If you haven't caught on, I am a travel-addicted, coffee drinking, plane catching junkie with a love for planning and creating new experiences. My personality is EXTRRA sarcastic, I speak directly & I'm a sucker for a good partayyy!
I was born & raised in Northern California, called the bay area home for over 20 years and have planted my roots in the Napa Valley. I'm a city girl living in a small (ish)town, & I never say no to an adventure. If i'm being honest, nothing gets me more excited than experiencing something or somewhere new (Hence why i'm literally down to travel anywhere to help you plan your wedding!!)
I'm 29 years young & and living my very best life with my locked in travel partner//husband & our 2 love bug pups... dottie & scout! As of May 2023, I planed my first destination wedding, that just so happened to be my own!
Hometown Gatherings was created to be a safe space for couples when seeking guidance after getting engaged. It's important to me, when working with my forever new friends (that’s you!), that they feel 110% comfortable, confident & at ease walking into their wedding week, during the big day & feel over the moon pumped after the wedding!
I'm here to help you navigate through the messy, fun & real wedding planning experiences. I'm not joking when I say, this is about to be your best adventure yet & I can't wait to be a part of your wedding planning journey! With me by your side I promise you will feel calmer than you have ever felt.. & thats saying a lot!
My Motto: No matter where your wedding takes you, you should always feel at home!
hey hey!
Im your California based wedding planner & Im always in the mood to catch a flight for love
FIG | Images from my past travels
lover of chocolate&Cookies
MARRIED MAY 2023!!!
mama of 2 doggos
Iced americanos forever
christmas is my holiday!
avid traveller
the Need to Know Details
Kate + Alex
Hiring Marissa As Our Planner Was One Of The Best Decisions We Made For Our Wedding! We Worked With Marissa In The Last Months Leading Up To Our Wedding Weekend To Bring Her Up To Speed On All Our Plans And Help Firm Up Final Details. We Were So Impressed With How Marissa Seamlessly Integrated With Both The Staff At Our Venue And Worked With Each Of The Vendors. She Is A Natural And Confident Leader, But Also Quickly Jumped In To Assist Whenever Someone Across The Wedding Team Needed An Extra Hand. Overall, She Is Fantastic.
Jessica + Roy
Marissa Was The Best To Work With! I Hired Her As A Month Before/ Day Of Coordinator For My Wedding In San Diego & It Was The Best Decision!She Was Accessible And Easy To Work With. She Is The Reason I Was Able To Genuinely Enjoy My Day & Not Stress About Anything!!! She Made My Vision Come To Life And Everything Went Better Than I Could Have Imagined. She Made Sure Vendors Were Where They Needed To Be And When They Needed To Be there. If You Are Looking To Hire Someone I Couldn’t Think Of Anyone Better Than hometown gatherings!
Sang + Alec
Marissa Is Amazing. An Absolute Pro Start To Finish. Our Wedding Was Perfect And Had The Perfect Flow. Some Minor Changes Happened During The Event And Marissa Set It All Into Place Seamlessly. She Was Such A Great Guide. We've Never Done This Before And We Needed Someone Add Clarity To Decisions & She Was There For all of it. We Hired Her For The 3 Months Plus Day Off And It Was A Key Investment. No Way We Could Have Done It Without Her!! She Was Instrumental In Making The Best Day Of Our Lives Come True.
In 2023 I planned my very first destination wedding in Greece... & Guess what, it was my own!
Hometown Gatherings was created with the sole intent of helping those out of the box lovers, the risk takers and couples who thrive on authentically bringing their wildest and most daring wedding dreams to life.
let's add your destination wedding here!
1st European wedding & adding yours here!
My first wedding season, as my own boss, was under my belt & I officially celebrated 1 year as a Biz owner in March of 2022! It wasn't easy but the rewards have been unlike anything I have ever experienced. This business has taken me all over California planning weddings & getting to known some amazing couples!
1 YEAR IN BUSINESS
& BEComming A MRS
I still remember the day I decided to make this life a reality. I was 30,000 ft above sea level (obviously traveling!) & headed out on my next adventure. It was on that airplane that I felt the overwhelming amount of confidence I needed to make my own dreams come true.
While doing what I love most the concept behind HOMETOWN GATHERINGS was created & a few short months later, the business was a done deal!
Hometown gatherings comes to life
During my 'covid vacation' I experienced A LOT of personal loss, and knew I had to reevaluate my life, and more specifically, my career. I can remember sitting down making a list of MUST haves & items I wouldn't compromise on when moving forward in life. It sounded simple but I knew finding this 'magical' position would take time.