Perfect wedding, vintage-style, with the Plucky Maidens (photos/video)

Brides on the hunt for a dress with a little backstory or searching for a custom-made garter to suit their vintage tastes found alot to fall in love with at the Plucky Maidens Get Hitched! bridal show Sunday at The Historic Dance Pavilion at Oaks Park.

Pam Knecht, founder and C.P.O. (Chief Plucky Officer) of the Plucky Maidens, thinks of the show as ”Everything Vintage for the Modern Bride”.

There were vintage and antique dresses, jewelry, lingerie, accessories and headpieces; wedding professionals that specialize in vintage style, such as photographers, florists, bakers, decor makers, invitation printers and wedding stylists. Additionally, there were officiants, a vintage photo booth and live music by the “neo doo woop folk” band Bullets Belles. 

Knecht shared her answers to some questions via email recently. 

Who are the Plucky Maidens?

The Plucky Maidens launched in 2011 with our first Summer Junk Fest! I wanted to offer vintage-loving Portland peeps a festive and fabulous event that combined shopping for TRUE vintage antique wares with a party atmosphere. I like to say we are NOT your grandmother’s antique show….We junk! We drink! We nosh! We dance to live music! We guffaw!

What kind of person enjoys the Plucky Maidens Get Hitched! Bridal Show? 

Couples who want a personal and unique look for their big day love our show! We offer the most beautiful boutique bridal event in the northwest. The beloved and VINTAGE Dance Pavilion venue just adds to the charm! The Plucky Maidens Get Hitched! show stands apart from other shows in town that feel like a cattle call…or worse, a Las Vegas casino. SO NOT what we do!

How would you define vintage? Historical? A state of mind? An aesthetic?

Great question. I define it as a style or aesthetic. As someone who has always been drawn to old things, I think it’s the history of a piece that is so alluring. Who owned/wore/read/cooked with this? How many hands have held it? What meaning did it have to others who lived before me? Items with a history are just so much more interesting than new ones bought off the shelves at Pottery Barn or Pier One. The mall is my personal idea of hell. 

Do you have public events besides the bridal show?

YES! In Portland, our Summer Junk Fest! is held every July, outside at Oaks Park, along the banks of the Willamette. Our Holiday Junk Fest! takes place at the Oregon Convention Center in Northeast Portland every November. We have a life-sized 1940′s Santa Claus that makes an appearance at every holiday show. Last November, he was the “driver” of a 1963 cherry red convertible at the entrance of the show. In Eugene, our Spring Junk Fest! is every April at the Lane County Fairgrounds.

I see you’ve lived in France and England. What took you overseas?

During and after college (at UC Irvine) I lived in Paris (2 years) and London (3 years) then in New York City for 10 years, before settling in Portland in 1994. Originally from Orange County, California, I’m a big city girl and was quite nomadic in my younger days, obviously! I guess I was always looking for the next big adventure. There’s no better feeling than being lost in a new place…Totally exhilarating! 

Describe these shopping trips to Paris you lead and how they came about.

As our Junk Fest! shows grew and became more successful, I decided to combine my love for junking with my love for travel. The group flea market trips were the next logical step. Just as our shows are unique, so are the trips. The groups are small, no more than 12 people. We live like Parisians for a week: we explore, shop the neighborhood markets and dine at local restaurants. We ride the metro and buses, have picnics in the Luxembourg Garden and drink champagne at the Eiffel Tower at midnight. We also flirt with French cops! London trips launch this summer and New York City will be added to our schedule in 2017.

–Stephanie Yao Long
syao@oregonian.com
@stephyaolong

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