"Mallard Island is the most picturesque location ever"
What was your favorite part of working with the Merri-Makers team?
I don’t know where to start when I think about my favorite part of working with the Merri-Makers team. Gianna and every single person that we worked with was an absolute delight. They truly treat and cater to you, your bridal party, and guests like royalty. From the time we booked Mallard, every possible question or need I had was answered and taken care of immediately and beyond my wildest expectations. I thought I was a pretty type A person until I met Gianna. The entire wedding planning process she kept me in check and made sure every time line was good to go down to the second. She is INCREDIBLE. I never hesitated to reach out for anything at all. It truly felt like we had our own personal secret service on the wedding day there to think 10 steps ahead of us making sure everything beginning to end ran smoothly. If there were any issues, I certainly did not know about them! Because of them, my family, bridal party, husband, and I did not feel one ounce of stress and truly were able to relax and have fun. Their attention to detail allowed us to soak in every moment without having to worry about logistics and timeline. They made sure to remind us that it is our day and it can look and feel however we want! I truly could write a book about how incredible every single staff member of the Merri-Makers team is.
What was your favorite food of the night? Which dish were guests raving about?
Let me start by saying the food tasting hosted by Merri-Makers before the wedding was one of our favorite memories of our wedding season. We got the opportunity to try SO MANY menu options and meet nearly the entire team. It really set in that night how lucky we were to be working with the Merri-Makers team. Everything we tasted was absolutely incredible. My personal favorite was the Cacio e Pepe. O.M.G. from presentation in the cheese wheel to taste, it is a must have. The Indian station is so fresh and magical. Guests RAVED about the machete steak during cocktail hour. For dinner, the halibut was just WOW! Don’t even get us started on desert. All I have to say is that the mini ice cream sandwiches I crave on daily basis. I wish they had a restaurant so I could enjoy everything again!
What was your favorite photo spot of the venue?
Mallard Island is the most picturesque location ever. I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) with the number of spots we could take our wedding portraits and have our first look that I let my photographer decide. You don’t have to worry about looking for a good spot for pictures because every spot is a good spot. The archway in the garden is just stunning and made the perfect first look spot for us. The mini beach right on the bay for sunset shots was just magical. The jaw dropping bridal suite made the most luxurious and timeless setting for getting ready photos! The venue is just breathtaking and our guests certainly felt the same!
Was there a theme to your wedding? Tell us about your wedding colors and aesthetic!
We went for a very timeless aesthetic. The venue itself is so gorgeous we didn’t go nuts with any decor. Our flowers were shades of white and green. One of my favorite elements was having the O’Hara Garden Rose in my bouquet and on nearly all of our stationary. While I was looking at flowers, I fell in love with that particular rose. To my surprise, it’s name is my now last name! When our florist told me that, I knew it had to be a big part of our wedding!
How did you and your partner meet? Share your love story with us!
My husband and I are high school sweethearts! Eight years later, we tied the knot! Spending summers together in L.B.I are our favorite memories, so getting married at Mallard truly was a dream come true
What made you select this venue?
My parents love to tell the story that while driving over the bridge as a young girl, I would always say how I want to get married one day at the white venue with the red roof. When I got engaged, Mallard was my first stop and boy did it live up to to the fairytale I had envisioned in my mind. We didn’t even go anywhere else. After falling in love with the actual venue, when we met Gianna, I knew it was the place because of how welcoming and easy to talk to she was. Being able to stay overnight makes it feel like you’re renting out a huge beach house for your friends and family. That is the exact vibe we wanted to cultivate and there is no better spot than Mallard to do it.
Would you recommend Merri-Makers to another bride? Share why!
I literally cannot recommend the Merri-Makers team to another bride enough. In fact, I did, and my Maid of Honor is now getting married at Ashford in 2026! They make you feel like the most important person in the planet. Being someone who is always concerned about if people are content, happy, and tended to, the team assured me that they were handling it and allowed me to really just relax and have one day to celebrate my husband and I. Everything from helping me secure vendors, vendor recommendations, and timeline creation was taken care of without a singular ask. There is no need for a wedding planner because they are the wedding planner! It is the small details that were the most impressive and stuck with us the most. For example, they knew my entire family’s drink of choice before the actual wedding day. You have several bridal attendants throughout the day there to help you with anything! Seriously, at one point I asked my mom for my lip gloss and before she could even think about finding it, they whipped it out of their bag for me. It sounds silly, but those small details just helped make the day so smooth and so special. Beyond all of that, they are truly good people. I left wanting to be friends with all of them!
