Traci
Wedding: 11/26/11
Merri-makers provided wonderful food during cocktail hour that everyone raved about. They also provided us tastings prior to the event so we had some ideas of what the food would taste like. I will say that the quality does vary from chef to chef so make sure you go to the tastings. They try to be responsive but take a few days to get back to you. Once they get back to you they work with you but to tend to up-charge a lot for changes even though they tell you to forget their pre-made menu and they'll do whatever you want. All and all for a wedding caterer, they are excellent and one of their special things is they make the bride and groom whatever they want to eat for their special day. I would recommend merri-makers to others, but depending on which chef they got.
KJ2011
Wedding: 10/1/11
We just had our wedding at Water's Edge and EVERYONE we spoke to raved about the place- from the view to the food, to the service. Christina was great with all the pre-planning stuff and Sal and Tara were great the day of the wedding. I can not thank them enough for the wonderful service. I will recommend this place to everyone!
Seema
Wedding: 9/24/11
i loved this place located next to PNC Bank Arts Center - much more unique than the typical hotel wedding and adds a lot of flexibility with all the functionality and space needed. beautiful backyard garden, all available at affordable prices. highly recommend.
Ingrid
Wedding: 9/18/11
I got married at the PNC bank arts center, reception center.and the food was so good, and everything was amazing, the ceremony and reception. They helped with everything, and gave the best service ever.
Lisa and Craig
Wedding: 9/10/11
I had my ceremony and reception at the PNC Arts Center Reception Center (Robert B. Meyner Reception Center) and it was AWESOME! Merri-Makers did an outstanding job with the food and service. My guests are still talking about out wedding!
Melissa
Wedding: 9/9/11
I LOVED working with Merri Makers at the PNC Bank Arts Center. Rose was excellent to work with. She worked with us to give us the wedding that we wanted and her goal was to make us happy. She definitely delivered! Kevin was our maitre'd and he was great as well. He made sure that everything went exactly how we wanted it to on the day of. Anthony was our captain and he was perfect. He made sure we were well fed and that our drinks were always full. The venue is gorgeous and elegant. The food was delicious and so many of our guests told us how they left full and satisfied. I would highly recommend Merri Makers at PNC to any bride who wants a great wedding and who doesn't want to have to worry about anything!
Aisha and Ricardo
Wedding: 8/21/11
I can't say enough about The Water's Edge. Sally and the team were just wonderful. Everything and more that I wanted they provided. They were so flexible, working with me so that I could have the wedding that I wanted. We had a bit of a different wedding with no alcohol, semi-Jewish dietary demands and little or no dancing. They were great working everything out so that everyone had a wonderful time, the meal was superb and the waiters and staff were amazing. Thank you so much Sally and Merrimakers.
Melanie and James
Wedding: 7/23/11
Laura and Mary are an amazing team and literally gave me everything I asked for. They were very organized, which I appreciated and really listened to what I wanted. They also had great recommendations about what works well, but were never pushy or impatient with us despite constantly changing our menu. I wanted a few items that weren't on their menu and they were more than happy to accommodate us including filling 150 cannollis from a bakery in my hometown. Their food is amazing and they have such a great variety to choose from, but also are very flexible with changes you want to make.
Nicole and Drew
Wedding: 4/30/11
The location is incredibly beautiful, and everyone who was working the night of our wedding was very nice, friendly, and professional. Everything went perfectly. We had no stress at all dealing with them.
sueshe
Wedding: 1/8/11
Fabulous job! We dealt with Laura from MerriMakers and she made our day absolutely wonderful. I must have emailed her 72,000 times before the big day and she was extremely helpful through each one. She went above and beyond to calm our nerves and make the day of the wedding flawless. She was there with us throughout the night and made sure everything went smoothly. As for MerriMakers as a whole, the food and service were more than we could have imagined. So many of our guests simply raved about the food, especially cocktail hour! They were worth every penny, I highly recommend them!!
Kristin
Wedding: 10/10/10
My husband and I got married on a farm with no heat or electricity, let alone a proper cook's kitchen. We knew we needed to hire a catering company that could handle such a difficult event, so Merri-Makers was the obvious choice. Laura Daly was so easy to work with, and she always offered fresh, creative menu ideas. She came to the farm to do a walk-through with us to determine where the cook tent needed to go with all of their equipment, where our reception tent would go, how far away the cook tent would be from the reception tent to make sure the food stayed hot... she really cared about making sure our wedding would be perfect.She helped us create the menu for a traditional New England clambake (a tribute to my home state), as well as the best cocktail hour menu our guests had ever seen. Rick did a great job directing the Merri-Makers staff on our wedding day, and everyone was dressed very professionally. The staff was polite, and the bartenders knew how to make drinks well. In addition to working hard for our guests' experience, they also made sure we, as well as our bridal party, were well taken care of. They had our drinks of choice ready and waiting for us as we arrived at our cocktail hour, and while we were mingling with guests, they were thoughtful enough to make my husband and I plates of food, as we didn't have time to make our own plates. That type of service continued the entire night. I never had to get my own drink or serving of food, as it was all provided for me and my family, before we could even ask for it.If they can handle our wedding, on a farm, with no electricity, heat, or even a roof over their heads, they can handle your wedding! Merri-Makers is THE best catering company in the state of New Jersey, period.
Melanie
Wedding: 8/28/10
We had our wedding at the Neshanic Valley Golf Course through Merri-Makers. There were some good things and bad things about using this vendor. BAD: We booked the site about 10-11 months before our wedding date, and during the course of that time our wedding coordinator changed 4 times. Not once, did Merri-Makers notify us of these changes. I would just call or email to ask a question, and would get a "no longer works her response". I found this to be a bit frustrating, especially having to re-confirm everything. There were definitely discrepancies between what one said and what the next said. Because this was a new site for MM, there were a lot of other changes throughout the process: They changed the ballroom chairs (I personally loved the original ones from when I booked), They didn't decide till two weeks before my wedding whether the tent was going to be up or down, etc.... The site is beautiful, but the site is owned by the county not MM, so 1) Despite the fact that they show pictures of bride and groom on the golf course taking pictures, they will not let you on the course to take pics. This was told to us about 2 weeks before the wedding, which was annoying, but we still managed to get some good pics with the course in the background. 2) If you have the ceremony there, the parking lot is RIGHT there. Our first coordinator told us they block off the area closest to the ceremony for cars--Our final coordinator told us that was not possible. Needless to say a car alarm went off during our ceremony, which of course I had to laugh at!They also didn't get our cake right, we were given vanilla instead of chocolate filling. Not a big deal. GOOD: The food was excellent! This was extremely important to me, and one of the primary reasons I chose this vendor. I was not disappointed. I made sure to enjoy our cocktail hour, and was quite pleased with the selection and arrangement of food. Our day-of coordinator made sure we were taken care of all day! She would check in with us often, get us drinks, etc. They had food, champagne, and drinks ready for us in the bridal room as soon as the ceremony was over too. The ceremony site, golf course, reception room, and deck for cocktail hour was beautiful!! Our guests loved that they had the deck to use throughout the night for fresh air.
Amanda
Wedding: 8/28/10
The staff at Merri - Makers The Waters Edge is amazing.They are courteous and proffesional.That said, the owner was far from proffesional.There was a major error in my contract that was only found because I pointed it out.About two weeks before my wedding I called and asked for my final balance and was informed that the balance was almost $800 more then I had expected.It turns out that they "forgot" to include sales tax when they wrote the contract.When I spoke to the owner about the mistake he actually yelled at me on the phone and told me that if I didn't pay that I could just take my wedding somewhere else.He was so rude.I actually contacted a lawyer to find out if they could charge me tax after they signed the contract and she said no.The company is responsible for charging tax if they neglect to do so they must still pay tax,however it would have to be paid from their profits.I had no choice but to pay because the owner had already threatened me.Merri-Makers staff made day memorable for all the right reasons.The owner made it memorable for all the wrong.If you are considering having your wedding here you WILL NOT regret it.Just make sure that the whole tax thing doesn't happed to you.P.S. I have found that this has happened to 2 other couples besides me.
Lori
Wedding: 7/17/10
When we first booked Bonnet Island Estate, we were a little concerned that we did not have a choice of caterers. Coming from an Italian family where food is EVERYTHING at a wedding, I am very happy to report that the food was delicious and my whole Italian family agreed! Laura Daly was our coordinator and she was amazing as was her assistant Mary. Mary was so attentive to my husband and I are on wedding day. We constantly had fresh drinks in our hands. Laura was very accommodating to the many changes I made to our menu and drink order as the wedding got closer. She made sure everything was taken care of on our wedding day.
Kryssa
Wedding: 6/12/10
I got married at Merri Makers Water's Edge last month and the day was as perfect as you could have asked for. My contact at the venue, Sally, and the DOC, Jason, really took care of everything. We also had a wonderful young lady who would offer my and my bridesmaids food and drinks in the suite (they have a huge bridal suite) and great waiter who was always asking if we needed anything during the reception. We were well taken care of!They had to move my wedding down the beach a few weeks before the ceremony because they are experiencing beach errosion, so like any bride, I worried a little bit, but nothing could be done, and in the end it was perfect. If anything, it was better because it was completely private! There was nobody else on that area of the beach! They had large golf carts to transport my guests who would have trouble walking so there was no problem. They provide white chairs and a boardwalk so the guests are comfortable. There is also a power outlet down at the beach so my keyboard player could plug in and my officiant used her microphone. The cocktail hour was great, the food was magnificent- make sure you get the mushroom soup, the french toast, and the little phyllo cups with goat cheese! MMMmmm! My keyboard player from the ceremony played the piano that they have in the cocktail room. Our reception went perfectly. They provide all the food, alcohol, linens, dishes, ect. They also include a cake (which was delicious- we picked chocolate and yellow cake with raspberry filling.) You can choose from about 25 designs that are included in the wedding price or if you want a fancier cake you can pay to upgrade. You also get to choose from about 50 linen colors. We chose 2 colors and had them alternate on the tables. It looked great. They will set up all your centerpieces and seating cards so you don't have to worry about that stuff. There is also a great patio that my guests enjoyed since it was a beautiful day. If you are thinking about a beach wedding in NJ, you cannot pass up a tour of this venue. The venue itself, the food, and the service are all excellent!
Stephanie
Wedding: 6/4/10
Merri Makers Neshanic- It was really important for us to find a reception hall that "fit" us. This was definitely it. The food was amazing! It is a relatively new wedding site, and they are still ironing out kinks (I had dealt with a few different salespeople due to turnover). The only issue I really had was that the girl who was supposed to be waiting on us all night wasn't very attentive. The maitre 'd was great and the room looked absolutely perfect. My wedding reception was amazing due in large part to Merri Makers!
ChasingEmily and Tim
Wedding: 4/23/10
Merri-Makers was such a pleasure to work with and they were absolutely fantastic at everything they do! Laura Daly was our coordinator and she was so amazing and accommodating and helped us to achieve our exact vision for our wedding. We had several meetings over the course of several months to help fine tune our wedding menu. We loved working with them because they really allowed us total freedom to start from scratch and create our own culinary dream for our wedding. We gave them several home recipes that they very willingly helped us to recreate for our wedding which gave such a wonderful and personal touch...we even created an international cocktail hour with flavours from India, Vietnam, Cuba, etc. It was incredible to have them say yes to anything we asked when it came to food. And come wedding day, everything was executed so beautifully and several guests came up to us telling us how amazing the food tasted. Even though we didn't get to eat as much as we would have liked to at our own wedding, everything we tasted was a pure delight. Merri-Makers is wonderful if you're looking for a catering group that is willing to work with you to create your own culinary vision.
Kelly
Wedding: 12/5/09
We had our reception at Merri Makers in Sea bright, nj. They were unbelievable! THey did everything we asked, and made sure we were as comfortable as possible. Sally was our coordinator, Sal was our MAter D' and Tara was the bridal parties own waitress. The staff was phenomenal and the reception hall looked gorgeous. All of our guest were raving about the food and beauty of the place. They made my day the best day of my life. I would recommend them for your special day!
Jennifer
Wedding: 10/24/09
What can I say? They were perfect! The food was amazing and the service impeccable. They went over and above in every area. From planning to flexibility, to the day before and night of. People even commented to me afterward regarding the "on point" service they received. Bruce and Sheri at Neshanic Valley Golf Club were wonderful to work with and really made our day very special. I did not have a florist and created my own tables and bouquets but b/c there was a party the night before, I could not set everything up for them. They did so for me exactly how I pictured everything and really went above expectations! And the food!! Amazing....I am still getting compliments on the food! I just wish I could enjoy the night all over again! Thank you Merrimakers!
Paulo
Wedding: 6/20/09
MerriMakers provided great food and service at our wedding, but we were treated very poorly, arguably taken advantage of, when there was a dispute with our contract. We had a ZERO balance on the day of our wedding. Several months later, we received a nasty letter from MerriMakers saying our account was sent to collections and that, if she didn’t pay the balance due, she would be reported to our local police department for theft of services. MerriMakers “forgot” to put the sales tax on our initial contract, or any of the subsequent balance statements. We decided to split the balance with MerriMakers, since it was their mistake and we didn’t budget for this cost. It was almost impossible to get them to apologize for their mistake. We were more concerned about how my wife and I were treated than the money itself. MerriMakers was more concerned about the money itself over how they treated a well paying customer.