Guest Comments

Shirley Morisse, Astoria, OR

Trish,

I cannot tell you how perfect your Banker's Ballroom and Suite was for the baby shower. The whimsical decor and elegant ambiance made for a wonderful time. Our family and guests were in awe of your beautiful place! Thank You so much for your help and generosity in making this a special day as daughter Amy and Andrew prepare for the birth of their twin boys!

Good Luck with all your future projects and thanks for coming to our small town of Astoria to pursue them.

Clatsop County Historical Society

McAndrew Burns
Executive Director

Dear Trish,

Thank you so much for making the Clatsop County Historical Society fun and THE place to be on New Year's Eve. We have received so much positive feedback and I am still hearing comments from people who were there and had a blast or people who missed out asking if we are doing it again. The Banker's Suite was the perfect venue - I can't picture having the event anywhere but there.

The Clatsop County Historical Society receives less than one percent of our budget from government sources. Instead, we rely on admission income, sales in our gift shops, fundraisers, and the membership support of our friends in the community. We operate the Captain George Flavel House, the Heritage Museum, the Uppertown Firefighter's Museum, and last year, opened the Oregon Film Museum, to celebrate the more than 300 major motion pictures filmed in Oregon. These facilities welcome more than 35,000 visitors from all 50 states and around the globe. In addition, we offer a number of free public events each year including the Talking Tombstones and Old Fashioned Fun & Games. Four years ago, the City of Astoria asked CCHS to take the lead in planning, orchestrating, and implementing an appropriate celebration to mark the Astoria Bicentennial.

The Bicentennial Blowout Bash was a huge success; we made some much-needed funds and we made a lot of friends. Thank you for being a big part of it!

I hope you had fun and please, if there is ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
Mac

Ashley, Salisbury, MD

Dear Trish,

I can't begin to explain how wonderful our time at the Banker's Suite last week was. In all sincerity, you gave us a slice of pure magic. The way you extended your hospitality, especially with the sweet bubbles and amazing dinner at Clemente's, is a beautiful gift. You have no idea how Clark and your family bless my mom everyday - more than anything else I am grateful that my mom can share her innate gifts while teaching and learning from Clark. I suppose this note is really to thank you for everything you do, all the time. Your family has blessed mine.

Best wishes always.

Susanna and John, Salem, Oregon

Trish -

We can't say enough good things about the Banker's Suite! Have to admit it was a bit overwhelming at first, but by Sunday we felt completely at home. I especially loved how the room looked after dark with only artificial lighting... I'm sure that didn't happen by accident. You are truly a gifted designer.

Just after you left on Saturday we ran into friends from Salem at the car show and invited them up to take a look. I've never heard so many oohs and aahs, and better still, they are folks that will likely spread the word about the Banker's Suite, as will we.

Likewise our dinners at both Fulio's and Clemente's were wonderful... you were so nice to include them in the package. Clemente's lemon Caesar salad dressing is one of those recipes you want to have Gourmet or Bon Appétit coax out of the chef... quite different than mainstream Caesar and just delicious.

Astoria has really changed over the years, hasn't it! Wonderful to see a healthy downtown, full of good food venues and eclectic shops. At the Sunday market we even found a sign carver to make something we've been looking for. In addition to exploring Astoria we went over to the Lewis & Clark interpretive center near Ilwaco, a real gem of a place even if rather isolated (and not well-marketed). Fun, fun, fun!

We can't thank you enough for your generosity to Salem Rotary and to us personally. It was a magical weekend we won't soon forget.

Warm regards,

Susanna & John

Christopher and Jill Austin, Astoria, Oregon

Thank you so much for such an amazing wedding! Everything turned out perfectly and we couldn't have dreamt of a better venue. Thank you, Trish, from the bottom of our hearts.

Karen Worstell, Vancouver, Gig Harbor, Boston

Everyone had such a GREAT time at our daughter's pre-wedding celebration. People have told us over and over what an amazing evening they had. It was the perfect way for us to knit a new family together who had not met each other yet. The collection of decorative antiques and collectibles is fascinating and it all comes together beautifully in the restored interior. It made for the perfect venue for people to talk to each other. Chris's tasting menu was a perfect complement to the fanciful and festive decor in the ballroom and suite.

Choosing Baked Alaska and the Banker's Suite and Ballroom was a winning combination! We're already trying to figure out how to do another event in beautiful Astoria at the Banker's Suite and Ballroom. Thank you for making this a most special event for everyone who came from near and far to celebrate with us.

Amy Hansen, Oregon

Montinore and Soprano
Winemaker's Dinner
July 22, 2011

Dear Trish,

What a beautiful evening! I'm so glad you asked me to be a part of it. The food was amazing, the wine heavenly and all in your beautiful, inspiring setting. I love singing at the suite - so decadent and inspiring. As a performer, I realize I provide an escape for my audience - your attention to detail and whimsical taste makes the suite a wonder-filled escape for me - I can't tell you enough times how much I love it! Love Amy.

Amy Hansen, Oregon

Dear Trish,

I am so delighted to know you better and am looking forward to more fun with you soon! Thank you so much for inviting me to your girls' table at the Music Festival Awards Dinner. I am sorry I was so distracted, but I very much enjoyed meeting the girls and chatting more with you! See you soon.

Amy, who said being pulled away to sing, O Mio Babbino was a distraction! Puccini never sounded so good! I love you. My children got a kick out of you addressing the envelope to Fabulous Trish Bright. Who?! Ha ha. I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing you at the Montinore and Soprano Winemaker's dinner. You are the prettiest, most entertaining, most talented and most fun Soprano in the world! And I love that you lived in NYC and graced the stage of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Let's have fun in NYC sometime. See you soon, Trish

Greg & Kristy Cross, Astoria, Oregon

Trish -

Thank you so much for helping make our wedding day & night perfect! We could not have asked for a better venue to celebrate our big day! Your kind and generous spirit amazes us! We cannot thank you enough for giving us this beautiful space for our wedding gift! Thank you again for everything you did for us! We love you!

The McGraths, Petersburg, Alaska

My husband and I were wed at the Banker's Suite on Jan. 29, 2011. We can not think of a more magical, unique and intimate setting for such an event. Trish handled us and our event with a very personal touch which made it all the more comforting to us. We plan on reuniting our clan at the Banker's Suite for years to come to reenact the magical experience. The decor was true to form with its "vintage circus" appeal. It simply took our breath away to be surrounded with everyone we love in such a unique and festive way! Cheers to you Trish!

Thank you kindly.

Renee, Warrenton, Oregon

Dear, Dear Trish -

You and your impossibly magical place were just the most delightful surprise to me last weekend. I was mesmerized. I can see why my daughter knew immediately that it was the place for her. I was so tickled that you wanted to taste the icing (for the wedding cake). I am impossibly insecure about everything I do and I know that I absolutely absorbed creativity and confidence from you, your magical place, and your enjoyment of us.

It mattered a lot to me, what you said about my daughter and us, and I will always remember my delight when you offered me the beautiful paper weight. It will always be a symbol of a magical place and a magical girl.

Love and Prayers, Renee

Rick and Kathleen George, Pendleton, Oregon

Dear Trish -

We had a glorious time at The Banker's Suite for our wedding. Rarely an event one plans to be intimately special and fun turns out to be just as you dreamed it. This was!

We'll remember this special day with our friends and family and at the suite forever.

Lisa's (Clemente's) dinner was fabulous.

Thank you.

Jim Tongue, Commodore, Astoria Yacht Club

Dear Trish,

If I could truly best describe the great joy and honor felt by all of us Saturday evening with all you made possible, I would do so. All I can most simply say is Thank You. You are a most gracious and wonderful lady and in your hands and Zita's our gathering of friends were truly fortunate, and absolutely appreciate you taking such great care of us.

All of your great achievements for the Banker's Suite and Banker's Ballroom is a great tribute to Astoria - creativity and contributions like yours make this a remarkable place; it is just great that our club could realize what's going on in our own community.

As my own 1890's home project is, well (still a project) it is however coming along as I have time and I am inspired by the visual reality of such beautifully completed work. See all the good that you do!

Our ball was wonderful - I cannot Thank You enough.

Dan and Noelle Herman, San Diego, CA

As a celebration of our 2nd wedding anniversary (and our last before the birth of our first child!) this will certainly be one of the most memorable ones. We felt like royalty, a fairy King and Queen in a magical palace. So beautiful!!

Andrea and Cole Danehower, Northwest Palate Magazine

Thank you to Fulio's, the Cellar on 10th and The Banker's Suite. A fab fest and a dinner in a fabulous room. Elegance and warmth. A toast to Astoria's folk and the vision. Then sink into the softness and the wine. A lovely evening, more softness, more wine and through one heavily-lidded eye you catch a monkey muse and a wagging ball-tail dog pulling you into a fantastical world. You let the hand-maiden turn down the bed ~ in a bank ~ a woodland fairy draws the drapes and your eyes flutter shut to the beat of the soft wings and a distant beat of ancient white cattle driven across the plains by hare and hound. Then too quickly, the moon sets and it's dawn put on the gray flannel and start a new day.

Klaus Lange and Kay Taylor Lange, San Francisco, CA

We would like to thank you so very much for our recent stay at the Bankers Suite. We have stayed in some very fine accommodations around the world, but this one surpasses them all. The creative whimsical decor was a pleasure to explore, each day discovering something new. The spacious layout was full of choices for every mood--allowing one to move from the luxurious bedroom to the gourmet kitchen to the cozy fireplace seating to any one of the seating or dining areas. Fulio's as the caterer for the suite is inspired--their food is always delicious. The magic of the suite helped create a special ambiance for our dinner event, and the guests were thrilled just to be there. You have created an amazing experience with the unique artistry, luxurious comfort and attention to detail--so much more than any kind of hotel room or suite we have ever stayed in.

It was truly a feeling of being king and queen in a fantasy castle. At some point we got up at night and just wandered the halls in amazement. We felt altogether pampered.

Harry & Dianne Hussey, Warrenton, OR

Thank you so much for your graciousness in allowing us to enjoy your beautiful facility. All of the furnishings were one of a kind, comfortable and appealing to the eye. What a wonderful way to end the 2007 wine judging for the Crab Festival with a delicious dinner and a luxury suite to enjoy. It will be such a pleasure to let everyone know what a wonderful new hot spot has sprung up in Astoria!