Love Letters

On behalf of my Husband Jeff and myself, I can say with certainty that our experience with Merri-Makers beyond exceeded our expectations!

I have always dreamed of getting married at Bonnet Island Estate since I was a little girl and still could not have imagined the experience we had on our wedding day! From the staff (shout out Mary, Nancy, Lauren + Summer), to the venue, food + drinks- our wedding with Merri-makers will forever be a day to remember!

Thank you again for making our Dream Wedding Day come true!

With Love & Gratitude,

The B.’s 🤍

Thank you so much!! We couldn’t have asked for a better day! Merri-Makers and the staff that worked our wedding were nothing short of amazing!

The food was absolutely delicious and guests as are we are still RAVING about the food. Everything was delicious and so well prepared. The cocktail hour was a definite show stopper for our guests they were amazed with the selection and the amount of details that were put into every passed appetizer and every station.

My husband absolutely loved that he could get the picture he always dreamed of with having a tomahawk for dinner. And my dad was VERY grateful that the chefs saved the bones for his dogs. In addition to save the bones they saved one that still had a whole tomahawk steak on it and we enjoyed having a delicious dinner the day after. Thank you so much for being part of our day!

Kelsey H.

Everything was fantastic!!

Haley made sure the day ran smoothly and we eat. She is an absolute rock star!!

Couldn’t thank you guys enough!!

The Ashford was a dream venue. It was like something out of a fairytale!

You absolutely do not need to hire a wedding planner or day of/month of coordinator if you are getting married at the Ashford Estate. They were incredibly detail oriented and professional throughout the entire planning process, I had two maître ds and two bridal attendants on the day of the wedding. Every last detail was perfect and I did not have to worry about a thing on my big day.

I can’t speak highly enough of the staff, they were incredible. The grounds looked absolutely perfect, they coordinated with all of my vendors, the food was spectacular and my guests had an incredible time. Staying overnight at the Ashford was amazing, the rooms are spectacular

Everything was perfect, the whole staff was amazing at making sure everything ran smoothly especially with the heat wave we got hit with. I was especially very nervous about everyone being comfortable in the heat and Laura and the team did everything they could to make sure guests were content (waters at every chair, frozen towels, etc).

The saying is definitely true that the bride and groom don’t have much of a chance to eat, but we heard from everyone else that it was some of the best food they have had at a wedding, and everyone was thrilled with all the options at cocktail hour!

We are so happy we chose The Ashford Estate and are so thankful to the team for helping us bring our dream wedding to life 🙂

Best,

Brooke and Sean

“As the bride, I can’t say enough wonderful things about Bonnet Island Estate. The venue is simply breathtaking, with picturesque coastal views, blooming flower gardens, and stunning waterfront areas that made for the most magical backdrop on our special day.

What truly made the experience even more memorable were Andrea and Nancy, who treated us like family from the moment we arrived. Their warmth and attentiveness made us feel so cared for, and they were there to ensure everything was absolutely perfect.

Our wedding day was everything we dreamed of and more, and Bonnet Island Estate was the perfect place to bring our vision to life. I highly recommend this venue to any couple looking for a truly spectacular wedding day!”

– Kimberly M

Hi Gianna!!

We all had such an amazing and memorable time at the Mallard for Sam & Sam’s wedding!!!

The day was like a dream, it was so perfect and our guests all raved about it! Please know that you and your staff did an unbelievable job with absolutely everything, from the moment we arrived until we reluctantly left the next morning 😉 We are so thankful for your support, assistance and guidance this past year and a half, it is truly appreciated! We are looking forward to our next event at the Mallard!

Please say hi to everyone and we hope to see you guys soon!

Many kind regards,

Ann Marie

Good Afternoon Laura,
Apologies for my delayed thank you but it has taken me a week to digest, and recover from, my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding! It is hard to put in to words what a perfect day it was without sounding over the top and slightly ridiculous…..but it was an absolutely perfect day! My daughter Anna said it was the best day of her life, I think that sums it up nicely! I thought it may be easier to list some of the compliments I received from everyone:
– “best wedding I have ever been to”
– “best wedding food I have ever had”
– “the nicest, friendliest staff I have ever encountered”
– “such a beautiful location”
– “amazing venue”
– “just loved the lady in the red jacket” – your lovely bathroom attendant
– “I want to gatecrash another wedding just to do it all again”
– “I want my wedding here”
These were all said multiple times and much, much more.

Anna, Michael and I knew it would be a lovely day because of your stellar reputation but I don’t think we realized just what a great job you do – from the days before contacting the vendors, help unloading and loading cars, lunch (and breakfast the next day) set up all ready for us, your attention to every detail (the seating chart issue was solved without me having to worry about it), every single thing Anna had sent ahead of time was in place just as she wanted, the seamless way you move 175 people from location to location to location – I could go on and on. Suffice to say everything about The Ashford Estate, the building, the grounds, the staff, the food are all second to none and I think probably that should be credited to you, Laura. It was a pleasure dealing with you and Megan and hopefully we get to do it again one day, I have a son and another daughter!!

Kind regards,

Julie

Mary,
I am at a loss for how to start this letter. I thought a few days to come down from the high of Kelsey and Tyler’s wedding would bring some calmness and clarity so that I didn’t sound like a gushing teenager, but I am brought to tears just thinking about what a wonderful experience we had at Bonnet Island last Saturday (the 14th) at our daughter’s wedding. From start to finish, you and your team were phenomenal!

Since I tried to take a laid back approach and let Kelsey do most of the planning with you, since it was her wedding after all, I can’t speak about too much on the planning side from personal experience but I can tell you that at the end of the night when I asked her if her wedding was everything she wanted it to be, she told me that she would not change a thing so you must have done an amazing job in helping her vision come to fruition.

Now, I can comment about the day and how everything played out…
From the time we arrived at the estate on Saturday afternoon until the time the last car left the lot on Sunday morning, everything was absolutely flawless! If there were any hiccups, we surely were not aware. The property is beautifully cared for and the flowers and greenery are well maintained and make for beautiful photos. The setting on the water just enhances the space, especially during cocktail hour, and just gives that happy, coastal vibe.  All day, your team and staff made sure that we did not want for anything and that everything ran like clockwork, from lunch upon arrival to packing up the cars to go home and everything in between.  Not only were we impressed with all of the extra touches and exemplary service throughout the night, but
our guests have even commented on how wonderful everything was.  The help and guidance we received throughout the day from Nancy was invaluable! She was completely
organized, kept us all grounded and focused and kept the entire process running smoothly. I cannot begin to tell you how touched we were on Sunday when she took some time out of her day to come back in the morning just to make sure we were pleased with everything and to wish us well before we left.

Haley and Brooke were extremely helpful to Kelsey and Tyler throughout the day. Just having someone there who knew what to do, where we were supposed to be and to help us in any way possible, was a blessing. They love the work that they do and their attentiveness and attention to detail make that obvious!

The food was outstanding and plentiful! So many of the guests commented throughout the night about how wonderful and delicious everything was from start to finish. The special attention paid to all of the parents and the bride and groom is such a wonderful touch! It was so nice to not have to search for the strolling dishes or having to wait in line for food while also trying to circulate and officially greet our guests. (I honestly laughed out loud when Frank came around with a platter of ice cream sandwiches just for my husband! You can tell that he cares very much about the happiness of not only the bride and groom but each guest in attendance. The staff, under his care, was exemplary. Many guests commented about how impressed they were with the synchronized dinner service and how it was such a classy touch that they’d never seen at a wedding before.)

Finally, when Nancy stopped by on Sunday morning, I touched on the topic of the overnight manager with her but would like to reiterate those comments here. When I looked over the gratuity guide that you’d sent in mid-August, I saw the “overnight manager” suggested gratuity and thought ‘that’s not a lot but really, what do they do? We’ll all be asleep.’ I assumed she was there to just to be available if anyone needed anything overnight. Well, boy, was I wrong! We were all in bed by 2:30 am, I think, and Kelly must have worked all night gathering all of the supplies and discarded items left about the property. When I awoke at 6:45 am, Kelly had just about everything from centerpieces to randomly discarded shoes all packed up and in the foyer waiting to be loaded into cars. She was preparing the coffee bar with juices and ice and awaiting delivery of breakfast. I honestly felt bad that we had not given her a larger gratuity and told her so as I handed her a bit more so that she knew that her hard work was seen and appreciated.

Please detail the roles each staff member plays and what tasks they undertake so that clients can ensure
they are properly showing their gratitude. Finally, I would like to personally thank you, Nancy, Brooke, Haley, Frank, Kelly the servers, chef and every staff member of Bonnet Island for making Kelsey and Tyler’s wedding day the day of their dreams! We could not be happier with the service and experience all of you provided to us. It will be a day we will never forget and all of you will be a part of our memories for a lifetime!

Sincerely,
Kristi

We were thrilled to work with Merri-Makers and Bonnet Island Estate, and absolutely loved our wedding experience!

Our day was so perfect and magical all thanks to your wonderful team! In particular, we truly loved working with Andrea Muniak on everything. She was extremely thoughtful about helping us plan everything from start to finish, and she made the whole process very fun. She really thought of everything, especially with arranging our timeline to maximize time on the dancefloor! She was so professional, knowledgeable, kind, and very easy to work with. We can’t say enough wonderful things about Andrea and we were so lucky to have her with us!

The food was delicious and we really appreciated the Chef’s Table tasting in advance. It was helpful to be able to try out all of the food options and our guests raved about how tasty everything was. We lucked out with being able to spring for some of the extra items, and they were a hit! The Tomahawk steaks, scallops, and meatball stations were certainly favorites during the night. The halibut was a fan favorite for the entrees and all of the dessert stations went over extraordinarily well. And, we were really grateful that the team set up food for us in the Salon prior to going into the reception. That helped immensely! One thing we did notice was that our actual day-of wedding cake tasted even better than when we sampled the options at the Chef’s Table.

Overall, Bonnet Island Estate truly exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t be happier with how the entire event played out! The Boathouse Chapel space was exquisite and we loved taking photos around the estate grounds. That flower trellis walkway out the Chapel was breathtaking. The Salon and Bridal Suite were stunning (our bridesmaids were thrilled!), and all of the rooms were perfect. The Reception space had the most wonderful configuration, and we appreciated that you all took the time to think about how it would work best with our headcount and dancefloor.

Nancy, Lauren, Haley, and Emily were so helpful throughout the entire event. They were particularly good at making sure I wasn’t seen by Josh once we were getting ready day-of. I can’t believe how many things they thought of and anticipated in advance… it seemed like anything we were going to ask for was already taken care of! It made the whole event stress-free and seamless. We were really able to just enjoy the moments of our special day. And for the evening/next morning, Lou Ann was so helpful with making sure we got everything and taking care of anything we needed. Bonnet Island truly has a Rockstar team that’s assembled of the best wedding superhero’s out there!

After such a magical time, we’re big fans of Bonnet Island in general.  Our only regret of the whole event was just forgetting to get a photo with Andrea, Nancy, Lauren, and the rest of the team day-of. We’ll have to come by for a visit sometime to get a photo later on!

We will absolutely remember our very, very special day for the rest of our lives. Please send our thanks and love along to the whole team there. We couldn’t have had such an incredible day without you all!

Thanks so much!

Emily & Josh