Love Letters

It was PERFECT. Such an amazing day.

I thought the food was amazing and the staff. The overall experience was perfect. The grounds and the estate are so gorgeous.

We had the best time ever. You guys think of everything and make it so easy. We also loved that there was a dessert spread in our room. What an adorable touch. We ate it all lol.

We really appreciate everything and couldn’t have been happier.

As mother of the bride I wanted to leave a glowing review for the Ashford Estate.  This is the email I sent this morning:

“It was magical!  The most perfect day!  Your staff was amazing!

My husband kept telling me how Megan was on top of everything, I knew that, but he was just so impressed.  We all were!  Not one detail was overlooked. I actually had a very close friend pull me aside at the rehearsal dinner to tell me that he was there to “run interference” on the day of the wedding for me.  He wanted our family to have the most stress free day as possible so he would be there to relay any issues with your staff.  I can honestly say there was not one second where I was worried about what was happening, what should be happening or worrying that someone was not where they were supposed to be.

Last night my daughter told me it was the best day of her life.  She got her fairy-tale wedding and it was better than she ever dreamed.  Hearing this brought me to tears.

Every guest was in awe.  They truly loved every minute they were there.

Thank you so, so, so much!!!”

We stayed overnight at the estate.  They have 12 rooms and it was the best decision.  The entire bridal party and parents were able to enjoy the reception and after party and then go upstairs to get some sleep.  It made enjoying the evening that much better because we didn’t have to worry about getting back to a hotel and the timing of it all.  Also, the rooms were magnificent.  They were large with each having a gas fireplace, king sized bed and extremely large showers. The mattresses were comfortable and we were able to sleep soundly.  They even had towel warmers and some had alcoves to sit at and enjoy the beauty of the estate.

They had two Maitre d’s.  One was there from before we arrived and stayed long enough to overlap with the second through dinner and then the second one stayed with us until the after-party was over.

The same with the bridal attendants.  There were two of them.  They were attentive and always close by without being a distraction and taking away our privacy.  They were able find anything and/or anyone we needed. The first one was with us until dinner and then the second one took over until the after-party was over.

The entire staff was a pleasure to work with.  I actually commented to quite a few of them that they seemed to really love their jobs.  I never looked at an employee and saw an unhappy or distracted person.  Everyone was always paying attention to what was happening and genuinely looked happy.  One of the staff even elaborated on how well employees are treated and that is why they love working there.  Happy employees are hard to find and their happiness simply flows to the guests.

Our cocktail hour was amazing!  The food was delicious.  The highlights that our guests commented the most on were the Machete – a Tomahawk Steak Carving Station, the Sushi Station and the Cacio e Pepe.  They said it was the freshest Sushi they ever had and the steak was perfect.

The main course was also a big hit.  Speaking for myself, I usually don’t eat the main meal because I filled up on appetizers.  However, I along with everyone I spoke to, ate their full meal.  I had the char-grilled Filet Mignon. Guests raved about the Halibut.

The food service was impeccable.  They did not miss a beat, food came out hot and was delivered to each table at the same time.  Our guests were able to choose what they wanted as their main meal at the reception and could even specify how they wanted their filet done.

We chose to use vendors they recommended for flowers, photography, DJ, video, shuttle service, ceremony music, lighting and the after-party.  Best decision we could have made.  It made the entire event seamless.  The Ashford works with them all the time so they have a shorthand.

The Ashford not only put out everything we dropped off, which included photos, table cards, decorations, signs, table numbers, etc., they also boxed it all up for us after the reception so all we had to do was put everything in our cars.

Hi Laura,

I just wanted to reach out to you and the Ashford/ Merri Maker team and say a huge THANK YOU for truly making all of my wedding dreams come true. Falling in love with a venue is one thing but having such amazing support from you, Megan, Taylor and so many others made the whole experience even better!

You and your team have been nothing but kind and supportive since the day we met. As a venue who sees many brides I SO appreciated the thoughtfulness in ensuring I felt special and my wedding would be exactly as I wanted, not the cookie-cutter standard.

The day was truly perfect and so many people told us it was the best wedding they had been to. I am biased but hearing it from others was extremely validating!

Truly, I can’t thank you all enough for making it the most special day for Dayne, our family, guests and of course me! I already wrote a review on Wedding Wire but if there is anything else I can do to support you all I would be more than happy to!

PS Dayne was EXTREMELY appreciative that Megan pulled out some candy for him! And I was so excited to get to taste all the cocktail hour food during our alone time, I thought I was going to miss out and was so surprised to see it all there for us. You all went over and beyond as always!

Thank you, thank you thank you!

Alexa & Dayne

Our wedding was a wonderful day and we were beyond impressed with the Merri Makers staff.  My bridal attendants we incredibly helpful the entire day marking sure that I had what I needed and assisting with our photo session before the ceremony.

We also really appreciated how smoothly Mary and the Maitre d’ made sure that everything ran.  All of this was in on top of amazing food that our guests were raving about.

We had a great time and loved working with the Merri Makers crew.

Thanks!

Julianne

Everything was so delicious! There’s lots of flexibility in the menu selection, but you’ll find it hard to go wrong with any of their standard stations/ selections.

As a bride I thought I’d miss out on the cocktail hour food but to our surprise the staff arranged mini plates for us to try a bite of everything! It was so thoughtful and the food was so yummy! My personal favorite was the ramen bar!

Hands down the best decision we ever made was booking our wedding at Mallard! From start to finish, everything was handled so professionally and seamlessly, I truly never felt stressed in the process and always knew I was in good hands.

Not only is Mallard the most beautiful venue space, the people who work with you throughout the wedding planning process and those there the day of are unmatched. Gianna is the most organized, kind, helpful and diligent coordinator I could ever ask for. She made every step so clear and she was incredibly responsive to any ask. The day of we felt so relaxed, knowing Gianna and the Mallard staff were going to be there to handle absolutely everything for us.

Our day went so perfectly, sometimes I still pinch myself and cannot believe how truly seamless it was. A million times over I will recommend this place!!!!

Hi Kristi,

We all had a wonderful time at Bonnet Island! From the beginning working with Mary to the day of the wedding everyone was so helpful, friendly and accessible. The entire process was so organized and easy for us.

Everyone raved about the food—cocktail hour, main course, and desserts. It was a spectacular presentation!

Although I don’t remember names, the bridal assistants and overnight manager were wonderful and so helpful.

Thank you all!

Jackie