Nuns give Bridal Veil couples a hand

BRIDAL VEIL, Ore. — Every spring, the post office in this tiny community named for a waterfall along the Columbia Gorge struggles to meet the demand of couples who want the unique postmark it offers for their wedding invitations.

This year, Postmaster Lloyd Davis got a little help from a group not typically involved in weddings — the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.

Mother Mary Michael opened the doors of a nearby convent to handle the overflow demand on the 11-foot by 14-foot post office, which offers its wedding postmark once each year, on May 15.

Couples instead were able to get the postmark at the convent, a villa designed in 1916 by Portland architect Morris H. Whitehouse and purchased and restored by the Franciscan Sisters in 1975.

The 2004 version of the postmark was designed by Geri Canzler, part-time postmaster. It features two intertwined hearts and the words “Marriage Station, Bridal Veil, OR.”

“It’s perfect,” said Leanna White, who visited the convent with fiance Dave Brunker, eager to add the postmark to creamy white invitations already affixed with “I love you” stamps.

White and Brunker, who live in Portland, were engaged on Valentine’s Day and will marry in June. The Bridal Veil postmark, they say, is icing on the cake.