Ampersand Weddings & Events

c. The tricks and experience that they have to offer to create such beauty was unbelievable. All of my friends saw what they did and plan on booking them for their events they have coming up. Highly recommend them to everyone!

e ask how our wedding went! Considering the location and logistics of our wedding, they worked some serious magic and made our dream wedding come to life. They made the entire process so easy for us from setting up vendor meetings, reminding us of deadlines, always willing to hop on a last minute call, and so much more. While they made the actual planning seamless for the year leading up to our wedding, they truly made the actual wedding day perfect. On the actual wedding day, my husband and I, and our families were not stressed one bit and that was because we trusted that Karen and Nikki were going to make everything work, and boy, they did!! Hiring Ampersand Wedding & Events was truly our best decision in the entire wedding process and I am forever grateful for them making our wedding process and day so so special. 

and stress relief. They came in with ideas and suggestions that we would not have thought of otherwise, and they were extremely helpful on the wedding day. We were very pleased with our decision to retain their services, and we would recommend them highly to anyone else that is considering hiring a wedding planner.

efined and impeccable taste, acute attention to detail, and seamless orchestration of the many moving parts and tasks, to their gracious and warm demeanors, they are such a breath of fresh air and were an absolute dream to work with. Honestly just so very very thankful to have worked with such sincere, thoughtful, and highly attentive professionals!

keeping things small and weighing saving money in this area, but their guidance ended up saving us thousands of dollars (probably more!) thanks to their vision, local vendor connections, and irreplaceable years of experience. They know exactly what makes a wedding run smoothly, from what’s worth investing in to what can be skipped entirely. From day one, they were always reachable, encouraging, realistic, and professional, making the process so exciting rather than stressful. Our wedding simply would not have come together without them. They anticipated every detail we never would have considered, we felt in such good hands with them balancing the logistics and operations of it all with creativity, and calm. Their passion for what they do made everything feel SO effortless and joyful. I truly believe God led them to us, and I cannot imagine our day without them. For couples searching for Southern California wedding planners, Karen and Nikki are the team you want by your side.

wanted, offered amazing ideas, and helped us bring our vision to life in a way that felt so personal and “us.” Throughout the entire planning process, they kept us calm, on track, and actually made planning enjoyable (which we know is not always the case!). On the wedding day, they handled every little detail behind the scenes so we could be fully present and just enjoy every moment. It was seamless, beautiful, and more special than we ever imagined. Beyond being incredibly talented at what they do, Karen and Nikki are just genuinely wonderful people — kind, patient, and truly invested in making the day perfect for their couples. We are forever grateful for them and couldn’t recommend them more! If you’re thinking about booking them — don’t hesitate. You’ll be in the best hands!

sly and went off without a hitch. The attention to detail was immaculate and Karen and Nikki are an absolute joy to work with. Love you and eternally grateful for all your beautiful work. 

e truly could not have done it without them. They are a joy to work with and are the reason our event was, in fact, the “best day of our lives”, as both Mira and Sawyer said that day. Ultimately, there is no better praise than that feeling of absolute joy we all felt, and it was, not in small part, because of everything Nikki and Karen did to make it so. We are forever grateful!!!

d Weddings and Events! They made it such an enjoyable experience! They are so on it! They are so organized they respond almost immediately, and they think of every detail to bring your vision to reality. And the skies the limit, you can imagine whatever your imagination allows and they can bring it to life. I highly recommend Ampersand Entertainment Weddings & Events. 

tize what really mattered for our day. My budget wasn’t as large as I would have liked, and she guided me through where each dollar would go the farthest and have the biggest impact. A few days before the wedding, the forecast suddenly turned to rain. Karen calmly walked me through every option and made sure we had the whole event tented, with lighting, heat, and rearranged tables so everything still felt intentional and beautiful. What could have been a disaster turned into one of the most memorable parts of our wedding—our guests even commented on how magical the tent felt. Her connections and industry knowledge were invaluable. She knew the right questions to ask, had great resources, and secured us excellent pricing we never would have found on our own. Karen helped make our wedding seamless, personal, and joyful from start to finish. We are so grateful for her and would recommend Ampersand Wedding Planning to anyone looking for a planner who truly cares about their clients.

ble without compromising meaningful traditions we wanted included. From our first meeting we felt confident that we were in the right hands with all their years of experience, and they followed through to the end. We planned our wedding in under 6 months, and Karen and Nikki helped us navigate many challenging decisions. They had patience and grace with us as we took our time weighing options and never rushed us. They are everything you look for in a wedding planner, highly respected, professional and astute. Fast forward to our wedding day, no detail was overlooked. Karen, Nikki and their team were dedicated to making sure we didn’t worry about a thing on our big day. They brought our vision to life and we are so grateful!

be best to hire a wedding coordinator. Best decision that we could have made was selecting Ampersand Weddings & Events. From our first consultation to the day of the wedding Karen and Nikki were on top of every detail. They made sure to communicate all of our requests to our vendors and asked all of the right questions of said vendors. Our wedding would not have come together like it did without their involvement. Even last minute changes and requests were handled with ease!

y helped coordinate many calls to help make my vision come to life. They did incredible work behind the scenes and would come to every call prepared and ready! When we were required to activate our ‘Plan B’ due to the weather during our wedding week, they calmly adjusted everything as needed and coordinated with all our vendors without me feeling any stress. They have amazing experience, and their opinion and expertise made the most significant difference. The most important thing about Karen & Nikki is their warmth and family-like approach. They were just as excited as I was and came into the weekend professionally, driven, and with the utmost positivity. I can’t recommend them enough; they are incredible wedding planners and even more amazing humans!!

entive, kind, and genuinely invested in making our day perfect. They introduced us to the most incredible vendors who understood our vision and worked within our budget, a feat we thought would be impossible. Every detail was handled with such care and expertise, allowing us to enjoy the day without a single worry. We felt so supported throughout the entire planning process and are endlessly grateful for Karen and Nikki’s warmth, professionalism, and dedication. Our wedding was magical, and it’s all thanks to them!

could have ever imagined. I cried when I saw my ceremony and reception! They were so professional, recommended amazing vendors, and were there for me every step of the way. They were so communicative and planned every detail of my wedding perfectly! I am so happy I chose to work with Ampersand Events because they took away all the stress and took care of everything. On a personal level, they are the kindest and most loving people and were such a pleasure to work with! Nikki and Karen are the kind people you want by your side on your most important day!

making it easy to schedule calls, meetings, and responding to texts any time we needed. They were able to guide us through several challenges and help give us different perspectives, which I appreciated as it is helpful to consider all options before making big decisions. Our guests all raved about the wedding and said everything was flawless and seamless. Going into wedding planning can be inundating and Karen & Nikki made it feel less so- they handle everything with grace, ease, and reassurance and make you feel like you are working with family. Thank you both for everything!

very vendor and artist that she recommended was top notch! Her list of vendors is long and gave me the chance to really choose who I loved the most! Every person Karen introduced me to who worked on my wedding definitely knew what they were doing which made my special day more than I could’ve imagined because I didn’t worry one bit! To have confidence in your planner is everything because it allows you to fully be present in every moment. The wedding was my dream come true, down to every little detail and I would highly recommend her and her team to anyone! Lulu Johnson Krupa

rking with them, they made us feel completely comfortable and supported. They joined our meetings with all of our vendors and even traveled to Palm Springs to meet us at our in person appointments, ensuring we asked the right questions and made informed decisions. Their guidance was invaluable. On the day of the wedding, the venue was transformed into a glamorous, beautiful space that surpassed our wildest dreams. The attention to detail and the seamless execution were nothing short of magical. Everything went off without a hitch, allowing us to fully enjoy every moment of our celebration. All of our guests can’t stop talking about how perfect the wedding was & how they had the best time. We were a little picky choosing some of our vendors but Karen and Nikki patiently helped us find the perfect vendors for all of our services. Ampersand is a very family oriented team. Karen even met with both of our mothers and families to listen to their needs and make them feel heard and included. We couldn't have asked for a better team to help us plan our wedding. Their professionalism, dedication, and creativity made all the difference. We wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for exceptional wedding planners! Thank you for making our day perfect!

ommended a fabulous variety of vendors, arranged meetings, walked us step by step through the details offering good insight and support, all from a great distance. The bride and groom live in NYC, my husband and I are in the process of relocating and remodeling a property in Florida, and the wedding was in Santa Barbara, so their role in the wedding was absolutely vital to creating a successful and stress free wedding! Cannot recommend them enough, highest praise possible. They are lovely humans, and you could feel the love and respect they held for us throughout this process. For me, as MOB, the highest compliment I can give is to say that I didn’t have to worry about ANYTHING all day, and could be fully present and enjoy every second with peace of mind. Karen and Nikki are excellent at what they do, they love their jobs and it is obvious!

n view! She made the process so easy for us by giving us numerous vendor choices that she hand selected and we just picked our favorites! She was extremely organized and is very detailed in her work. As the day approached, the weather turned! What was supposed to be a gorgeous sunny day in CA turned into a very wet week! As the wedding got closer, the forecast was 100% rain! It was a complete downpour the entire time and where I would have completely panicked, Karen had it all under control was quick to book a tent in anticipation of inclement weather. Our Plan B was even more beautiful than we had imagined, with a clear tent and simple stunning lighting! The room was so romantic filled with the candles, crystal chandeliers, incredible food and great music, as the rain fell overhead. The entire staff and crew worked so hard to keep everything running smoothly. Thank goodness! We had 4 reveals for our guests from the ceremony tent, to the cocktail tent, onto a lovely dinner in a 100 foot clear tent and late night was in a cozy stone house on the property. All of the guests are still talking about the wedding months later! This was more than we dreamed for our son Dylan and beautiful daughter in law Raquel. So grateful to the Ampersand Team. Can’t recommend them enough! If I could, 1000 stars!!” – Cindy Bond

impeccably. They were extremely communicative and relieved a lot of the overwhelm I would have otherwise had. Nikki was especially kind and went above and beyond at every turn. We appreciate professionalism and great customer service, and the AE team exemplified both. Highly HIGHLY recommend utilizing their services, you will be left with a day to remember forever.

the planning process, from choosing the perfect venue to selecting the most exquisite flowers. What truly stood out was her ability to turn our vision into reality. She took our ideas and transformed them into a stunning, personalized wedding that exceeded our wildest dreams. Every aspect, from the decor to the timeline, was executed flawlessly. She was there for us every step of the way, offering support and reassurance during the inevitable moments of stress that come with wedding planning. If you're looking for an amazing wedding planner who will go above and beyond to make your day perfect, look no further. We are forever grateful to her for making our wedding a truly unforgettable experience.

d budget and she made me confident in moving forward, knowing I’d have the most amazing wedding while still staying within my budget. She is knowledgeable, experienced, thoughtful, and so caring - I could tell Karen wanted my day to be perfect even as much as I did! Karen went above and beyond - scheduling and attending my appointments, sharing pictures and examples so I could visualize as I made decisions (with her expert help!), and drawing on her endless connections to ensure I would have everything I could want. She took away all of my stress and anxiety about making my special weekend happen. She went out of her way to deliver gorgeous bouquet centerpieces to my rehearsal dinner (and getting us the best table in the place!), stayed at the venue all day on my wedding day from 8am for setup until late into the night when we moved the party inside. Nikki and Karen quickly felt like part of the family, all while professionally keeping everything flowing on time, and making sure every detail was taken care of and perfect. The whole experience with Ampersand was special, exciting, and professional, never transactional. My husband and I had the best weekend of our lives thanks to Ampersand, and I cannot wait to work with them again on our next event.

through our year and a half of planning she became like family. Wedding planning can be tiring, stressful, and downright difficult. Karen helped with every detail along the way, any time we felt unsure or needed an opinion on anything we had confidence and trust in her and her recommendations. Karens knowledge, hustle, creative eye, & amazing energy made hiring her as a planner worth EVERY penny (although after realizing how much effort, expertise, and love she puts into her work I'm not sure she and her team get paid even nearly what they deserve) I could go on and on about how amazing she was/is BUT the bottom line is if you and your future husband/wife want to actually sit back and ENJOY your wedding day I suggest hiring Karen. All of our guests & family members are still raving about how stunning & special our wedding ceremony & reception were, we continue to respond with "thank you, but we truly couldn't have done it without Karen as our planner" She is an absolute GEM of a human & beyond talented! My husband and I are forever in debt to Ampersand Entertainment for seamlessly executing the wedding day of our dreams and for allowing us to be as worry free as humanly possible & soak in all the beauty and love that we were surrounded by on the most unforgettable day of our lives! If you're looking for a passionate, professional, organized, have your back kind of planner -- Ampersand Entertainment is the one!!

t.

day of the wedding was executed seamlessly and Karen was very professional and courteous to our guests and overall in the process.

to have Karen making sure our wedding day was a success.

d exceed our vision. Karen was our lifesaver for the wedding. She was very professional, caring, energetic, and extremely creative! She was super easy to work with, and we always felt calm after we discussed the many questions we had about planning our event. She was the best coordinator that we could have asked for. Karen covered every detail, and took full responsibility for the organization of our vendors. Prior to the wedding, a full agenda breakdown of the day was provided to us that explained in great detail who needed to be where and when. During the day itself, we didn’t have to worry about anything, as Karen coordinated the entire day. We cannot thank Karen enough for everything she did to make our special day perfect.

d have done without her. Our wedding ended up being perfect in every way and I know it could not have been possible without her amazing attention to detail and genuine care about providing me and my husband with everything we wanted for our special day. Karen, we could never thank you enough.

tress and she was able to deal with any surprise situation that came up. We greatly appreciate the large number of connections she has; one of our favorite parts of the day was the amazing food served by Bruce’ Catering. We never would have even known to use them, but Karen was able to connect us with Anthony and a team of his best chefs, and they blew us away with their quality and kindness. Overall we owe Karen a massive amount of gratitude, and would recommend her to anyone!

ically make everything be alright no matter what. Karen is always available, goes above and beyond and executes like the highly experienced event planner she is. Her vendor recommendations were spot on, she handled all communication and coordination for both our welcome event and wedding day in Malibu, and one can easily tell that she has earned the respect and friendship of many top notch event professionals in the area. Due to some major road blocks, we almost called off our wedding twice - and we surely wouldn't have had our special day if it wasn't for Karen. She made sure we kept going, spent hours and hours finding alternatives and back-up plans all while moving forward with our original vision. We ended up having the most wonderful wedding and everything came together beautifully. Karen has become a real friend and I even cried when we parted ways the next day! Post event she even got us a partial refund from a vendor who wasn't up to her high standards for her clients. Karen is a real sweetheart and I recommend you hire her too for your wedding or event!

was creative, had amazing suggestions and was a great listener!!!! We highly recommend her!!!!

d to the rescue, helping us find the most magical Malibu estate, which was 10 times better than our original spot. She is thorough, organized, has great taste, and knows how to handle it all. I was relaxed and fully present on my wedding day, knowing that Karen had already taken care of all the details! She and her team were there every step of the way and we couldn’t be more grateful.

y vision to life. Each step of the process was handled with kindness and care. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better team of professionals to make my special days even better. Karen is so sweet, down to earth and personable. I recommend her highly!

ring and very creative. She has an eye for beauty. She thinks super fast and in the moment and has a solution for everything! Couldn't have done it without her support, creative touch and love that she put into making our day super smooth and full of joy!

he is a pleasure to work with because she is gentle, kind, and truly wants to understand her client(s) to bring his/her vision to execution! She’s organized and has great connections too. I really enjoyed working with her because she had a great balance of patience and drive. She was also very helpful to me throughout my wedding day. I highly recommend Karen for any type of event!

we had any questions. Karen carried out our vision of the perfect wedding, beautifully. I highly recommend Ampersand Entertainment!"

was a complete pro from the beginning to the end of the planning and actual event. She manages your expectations on costs and keeps all vendors in line with what was expected. The decorations were exceptional and Karens attention to detail made it a very smooth process. She also dealt with stressful disruptions like malfunctioning stove that was replaced within 45 minutes. All my guests commented on the "perfect event" and I could not be happier how it turned out. Through out the process Karing remained calm, friendly and always professional. I highly recommend her services. Hans Saeby

to share in the often-chaotic season that is engagement, look no further. My husband and I are both detail-oriented, intentional creatives so naturally, our wedding day reflected that. Karen was a dream to work with. After an initial venue fell through, she worked with us to secure what became our dream wedding location, and worked tirelessly to produce a wedding that was entirely "us". Her relationships with vendors speak volumes of her experience and reputation in the industry and made the business-like aspects of planning a wedding so manageable. She sat with us through our dreams, concerns, ideas, and emotions, fought for us, kept our best interest in mind, and became a dear friend. Wedding days are not meant to be perfect, but they are indeed meant to be extraordinary. Because of Ampersand Entertainment, our day was just that. I cannot thank or give praise to her and her team enough: they're experts in their field, and more than that, they're incredibly kind and wonderful to work with.

party where each course and location was themed in food and decor. Every detail is pristine and charming. Our party was covered by C Weddings because it was just that beautiful and timeless! They will take your vision and stage it so it sparkles under the stars. What a night to remember. 10/10

bove and beyond to make your wedding magical. She managed all 20+ of our vendors seamlessly (a handful of whom she recommended personally, her rolodex is full of wonderful recommendations) and executed our special day without a hitch. Throughout the entire planning process (and *especially* on the days leading up to the wedding), I never felt out of control and rarely felt overwhelmed -- Karen was always there to find a solution, ask the right question, or just offer advice. She really cares about her clients, and it shows in every late-night email, early morning appointment, and thoughtfully-placed piece of decor that you didn't even know you needed. I can't say enough about how lucky I feel to have stumbled upon Karen to plan my wedding; she is someone whom I will always recommend and hope to be a life-long contact and friend for all of my future celebrations.