Oviatt Penthouse

Venue was nice, they didn’t put out the 72 bottles of wine that was delivered, people thought there was no wine.
The coffee bar was expensive, and when i poured a cup for an aunt, the black coffee was luke warm, unsatisfactury. The other aspects were fine. Although the hosts stated the vegan food was not as good as what they picked out during the tasting.

I knew I was going to get married at the Oviatt the moment I stepped in the door. I was equally sold when I told my grandmother after my visit and she perked up and said «oh, the Oviatt building, I worked there in the 50’s as an elevator operator!» I’m sold, where do I sign? (love my grams!)
My April 3^rd wedding was absolutely amazing. My husband and I wanted to do something different. We didn’t want the standard beach/​hotel/​restaurant venue. The Oviatt had so much charm; like walking into your favorite museum full of history and class. We invited our guests to step into the 20’s with us and they showed up in full effect! We got a casino vendor to add to the night and made sure that all the little touches were added to stay true to the period. Luckily we didn’t need to do much in terms of décor because the Oviatt pretty much decorates itself.
Nicole, the venue manager was awesome and so easy to work with, full of suggestions and help things I had not even thought of in terms of timeline. She clearly has it down to a science. I decided to not go with a wedding planner since I project manage for a living. Best decision I made, but i must say the concierge was so necessary for the «day of» little things. Definitely consider the concierge if you are planning on your own. Taylor was great and prevented me from having to worry the entire night.
The food was fabulous! Every member of Truly Yours, from the service staff to the bartenders was so attentive to our guests and offered the absolute most delightful service I’ve ever experienced. Our guests had a blast and tell us regularly how much fun they had at such a unique space. Thank you Oviatt for making my dream wedding a reality!

Stepping into the Oviatt Penthouse is like stepping into a time machine! After our tour with Nicole, I knew that this was the venue for the Old Hollywood themed wedding I had been dreaming of. As soon as we got home we canceled all other tours and moved forward with booking our wedding day at the Oviatt!
We decided to go with a winter wedding and take advantage of their winter special which waived site fees as long as we spent a certain amount on catering. This was such a great deal that we couldn’t pass it up, all the while knowing that we were taking a chance with possible rain during an El Niño year. Luckily for us, it only rained 1 day in March and that day just so happened to be our wedding day! We did end up needing to pay to have the building tented but honestly it was not as big of a deal as I had built up in my head, in fact it kept everyone a bit warmer which was nice!
The venue was absolutely perfect for our Old Hollywood theme and all our guests absolutely raved about the beautiful art deco architecture. I can’t even tell you how many guests told us it was with out a doubt the best wedding they had every attended, I lost count.
Aside from the obviously beautiful architecture, the Oviatt also has such a great and helpful staff that it is really hard for anything to go wrong. Nicole made planning such an ease, and I couldn’t say enough great things about her! She really helped make the whole process a breeze with how thorough and responsive she is (That can’t be easy with how many weddings they have there! Hats of to you Nicole!). They also include a lot of additionally things that other venues will charge additional fees for such as linen and cake cutting.
I highly recommend the Oviatt to anyone looking for a unique venue that doesn’t break the bank!

I fell in love with The Oviatt Penthouse right away. The space is so unique and special. You have to schedule a tour in advance to see the space, but the tour itself is so much fun. My fiancé and I met Nicole, along with a few other couples, and we able to learn about the rich history of the building, its secret details and truly enjoy all the art deco details it has to offer. We immediately began an email discussion with Nicole and got the ball rolling with questions and picking a date. We finally got all of the answers we needed and requested a contract. I asked for a final estimate/​invoice on the 7÷17÷15 but Nicole didn’t give us an invoice until 4 DAYS LATER on 7÷21÷15. When we received the final invoice, she mentioned «Just a heads up I have a couple that toured on Saturday that is looking into booking March 20 as well.» She gave no time limit to us (i.e. 24 hours or 48 hours notice), and since it took her 4 days to get back to me with the invoice (however, how did the couple that toured that Saturday already have one before us?!), we were unsure of how much time we had. I was nervous, so I replied to Nicole within 48 hours and told her to lock our date down. She replied by email 1 MINUTE LATER to let us know that she had given it to the other couple! We were furious, to be honest. We had been in communication with Nicole for 3 weeks and another couple that toured over the weekend got priority. A quick phone call or email from Nicole would have been nice. If we had been given a specific time limit, we would have expedited our decision! We almost chose another venue, but we decided to grin and bear it and take the following Sunday for our wedding date. I just want to give you brides a heads up so you hopefully won’t be confused too! We had one other tiny glitch with Tracy from Truly Yours Catering (the caterer for the Oviatt). She never told us that we had a to pick a menu from a catering menu specific to the Oviatt. She had only sent us the general TYC menu. When we showed up to our tasting, we also realized she had mixed up a couple elements our tasting menu. It wasn’t a huge biggie, but I had to opt for the a dish I hadn’t tried…
…but let me get to the really GOOD stuff! We were nervous about rain on the day of our wedding and were unsure about tenting the space, so I talked to Nicole and she was able to work some magic for us to «buy us some time» for our tent decision. We were very happy that Nicole worked with us and it ended up not raining our our big day. I was nervous about how the chicken from TYC catering would turn out (since we never got to try it), but it turned out nice and juicy! My grandma did comment that the vegetarian pasta dish had no flavor (and I must admit, I agreed). The staff was very attentive and friendly and we were very pleased with TYC overall.
All of the preferred vendors were awesome (with the exception of Kerim from My Wedding Blooms), and I especially got to give a hand to George from Revagio light who came through on my beautiful crystal vision. Angela, from Love and Elegance was AMAZING!!! If you are looking for a wedding planner, look no further! JJ the DJ rocked the house — so many of our guests danced all night long! Cake and Art did and great job, too. Our family and friends raved about the wedding; they had so much fun, no one wanted to leave!
The Oviatt Penthouse is truly a one-​of-​a-​kind place. From the Lalique details to the art deco/​vintage feel, this place has all you need for a great wedding… especially a fabulous Great Gatsby wedding like ours.

This place is truly amazing.
There isn’t much more I can say that everyone else hasn’t said in previous reviews, but here are a few things…
*The daylight does not do this building justice! At night it is breathtaking! Look at photos of the venue at night, I promise you, it looks even better in reality. It was tough not ever seeing it at night until the wedding day, but it was worth the risk.
*Truly Yours Catering is phenomenal. The food was great, particularly the grilled cheese & tomato soup shots and sliders on pretzel buns and short ribs and potato leek au gratin and… Oh… Everything!
*There is the option to order your cake through the catering company, who then subcontracts to Friandise Pastries. There was a bit of a mixup with the cake, but TYC took care of it really quickly and with class, even though in my opinion it was 100% an issue with the bakery and not TYC.
*Nicole is awesome. She will tell you every single thing you need to know, and you should pay attention! TRUST NICOLE!
*We utilized preferred vendors for the Oviatt with mixed results. We used JJ the DJ, and though there were some hiccups, the owner (JJ) reached out immediately and took care of the situation above and beyond my expectations. We were not happy with the same day coordinator, but everything can’t be perfect!
Long story short: The Oviatt is great, trust Nicole, and order the tomato soup and grilled cheese shots!

Our wedding at the Oviatt was everything we imagined and more… it was SO fun, that our guests suggested we throw a party there every year! Our wedding was a Roaring 20’s black tie bash, so the Art Deco venue was perfect.
Venue: The apartment itself is gorgeous — it feels like you’ve time traveled to the 20’s, with furnishings and art from the Jazz Age. We wanted it to feel like it was our party in «our» penthouse IN the 1920’s…not just a «Gatsby» flavor, but a full-​on journey back in time, and that was exactly what it felt like. Cocktail hour is held in the penthouse itself, and guests can wander around and discover all the cool features of the place (check out the «powder room»!).
We had our wedding on a Sunday in January to take advantage of their winter special: they waived the venue fee for January-​March events, which saves $ 3800 (Friday or Sunday) or $ 5800 (Saturday). The only issue is the unpredictability of the weather. The ceremony and dinner take place on the outdoor rooftop with heaters for each table, a beautiful tiled fountain, a second level with a lounge and a second bar, and a fabulous view of downtown L.A.
In case of rain, the Oviatt can put a humongous clear tent on the entire rooftop, but you have to let them know 36 hours before because it requires permits and they have to haul it up the side of the building… and it costs $ 1600 (you can share the cost with other events that weekend if there are any). We lucked out — weather was perfect.
I can’t recommend the place highly enough… it’s GORGEOUS. But it IS a historic venue, and there are some things you need to be aware of. There is a 2-​hour load-​in period. We did a lot of DIY stuff (the liquor, rented glassware, table décor, dessert table, paper moon «photo booth,» etc.), and it was a little tricky planning how to get everything in and out and set up.
A Few Notes: We rented the overhead string lights, knowing the ceremony would take place in darkness (5pm in January). The Oviatt only works with Revagio Lighting — not cheap, but worth it. Also, you cannot have any open flame (except for a Unity Candle ceremony), so stock up on LED tea candles. I would recommend getting a dance floor if you dance a lot. The surface of the rooftop is pretty hard, and if you’re dancing for hours, your feet will hurt like ours were at the end of the night! They can project movies on a high wall — I made a black & white movie of our story and projected it on a loop, which was super fun. They also own the movies Casablanca and The Artist which they can show (without sound). Only little critique is that the carpet by the bar area could use a shampoo. Some reviews complained about the bathrooms being 1.5 floors down — it didn’t bother our guests. Older guests, guests with limited mobility (and the bride!) can use the bathroom in the penthouse — it’s just not suitable for use by a lot of people.
Food: The Oviatt is owned by Truly Yours Catering, and they have a bewilderingly large selection of dishes. My husband is a chef, and we both wanted great food, and we were thrilled with the food – everything was delicious. We went with family-​style service — everyone really liked it because it breaks the ice as everyone passes stuff around. The sirloin was cooked perfectly, and the pork loin was moist and flavorful. The price point for their catering was surprisingly affordable.
Communications: From the get-​go, Nicole was fantastic about getting back to me with all my questions, and I had a lot. We communicated mostly by email (I like to keep a record of stuff in case I miss something), and I got her replies the same evening or the next day. You get 2 meetings at the venue, plus the tasting (held at the catering offices in North Hollywood). Communication was important for me… I felt like we would be taken care of. In other venues, I felt like we would be a number.
The Bar: The Oviatt allows you provide your own booze, which saves a lot of money. You have to use their bartenders, which is perfect because they were FANTASTIC. They hauled everything up, arranged it and then made AWESOME cocktails. We had 1920’s craft cocktails on our «signature drink menu» («Sparkling Bee’s Knees,» Bourbon Old Fashioneds, etc.)…and they were seriously delicious. You can also put beer bottles (only beer) in the bathtub.
We rented glassware elsewhere — I thought the Oviatt’s bar glassware rental was expensive ($ 8.95 pp), they don’t have champagne coupes (I’m glad we rented those – it added to the atmosphere), and I didn’t want plasticware. The Oviatt provides glassware on the dinner tables, just not at the bar.
The Service: SPOT-​ON. Champagne waiting for the wedding party up in the lounge after the ceremony, and waiters came up with appetizers (we were starved)! Friendly and fast.
All in all, it was an INCREDIBLE wedding and the perfect venue for us. To the Oviatt team thank you so much!

We attended a wedding here and enjoyed everything about this place. The ceremony site was romantic and beautiful with the backdrop lit by the city skyline. After the ceremony, we were asked back inside for cocktail hour while they flipped the ceremony spot to the reception. The venue itself holds a great historical story of the family that lived there. We were able to walk around the floor and take it all in. Thinking about the memories and history that had come from this spot, makes the wedding that much more nostalgic.
The upper floor deck holds a bar and lounge draped with LOVE lit up, for the perfect place to take pictures.
Service was great. Bartenders were friendly and entertaining. Catering staff walked around with appetizers and late night snacks, which were a great touch.
If I were getting married again, I wouldn’t say no to this place!

Though we didn’t end up booking our wedding here, we really loved the venue and it seemed fairly affordable compared to other similar options in Los Angeles. It is fairly all-​inclusive and Nicole was easy to communicate with and answered all of our questions. We decided to have the event closer to where we lived.

Possibly THE best example of Art Deco interior architecture & interior design in Southern California. Actually makes you think you’re in Paris in 192-​something. The restaurant on the ground floor, Cicada is fabulous. Club Cicada is a must if you want to do a Gatsby-​themed evening.

Our team had an amazing experience here, while working at a wedding. They played old movies, giving it an antique as well as a classy feel. In addition, the food was very delicious, and the security there was very tight, making us feel very safe. We’ve haven’t had many experiences like this, so our team was very excited about visiting this location. along with our bride and groom. We highly recommend this place for anyone who enjoys a classy feel.

This is a beautiful building! From the street looking in, you can see some of the pretty glass which was shipped from France. Right in front of you is a decorative fence. Although this building was built in the 20’s, it is still very beautiful! James Oviatt had constructed this building in the Art Deco style. In 1983, it became a Los Angeles Historic-​Cultural Monument.
This building originally housed an elegant men’s shop called Alexander & Oviatt. Now, the Cicada Restaurant (Italian), is where the shop was. The Penthouse Suite consisting of 10 rooms was for the owner, James Oviatt. It can now be rented out for private parties.
There is a documentary called «The Oviatt Building» produced in 2008. From reading the history, part of Pretty Woman was filmed in the Cicada Restaurant.
I happened to be passing by and noticed this cool and unique building. I can only imagine what it looked like back in the day! Probably equivalent to a Saks Fifth Avenue store!
If you happen to walk by, take a quick glance. Or, if you want to take the Art Deco Walking Tour (for a fee), you may be able to see the Penthouse on the tour.

Words can not describe how much I love this place! My wedding was amazing! Everything I dreamed of! From start to finish! Nicole always answered my millions of questions! She was really quick with the responses! So friendly even through my emotional breakdown at the final walk through! Tracy who I met with at Truly Yours Catering was so nice an so accommodating of our allergies and tasty pickiness! I will add pictures as soon as I get them! Was just so magical!!! This place is top notch! One of the waitresses (I can’t remember her name) but she was amazing! She looked out for me with everything I needed! Got my nieces special food and everything! (Let me adjust my spanx in wings!) she was so helpful! I wish I could remember her name! I would pick this place all over again!!!

Love this cute venue for an intimate celebration with love ones, family, and friends. I was invited to a private wedding and was just blown away with the location which was located at the top floor of the penthouse! The hotel is surrounded by other tall recognizable building in dtla. On a beautiful, clear night, you can just enjoy the nice breeze from a hot day.
You can do a lot with the venue. You will have to hire a cater and a dj. But most important is to keep the guestlist smaller than 100 guests or it will get too crowded to roam around. The wedding I attended had their ceremony and reception held at the same place with dancing all held outside. It was a bit breezy but comfortable since they provided plenty of heat lamps. The bar and cocktail hour was indoor. They did a great job entertaining everyone and the food was really good.
Note: the restroom is located 2 floors down in a really dated restroom. There are only 3 stalls but with plenty of mirrors. It’s strange how the woman’s restrooms is located further down than the men. I wasn’t pleased that I had to walk another level down with my cocktail and high stilettos.
The hotel didn’t offer parking nor valet. But there are a few parking lots a few blocks from the hotel to choose from that are between $ 5 – 8. Just be prepare to walk in your heels.

My sister had her wedding at the Oviatt Penthouse this past weekend (10÷10÷15). The actual ceremony was held at our church but the reception was located here. The Oviatt is absolutely stunning. You go up an elevator and then walk into a beautiful vintage location, full of historical items, art, etc. There are many rooms to explore. The main inside area is where one of the bars is located and where the wedding cake and dessert table were held.
When you walk outside, there is the seating area, which was filled with beautifully decorated guest tables and of course the sweetheart table. Everything looked like something out of a fairytale. There is a set of beautiful cascading stairs that lead up to a lounge area with a bar. It is absolutely gorgeous, with lights that spell LOVE behind the couches. Such a stunning view of Downtown LA!
Everything was coordinated extremely well by Nicole. She made sure that my sister’s vision was well executed. I was watching them set up and she just had everything so organized, they were working like a well oiled machine that night.
The food was incredible, which was catered by Truly Yours Catering (I will review seperately as well). They started out with appetizers which included mini sliders with pretzel buns, shrimp on skewers, crab cakes and bruschetta. It was all so good. Major props to my girl Georgia, who always seemed to find me first when the appetizer trays rolled around, lol. (She was also very attentive to my needs, as well as the guests when anything was needed, she deserves accolades for that!)
Then of course the dinner itself, which consisted of a caprese salad, followed by a beautiful buffet style meal. There was a choice of chicken or beef, all perfectly cooked, a beautiful medley of vegetables and mashed potatoes which were sooo good.
Besides the lovely Georgia, I would love to mention that the bartenders Matt and Michael were also really incredible. They made great drinks and worked really efficiently to make sure everyone was taken care of and happy. Great job! And of course Nicole the wedding coordinator who rocked and made sure everything came together.
Everything was so amazing, I really loved this venue and would highly recommend it to anyone!

I attended a wedding here for one of my close friends and I was blown away by how classy and beautiful it was.
The inside looks like it is straight out of a Mad Men scene — come to find out that they used the venue to actually film the show.
The outdoor reception and ceremony area is snug but super cozy and intimate. There is a stairwell that leads up to another level outdoors and it has stunning views of DTLA. There are comfy white couches, a bartending station, and a lovely lit up sign that says LOVE in all caps — perfect for a photo op!
The indoor area is so chic and has room for a cocktail hour, dessert table, guest entrance, and a photo booth.
The bartenders and staff are so friendly.
And the food is bomb. Dinner included truffle mashed potatoes, short rib, chicken, asparagus, and veggies.
I had an amazing time at this location and I have been raving about it to all of my family. I would recommend this venue to any of my friends planning a wedding, baby shower, etc.

I attended the Oviatt Penthouse as a guest for a wedding. It’s a pretty cool location in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s at the top of the building and there are great views of DTLA from there.
There ceremony and reception is in the same place. Once the ceremony is complete, the guest move into the penthouse until the chairs and tables are set up where the ceremony was.
Both the ceremony and reception are outdoors, but they had heat lamps during the reception to keep guests warm. It was a cold night so the heat lamps helped a little, except if you’re directly under the heat lamp then it was too hot. And, if you were away from the heat lamp, you couldn’t feel its heat.
The food that was served at the Oviatt wasn’t that good. It was mass produced food so you wouldn’t expect much. Despite the food being served buffet style, much of it was cold and inedible. And the coffee was undrinkable. I spit it out.
The bathrooms were two floors down from where the main event was held. You had the whole top floor for the ceremony but everyone was spread out in the bedroom, the living room, the bathroom, the bar area, and the reception area so you didn’t have people together.
It’s a nice place, and it’s pretty though. Although, there’s an unsightly metal container that you’ll see when during the ceremony. It’s at the top right of the building.
And I don’t think there is parking for this place, but we parked nearby in a paid lot. There are plenty of parking options for The Oviatt Penthouse.

This review is a work-​in-​progress.
(As of May 2015) My fiancé and I are planning our same-​sex wedding here in October 2015 and thus far all of our interactions have been with Nicole.
To my knowledge, the Oviatt Penthouse does not offer evening tours, so you mainly need to go off of pictures, to know what to expect. Nicole is really experienced, helpful, and professional, and gives very helpful, straightforward information during the tour. I understand she acts like a «concierge» for the venue, but she is not a wedding planner nor day-​of coordinator. The entire team at Truly Yours Catering (mandatory caterer) seems really to know what they’re doing.
There are photos that show overhead string lights, which are not included (there is only one approved vendor for overhead string lights). Also there are photos that show a checkered dance floor, which is not included either. You will need to look at the photos to get a better idea of how the gobo light will look as a backdrop, versus shining onto guests at night on the dance floor. There is a list of pre-​approved vendors that the Oviatt Penthouse supplies. You’re not required to go off this list, but non-​approved vendors need to be OK’d by the Oviatt Penthouse *prior* to booking, so make sure not to get ahead of yourself (I did, by accident). The Oviatt Penthouse allows you to bring-​your-​own-​booze with no corkage fee. This seems like a big plus to my fiancé and me, and largely influenced our booking decision. You also have the option to purchase a beverage option through the venue. Regardless, they require you to hire your bartender (s) through them.
We started our venue search in December 2014, and at that time, the venue had nearly every Saturday booked up already until October. There seemed to be a lot of calendar competition, and the date we originally wanted got booked up by another couple, just days before we decided to have our wedding here. Nicole was extremely nice and accommodating, and offered us the option to switch to an earlier date if one opened within a month of my contract signing. Indeed, such a date did open up, and we were able to take her up on her offer. She was really communicative throughout the contract process. We paid our deposit using our credit card, and the charge was classified as a «restaurant» by Citibank. This was a nice surprise, as our credit card gives bonus points for food charges.
The vendor walk-​through happens about 2 months prior to your event date. The florist I’m working with asked me to see the venue in-​person about 4 months in advance, so that she could get a feel for what areas might crave decoration, in order to give me better advice on what would be realistic, within our floral budget. I don’t think vendors are allowed to go on the regular tours. If they want to see the venue in person, it has to be specifically at the vendor walk-​through 2 months prior. To work around this, we’re trying just to work off of other people’s photos in the meantime.
I’m REALLY excited to have our wedding at the Oviatt Penthouse later this year, and expect it to go smoothly, seeing the competence of the team at Truly Yours Catering.
I will update this review further, as our planning continues…

I went here for a wedding and the penthouse was simply gorgeous. Truly art deco and perfect for those wanting that Great Gatsby-​themed wedding.
The view of the skyline at the outdoor area is interesting, although pales in comparison to a panoramic view of the LA skyline.
Regardless, the people who run this place were phenomenal and made sure to keep every guest happy.

I just recently had a wedding one of the last weekends in February at The Oviatt. From the start to the finish, it was a pleasure working with Nicole and The Oviatt staff – I couldn’t have asked for better service. I worked with Nicole up to the wedding day and was always great with getting back with me if I had any questions/​concerns. On the wedding day, Rob took over and he did a fantastic job. Everything went flawlessly and looked amazing.
In choosing a wedding venue, I read so many of these reviews on The Oviatt because I wanted to make sure my husband and I would like it, our guests would like it, AND it would be memorable. As stated by so many other reviewers, this place took the cake. I had so many guests raving about the venue during and after the wedding – it made me so happy to know they thought it was such a unique and special setting!
In terms of logistics, everything worked out smoothly with no problems from vendors/​deliveries. Some people may have a concern for parking, but there are a few parking lots/​structures right near by that are very inexpensive in the evening (~$ 5 for the night or something like that).
Regarding temperature, since I had my wedding in February (during the winter special), I was a little concerned about it being too cold. During the cocktail hour, when the wedding party is upstairs taking pictures, it was a bit cold, especially because there was wind. However, downstairs in the main area, where the ceremony & reception take place, it was perfect. They have heaters that are put by each table and at some point, it almost felt too warm when near the heaters. I didn’t have any guests saying they were cold and that it worked out well with the heaters.
Lastly, the food. I absolutely loved the food and had several guests tell me it was delicious as well. We also decided to have a tropical dessert station and that was a hit. I can’t say too much more about the dinner/​dessert because I really didn’t spend that much time eating, unfortunately!
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, I highly recommend The Oviatt if you want a truly memorable, one-​of-​a-​kind, and unique wedding.

I am writing this review from the perspective of a wedding vendor instead of the usual review from a bride or groom. I work for a wedding planner and our bride and groom had their wedding at this venue in January. The outdoor space is stunning and has gorgeous city views, while the inside space is intimate and has a lot of character.
As I mentioned the wedding was in January. If you are reserving an outdoor venue, you need to take the weather into consideration especially if it is winter. There was a chance of rain in the forecast for the wedding date and the couple needed to give 72 hour notice to set up the tent outdoors — but they decided to just hope for the best and go without the tent. The wedding day ended up having a torrential down pour for hours on end.
Given this «disaster» the staff was beyond accommodating. I have never seen a venue staff work so hard to save the day. They ending up bringing everything inside, and although it’s a small space everyone still had a wonderful time. The bride and groom even requested to have a champagne toast with their guests last minute, and the staff was able to pour and distribute almost 100 glasses of champagne in under 10 minutes.
I wish we could have given our couple the outdoor experience they planned, but they were lucky to be in such great hands. Highly recommended if you have around 100 guests and want a city venue with some old Hollywood charm.

I am writing as a wedding photographer who has shot 3 weddings here, including rain or shine situations. Very unique, classy, Old Hollywood glam venue with a beautiful skyline of LA.
Rob the manager/​coordinator there is very sweet and helpful. Vendors are required to have a walk-​through with their team before the wedding (no matter how many times you’ve shot there apparently). They are always nice and point out all the details specific for each wedding, and give you important tips such as «what-​if» situations where you can’t find parking in the closest parking lot.
RAINY SITUATION AT A WEDDING
Since it rarely ever rains in LA, maybe I would share that experience first. The rain did not let off all day on the day of the wedding this time. Rob and his team tried their best keeping a huge tarp over all the chairs at the ceremony covered, along with tons of giant umbrellas. Unfortunately it was raining so hard that it wasn’t really helping too much, but they were still working extremely hard to dump the water over the tarp out regularly, and pushing all the water on the floor to the drains constantly. Eventually, the couple decided to have the guests stand under the umbrellas instead of sitting on chairs, and it works out to be a really cozy and unique wedding ceremony. I just want to applaud how hard the team worked there to offer solutions to the situation. They were given the choice to use tons of giant umbrellas (free option), or set up a tent over everything which would cover the skyline completely (costs money, I believe over $ 1000 from what I overheard but I could be wrong). No matter what choice the couple chose, they were treated with professionalism and swift action.
The reception was moved entirely indoor except with the food service still outside, covered by the umbrellas. There weren’t enough room to put down as may tables as planned, and the guests were given around 5 tables + 6 other cocktail tables to eat anywhere they like. It actually was really nice because it’s not formal and people get to mingle so much more than a typical seating situation.
REGULAR NICE DAY IN LA
This place really is a hidden gem. It is always intimate, unique, with tons of space to roam around. They renovated the outdoor areas in 2014. The clock tower area has a beautiful LOVE marquee light, and the patio/​ceremony/​reception area has beautiful vintage looking mirrors hung on either side.
FOOD
Food is ALWAYS nothing but spectacular here by «Truly Your Catering». I think every single wedding I shot here were catered by them. Maybe they are an exclusive vender? I’m not sure. But the apps and entrees are always super tender and tasty.
PARKING: Parking lot just maybe 50 steps south of the Oviatt has really good parking rates. Only $ 6 on a Saturday to park there all day in 2014 and 2015. If that’s full the lot across the street is just as convenient, at $ 7.
THE ONLY DOWNSIDE (makes me almost want to give it a 4 star) of the Oviatt for vendors particularly, but applicable for the couple/​bridal party/​helper as well:
I don’t know what happened, but the elevator to the Oviatt «Penthouse» level was NO LONGER in service since some time in 2014. I don’t know if it’s not functional anymore, or if there’s other issues, but this was a HUGE headache for me for transporting a lot of stuff.
The elevator stops on the 12^th floor, and you have to haul everything up by man power up one floor. This is a huge issue if you have to haul a lot of stuff! My team has a photobooth and it tired us out completely. I felt bad for the DJ too. And everyone who was carrying décor items. As you can imagine, it is a very sweaty situation. So please plan accordingly, and ask the Oviatt team what’s up with the elevator situation.
When I shot a wedding here in 2013, the elevator used to go all the way up, so I know that it is at least functional at that point. I no longer know what’s going on with it anymore. NO ONE would let me use it for the penthouse floor and no reason was given to me per se.

I took a week to write this, because I didn’t want to post a hasty review.
Our January 10 wedding was rained out. Everyone was forced to stay inside, where it was mostly standing room only (~90 guests). Each event in our schedule was either revised or canceled, and needless to say, it was disappointing to not have a skyline wedding that we envisioned.
I can’t blame the Oviatt for rain. I blame myself for not getting requesting the tent 3 – 4 days before the wedding. Nicole’s timeline, sent 10 days before our wedding, stated «Set-​up Notes: **No Rain** — No Tent — Require 72 hours notice to get this ordered and set-​up.» At the time I reviewed it, I wrongly interpreted that to mean that the Oviatt was not predicting rain, but someone was going to get this ordered and set up should it become a real possibility. Nope, brides — it’s your responsibility to predict the weather.
I had neurotically been checking the weather the week before and had only seen one forecast that predicted a 20% chance of a.m. showers for Saturday and none predicted evening showers. Most had showers predicted for Sunday, not Saturday.
On January 5, I emailed Nicole asking about whether I should bring blankets for guests. I was mostly concerned about possible cold weather, and in my experience with California drought, naively didn’t think it would actually rain. When I mentioned to Nicole that one forecast predicted rain, it would have been nice if she reminded me that tenting was my responsibility and required 3 – 4 days notice. It’s indeed in the contract and vaguely in the timeline (see above), but in between making sure our rose petals were fake and that our vendors were paid, the tenting deadline wasn’t as prominent on my radar as it should have been.
I also remembered that Nicole had mentioned that the $ 1600 tent payment can be split among other events that were also occurring that weekend. Since we had a Saturday wedding and rain was mostly predicted for that Sunday, I had (wrongly) figured that if rain was a real possibility, I would eventually get an invoice for tenting because a Friday or Sunday event would have requested it.
By the time Saturday came around and it was raining, our day of coordinator asked Nicole if anything could be done. Since it was the day of, we were told nothing could be done and all events had to be moved inside.
Maybe because of the rain, our food wasn’t as good as I expected. Our rice was undercooked (which saddens me, because even I know how to cook rice), and our meal was dry. It certainly didn’t taste like it did on our tasting. We did get compliments on the hor d’oeuvres, though.
We brought our own alcohol to the event and specifically included some Boulevard beers for my sister’s family, who loves that craft brew. The Oviatt staff bartender apparently told her that we did not have Boulevard. At the end of the night, we had leftover alcohol, including packs of Boulevard.
To end on positive notes, the Oviatt staff quickly set up umbrellas outside that allowed guests to stand and watch our outdoor ceremony. I am fortunate to have amazing friends and family who know how to have a good time even when they don’t have tables and chairs on which to eat dinner. My husband and I are married, and our talented photographer made sure we got some skyline shots outside in the rain.
For those with upcoming weddings, I would choose this venue knowing that rain is a real risk that is up to you to obsess about. I would also strongly consider tenting even if the chances of rain are low, because the alternative (moving everything inside) is far from ideal. Unfortunately, though, if it doesn’t rain, you’re out $ 1600, but in my opinion, that’s a small price to pay for your guests’ comfort. It’s wild to think that in 2015, meteorologists still can’t accurately predict rain three days out.

The Oviatt was such an amazing place for our wedding! At first I did not want to get married in DTLA. Absolutely not going to happen but the Oviatt advertisements kept popping up on my internet search for an affordable, unique, vintage venue so we gave it a shot!
When my fiancé and I visited the venue the first time we fell in love… It was an instant ‘Yes, this is it!’. It was so charming, intimate, and unique… completely Art Deco which was very fitting for my style, and the best part… it was like being in a museum so I knew our guests would be entertained by exploring the Penthouse. Views are so amazing and the terraces were very romantic! We requested 12.13.14 a year and half in advance and at the time it was available. Lucky us! The early bird gets the worm. :)
The week of our wedding we were so nervous from the threat of rain and Nicole, the Venue Coordinator, suggested to forgo the tent if possible. Although the Friday wedding before us had to have it because it rained 100% on their day we chose to take the risk and go without it. We are so glad we did! Rain was non-​existent and the evening was clear! It was so magical and our guests cannot stop raving about it!
The only cons we encountered were that the clock was not lit up and the main elevator was not working (which interfered with our first look of me coming down the elevator and my fiancé seeing me as the elevator doors opened). This also meant the elevator could not be taken directly from the 12^th floor but had to walk down one flight of stairs which was hard on grandma. :(I’m sure these issues arose from the weather.
The max capacity is 122 guests with an onsite Marshall and Security (for guest list enforcement at the bottom) required. A $ 1000 security deposit is also required as a separate charge but if there is no damage to the venue it is returned. Also, you have the option to add alcohol service or bring your own. We brought our own. You can also bring in other desserts, not outside food though which I don’t mind. Makes everything easier that way. You must use the catering company TrulyYours Catering but this was perfect since they are such a reputable company and we were happy with their service and food.
As you notice I have not commented on the catering staff for the venue, TrulyYours Catering, because this review is solely for the venue. I will review TrulyYours Catering on their Unilocal site separately.
Phenomenal Vendor List:
Cake — SweetTraders (Andrea)
Flowers — My Wedding Blooms (Kerim)
Photographer — D2 Photography (Tiffanie & Tim)
DJ & Photobooth — Level Weddings (JJ)
Caterer — TrulyYours Catering (Nicole & Rob)
Hair & Make-​up — Be NYLA (Janet)

My wedding reception was at Oviatt Penthouse on Sunday November 16^th. The Oviatt is an absolutely gorgeous and unique historical venue (my guests are still taking about how beautiful it was), but you can tell that from the pictures. What you can’t see is how lovely it was to work with everyone there. Nicole is professional and personable. She got back to me promptly whenever I had questions before and after I signed the contract. Tina in accounting was friendly and accommodating. Rob was the event captain and everything ran smoothly. My wedding coordinator also commented that all of the Oviatt staff was very helpful.
Truly Yours Catering (they own the venue) does not do your standard mediocre wedding food! I got so many comments from my guests about how delicious everything was! I had a brunch buffet with fried chicken, waffles, bacon, spinach quiche, prime rib, mashed potatoes, and grilled vegetables. I was seriously craving their prime rib for the next week! I had two changes to items at my tasting and they were perfectly incorporated.
I really appreciate how the website gave pricing and menu info upfront and there were no «surprise» fees. Having an event there could be a pricey proposition. There’s no way I could have had a reception there on Saturday night and with the choice of three plated entrees and full open bar. However, the site fee varies widely depending on day of week and time of day. You get to completely build your own menu and to help, they provide several sample menus with pricing featuring different configurations (buffet, family style, plated, stations) and number of hors d’ oeuvres and entrees to get an idea of what the price range is. They also let you bring in all the alcohol and rent their bartender. There is also no cake cutting fee. I feel that The Oviatt is an incredible venue and an incredible value.

Best place for any event, especially weddings!
I recently got married here and I had a magnificent experience. The staff is wonderful! Nicole, who helped me plan everything, was awesome. Who needs a wedding planner when you have her?! She worked with our budget and helped us turn out a great night! We got to taste out food ahead of time. We got to bring our own liquor! And you can’t beat the view or atmosphere!
Do yourself a favor… Book this place now!

Alas, your humble reviewer of all things pertaining to customer service and higher standard in consumer affairs gets to discuss his findings at the historic Oviatt Penthouse in DTLA after coordinating my best friends’ Alisa & Daz’s wedding event.
Let’s get the no brainers out of the way. The venue is magnificent if you’re into that classic Art Deco of yesteryear. Mr. Oviatt was no joke in making this place spiffy. I’d have to say one of my favorite features is the hidden toilet in one of the rooms adjacent to the main entrance elevator landing. All of the terraces are worth hanging back at to take in the views and if course, the glamorous master bedroom is thee place you wish you could rest your weary head if only for one night. Just splendid!
Logistically speaking, it’s fairly easy to produce a somewhat low key, yet tasteful event here with minimal sound needed. Mind you, it is only worth doing from dusk –on. The city lights really make this courtyard what it is. All of the DTLA skyline and essential high rises are visible. It’s quite a sight and perfectly romantic backdrop. Mind you, the film projector must always be used and although at first I was hesitant, it did add a nice mood which compliments the era this venue represents. Wish I could hold a nice holiday or corporate affair here. Maybe I can!
Nicole the venue rep and coordinator is helpful considering how damn busy she is! She does delegate her staff accordingly and the easier going your group is, the better. Bridezillas and over zealous wedding planners, do be considerate.
The pricing for a Friday wedding during Labor Day weekend was fair enough, considering. The venue does have limitations on capacity in the 120 realm so if you think you’re waay more loved and popular than that, consider yourself forewarned (and delusional).
I recommend this venue for a tasteful wedding or event where you wish to create an experience for your guest as well as yourself. Catering is part of the package most times and all staff for wait and bar are included and-​friendly, professionals.
Only downside was that the elevator broke down prior to our evening which made for a boatload of heavy lifting up 2 flights of stairs! What can ya’ do! It’s an old ass building.
Google or Wiki Mr. Oviatt and see why this historic space may too be up your alley. Here’s looking at you kiddos.
CV–