Marilyn Ambra Weddings and Events - Oakland, California

Jami Burris

Marilyn is the best of the best. I can't imagine planning a wedding without her. Her eye for design and attention to detail surpassed any expectations I had. My husband and I started to tear up when we saw how beautiful everything was on our wedding day. She made the whole planning process a breeze. She kept our priorities top of mind, stayed within budget, offered recommendations, and made the day of go seamlessly. To this day, our guests are still telling us how our wedding was the most beautiful and most fun wedding they've ever attended.

Ashley Leineweber

Marilyn is an experienced wedding planner with many years of experience under her belt. She was able to help us build a wonderful team of vendors to make our wedding vision come to life. Marilyn has an excellent eye for design and was able to offer us an opinion when we wanted, but we also knew that everything she brought to us would be impeccable quality. Beyond that, her joy for planning weddings and events is infectious. She will bring a lot of enthusiasm and happiness to your wedding planning process, and it will need it at times!

Michael Chen

We had the pleasure of working with Marilyn for our wedding in Calistoga and could not be happier with how it all came together!

We met Marilyn with about 8 months of time until our wedding and she helped us pull off the most beautiful wedding I've been to -- yes, I may be a little biased 🙂 Marilyn was incredibly organized throughout the entire the planning process, keeping us on schedule with the countless decisions we had to make and spending as much time with us as we needed. From our initial menu tasting, where we met in person for the first time, through the final walkthrough at the venue, Marilyn made the planning process enjoyable and stress-free.

Bonus: she also introduced us to the most wonderful couple for our engagement and wedding photos (shout out to Feather and Stone!), who were so lovely to work with.

We were especially impressed with Marilyn's magic on the day of the wedding. It's one of those things you don't think about on the day of (unless something goes wrong), but we were thankful to be able to fully enjoy the time with our friends and family -- and that is only made possible by having the most extraordinary planner. Marilyn looked out for every little detail, kept the event (and our family) on schedule, and orchestrated a masterpiece for us.

We're so appreciative of Marilyn and would recommend her for your wedding or any other major events. Thank you!

Tyler Kirkendall

We first wanted to thank Marilyn and her team for a fantastic wedding weekend.

Throughout the planning process, Marilyn was very organized, and walked both the bride and the groom through all the various elements of the wedding, paying carful attention to all the little details that made the night so special. We first started by agreeing on the vision of the night, and Marilyn was able to walk through a number of color schemes, florals, fabrics, that really brought our vision to life. Marilyn was able to bring her vast experience to the table when walking us through what would look the best, recommending how the event will proceed, and connected us to a number of fantastic vendors. Marilyn helped us stay on track throughout the entire process, and we never felt like we were rushed during the planning process.

During the wedding weekend, Marilyn and her team delivered beyond our expectations. During the rehearsal, Marilyn and her team were able to make a number of subtle changes that really amplified the venue and ceremony site. While the wedding went off without a hitch, Marilyn and her team are able to quickly adapt to anything and bring their experience to the forefront to make the event even more perfect.

On the day of, we were blown away when we saw the entire venue decorated. Marilyn and her team delivered beyond our wildest expectations and we can’t say enough how perfect the venue was set up, with no detail left unaccounted for. Marilyn and her team kept the entire wedding party on track and expertly managed the flow of the event. We never felt rushed or stressed during the wedding and that is solely because of how well Marilyn orchestrated the entire event.

We wanted to thank Marilyn and her team for such a fantastic wedding and we are so grateful to have had the chance to work with Marilyn throughout the entire process. We would highly recommend Marilyn to anyone.

Elisabeth Yvrot

One night in a life time...

Like every bride, I wanted my wedding day to be unique. A special and memorable day to me and to everyone who attends my wedding. As a Parisian, I wanted a traditional American wedding with a pronounced French touch. Beauty, creativity, art, and design are essential in my culture and my worst fear was to work with a wedding planner who would not meet my high expectations on the artistic side. Marilyn was recommended to me by a dear friend who could not praise her skills enough. She went above and beyond to make every wish come true. We loved the calm and creative way she works, everything was organized and thought through, and most of all, everything was exquisite; unique reception venue décor, lavish menu, amazing music, romantic lighting, creative seating pattern, gorgeous florals, Marilyn has amazing connections and found us exactly what we were looking for. I felt like a princess from 1000 and one nights on my wedding day. Marilyn is not only an excellent wedding planner, she is an amazing artist! Her talent for choosing and matching tastes, colors, shapes and styles is unparalleled. My French guests were impressed with her professionalism and creativity as it’s rare to find both of these in the same person. Until this day I continue to receive compliments on my wedding day. Thanks to Marilyn It has became just I wanted it to be; an unforgettable day!

1000 mercis Marilyn!

Michelle Walker

Marilyn is absolutely amazing! As a wedding photographer, I am so very lucky to be able to work with her to photograph her events. They are always stunning (making my job a bit easier), perfectly executed, and fun! She has that rare quality of creating a high-end event that is completely down to earth. I don't know how she does it, but I'm really happy she does!