The Merion, perhaps?

ChanelShades

I have visited countless venues and I am not "in love" with any of them. I guess I like the Merion the best. I find that they included a lot for their pricing. Anyone else looked at the Merion? What did you find good and bad about it?

 I hope to put an end to this venue hunting by the end of this month. I have visited most of them in my area (except for Paris Caterers in Blackwood.) *If you have commentary about Paris Caterers let me know as well.*

It looks like it may be the Merion? Anyone get any good price rates there?

teacup0618

I was in a Wedding at the Merion in September and i thought it was gorgeous! Coctail hour was phenominal, and there was lotttsss of dessert too! Never been to Paris before. Where else have you looked?

ChanelShades

Aulettos, Adelphias, Luciens, Brigalias, Villaris, Aloft, Maggiano's, Southern Mansion, The Mansion at Main Street in Voorhees, Pennsauken Country Club, Camden County Boathouse, Scotland Run Golf Course, and many more I can't recall right now.

teacup0618

WOW...not sure how far north you want to go but did u try Nanina's in the Park in Belleville, NJ? They are really nice there and the place is very pretty. The other place that i thought was nice that we looked at in NJ is the Carriage House in Galloway. Are you only looking in NJ or are you interested in looking in Philly? We just booked at the Ballroom at the Ben (the ballroom is AMAZING), and were also looking into booking at Cescaphe (all of the reviews are great for Cescaphe, but they book up very fast and didnt have any dates that worked for us) but neither of those 2 have an outside area if that is something you are looking for.

ev4149

Hello!  I'm getting married at the Merion next April.  I found they give you a lot for your money.  I looked at the Merion versus the North Jersey places (The Palace at Somerset, Nanina's, and others) and found that going the South Jersey route was less expensive.  Plus, they were willing to work with me on the price for a Saturday night.  I'm a little biased, but that's my two cents!

teacup0618

Yes, I'll agree with you on that.. Nanina's and The Palace are def a little on the pricey side

katieholohan

We are using the castle in delran, its beautiful, the food is awesome and soo budget friendly.

demarcosjd

I wouldn't settle on a place just because you haven't found what you have in mind. At the same time I would also keep in mind that it's just a place. Depending on your budget chair covers, uplighting, etc can do a lot. The main focus will also be on you and your FI and many guests won't even recognize small details. We just had our reception at The Renault Winery in Egg Harbor/Galloway and it was amazing. We got sooo many compliments for guests about the place in it's self. I had a similar situation we looked at tons of places before making a decision. Once we saw Renault we new right away it was the place for us.

Although some Northern/Central Jersey places may be more per head if you are looking for the ambiance then that is where to look. As pp mentioned Philly is another option. GL!

TheBachelorette

We got married at the Carriage House in Galloway. We loved the old world charm and the staff was truly amazing.  Food was excellent there are many locations there for pictures.  We had narrowed down to the Merion and the Carriage House and ultimately decided on the Carriage House because it had a MUCH more beautiful venue for our ceremony and was more reasonably priced then the Merion (they offered many of the same "extras" that the Merion was offering as well).

aprovencher21

I'm getting married at the Merion in Jan.  Did you look at all of the ballrooms?? I loved everything I got for the price and the level of service I am getting.  I fell in love with the Merion once I was there.  What are you looking for??

Also, the really did a great job negotiating price and add-ons to my package.

rol769

We had our ceremony and reception at Lucien's, which was a lot cheaper than Merion, and we STILL have people telling us what a great time they had, and that they couldn't believe how good the food was.  In fact, a co-worker went to her niece's wedding recently and her husband was telling everyone how fabulous our wedding was, and how great the food was (not to mention how much food they give you).  We were going to look at Lucien's and Merion in the same day, but once we saw Lucien's, we cancelled the appointment at Merion. 

My co-worker just had her reception and ceremony at the Carriage House.  Beautiful place and the food was really good.  Only bad thing was that it was too close to the shore, and you run into way too much traffic (if you're going to have your wedding in the summer, that is).  Good luck with choosing!

Northstar1808

Have you tried the Venice Plaza in Berlin? They were very reasonably priced and the food is amazing. I think it's beautiful inside and FI is in love with the bar.

aprovencher21

Oh!  I should also add what they threw in for free

-Free martini bar
-free ice sculpture
-Gyro Station
-Changed out scallops at the seafood station for smoked salmon for free
-They are also letting me add on the groom's station for only $3 per person

I looked at a ton of places before deciding and tried food everywhere before signing a contract.  Nothing could compare to the Merion's food and service.

I also looked at Cescaphe and really liked it.  However, I'd be required to have 175 people for a Friday night.  While it turns out that I'm now inviting way more than that I wasn't sure about that at the time and I thought that was a bit of an extreme requirement for a Friday in Jan.  I also wasn't thrilled with the area or parking for my guests in Philly.

I wouldn't settle for just any place.  I love my florist and lighting company and they are totally taking the ballroom I really liked to something beyond amazing.  Happy to help if I can!

Rangergirl

I'm also getting married at the Merion in January and they were very willing to work with us... in addition to meeting the budget we gave them (almost $50 pp less than what they quoted us) they threw in two stations and an ice sculpture and lowered the minimum for the ballroom we wanted. They may have been more willing to do this because we're getting married in January but in general they were just great and seemed more than willing to work within budgets... plus you get a LOT for your money.
I did ALL of my searching outside of the Merion in North Jersey and it definitely is more expensive but Nanina's is gorgeous.... also if you've seen the Venetian, it's very very similar to the Merion but more expensive.. however! They also own Seasons in Washington Township which is MUCH more affordable, it's beautiful inside and they offer the EXACT menu the Venetian does. We actually wanted to book our wedding there initially but they didn't have our date available.

danagigs

We are having our reception at the Merion in Sept. of 2011. I could tell you everything I loved about this place till my face turns blue. Pricing, quality, all the outside comments I have heard, and my planner for there, are beyond anything that I ever could have hoped for. However, when my fiance and I walked in, it was obvious, at least to me, that it was the perfect place for us. If I couldnt have my reception there I think I would have cried. So, even though the Merion ranks top of you list. I would keep looking till you find "the one." at least give it a little more thought then if you havent been blown away by somewhere else, just go back and make an appointment with Susan. She is my consultant from there and she did everything she could to make the merion everything I needed it to be with what we wanted/needed and worked with what we could afford. Good Luck :-)  

Estuck

I am having a New Years Eve wedding at the Merion, even having the ceremony there too.  I love it and the people there are great as well.  Good luck with everything!