Our wedding with Merri-Maker’s at Mallard Island Yacht Club this past October was seriously a dream. Gianna, our event coordinator, made the entire process leading up to to the wedding extremely easy, straightforward, and fun! We are very sad we do not have the pleasure to continue planning with her!

The day & night of our wedding exceeded our expectations in every way possible. We knew the service, food, and overall experience was going to be amazing but it was far better than we ever imagined it would be. The venue is obviously beautiful but Merri-Makers really takes it to the next level and we genuinely felt like everyone involved was just as excited to be a part of our day as we were. So many people told us it was the nicest wedding they had ever been to, and while we may be biased, we would have to agree with this!

We HIGHLY recommend Merri-Makers/Mallard Island Yacht Club to prospective couples.
Only downside to the entire experience is that it had to end!

The moment we walked through the doors of Mallard Island Yacht club, my husband and I knew we could not imagine ourselves getting married anywhere else. Not only did it provide us our dream estate venue, on the water, guest suites and all (WOW).. but the team at Merri-Makers genuinely went above and beyond to create the most special, personal, and seamless experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

We worked closely with Gianna throughout the entire process, who immediately made us feel like we were planning a wedding with a sister or life-long friend. She was responsive, organized, and SUCH a pleasure to work with. G had an answer to every ridiculous question I’d ask, a recommendation for vendors big and small, tips on how to navigate a wedding on LBI.. etc. She always had our best interest at heart – I did not feel the need to hire a wedding coordinator having her guide us through every step of the way. I left my wedding planning process feeling like I had a new friend, which is amazing of itself.

On the day of the wedding, I was absolutely blown away at the attentiveness of the entire staff. Everyone from the bridal attendants (they had water on deck for me all day long, bustled my train, fixed my hair, etc- cannot say enough about these fantastic girls), to the overnight manager (we woke up to her setting up a beautiful breakfast and packing up all our items from the night before, etc – the SWEETEST!), to the maitre d (checked in on us all night, and reminded me to change into my second dress, was having too much fun and would have actually forgotten – a queen)… we were provided with an experience I’d only ever dreamed of.

All of the little details at Mallard are what made our day feel like one in a million. From the open air dance floor, the stunning bridal suite, the boathouse chapel, the groom shack, personal flags waving in the wind, any menu revision and food that my guests are still raving about (seriously – go for the scallops and the lobster rolls), the fire pit, the views, the grace of the entire MIYC team– Let this review be your sign to book. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for an experience we will never forget.

EVERYTHING was perfect. There is so much we could say but I will say broadly that the entire day exceeded our expectations. We received so many compliments from guests on how organized and attentive the staff was and how great the food was. Many people said it was the nicest wedding they had ever been to!

Gianna was amazing throughout the entire process and day of the wedding. We are sad our relationship with her has come to a close in regards to the wedding planning process because she was such a pleasure to work with! The bridal attendants Kelsey and Kaylee, along with Nancy and everyone else who made day run so smoothly were amazing as well.

We wish we could do it all over! Please let us know if there are any specific questions you would like us to answer or any testimonials/reviews you would like us to write – we would be more than happy to do so!

Thanks for everything!

 

Sarah & Mike

 

 

On the day of our wedding we were truly blown away by the Merri-Makers staff. We have had a wonderful experience with Andrea the entire time. She was truly a savior and could not have been sweeter!

On the day of the wedding, Andrea and Kristy met me outside and immediately helped us get in the dress and luggage for overnight. Kristy was a sweetheart and was awesome the ENTIRE day. She must have stayed until almost the end of the night. She took care of everything..including taking some side pictures and sending them to me so I would have some! Emmy was our other attendant and was  wonderful as well. Both Emmy and Kristy made sure we had whatever we could possibly think of and made sure we always had a fresh drink and plenty of water. They were also pros when it came to bustling my dress.

I’m sorry but the name of the Maitre d’ is slipping my mind. We did meet with her and she seemed nice. We honestly didn’t see her much the day of the wedding, but clearly she made sure the whole operation ran smoothly.

All of the waitstaff were absolutely wonderful and very professional. I know I keep gushing over Andrea, Emmy and Kristy, but they are all-stars! Between the three of them, they anticipated every want/need and took care of it. They have great personalities and truly made the day that much better.

Thank you so much for training such a wonderful and special team!

Thank you,

Christine

We could not be more pleased with the Merri-Makers team. Not only was the food exceptional, but every staff member was friendly and professional, all striving to make us and our guests feel special.

Weeks later, we still have friends and family contacting us to say “that was the best wedding food we’ve ever had.”

Thank you for contributing to the best day of our lives!

Best,

Victoria and Chris C

Choosing Ashford was perhaps the best decision we made in the entire wedding planning process.

They made our dream wedding come true — from customizing a fusion menu for us to meeting multiple times on every single little detail of the wedding, Laura and team treated us with such kindness and attention from the beginning that we are forever grateful. Not to mention, during the actual wedding weekend they took such good care of us — I always had an attendant giving me water, helping me go from one thing to the next, and the Laura, Megan, and the entire team knew what was happening at every step. When things could have gone wrong, they stepped in and saved the day.

Ashford was stunningly beautiful and the perfect place to get married with the best team 🙂

Hi!

We want to relive that day/evening over and over again!

Everything was absolutely delicious and the staff was amazing!

Thank you so much for making our special day!

-Lauren

 

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.

Cannot say enough great things about the Mallard and the staff. Everything about our day from beginning to end was TOP TIER.

Our wedding day dreams come true. From start to finish there was nothing we would have changed. Our guests said it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to between the venue itself, the grounds, the chapel, cocktail hour, and the insane ballroom with the veranda. Oh, can’t forget the magical bridal suite! There are not enough words I can write to explain how grateful we are to have had our big day at such a gorgeous place.

The staff & service was phenomenal. Gianna is the absolute best & would not have gotten through any of the planning process without her expertise. She was a total godsend! Along with the bridal attendants, servers, etc. everything and everyone was phenomenal.

Thank you all SO much for making our day so memorable. It is a day we will cherish & remember forever. XOXO

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.