"Just Wing It!" We had a change of heart a day before our wedding. We're supposed to get wed at City Hall of SF with our 30 closest friends and family. But unfortunately City Hall will not allow us to have more than 6 witnesses to witness our wedding.. So the day before our wedding on July 18th we decided to just WING IT and get married in the park and hire an officiant so our Family and Friends can be part of our special day. We went and searched Yelp and found Amber! We told her that we need an officiant the next day and told her the story of our last minute change of heart. Even she was surprised! We asked if she knows a place in San Francisco where we can get married and she suggested an amazing Garden in San Francisco. Everything fell into place from there! We hired Amber to officiate our wedding and thank God she was available with the last minute notice!!! And even though we never met her not once and just communicated thru e-mail she performed a lovely ceremony that we will cherish always and never be forgotten! We got the wedding my wife always wanted, a small intimate garden wedding with our closest Family and Friends! We are so lucky we found Amber and became part of our Special day! We still can't believe that we just Winged our wedding and became one of the most memorable day of our life!!! We will definitely recommend Amber and will definitely hire her again if we can get married again :)! Thank you Amber! Always, Michael and Charimel read more

Luminous Weddings - July 19, 2013 - Wedding Planning Near Me

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My (new) husband was lucky enough to have Amber as an acquaintance before we chose her to craft and perform our wedding ceremony in February. The process was excellent from start to finish. Amber, Chris, and I sat in a cafe for about an hour where she took the time to get to know our story, our values, and our hopes for our ceremony. I was very stressed from all the planning and organizing, but after I left our meeting, I felt so much weight lifted off my shoulders. Amber made us comfortable from her confidence and compassion. Based on our meeting and a relationship questionnaire, Amber suggested some readings and crafted a ceremony that was simply perfect for us. There were some key things that were important for me to be included, or not, in the ceremony, and her ideas were just right. The day of the ceremony, Amber helped calm me again. And we had SO many compliments on the ceremony, and many for Amber, herself, too! My mom was so excited at how eloquent of a speaker Amber was that she mentioned it several times. Hiring Amber to perform our ceremony was one of the best wedding decisions we made! THANKS, AMBER for making our special day even more special! read more

Luminous Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me

We hit the officiant jackpot when we hired Amber! During our initial meeting with Amber, she explained the possibilities for the outline of the ceremony to us and she really got to know us. From that meeting as well as questionnaires she had us complete, Amber was able to suggest readings that fit our personalities and she crafted a ceremony that was authentic to us. I have a child from a previous relationship and Amber suggested family vows. This was a great way to involve our son and make him feel like a part of our special day without putting too much pressure on him. The day of our wedding I was a little nervous. When Amber arrived, I felt like an old friend had just showed up. She exudes a cool and calm persona that put my nerves at ease. I knew when she got there, we were in good hands. Amber Milner is not your grandma's officiant--she is young, vibrant and creative and will work with you to create a ceremony tailored to you and your partner. I highly recommend her! read more

Luminous Weddings - SF City Hall - Wedding Planning Near Me

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Amber officiated our wedding ceremony on September 13th in San Francisco and we could not be more pleased. The process leading up to the ceremony was enjoyable for both me and my husband. While questionnaires usually seem tedious to us, we had a blast filling it out for Amber. It's both eye opening and hilarious to compare answers to what seem like standard questions (especially if you're not going through pre-marital counseling). After the questionnaire was completed, Amber sent over some vow and reading suggestions that were absolutely perfect. After we had a chance to review, Amber came over to learn a little more about us as a couple...by the time she left we felt like we had known her for years. The day of the wedding, Amber showed up looking flawless (of course), and even catered her shoes to our wedding colors: sparkle. I never understood what people meant when they said their wedding day just "flew by", until I experienced it myself. It was almost like I blinked an eye and the entire day was over. That said, every single detail of the ceremony sticks out in my mind. It was hands down the most special moment of both of our lives, and we owe that 100% to Amber. Despite a few bad reviews, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed if you chose Amber to officiate your wedding ceremony. We actually had several guests come up to us at the reception to tell us how absolutely fabulous she was. I'll be sure to recommend her to anyone looking for a wonderful officiant. Thank You, Amber, from the bottom of our hearts! read more

My husband and I were so sick of attending weddings in which the ceremonies were practically idenitical and had no depth. Which is why we sought out Ms Amber !!!! She listened to what we wanted attentively and put together the worlds most beautiful wedding ceremony for us. It was full of emotion, creativity and deep love. I cannot count how many people asked for a copy of our ceremony because 'it was just too beautiful' or how many people wanted Amber's information or how many people proclaimed she was hands down the best officiant anyone had ever seen. She is truly remarkable and will join in your union with her whole heart as she marries you. She is completely present and involved and full of love. LOOK NO FURTHER THAN LUMINOUS WEDDINGS !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amber is simply the best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All our Love & Gratitude, Maria & Terry read more

Amber was the officiant for our wedding on August 11, 2012 at the W Hotel. She was amazing! We felt very confident right from the start. We met her at the bar of the W a few months before and just from that 1 meeting she totally captured the spirit of the wedding of our dreams. We've been complimented since by many guests that Amber was very likeable and seemed like more of a friend of ours rather than an officiant we only met once! She really captured the level fun and romance that we wanted incorporated for our big day. I cannot recommend Amber enough! So glad to have had her on our day!!!!! read more

Wow, You spend all this time planning for your wedding without a planner, then you get to your rehearsal and you find out, you have no concept of what needs to be done logistically the day of!!! Thank god we had Amber. She ever so graciously stepped in, organized the wedding party and family of my bride and mine, got the ball rolling, asked the critical questions that needed to be asked, and got it all done. Our interactions with her were friendly, enlightening, awesome, fun and everything you'd want with a friend, with the added bonus that she knows what the heck she is doing. We had a great time planning the actual wedding, but without Amber, we would have hit about 20 unforeseen roadblocks. So I thank Amber for taking a giant part of the stress that is the day you get married. I would recommend her to any friend or stranger. read more

Finding an officiant was one of the most challenging parts of our wedding. We were both very relieved to find Amber. She was very funny, helpful and down-to-earth. She also gave us a discount for paying in advance, which was awesome. I loved doing her questionnaire so she could get to know us and include details of our story in the ceremony. All of our friends and family loved our ceremony and said that it felt very natural and not a show, which I think was really important, and was something Amber helped create. I had printed my vows to have with me, but Amber surprised me by bringing them with her and that was great. She was lovely to work with and great to have the day of. I highly recommend her. read more

My partner (who's name is also, coincidentally, named Amber) and I got married this past Saturday and had the great fortune of having Amber Milner as our officiant. The first time we scheduled a chat w/ Amber M. over the phone, we knew we had to have her perform our ceremony. She was warm, funny, quick witted and understood exactly how we wanted our ceremony to feel. Amber was always prompt via email and phone and never made me feel like I was bothering her in any way, even when I had a million questions regarding our vows, ring exchange, etc. Most importantly, she was very genuine and sincere, which above all else, was important to my partner Amber and I. No doubt about it, we made a great choice in choosing Amber M. to officiate our big day and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant. read more

Based on a family recommendation, my (now) husband and I hired Amber to be our coordinator for the day of our wedding. From our very first conversation, I knew that this was one of the best decisions we could have made. Amber is incredibly professional and knowledgeable. She has been "doing" weddings (as coordinator and officiator) for so long that she has the process down pat and knows the details. She was entirely open to whatever we wanted our wedding to be - the traditional and the offbeat details. She inquired about all of the details so that she could support us with them, but it wasn't in a pressured "why-haven't-you-thought-of-this" way. She put herself in contact with all of the vendors and the officiant, which took a lot of pressure off of my husband and I. On the days leading up to the wedding she was always accessible and on top of it all. On the wedding day, my husband and I did not have a single worry as all details were coordinated and we were able to enjoy our big day. Throughout the process, Amber perfectly maintained a balance of friendliness and professionalism. I have already begun recommending her to all brides that I know in the Bay Area! read more

Very disappointed in Amber and her service. After reading all of the positive reviews we thought we had found the right person to officiate our upcoming wedding but we were very mistaken. I contacted Amber and it took her a few days to respond. I thought ok she's just a busy person. We arranged a date and time to meet but she didn't know of a location that was convenient for us to meet. She promised us to do some research and get back to us. A week went by and no word from her. We were supposed to meet on a Wednesday and by the Monday before still no contact. I emailed here again inquiring if we were still meeting and at what location and still no reply. Obviously we are no longer interested in her service as she is very unreliable. Not even a email back to apologize or offer an excuse. No clue how she has a positive rating treating potential customers this way. Avoid her at all costs. read more

My husband and I connected with Amber as soon as we met her. She made us feel like an old friend right away, and this process ended up being one of the easiest parts of planning a wedding. We ended up having lunch with her twice prior to the wedding, and stayed in regular contact via email. She had great communication, and asked the right questions about our relationship. Many of our guests said that our vows felt very ''us'' after the ceremony. Because Amber cares so much about her clients, she truly takes the time to ensure the vows feel very authentic. Amber also brings to the table many great ideas of unique ways to make your ceremony special. One of our guests commented that he had never been to such a relaxed wedding before. I give Amber a lot of credit for creating this vibe! read more

Hiring Amber as the officiant for our wedding last fall was one of the best decisions we've ever made!! This review is long overdue and well deserved!!! From the minute we met her in a cafe, we felt comfortable with her. She was likable and professional, while still being quick to laugh and real. She asked smart questions to get to know us, and clearly knew what she was doing (which was great since we were pretty clueless). She never pressured us to hire her or anything, and we felt confident after meeting her that she would be great for the role. Over the next few months, she crafted the speech, taking into account our personalities and feedback. She really customized and personalized it--which was exactly what we wanted. She listened to what we wanted and the end result was better than we imagined it could be! She gave us great suggestions and was always very responsive via email. At first, we weren't sure if we wanted to pay extra for Amber to come to the rehearsal, but we are so thankful we did! She really took charge and was very diplomatic and professional. If she hadn't been there it would have been mass chaos as my family and friends were also running around frantically putting up decorations. And on the day of, Amber was perfect!! She was calm, polished, and professional and went out of her way to make sure everything went smoothly-- including checking with the wedding party beforehand to make sure everyone was ready and knew their roles. Several guests commented on what a great job she did and on how beautiful and touching our ceremony was!!!! Our parents were also very impressed as well. We really couldn't have been happier and we highly recommend Amber!!!! Thanks Amber for making our special day beyond perfect!!!!!!!! We will treasure that memory forever!!!! read more

I performed a ceremony very short notice at Amber's behest a few weeks ago, obviously as the ceremony was already written - and as a professional courtesy - I did not charge my usual full fee and even turned down a booking so the poor bride would actually have an officiant. The wedding and the couple were wonderful, Amber's payment not so much, eventually after much prodding she sent me a check with two different amounts written in $250 (correct) and $25 (just not right) after many apologies she said that she would overnight me the fee ( 3 weeks later I am still waiting) so now I have to go to the small claims court. The bride has said that she will give me a notarized statement that she paid in excess of $700 for ceremony and travel so she was robbed as well as no travel was involved. I've kept copies of all correspondence in case prospective couples wish to see them. I did my due diligence and checked Amber's Yelp reviews and it is very sad that she has let me down. That being said I am glad that the couple DID have their day and that it turned out beautifully. read more

I was happy to find Amber here on Yelp and hire her as our wedding officiant. My husband and I chose the middle of the road package where she helped us put together our vows and put together the entire ceremony. She had so many readings to offer that fit our style, but my hubby narrowed it down to what he liked. Also, she did an awesome job writing her introductions about us and presenting it to our guests at the ceremony. She is very professional, friendly, and articulate. If my husband and I ever wanted to re-new our vows, I'd hire Amber again! read more

Amber Milner is a truly incredible officiant. One week prior to our wedding, my wife and I encountered a major theological difference between the belief system of our original officiant and our own. For six months, it had been nearly impossible to reach him and then he finally provided us with some very conservative liturgy one week prior to the wedding. When I asked him to "soften the verbiage" to account for our inter-faith beliefs, he refused and we ended up needing an emergency replacement. After checking Yelp, I called Amber and she responded to my voice message within 15 minutes. When I explained the situation, she calmly and thoughtfully listened and assured me that she would be available on our wedding day. She met us two days later and we were highly impressed by her professionalism, empathy, and listening skills. She did more for us within 48 hours than our original officiant had done in six months! On the wedding day itself, Amber was right on point. She had already solidified her relationship with our event coordinator and she was very helpful and responsive to our last minute questions. The ceremony was amazing and far exceeded our expectations. She did a great job designing the program and creating the right mix of religiosity and secularism into her program. Amber is remarkably articulate and has a commanding and confident presence. After the ceremony, she received compliments from both of our fathers, who are very religious and still managed to make the agnostic members of our wedding party to feel comfortable. We are very happy that Amber was available on such short notice and are grateful that she turned out to be a much better officiant than our original choice. read more

Rev. Amber Milner was exactly what we were looking for in an officiant for our wedding! Even though we were getting married on short notice, she took the time to understand who we are and craft a ceremony to suit us. We wanted to have an outdoor wedding up in the mountains in the middle of winter, and she never complained about the cold and wet weather or remote location, but instead saw it all as part of the experience. She performed a beautiful ceremony and created the intimate mood we were looking for. We only met her a month before, but she felt like a good friend who was emotionally invested. Our family and friends said that it was one of the most beautiful and memorable ceremonies they'd ever been to. read more

I really can't say enough wonderful things about Amber. My husband and I recently got married at an art gallery in downtown SF. We were looking for an officiant who could fill a few requirements that we wanted for our ceremony--that there be absolutely no mention of god or religion, that she stressed the egalitarian nature of our relationship, and could keep it brief yet still touching/moving. We were going for a very non-traditional, non-religious, modern, intimate ceremony that reflected who we were as a couple--she completely understood that and performed the most beautiful wedding ceremony. She was really flexible with crafting a wedding package that fit our needs and our schedule. We met w/ Amber twice in person before the wedding and corresponded several times by email--I felt that she was able to really get to know who we were and the sentiments that we wanted to express on our special day in such a short period of time. She's incredibly responsive and always available if we had any questions or last minute concerns. We wanted to include readings in our ceremony but were having difficulty deciding on which, so Amber sent us several suggested poems/readings that she felt would resonate with us which was so incredibly helpful. She also took charge of the rehearsal which ran really smoothly and on schedule despite our large/loud family and bridal party--some of which hadn't seen each other in some time. She is incredibly pleasant with a great sense of humor--you feel like it's your good friend up there officiating--but throughout the whole process was no-nonsense and got the job done--the ultimate professional. I highly recommend her for your wedding ceremony or planning needs--you will not be disappointed. read more

Amber Milner was a true professional throughout our entire wedding planning process. She met with us twice in-person and many times over the phone and email to discuss the details of the wedding planning process and how the ceremony actually works. She calmly and lovingly educated us on what it takes to throw a kick-as@@ wedding. Her knowledge, wit, insight and resourcefulness were exactly what we needed when we needed it most. She had multiple recommendations for flowers, caterers, venues, attire, entertainment, etc. Amber is not just a wedding planning professional, she is a wise and grounded officiant, a confidante, a support system and an overall beautiful human being. She is real, focused and kind but will also push you when you need to make a decision and you're ambivalent. She is the real deal. Amber is also extremely funny and warm and you will love every moment you spend with her. We love you Amber! read more

We were so lucky to have found Amber to perform our wedding ceremony. She was fantastic! She was professional, friendly, and a pleasure to work with (most of our communication was via email because we planned our wedding remotely, but Amber was very quick and responsive). We chose to write our own vows and Amber guided us through the process, sending us examples that she felt were relevant to us and providing very useful feedback. She worked with us to create a ceremony that was very personalized and exactly what we wanted. We did not have a rehearsal, but on the day of Amber was very relaxed and helped to make everything stress free. Our friends and family said it was one of the best wedding ceremonies they had been to. Thank you so much Amber! read more

Luminous Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me

We hired Amber to officiate our wedding in incredibly short notice (3 weeks). She was AMAZING. I had no idea about weddings and she was always so quick to get back to me and super efficient.From the first meeting till the actual ceremony she was a dream. On the day of the ceremony it was so beautiful and moving. The amount of guests who have congratulated me afterwards on how it was the best ceremony they have been too really sums it up for me. She understood our message of love and projected it in the perfect way for the perfect moment. read more

Amber officiated our wedding ceremony and we couldn't be happier with how it went. On our initial phone conversation my wife and I really hit it off with Amber. She is young, creative, and on the same page as us. She understood what we were looking for in our wedding ceremony. Amber provided us a questionnaire that we completed and then we reviewed it over dinner. She used this as an opportunity to get to know us and I am so glad that she suggested it! The outcome of it was that we had a very personalized wedding ceremony. My wife and I wrote our own vows and sent them to Amber without sharing them with each other. Amber reviewed them to ensure they were similar in tone. They were, and when we read them to each other on the day I was so surprised how similar they were! (My wife and I must really know each other.) After the ceremony, many people complimented us on the ceremony that Amber had put together, saying it was personal, suited our character exactly, etc. Thank you to Amber for doing such a wonderful job! read more

We found Amber on Yelp. Her reviews were stellar, so we decided to check her out. She was amazing! Amber incorporated elements of our relationship into the ceremony. She was very attentive to our preferences, guided us through the entire process and crafted a beautiful ceremony with us. She was always reassuring and calm...which was especially important during the ceremony when we were both nervous. Her presence and tone of voice was just what we needed to relax. After the ceremony, we got so many compliments on how beautiful the ceremony was and we even had some inquiries into her services. We can't recommend Amber enough. She was simply the best. read more

Amber officiated our wedding on 11/12/11. She was simply superb... Her amazing professionalism, attention to detail and kind heart shined with every word she spoke during our ceremony. She made our perfect day all the more special! Thank you, Amber! S&S 11/12/11, W Hotel SF read more

Amber did a fantastic job officiating our wedding a few months ago. We knew we wanted a simple, not-too-formal ceremony but didn't have any concrete ideas. Amber provided a bunch of ideas, walked us through various options, and worked with us on a draft until we were happy with it. We asked her to come to the rehearsal dinner and ended up being very glad that she was there. She walked into the crowd of confused friends and family members and took charge in a friendly and professional way. The ceremony turned out just as we had hoped and I think Amber's lovely speaking voice and presence really added to the substance of it. I highly recommend Amber! read more

amber is amazing. she officiated our wedding last weekend and was perfect for the job. we met with her 2 or 3 times prior to the wedding and she was very organized and on point with what she does. she was very open minded with the style of wedding ceremony we wanted and even helped provide examples for verses, poems, and vows for us. the day of our ceremony got a little hectic when we were put behind schedule with shuttle screwup. amber waited patiently and was very helpful in keeping me and my groom calm and collected as well as guests. my husband and i both highly recommend amber! read more

Amber was an awesome officiant! It was difficult for us to find an officiant and I found not may are very helpful or responsive. When we found Amber she was exactly what we were looking for. Professional and responsive. My favorite aspect is her subtle sense of humor and her positive demeanor. She definitely added to our wedding and made it great, as she has the ability to run with anything regardless of the direction. I highly recommend Amber you will not be disappointed! read more

From the moment I spoke with Amber on the phone to the last moment she said congratulations, I can not express how great she was. We planned our wedding in three weeks and we were expecting a simple vows only ceremony. Amber gave us more than we would've expected. The ceremony was very thoughtful and beautiful!!!! She took the time to get to know us and use those details for the ceremony. We can not thank Amber enough for making our beautiful day unforgettable!!! read more

Amber performed our cermeony this past October and she helped make it such a special day. We found her on yelp and I am some glad we did! Not only did she help us find the right words and readings for the ceremony, she also helped guide us on how the ceremony should go. So many people came up to me during the reception to say how much they loved it. Thanks Amber for making our day so special; one that we will cherish for years to come! read more