midst of our stress. She was so kind and truly caring. I finally saw the property the day before the wedding and was so thrilled that we had such a beautiful venue! The grounds are gorgeous and there are so many wonderful garden areas perfect for photos. The buildings are well kept and very charming.
The staff was wonderful and worked so hard to make our guests feel comfortable. I was concerned at first about using their caterer, but Elephant Catering was delicious! We had the Oregon Wine Country Dinner and each dish was so unique and full of interesting combinations of flavors and ingredients. Our guests kept commenting on the beautiful venue and unique and delicious food. A few said that it was the best catering they have ever had. (The marionberry cakes are also great!) Ruthie usually works Mon-​Fri but came in on Sat. to introduce us to the staff and make sure that everything was set up the way we wanted. She ended us staying a couple of hours, which was way above and beyond her job as event coordinator.
I highly recommend this unique and beautiful venue and this wonderful staff. We could not be happier.

I attended a 50^th wedding anniversary party here today, and it was a lovely venue for this type of event. About 25 years ago, I attended an Intel picnic here. It hasn’t changed much. The old log house here is beautifully maintained and has a lovely long porch where tables can be set for dinner. On a warm Portland-​area afternoon, sitting there for a meal, you are cooled by passing breezes. Wonderful, really.
There are gardens to be strolled through. Walks to be taken. A really fun venue for an event.

What a beautiful space for an event! There are many «locations» on this historical property to choose from to fit the feel of your event, and the grounds are downright magnificent.
Fantastic outdoor gazebo spot for weddings or other smaller gatherings, gorgeous sprawling lawns, and a wonderful old horse barn. The barn has been updated with hardwood floors throughout and in each stall, allowing for tables to be set up inside. Eating dinner in a horse stall (or the other areas of the barn) is freaking cool. Definitely made for a memorable experience! The upstairs of the barn is the perfect size for a dance floor and/​or reception space.
Beware: Jenkins Estate is situated on a hill. It’s quite the uphill hike from the parking areas up to the event spaces — especially when you’re wearing a dress and heels, and most especially when you’re wearing a dress and heels and it’s really hot outside. There are places to be dropped off at the top, so take advantage if you don’t want to make the trek.

The Jenkins Estate is located just a few miles from Portland, but it feels like you’re in the countryside. Lots of property and old-​growth trees. At the part of the estate where we were, they’ve transformed an old horse stable into a restaurant, which was set up as seating areas for our wedding. It was one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen! On the second story of the barn was a dance floor. We would highly recommend checking this place out for your wedding, as we had a great time!

Came here for a company picnic. The grounds are gorgeous and dog-​friendly. Nice grades and well-​kept grounds, along with a beautiful sunny day made this an entirely good experience. At their covered area their BBQ grills are large enough to cook for 100 people which is also great.
If it wasn’t so far from where I live, I’d be sure to go back.

Overall, I had a great time. Really. It was our good friends’ wedding, I was a bridesmaid, the DJ was awesome, we got to sit at the head table, everything went smoothly enough.
So, why the two stars?
Well, first off, the estate is an historical property. I get this. That doesn’t mean it should be completely impossible to operate a light fixture, find an outlet, or lock a door properly. If you’re going to host weddings, make your estate 21^st century friendly. Heck, I’d settle for late 20^th century friendly.
Secondly, pay attention to your client. If she says 120 chairs, don’t put out 90 and then make the wedding party have to schlep the extra chairs up the hill because you don’t staff anyone more than 15 minutes before the ceremony starts.
And lastly, the bartender was a middle-​aged lady who thought it was okay to play mother hen to the entire party and pass judgment on people for having a good time. She harassed several guests verbally, disappeared from the bar for long periods of time, and started cutting people off (refusing to serve them) before they had barely gotten tipsy. She seemed to be mistaking the flush and excitement of dancing for full-​on drunkenness. She eventually even cut me off, and she said that she could «see it in [my] eyes» that I had had enough. This was just twenty minutes or so before I drove myself and my husband home, utterly sober and tired from nothing but an incredibly long day.
While I enjoyed the wedding thoroughly, I can go over the events in my mind and be confident that everything I enjoyed was either due to the presence of our good friends and their families, or the care and services of third-​party businesses. Nothing the Jenkins Estate itself provided was very helpful, and some of it was downright insulting.

Super-​awesome estate, with carriage house, stables, herb garden, tea house, etc etc etc… Everything an estate should have is here! There are also some wooded trails surrounding the manicured portions of the property. The best playground I have seen in a long time. I mean, there is a platform that sways!