Lyssabeth’s Bay Area Wedding Officiants

We used Lyssabeths on short notice, and we couldn’t be happier! Super easy to work with, helpful with locations, and set us up with a wonderful photographer. We had a beautiful, intimate ceremony in golden gate park. I DEFINITELY recommend them!

Very professional reliable services. They are very easy to work with and were accommodating to any changes in our plans. The officiant, Ken Jones, was phenomenal. Our ceremony was absolutely like I had imagined it could be, and all my guests were so impressed with Ken’s presence. He is so peaceful and calm, he really made our wedding a loving and special event. A perfect beginning to our marriage!

I have to thank Ken Jones and Lyssabeth’s for making my intimate wedding a cherished memory that will last a lifetime. We got married 10−22−11 at Baker beach in san francisco. Not only did the location they suggested make for some amazing photos, but thanks to their company my dream wedding on a budget was the wedding of my dreams. Thank you a thousand times for joining me and the love of my life. I highly recommend them to make a small gathering into a magical experience.

How did I forget to review this?
I am the girl who never thought she’d get married. I’d never had a «dream wedding», fantasized about bridesmaids, (dresses) flowers or cakes. Hell, I had never even BEEN to a wedding before I decided to embark on this journey. I hate tradition, so decided to finally elope after thinking about it for several years. (true story)
Our minister, Lea, was amazing. We booked no less than two days (on line) before a trip to SF on a whim. Maureen Thompson (owner?) was courteous, helpful, and even emailed me the words we had exchanged a YEAR later. Coolest part? They meet you where you please. We decided on our favorite motel, Ocean Park, in the Sunset District of the city. Our witness? The motel owner, Marc. He was also the stand in photog. We met under an old cypress tree in the courtyard. Just us, and Mia (our four year old troll)
No hassle, no fuss (OK, my shoes were rockin’) and no bullshit.
Id recommend this company to anyone, anytime.

Booking an officiant was super easy and reasonably priced. Ken Jones did a great job modifying our ceremony to work for us. He was punctual and personable and we enjoyed having him officiate our wedding. Thanks, Ken!

Let me say that I am so glad I went to Tahoe and got married, rather than use the services of this «company». The ceremony was beautiful, inexpensive, and a day I’ll always remember. Look online and you’ll find extremely low-​priced package deals — sometimes cheaper than it would cost for a Lyssabeth’s service, permit, and license (with Lyssabeth’s you have to get it yourself in advance). You will be much happier going to a romantic location like Lake Tahoe, where they specialize in weddings. I’ll always remember my wedding day as a wonderful and stress-​free day.
Now, here is why Lyssabeth’s is getting a one star rating (is a zero rating possible?):
After visiting Lyssabeth’s website, we were planning on getting married on May 5^th, 2010 in Davenport, CA. We booked our appointment and paid online in full; not just the $ 100 deposit. Minus one star because the person that was designated to perform our ceremony never contacted us. We never heard from her at all, though she was supposed to perform the most important ceremony of our lives.
Minus one star because we scoped out the Davenport location and, though romantic, was clearly off-​limits for danger reasons. We counted half a dozen signs warning us to «Keep away! Dangerous cliffs. A fall could be fatal!» We couldn’t bring Granny with us, and my DH’s mom fell and hurt herself when she went to scope it out. Also, homeless people ignore these signs and set up tents to live in this location. I would have thought that Lyssabeth’s would have scoped this out before us and performed many happy ceremonies in this location. After viewing the location ourselves, I don’t see how that can be possible.
Minus one star for being so DIFFICULT to get a hold of! Maureen Thompson and I played phone tag for over a week before I finally got her on the phone. She blamed me for being hard to reach. Sorry, Maureen, most people are at work at 2pm on weekdays.
Minus one star for Maureen Thompson YELLING at me on the phone when I expressed all these concerns and requesting a refund less than 3 weeks after we signed up online. I am not exaggerating here, people. The woman was completely belligerent, interrupting me, yelling at me to the point I had to pull the phone from my ear multiple times, and talking to me like I was an idiot for ever giving them money unless I was absolutely sure I wanted their services. This was beyond unprofessional, and definitely the worst phone conversation I’ve ever had with someone in a service field.
We threatened to contact the BBB (which we have) and write a poor Unilocal review (which you’re reading) and report this to Google checkout (which we will do) — all just to get $ 119 of our initial $ 219 back. They stand by their $ 100 no deposit refund policy — Maureen informed me that she had to «turn down business» for other couples that wanted to elope in the tiny town of Davenport, more than two months in advance, on a Wednesday.
For all of this, I say «shame on Lyssabeth’s» and warn you (like the signs on the cliff tried to warn us) to steer clear of Lyssabeth’s and especially Maureen Thompson.
UPDATE: The information above is 100% correct. The response from Maureen below only proves that this is not a person/​company you want to do business with.