Love Letters

First and foremost, we could have not asked for a better day. It was actually the things you read in fairytales.

The food and the service was beyond amazing, and we can’t thank you enough.

It was truly an incredible day and we hope to do business with Merri Makers again in the future!

Best wishes,

Kathleen

Dear Laura and Staff at The Ashford Estate,

Our family would like to give all of you a heartfelt thank you for making Liz and Steven’s wedding day so special on June 3rd. We want to express our gratitude to everyone from the cleaning staff, the maintenance crew, the grounds keepers, to the talented culinary team in the kitchen, the servers and attendants and everyone behind the scenes that usually gets no recognition. It is truly a team approach to create such an exquisite experience for the bride & groom, their attendants and all of our dear family and friends who traveled near and far. My husband and I are originally from Allentown, both of our families reside locally. So The Ashford Estate was ‘thee perfect location,’ an enchanting venue right around the rural corner.

Our day began with helpful hands and gracious smiles greeting us on the steps of the Manor House. Polite, professional and always on cue. Escorting us into the beautiful parlor where we enjoyed preparing for the wedding. As the staff was bustling in a relaxed fashion around preparing for our guests setting the tone of work needs to be done, and it will all be done right. Noting all the details my ‘marketing bride’ wanted to include in her day…perfect placement of photos and signs making it welcoming to all.

The venue was beautiful and we were blessed with perfect weather. The photographer and videographer each captured the beauty of Ashford. Paul Kwak, quoted it as ‘This venue that has it all.’ It’s true! The rustic Chapel with the stone fireplace and exposed beams interlaced with nature was the perfect setting for a faith based wedding ceremony. The reason for this celebratory day. Guest strolled the grounds enchanted by the natural essence of the the hidden gardens, the gazebo, the fountains, the tree line drive, to the playful tree swing. The well maintained picturesque blooms giving a pop of color thru out the grounds. The flow of the day was dynamic.

Keeping everyone excited and engaged to see what was coming next…the food was delicious, meticulously prepared with an impressive presentation. From the amazing stations of the cocktail hour to the team approach of serving the entrée. It was collaborative, professional and impressive. We also enjoyed the friendly staff, tapping their feet the beat of the bongos and making it the perfect evening with us. It’s the smiles, the interaction and the body language of all people attending ( whether you are working or as a guest) that help to create the energy and the vibe of an unforgettable experience. So I thank ALL of you for creating a memory of a lifetime for my daughter, Liz and her husband Steven and as our two families became one.

Laura, thank you for fine tuning all the details to make the day go as smoothly as possible. We knew it would day would be amazing, but it exceeded our expectations. Megan and Taylor, thank you for your assistance with ease and grace. It truly was a magical day…. Liz’s smile says it all!

Warmest regards,

Marcy K. “MOB”

We had the ABSOLUTE best time and the most perfect day made possible by the team at the Ashford Estate, you and all our vendors. We are so lucky and are so glad we chose you to be part of the day.

The staff and the food was INCREDIBLE. We are still getting compliments about how delicious everything was and the beautiful displays. Everything was truly perfect.

Our favorites and some of our guest favorites were the scallops, the ceviche, the raw bar, and the pasta! The cacio e pepe station was such a hit, and was my absolute favorite 🙂 Also the main courses at dinner were amazing too. Our guests kept saying how it was the best food they ever had at an event/wedding. My favorite was the potatoes that was served with the meat. Everyone on the team was so kind, polite, and professional – again, we are so glad we were able to work with Merri Makers for our special day and will continue to recommend you whenever we can!

Thank you again for making our day so seamless and delicious,

Alexa & Jason

Hi Mary,

Thank you for all the outstanding help and support in the planning and execution of the wedding.  From our first meeting (October 2021 !), through the rehearsal on Friday,  you have been such a true professional, and always so responsive and pleasant to work with.  It gave us such confidence (and avoided a lot of stress) knowing that we had you to make sure we were not  missing any details.

Also, please share this email with Nancy, our day of Event Coordinator, and any staff and management as you think appropriate.

The Big Day

WOW, what a day it was!  You folks did an amazing job, so professional, seamless, and all with smiles on your faces.

There are so many things we want to mention, but I’ll try to keep it brief.

The venue looked spectacular.  From the time we checked in Saturday,  we were in good hands.  You made sure that we were all were we should be at any given time.  Any questions or requests we had were promptly answered.

Nancy, the way you coordinated the actual ceremony was great, from the lining up and entrance, to the exit and to coordinate the guests flow to the reception.  During the evening I appreciated how you were there for anything, even making sure I had something to eat at the cocktail hour, and giving us a heads-up when things like the toasts and special dances were approaching.  Your calm demeanor and smile helped ease the jitters.

The reception, well I am kind of running out of superlatives. The coordination between the Venue, Merri-Makers, and Neptune Liquors was seamless.  The room was breathtaking, the meal and service level of the staff was flawless.  We had many guests comment on what an amazing reception it was, with quite a few saying it was the nicest wedding they had ever attended.  I know people generally compliment the hosts on the reception, but I don’t remember hearing people say this at other weddings Julie and I have attended.  Julie and I were/are so proud, saying repeatedly over the last few days how happy we are that we had the wedding at Bonnet Island.

I could go on, but I’ll stop there.

Thanks again.

Julie and Mike M.

Dear Andrea and team:

The dust has settled and I just wanted to reach out to you and your colleagues to thank you for executing what everyone I have spoken to agreed was a wonderful (and beautiful!) first class wedding event.

I was so relaxed and had such a great time at my daughter’s wedding because I knew I was in the best of hands. From the minute I walked into Bonnet, you and your team never missed a beat and made us all feel very special. The service and spirit of the management and service staff was exemplary. I received so many compliments from so many of my guests about just how fantastic the service was all throughout the evening.

Please share my thoughts and thanks with Nancy and Lauren, who were absolutely wonderful.

You are all truly the best in the biz.

Gratefully,

Chris R.

We couldn’t be more pleased with how the wedding went. The venue, staff, food, and overall experience was exceptional.

Thank you to you and your team for helping to create an outstanding wedding celebration for our families!

Best,

Peter R.

Rick,

We can’t thank you enough for the beautiful luncheon you provided for us today.  Everyone was so impressed with the food and service.  Your servers were amazing!  I love the way you trained them to be synchronized.  We all were so happy you were able to give us the delicious salmon!

Haley has been so accommodating and helpful!

We can’t thank you again for elevating our fund raiser to new heights and for helping to provide a safe environment for victims of domestic violence abuse!

Bonnie M.

Hi Laura,

Now that we’re back from our mini-moon and had a second to process the magical weekend we had, I have to piggyback off my mom and say thank you and the entire Ashford staff for making our day so special and seamless.

It was beyond our wildest dreams, and will forever be a memory we look back on and smile. The entire day was magical – thank you so much for all of your help with the tiny details and the flow of the day – everything was perfect.   All of the helpers throughout the day and night were so kind and we had so much fun with them all day!!  Huge shoutout to Taylor and Julia who were the sweetest!!

I didn’t need to use my brain at all – everything was where it was supposed to be, the events flowed perfectly, and the setup was beyond gorgeous. The food was UNREAL, guests are still reaching out saying how delicious and beautiful everything was! (Jason and I also LOVED the ceviche – thanks for that!!)

Thank you again – we are so happy we chose Ashford, and are looking forward to coming back for anniversaries and being part of the Ashford family 🙂

Enjoy the rest of the summer and year, all the best! Will be sharing and tagging pics and video as I get them back on Instagram!

Alexa & Jason

We honestly could not have asked for a better wedding.  Every single thing from start to finish was UNBELIEVABLE.

The food, venue, and staff were all absolutely phenomenal and our guests raved about all.  The attentiveness of the staff was second to none and we did not have a single issue or problem all night – they were on the ball with everything including the smallest of details.

10 stars to Laura and Megan for all of their help from start to finish – we want you to know how incredible of assets they are to your team.  Also Maddie the bridal attendant was incredible and such a sweetheart.

Thank you for everything!

Mark and Nikki

To the MerriMakers Team,

THANK YOU. For making our special day.. exactly that.. special. Through the planning process and day of services – everything was simply seamless and perfect.

Bonnet Island was the only venue on the table – a place I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl – and it lived up to every expectation and more. The venue itself is breathtaking (even on a rainy day), the food and drinks were absolutely incredible, and the service was beyond exceptional. Ourselves, our families and friends have not stopped talking about our wedding and I don’t think we ever will.

Bonnet Island is in a different category of wedding venues – you truly go over the top in every way. Our wedding day was a dream and your team allowed us to truly enjoy every aspect of it. Steven and I truly appreciated the little moments you created just for us to relax and enjoy each other through all the excitement – our own little moment to snack and have drinks in the midst of photos, our own cocktail hour set up in the salon, our mid reception water break, and the most special… the bottle of champagne and all of our desserts set up in our room after the night ended. It meant so much to us.

So thank you again to the entire team who made our day a fairytale – especially our fairy godmother Mary who made all of our dreams come true.

We are beyond thankful and now drive over the bridge to LBI looking at Bonnet Island in a whole new special way.

Love and many thanks always —

The new Mr & Mrs Steven F.