There are not words to describe how wonderful and amazing the folks at The Ebell are. Melissa was a delight and such a willing spirit from the very first meeting. She was a guiding light and has such amazing positive energy. Plus, she moved mountains and responded to my every possible wish! Now, moving on the incomparable Chef Louis Pechan, who created a very special 5-course meal -- including an amuse bouche and cheese course! All of my guests are still raving about the incredible meal and perfect wine pairings. The care and concern shown every step of the way by everyone at The Ebell puts them in a class all their own.

Melissa and Anessa were wonderful and helped us through the entire process, though we were very busy with our own careers through the entire wedding planning period. I can't say enough about the architecture of the ebell--it requires so little embellishment. It's just gorgeous. And the food was delicious--we had lots of compliments from our guests. The service was timely, no one had to wait for food or drinks. We hope to use the ebell for other events in our future.

My husband and I recently got married at the Ebell of Los Angeles and it was just beautiful.

Service

Melissa and Anessa really took care of us from the start. Melissa was super sweet even though I had more than a few changes to make with the guest list/contract. Also we had a personal server attend to us which added so much to the night. His name escapes me at the moment but we truly felt like kings and queens because of him.

Venue

The venue is gorgeous. We actually had our ceremony outdoors and it was everything I ever imagine.

Food

Oh the food, how could I forget? The food was simply amazing. We had filet mignon for everyone and it was delicious. It was cooked perfectly. The chef made some Korean fusion hor deurves that were so tasty.

All in all we are super glad that we held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Ebell of LA.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! We are so happy with both the venue and the service at the Ebell. Our guest at our wedding were completely impressed with the rooms and the intimacy of the venue. Both Melissa Allen & Anessa Curtin (Special Events) were so help and pleasant to work with, they offered great suggestions and ideas. The food and drinks were amazing. Both our family and friends could not stop raving about our venue. You definitely get your money's worth and more. You will not regret choosing the Ebell.

B-E-A-UITFUL place! GRRREAT staff and deeeeelicious food!

I fell in love with the Ebell as a teenager dreaming about my wedding, and I tucked pictures of it in my “wish book” for my future life. Decades later when I got engaged, I pulled out that wish book and the Ebell was there, still calling to me. Though my mom and I toured several venues before making our way to the Ebell, I was indifferent to them because they were just so ordinary. But five minutes into our tour of the Ebell, I began crying. I was drawn in by the beautiful architecture and the gently vintage ambiance. The ceiling. The iron doors. The staircase. The fountain. Ebell was grand and intimate and special, and I knew it was the place where I would be married.

After I got over myself and had that initial emotional reaction, I began noticing other things during the tour that made Ebell feel right…in a peculiarly wonderful way. It was Halloween, and I was surrounded by Rosie the Riveter (special events director Melissa), her little dog (who had accompanied her to work that day), and a ninja (special events rep David) whose face was completely hidden behind a mask. This playfulness suggested the Ebell team enjoyed working there, which in my mind meant they would ultimately be good to me and good for my wedding. I was right. I had my dream wedding at the Ebell on July 3, 2011, and there is no other place that would have been better. Ebell is AMAZING!!

So for the other noteworthy aspects of my Ebell experience that constitute a review:

SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM: Throughout the eight months of planning, Melissa, David, Anessa, and Kristin were professional, accommodating, and down-to-earth. They greet you with a hug, answer your questions with a smile, and manage events with seamless ease. Every interaction I had with them was positive, even when they had to say no (or give strict parameters) about something I was requesting. They also came through for us in a big way on wedding day when one of my vendors didn’t show, and I appreciate their graceful handling of that emergency.

VALUE: It was expensive, but so worth it. It is a historical site, and it is priced accordingly. We got a huge discounted rate by having our wedding on a Sunday, but most of that discount was off-set by having to pay for air conditioning to be brought in (it’s an old building that doesn’t have built-in ducts). I think the food though was very reasonably priced for the quality given.

FOOD: Everything we sampled during the tasting was delish (especially the chicken), but we chose the pear carpaccio salad (unique, with a nice light flavor) and the braised beef short rib. The beef was tender and well-seasoned. I was initially concerned that the portions would be small because the Ebell is upscale (my family and friends would not be satisfied with a skimpy meal, no matter the quality), but both the short rib and the vegetarian entrée we chose (vegetable risotto) were very hearty and filling. The short rib was my favorite part of the meal (it brought back memories of my Grammy’s cooking), but all of our guests’ food comments were about the sorbet. It was fantastic. I’m so glad we didn’t do Pinkberry…the Ebell’s sorbet was much more elegant, less expensive, and it came with a fancy “cookie.” The only slightly negative thought I had on the food was that the hors d’oeuvres were small, but I guess they are supposed to be. I am extremely pleased with the food we had at the wedding. Thank you Chef Louis!

WAIT STAFF: I can’t really comment on the service provided to my guests (I wasn’t paying attention), but dinner timing seemed to flow well. But I can comment on how THRILLED I was that hubby and I had a personal waiter the entire day! Such a pleasant surprise! Hubby still talks about it. Our waiter William, was friendly, helpful, and very attentive to our needs.

LOGISTICS: We had the ceremony in the Lounge; cocktail hour in the Art Salon and Garden; and reception back in the Lounge. Time was a blur to me that day, but a couple of guests told me that it took too long to change the Lounge from ceremony space to reception space. Aside from hiring more workers to transition the room, or having the reception in the Dining Room (which we rented, but didn’t use because it’s not as pretty), I can’t figure a way things could have been expedited. I think Ebell did the best they could.

I will say that I wish that a better job had been done in restricting guests’ access to the Lounge while it was being changed over. I didn’t like that my guests were going in and out of the Lounge while it was being changed over. I’m not sure if control of foot traffic was Ebell’s responsibility or my wedding planner’s. I also wish that guests had been forced to enter through the Wilshire doors rather than the side parking lot entry. I paid a fortune for floral arrangements at the Wilshire doors, but they were unseen by most of my guests because they didn’t come in that way.

OVERALL: I have nothing but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for the Ebell.

A little pricey, but worth every single penny. Our wedding was truly one of a kind because of this beautifully historic location and wonderful personnel. In addition, the team eased ALL of my concerns and our guests can't stop talking about how great the food was. Thank you Ebell of Los Angeles!!!

This venue was incredible, such character which isn't always easy to find in Los Angeles. And my guests are still raving about the food even weeks later.