By Lori Roach

Wind Mountain Ranch is home to Gorge-ous Weddings, a private estate venue that must be experienced to fully appreciate the location and the beauty that surrounds it.

Although its physical location is in Washington, craggy Oregon hills of the Columbia Gorge are close enough you feel like you can walk right to them if it weren’t for the beautiful and mighty Columbia River rolling by that separates the two land masses.

Wind Mountain towers above the 68-acre property, making for one of three backdrops for the many weddings that are performed here each year. The Columbia River itself is the second backdrop and the deck alongside the pond with those craggy Oregon hills create the third picturesque wedding ceremony option at this unique venue.

“I grew up on this property and I wanted to have a ‘back home’ wedding, so eleven years ago I had my own wedding here. Afterwards my dad asked, ‘what are we going to do? What do you want to do with this property’, and I said, ‘Let’s do weddings’, so that is what we’ve done, said owner Molly Gunn.

In addition to the amazing views, the venue also offers everything you need for a wedding, a family reunion, a business retreat, or reception. A large reception tent with seating for 300 is available June through October, with tables, chairs and linens included. Sunshades, chandeliers, catering space, a dance floor, indoor restrooms are just a sample of the amenities available at Wind Mountain Ranch. Bartenders are provided by Backwoods Brewing of Carson, WA.

Last summer Molly was dealt a devastating blow when she awoke to the Ranch House on fire. The Ranch House, which was owned by Augie and Nelta Paasch and built in 1948, was an integral part of Gorge-ous Weddings. Not only did she have an emotional attachment to the building as being a huge piece of her childhood, she had clients who were expecting to incorporate it into their wedding day.

Like a phoenix raising from the ashes, cabins were quickly built and although the Ranch House is gone, and the emotional attachment is still there, the venue that is Wind Mountain Ranch and Gorge-ous Weddings is still taking care of their guests and giving them a place to create lasting memories of their own.

Some of the comments on reviews on social media include: ‘Everyone at Wind Mountain Ranch was a delight to work with’, ‘The owner/operators are great-organized, clear, specific and professional’, ‘working with vendors in the surrounding communities was great and affordable’, ‘beautiful setting with amazing energy’, ‘the setting is spectacular’, ‘Molly is amazing to work with’.

“I love what I do,” said Molly, “because I have the pleasure of meeting couples who are about to start a beautiful life together as well as meeting wonderful families who are visiting the cabins.”

The seven luxury cabins sleep up to 35 people and are tucked in next to the towering pine trees that line the edge of the venue’s open space. One of the cabins is a bridal suite and all seven cabins are included in the 2020 wedding packages. They come complete with bathrooms with showers and towels, kitchenettes with dishes, microwaves, coffee pots, mini fridges, cable tv, a ceiling fan, air conditioning, a bar-b-que grill, board games and the opportunity to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest right outside the front door. The cabins are available for rent year-round.

“I have had the opportunity to be part of so many special events, my life has changed in a way that I am able to have a family business as well as raise my kids in the Columbia River Gorge. I feel blessed to have both,” said Gunn.

Wind Mountain Ranch and Gorge-ous Wedding venue is located at 192 Erickson Road in Stevenson, Washington in the always stunning Columbia River Gorge and is only about an hour east of Portland.

Find out more at www.windmountainranch.com and www.gorge.ousweddings.com. Be sure to ‘Like’ their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gorgeousweddings as well as www.faccebook.com/windmountainranch and follow them on Instagram @gorge.ousweddings and @windmountainranch.

For more information e-mail info@gorge-ousweddings.com or call 503-360-4707.