Marvimon

This place is excellent. I got married here to the «Valerie M.» in the reviews.
It’s like a magical place in a «Young Adult» fantasy book. From the outside on most days, you’ve got this nondescript old street on the edge of downtown. The big metal shutter blocking what’s inside. BUT, on that ONE night you get married, or go to a friend’s wedding, it opens on this beautiful little wonderland of a venue, bricks, wood beams, and a lush succulent garden patio in the back under strings of incandescent bulbs.
It’s kind of a Narnia without all the snow.

I’m sure this place is amazing to have a wedding at in the late fall, winter, and spring. However, if it is a summer wedding… you might want to reconsider. I went to a wedding during the summer and all of us were miserable. No one mentioned it to the bride and groom, because who wants to complain to them, but it was truly awful. Everyone was so hot, no one wanted to dance or even move. Even when it got dark. There is no AC, if there is, it barely works. I had horrible sweat dripping down my back most of the night and I barely even sweat when I work out. The guys in their suits… dripping. Before the wedding started they told the groom that there was AC and if it got bad they’d bring in fans. HA. Never happened. It is a beautiful, unique, quaint space… October-​May.

WTF?
I have dreamt of being married here for years, since attending a friend’s friend’s wedding. I finally get the ring, email to find out about rates and availability and I’m told (rather rudely) they no longer host private events and that I should use Smog Shoppe instead.
Burn! If I wanted Smog Shoppe, I would’ve asked about Smog Shoppe. I need all the weeping kitty cat emojis in the world to illustrate my misery.
Heartbroken and crestfallen, I asked why they weren’t taking private events anymore and was given no answer.
Does anyone know what happened or why? Has the space been sold to someone new who I can bug so I can get married there? Or are they renovating it so they can jack up the price? Did they lose their permit?
Help! I’m miserable! I’ve looked at dozens of other venues and nothing else floats my boat like Marvimon.

I came to this venue for my cousins wedding. When you drive by, you don’t really think that a beautiful wedding venue could be possible here (the neighborhood is about 5 minutes from Dodger Stadium, if that gives you a better idea if what the area is like), but you have to go inside to really appreciate it. My sister described it perfectly as ‘if Anthropologie hosted a wedding, it would be here.’ It has a very warm, chic environment. If you plan on having more than 150 guests, I would look elsewhere. This was a perfect place for an event for about 100 – 130 people.

Great venue. Solid folks. Super beautiful place. Have a wedding there tomorrow. Should be dynamite. Go Jake and Laura Fereyisen!

I had my wedding at Marvimon in October. I couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect setting for our big day. The venue fees weren’t cheap and you’re required to hire their on-​site manager and use their valet service, which added to the overall cost. However, it was worth every penny. We were able to bring in our own furniture and completely customize the space to fit our style. We also brought in our own caterer so our food was delicious. All our guests were raving about the space and how intimate and personal it felt. So many people said «It was so YOU» and the reason is because we were able to customize it so well.
We brought in vintage furniture rentals and had cute vintage settees outside in the courtyard. The ceremony was set up with alternating rows of the Marvimon chairs and benches as well as our rental couches. It was so cute and different. Post-​ceremony, the couches were turned to little lounges out in the courtyard. We didn’t do a formal sit-​down dinner. Instead we had three buffet stations spread out through the space and cocktail tables for people to stand & eat at. We used some of the Marvimon tables/​chairs for people that wanted to sit at a standard table, but our set up encouraged people to mingle.
The venue managers were very responsive throughout the process. They seem to have a very buttoned up operation. Whenever I had a quick question or needed a referral or recommendation, they would respond the same day with a detailed, thorough response.
They also have a list of recommended vendors, which are all very competent. I used a few off their list and was very happy. So if you really want to be hands off, you can just call up all their vendors who are already familiar with the space and you’ll be done planning your wedding in no time. I planned my wedding in 3 months, but it looked like I’d been planning for years. The space made the day perfect and unique.
If you want an urban, unique, non-​banquet wedding, have it at Marvimon!

Yes, they have a lot of rules. And yes, they might not be the most reasonably-​priced place in town. But trust me, you get what you pay for. We chose Marvimon for our October wedding and the day was truly a dream come true, due in large part to the venue. Such a unique, cozy and gorgeous space; things ran perfectly smoothly and our guests had a ball. Communication throughout the process was easy & prompt, and I’d happily recommend this space to anyone who’s interested in hosting an offbeat, highly-​personalized event (you bring in all of your own vendors, so you can create any type of flavor you’re after). Will post some photos of ours once we get ‘em back!

I’m not a bitter customer, but just stating facts about my experience of consulting with Marvimon.
I contacted Marvimon and through an exchange of emails I was able to set a date to see the venue.
A few days in advance, they emailed me saying they can no longer see me that day and they rescheduled.
I went in the day we rescheduled. I was pretty disappointed with the venue. The couches were horrendous and when I sat on it, I sank in. They are dated and have a really casual/​funny pattern… aka ‘hipster’. It is a VERY casual place for a wedding.
I asked for a quote of how much the venue would cost on a Saturday for 150 guests. She would not even give me a number that day. I asked for a range, and she still would not give me a range of how much it is to rent the venue. I finally received an email 2 days later with estimates.
I thought SmogShoppe would have been better and wanted to check it out. And I had an appointment to see it today, which we scheduled about 3 weeks ago. And of course, I just received an email to reschedule our appointment because they cannot make it today.
That was pretty much the last strike for me. I didn’t appreciate being cancelled on twice, and will not consider planning an event there. I think first impressions are crucial to get a sense of how you will be treated throughout such an important life changing event.

Marvimon is a very popular wedding venue. I had the pleasure of working with Marvimon as a wedding coordinator’s assistant last weekend.
Pros:
Everyone who manages/​works here is great. They are super helpful and will ask any minor and major questions.
The parking isn’t very difficult, despite the fact that it’s street parking.
the outside wall of succulents is absolutely to DIE FOR! Beautiful.
The establishment is very well groomed and very clean.
The kitchen area is just spacious enough.
Though the stove is in the outer main hall, it doesn’t seem to be too much of a nuisance.
There is a lot of closet space for brides to hang up the important things. The bathroom in the private area has a shower and two sinks. It is spacious and perfect for a full bridal party.
The sitting area or back room has a gorgeous mirror that stands 6 feet tall (maybe even taller). And they have a couch and such back there as well. It is adjoined with the kitchen but the door can be closed.
The staff is very quick about cleaning and flipping the ceremony area to a lounge area.
This venue has plenty of bathrooms located in the courtyard area and near the entrance.
Cons:
The bar was a little cozy, especially cause we had hired two bartenders for the night.
The alcohol had to be pre-​poured at the bar, no bottles, no hard liquor.
The lighting was a little too dim. But the summer nights allows for more day light.
The traffic getting to the venue sucks if there’s a Dodgers game going on because it’s less than half a mile from the venue.
There is nothing on the premise so everything must be brought in. The only items provided are electricity, toiletries and furniture.

Marvimon is one of my favorite event spaces in Los Angeles. Since I wasn’t lucky enough to get married there, I made do with having a grand ‘ol time as a wedding guest. My friends had a lovely spring wedding set off by the breathtaking background of a massive wall of succulents. Only the Marvimon could take an industrial space and make you feel like you are inside a garden oasis. Two of the three walls are covered with ivy and succulents growing out of tree trunks. It’s so lush and vibrant but also really unique and unexpected because of the choice of greenery.
After the ceremony, we lingered outside where they bar is located, enjoying the last bits of daylight. Eventually, we moved inside for the reception. The Marvimon’s main room is kind of a L or J shape, which is unconventional but it worked out really nicely with long tables running down the long leg of the L/​J and then smaller tables in the short leg. At the front of the space was a dance floor and a projector screen for your slide shows. The outdoor space continued to be utilized all through the night as a lounge and for the photo booth. One of my favorite features is the roll-​up glass garage door separating the outdoor and indoor spaces. It’s industrial chic but with the glass, it doesn’t obstruct the visual flow.
Marvimon has a kitchen too for caterers. Having done a bit of research about the location and its prices, I know that they are truly «just» a space and that you really have to bring most things in yourself — the valet, the caterer, the furniture, the flatware, the lights, the music, the partridge and the pear tree but I think the space provides a lot of the built in decoration with its exposed brick walls, the quirky wall hangings and signs, and the light fixtures. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the Parker Palm Springs’s lobby décor. Also, the openness and flexibility of the space lets you do whatever the heck you want. My friends brought in taco carts for a midnight snack!
It’s truly a gorgeous event venue and is one of my favorites if you are looking for a modern place to create a party.

My husband and I got married here in October of 2012. Like everyone else who booked this venue, we were looking for something different; no beach wedding and hotel reception for us. Overall the venue is beautiful and the staff was pretty easy to work with. Other reviewers had said they had problems with TACT Management and the people who run Marvimon but that wasn’t our experience.
We looked at both Marvimon and Smog Shoppe but we liked Marvimon more because it felt more cozy. And we had a small wedding (under 100 guests), which Marvimon easily accommodates.
As other reviewers said, this place ain’t cheap. We spent a huge chunk of our wedding budget on this place but we don’t regret it. You do have to bring in all your own vendors (catering, floral, musicians, cake, furniture rentals, dishware/​glassware, linens, musicians, DJ, wait staff, bartenders) and this all adds up. The only vendor you don’t have to bring in is valet because they make you hire their own valet service (Jeffrey Valet) — which is NOT included in the price of booking Marvimon. More on the valet service later. The upside is you get to pick the vendors you want to use (no getting stuck with serving rubber chicken). The downside is you have to pay for all of them separately.
TACT does have a lot of rules, which you must abide by. We didn’t really have a problem with them. The only thing that disappointed us was we couldn’t keep our dog there for the reception. She was allowed to be in the ceremony but had to be removed within 10 minutes after the ceremony.
As for the venue itself, the narrowness of the main dining area does present a challenge in seating arrangements. You basically have to seat everyone in 2 long rows of rectangular tables. Some reviewers didn’t like the tables and chairs; we thought they were fine. It was kinda hard to have a dance floor because there just isn’t enough room in front of the DJ. Most of our guests ended up dancing off to the side of the DJ, in front of the main bathroom. Kinda awkward.
Speaking of bathrooms, there is only 1 main bathroom inside. 2 rickety looking bathrooms outside but most of our guests didn’t realize there were bathrooms outside so there was often a line for the main bathroom. It would be nice if they had a sign or something telling people there were additional bathrooms outside.
The bar outside is really cool but THEY DON’T HAVE A WATER TAP. And they never told us! We did not find out until cocktail hour was in full swing and my husband went to get me a glass of water from the bar, only to be told by the bartender that they had no water. What kind of bar can’t even give you water? That means you have to bring your own bottled water, which we did not do because we were never told.
Ok, now about Jeffrey Valet. When you book Marvimon, you must use their valet service. My husband said they told him that they were going to park the guests’ cars in a lot near Marvimon. However, at our wedding the valets parked our guests’ cars on the streets surrounding Marvimon. During the reception, some asshole who was texting while driving plowed into 6 of our guests’ cars that were parked on the road. There was no way Jeffrey Valet could have known that this idiot was going to do that but if they had parked the cars in the lot like they said they would, our guests’ cars wouldn’t have been hit, at least not by that driver.
Ok, it sounds like I’m saying all this negative stuff but if you’ve read the other reviews, you know this place is gorgeous. We don’t regret having our wedding there and we loved the place, despite all the stuff I mentioned above. Oh, one thing someone else mentioned: we booked the place before the renovations were done and we also wished they had not made some of the changes they made. The circus awnings look weird. I miss the bathtub outside. The bar on the kitchen counter looked better before they changed it. But overall the renovations were good and we still loved the place.

I came here for a tour of the venue with Kara (coordinator for Marvimon) and my initial impression of this place was that it was hard to find. There is no sign that says «Marvimon» from the street, but it is a blue building and the address is painted on the top of the entrance (
). This place seems to be located in a ghetto– ish place (not like their sister property, Smog Shoppe. and Smog Shoppe can easily be missed as well).
Anyways, inside this place looks so different from what you would expect a place in this neighborhood to look like. It has that posh and lounge like unique atmosphere that I am sure a lot of brides are looking for that one unique, non– cookie cutter wedding venue. But I am not so nearly as impressed with this location as other Unilocalers.
I think the set up of this little place makes the main room seem a bit crowded and bit tight. Right next to this main room is the kitchen. I thought it was funny how Kara described it as «interactive» but I agree with a previous Unilocaler that it’s not really cool to see dishes stacked up while dining here (although there is a room behind the kitchen where caterers can put their dirty dishes). I don’t know if I would really care for my guests to interact with the caterers and watch them cook, so the kitchen wasn’t much of an impressor for me.
Anyways, outside is where the piece de resistance is at… just beautiful. Love the spiral design on the cement where a wedding ceremony can take place. Also think the U horse shoe bar is nice. It’s funny, but there is a fireplace outside, but you can’t actually have a fire in there. But Kara said a lot of clients have placed candles in there to just give the illusion. One thing I don’t like about this outside area is the 2 small unisex toilets right next to the tiny little cabana area. There are 2 bathrooms inside (1 that can be used exclusively for the bride and 1 for guests) and on a cold night, guests are less likely to go outside to use the restrooms. I’m sure even once guests are inside, despite the weather, they are still less likely to use the outside restrooms.
It’s nice that the projector comes with the 12 hour rental and there is a great sound system wired throughout this place. But the pricing for this place is very high and there are quite a few rules and limitations that would prevent me from ever wanting to book this place. For example, if you have 3 or more children at your event here, you are required to have a baby sitter (that is a non guest). You are also required to use their valet service and this door man management company, which also increases your investment with Marvimon (same with Smog Shoppe). Honestly, I prefer the venue layout and size of Smog Shoppe to Marvimon because it is more open and less narrow. Also the outdoor part of Smog Shoppe is just more visually stunning and lush than Marvimon. But I know these type of venues aren’t for everyone.
Overall, a nice and unique (and very expensive) venue to have a par– tay. But I just wasn’t wowed (and though I would be due to the high price tag) You have to make sure you play by their rules and they do not give discounts for military or an «off peak» season (according to Kara, they are able to rent out this place throughout the year). But if you are flexible on holding your event on a Friday or a Sunday (or any other day besides Saturday) then your rental fee would go down significantly. Oh and if you want to check this place out, there is some street parking on Broadway (make sure you make an appointment to check it out though). But the valet is required if you book this place, and the valet will just park your guests cars all along Broadway (even though your guests could just park it themselves for free…)

Marvimon House is such a beautiful place to have events. Of course, it isn’t for everyone, not for those who are into high end restaurant and hotels. But if you love the rustic look, comfortable, home like environment for a special event, this is a wonderful place to celebrate your special days.
This is a very well kept and maintained place, clean and inviting. Parking in the street is very convenient for the guests.

Are you looking for an affordable but still cool and unique wedding venue in LA?
Then this just might be what you are looking for!
The space is just amazing (heres a link to some photos from a recent wedding I photographed there
)…and you can definitely make it a personal, intimate, ‘your own style’ wedding as you can decorate or cater it however you want.
I would say its up there in my top 5 LA wedding venues (along with its sister venue the smog shoppe)!
check out my website for more images of the venue

I got married at the Marvimon and it was awesome. The space is absolutely beautiful. It’s perfect for a smaller, more intimate wedding. And as a bonus for all of your grandparents: no stairs! Kara and everyone else at the Marvimon were very friendly and professional.
We booked the Marvimon before its recent renovations, and I have to say, I did prefer it before they added the circus awnings, flimsy chairs, and somewhat cheap looking wooden tables. BUT, the overall vibe of the space is still so unique and cool. And if the furniture bothers you, it is easy to rent other pieces (which is what we did for the chairs).
I think it’s important to mention that you do have to bring in absolutely everything here (caterers, rentals, valet, «event management,» etc). I think organizing all of those vendors would have been pretty stressful if I hadn’t had a wedding planner. On the flip side, the Marvimon allows you to buy your own alcohol, which is great and definitely saves some $$.
I heart this place!

Just had my wedding here two weeks ago and IT WAS PERFECT. Honestly, the Marvimon /​Tact Management /​Jeffrey Valet team did a fantastic job, and everyone at the event has told me what a wonderful time they had.
Read on for details:
— The surrounding neighborhood isn’t much to look at, but once you step inside, you are in the prettiest space. It’s like a little piece of paradise in the middle of smoggy, dirty LA.
— The garden makes the perfect setting for an outdoor wedding. It’s a vertical garden, so you get lots of greenery but you don’t have to worry about dragging your dress around on a lawn.
— The newly renovated bridal suite is AWESOME. I got ready in there with my momma, my sister and two friends, and they could not stop talking about how nice the bridal suite was. HUGE bathroom and mirror and lots of seating.
— My wedding was 75 people, and Marvimon has enough furniture that I didn’t need any rentals, which totally saved me $$. The wooden tables have been refinished, so I skipped linens and they looked great without.
— They have a sound system in house, so we simply put together a playlist, hooked it up to our iPod and we were set for music all night long.
— Some people may not like the fact that they push you to use their preferred vendors, but honestly, these people really know the space and it makes everything really easy to manage.
— It’s a green business, so I feel good about the fact our wedding didn’t create a lot of waste.

Had a wonderful time at my cousin’s wedding reception here. The staff was superb and was always inviting and courteous.
Especially the bartenders considering it was open bar and they had the drinks come out quickly and put up with all the inebriated party goers with no fail.
The wait staff was always quick to clear off tables and was more than accommodating throughout the entire night.
I wouldn’t hesitate to come here again especially if someone is throwing a party here. From the valet guys, to the doorman, to the wait staff and bartenders, they just showed us how to keep having a good time while enjoying themselves as well.

My first experience at Marvimon was officiating a wedding ceremony.
As you drive on Broadway, you’ll pass right by it and not even realize that hidden behind the front doors is a little sanctuary. There isn’t a sign telling you that you’ve arrived at Marvimon, but a fainted 1411 address marker.
Once you are inside and the door closes… you won’t remember that you are in Downtown Los Angeles.
I immediately walked through the dining area, which was set up family style, perfect for a reception to the outside patio and garden.
Chairs lined the ceremony area with wooden benches in the first several rows. The backdrop: a tall brick wall with luscious plants.
Marvimon is not a banquet hall by an means. It is very unique, hip and feels just-​right.
This place is perfect for a ceremony, company meeting, after-​party, birthday party, or a celebration of any-​kind.
To the bride and groom that invited me to officiate their wedding… I simply say thank you.

I checked out Marvimon as a potential venue for our wedding. It’s definitely on the smaller side (I believe the capacity is less than 150) but it’s very unique and a blank canvas for whatever you envision in your head. You definitely get the feel that it is someone’s house, which adds to the intimate feel. the coordinator there is very sweet and responsive to emails and calls.
The place, as people have noticed, can get expensive in that you literally have to bring everything in yourself. Again, it is definitely a blank canvas. When I looked at albums online of weddings at Marvimon, I assumed there would be way more décor. Nope, there’s the basic lighting and plants, but everything else you see was all brought in by vendors that are familar with the space. Plus, this is located on a busy street with no additional parking (beside the couple of spaces in the garage for the bridal party) so you’ll definitely have to bring in a parking company to help out with that.
In the end, we loved the space and definitely got some inspiration for our house and whatnot, but it was too far for our local guests (in Orange County). Plus, the neighborhood that it was in wasn’t particularly picturesque. Pricewise, it is about on par with all other slightly offbeat venues (basically anything that’s not your traditional hotel/​golf course/​country club). They also offer a complimentary soft hold of your date, which is nice.

Lovely place to have your wedding here… It’s very cozy and warm setting… It has an old, vintage feel. From the outside, it’s kind of hard to find *we were lost where this spot was due to catering truck blocking the building* :(They did offer valeting parking; however, we got there way before the wedding started so we couldn’t valet park. This venue is for small wedding up to 100 people. It did get SUPER hot during the ceremony (outdoor) and there aren’t enough shades. Great place to take beautiful pictures of wedding! :D