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Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?

So Im a DE bride and my FH and I decided we don't want to get married in DE and have been checking out locations in NJ. We went to The Merion today and totally fell in love with the venue and the food. Has anyone been to a wedding there or is getting married there? I just want to get a different opinion of the place. Thanks so much!!!!
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Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?

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    bnb4ever2009bnb4ever2009 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Just went to a wedding there on Aug 20th.  What would you like to know?
    BnB4ever
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    edited December 2011
    i was a bridesmaid in a wedding there.... the place is definitely beautiful. 
       one of the things i would definitely say to be aware of is that you won't be the only wedding there at the time. There will be other brides there trying to use the big staircase to take pictures or the outdoor picture area at the same time as you. so theres a good chance you'll run into another bride on your wedding day. ( i know they try not to let them happen, but its kind of hard when everybody wants pictures taken in the same spots) it also get a little crazy with so many guests from a few different weddings all there at the same trime, trying to figure out where to go, etc.
       for the wedding i was in.... it was an 11 AM wedding. that morning, we got ready and left all of our stuff in one of the bridal suites upstairs. Well, after the wedding, we went to get our stuff and it wasn't there! they had moved all of our stuff so that one of the later weddings could use the bridal suite. Not a huge deal, but just kind scary to not see your stuff where you left it. would have been nice to know ahead of time.
       also.... Dh was in the wedding, too and he saw our friends videographer videotaping the placecard table that was set up for another wedding. luckily he let the guy know... but can you imagine our friends getting their wedding video like "wait a second! those aren't our placecards!"
       again, its little stuff... but just something to be aware of.  this wedding was in may, so it might not be a problem if your wedding is at an off time of year, like january.
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:9b364c7b-605d-45d6-80f1-33aa6c00e684">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Just went to a wedding there on Aug 20th.  What would you like to know?
    Posted by bnb4ever2009[/QUOTE]

    <div>
    </div><div>I want to know your opinion of the place. How was the food? Did you think the wedding went smoothly? How was the staff towards you as a guest? Was your friend who got married happy with the service? Would you get married there or recommend it?</div>
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:549884b2-ac20-4959-9bab-4770d7701b13">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]i was a bridesmaid in a wedding there.... the place is definitely beautiful.     one of the things i would definitely say to be aware of is that you won't be the only wedding there at the time. There will be other brides there trying to use the big staircase to take pictures or the outdoor picture area at the same time as you. so theres a good chance you'll run into another bride on your wedding day. ( i know they try not to let them happen, but its kind of hard when everybody wants pictures taken in the same spots) it also get a little crazy with so many guests from a few different weddings all there at the same trime, trying to figure out where to go, etc.    for the wedding i was in.... it was an 11 AM wedding. that morning, we got ready and left all of our stuff in one of the bridal suites upstairs. Well, after the wedding, we went to get our stuff and it wasn't there! they had moved all of our stuff so that one of the later weddings could use the bridal suite. Not a huge deal, but just kind scary to not see your stuff where you left it. would have been nice to know ahead of time.    also.... Dh was in the wedding, too and he saw our friends videographer videotaping the placecard table that was set up for another wedding. luckily he let the guy know... but can you imagine our friends getting their wedding video like "wait a second! those aren't our placecards!"    again, its little stuff... but just something to be aware of.  this wedding was in may, so it might not be a problem if your wedding is at an off time of year, like january.
    Posted by miss1180[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Yea I knew that and of course the staff assured us that we would never know another wedding was going on..I don't really believe that but it is a nice place and what you get for the price seems really good. The one thing I'm not to fond of is the areas to have photography done..there really aren't any!

    </div>
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    edited December 2011
    Hey! There are quite a few of us getting married there on this board. I am  and have been to other weddings there too. I think it's a great place and would definitely recommend it. They do a million weddings and they know what their doing. Their cocktail hour is really more food than I have seen anywhere else. You guest will be talking about it forever and will definitely enjoy themselves. They are willing to work with you too on the pricing and packages. I recommend them.
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    edited December 2011
    I think the time of year is going to affect how many weddings you're dealing with more than anything else. I am getting married on a Saturday in January and as far as I know right now, we are the only wedding going on that day unless something changed since the last time I was at the hall. So obviously I'll have less of a problem with that than someone getting married in June or October or something...

    Honestly I cannot tell you enough good things about my entire experience dealing with them so far. Everything I have wanted or needed they have come through on and many things they have gone above what we even asked. I have gotten every phone call or email answered right away and the owners are VERY involved with each wedding which is fantastic. We went for our tasting last month and the food is amazing, It reinforced my choice to have the bridal party attend the cocktail hour so they can partake in the food.

    As for the pictures I was also disappointed about the grounds only because EVERY other venue I looked at was in North Jersey and typically those venues have incredible grounds. However I am going to follow the suggestions of many other Knotties getting married there and we will be using Lakewood Memorial Park across the street. We are going to do our photos in the hall as early as they will let us and then do the photos across the street so if there IS another wedding, we'll be out of their way early enough.

    If you have any other questions please let me know, I'll be happy to help!
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    edited December 2011
    i live right down the road from there and the reason we didnt pick it was because it is a wedding factory...they have several weddings at the same time....that was a bit of a turn off for us...but i have heard good things about the food and it is beautiful
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:c68872b5-5938-4bf7-916b-e7cf25b1975b">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think the time of year is going to affect how many weddings you're dealing with more than anything else. I am getting married on a Saturday in January and as far as I know right now, we are the only wedding going on that day unless something changed since the last time I was at the hall. So obviously I'll have less of a problem with that than someone getting married in June or October or something... Honestly I cannot tell you enough good things about my entire experience dealing with them so far. Everything I have wanted or needed they have come through on and many things they have gone above what we even asked. I have gotten every phone call or email answered right away and the owners are VERY involved with each wedding which is fantastic. We went for our tasting last month and the food is amazing, It reinforced my choice to have the bridal party attend the cocktail hour so they can partake in the food. As for the pictures I was also disappointed about the grounds only because EVERY other venue I looked at was in North Jersey and typically those venues have incredible grounds. However I am going to follow the suggestions of many other Knotties getting married there and we will be using Lakewood Memorial Park across the street. We are going to do our photos in the hall as early as they will let us and then do the photos across the street so if there IS another wedding, we'll be out of their way early enough. If you have any other questions please let me know, I'll be happy to help!
    Posted by Rangergirl[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Who are you going with for flowers/decorations? I have been talking to a lady, Lidia, from twisted willow and i emailed in full bloom to set up a meeting. And thank you for the suggestions about the park. I'm going to check it out and show it to the FH.

    </div>
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    LisaLPharmDLisaLPharmD member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I went to a wedding there in December and it was fantastic. We booked ours there as well.  The cocktail hour is amazing and so is the dessert in the end. The place itself was by far the best looking venue I have seen.  I feel like you really get a lot for your money there.

    At the wedding I went to, the second I would sit down a dirty plate, the wait staff cleaned it up immediately.  The waiter who was handling our table, was great as well
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    edited December 2011
    Bonnie & Clyde I met with both of those florist that you're considering and I really think they are both wonderful! I would recommend either. Lidia is really nice and accomodating and so was Janane from In Full Bloom. I had a really hard time picky between the two but I think you'll be great who either of them!
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    danagigsdanagigs member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am having my reception at the Merion. FI and I looked at so many places but when I walked in there I fell in love! They seem very accommodating and my coordinator, Susan, is close to our age and completely understands our vision! I can not wait to start working with her more to put it all together. When we first met her, we even stayed for an extra hour and a half just talking about college experiences. She was really interested in getting to know us. I hear that the food is amazing and the little bit I tasted during my first visit, I have to say that I am excited to try more Laughing

    Hope this helps!! Good Luck with your decision!!! Smile
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    edited December 2011
    We have been lucky enough that one of my friends and I used to work at the same forist years ago... he is doing everything for me at cost which is an insane blessing considering what I imagine flowers to cost in January! Everything else we are DIY'ing it up! When I went to the Merion the first time, I knew it was a bit over our budget however there was no way I could walk out without booking it, I had more of a "This is it" feeling with it than I did with my dress! So we cut back our budget on everything else and I've become excellent at googling centerpiece components, hehe.
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:9630b9f4-d322-4798-9ca4-5fa874cb0922">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I am having my reception at the Merion. FI and I looked at so many places but when I walked in there I fell in love! They seem very accommodating and my coordinator, Susan, is close to our age and completely understands our vision! I can not wait to start working with her more to put it all together. When we first met her, we even stayed for an extra hour and a half just talking about college experiences. She was really interested in getting to know us. I hear that the food is amazing and the little bit I tasted during my first visit, I have to say that I am excited to try more  Hope this helps!! Good Luck with your decision!!! 
    Posted by danagigs[/QUOTE]<div>
     I feel the same way about how we were treated, the lady we met with, stephanie, was awesome! I have looked at a ton of different venues incld Cescaphe in Philly. That was supposed to be the top of the line and I felt like I was under a looking glass. Like the ppl were assessing how much money we had. So I was a bit hesitant to go to another venue that was higher end and just as classy. I definitely didn't have to worry. They really make you feel special and like a part of their family. Can't wait to do a tasting!</div>
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:f7a9f553-30d7-42bb-977d-fe89e77d4ba2">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]We have been lucky enough that one of my friends and I used to work at the same forist years ago... he is doing everything for me at cost which is an insane blessing considering what I imagine flowers to cost in January! Everything else we are DIY'ing it up! When I went to the Merion the first time, I knew it was a bit over our budget however there was no way I could walk out without booking it, I had more of a "This is it" feeling with it than I did with my dress! So we cut back our budget on everything else and I've become excellent at googling centerpiece components, hehe.
    Posted by Rangergirl[/QUOTE]

    <div>They let you DIY there?!! I was under the impression that we couldn't and it would be preferred that we had a florist and stuff. I really want to DIY my flowers and FI was talking about getting a wedding planner for the day to make sure everything runs more smoothly but I figured our coordinator there would act as a coordinator. </div><div>What ballroom are you using? Are you having your ceremony there too?</div>
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    LisaLPharmDLisaLPharmD member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm in the Palazzo, the big one, downstairs to the right.  We liked the idea of using that hallway for part of the cocktail hour, and also that the bar would be INSIDE the ballroom, not in the other area.  The ceremony is at a church though.
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    edited December 2011
    I have been to one there.  It was beautiful, the food was great, the service was great.  I wish I could afford to have my reception there.
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    ev4149ev4149 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm at the Merion as well!!  We are having the reception in the Empire room on April 30.  Last I heard, there was one other wedding going on that evening in the Skylight room.  I am not too concerned about the overlapping weddings - they start an hour before us.  Plus, they are on the top level, and we are on the bottom level.  One of the reasons I picked the Empire room was to have that extra privacy.  I doubt guests from other weddings will wander downstairs...
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    edited December 2011

    I had let Stephanie know we were doing everything ourselves and she said that was no problem, the only issue is because their staff is Union, they can't actually put anything together which was fine anyhow. I have a friend acting as my wedding planner and she is going to go to the Hall in the morning to set up all our centerpieces and decorations. (They told us that we could add arrangements or candles or what not to the cocktail hour space to make it more oriented towards our theme.) We're also doing some things in the ceremony space downstairs instead of flowers... curtains to cover the stained glass in the front and some winter-ish type things as well. They were totally fine with everything.

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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:f830d984-58aa-4402-94b8-6eb6c16d4cd7">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I had let Stephanie know we were doing everything ourselves and she said that was no problem, the only issue is because their staff is Union, they can't actually put anything together which was fine anyhow. I have a friend acting as my wedding planner and she is going to go to the Hall in the morning to set up all our centerpieces and decorations. (They told us that we could add arrangements or candles or what not to the cocktail hour space to make it more oriented towards our theme.) We're also doing some things in the ceremony space downstairs instead of flowers... curtains to cover the stained glass in the front and some winter-ish type things as well. They were totally fine with everything.
    Posted by Rangergirl[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Are you going to decorate the cocktail space? It seems like there is so much going on with all the food and stuff that it would be overload..but then again it might look better and more personal. Idk! Decisions, decisions!

    </div>
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    edited December 2011
    We're not going to do anything big, cause I agree it could be overload, or it may just go unnoticed and then all the work was for nothing... our theme is like a winter forest and snowflakes so we're just going to do snowflake shaped tealight holders, some scattered pine cones and pine needles and hanging some acrylic snowflake ornaments from places... we're also going to do personalized cocktail napkins with our names and snowflakes on them at the tables and we were going to see if one of our ice sculptures could be a snowflake as well.
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_south-new-jersey_anyone-getting-married-wedding-merion?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:128Discussion:8d83ce04-80e5-439d-a61f-05a27a0480b2Post:e711c141-319e-4b61-aa24-2eecd83323d7">Re: Anyone getting married or been to a wedding at The Merion?</a>:
    [QUOTE]We're not going to do anything big, cause I agree it could be overload, or it may just go unnoticed and then all the work was for nothing... our theme is like a winter forest and snowflakes so we're just going to do snowflake shaped tealight holders, some scattered pine cones and pine needles and hanging some acrylic snowflake ornaments from places... we're also going to do personalized cocktail napkins with our names and snowflakes on them at the tables and we were going to see if one of our ice sculptures could be a snowflake as well.
    Posted by Rangergirl[/QUOTE]

    <div>That sounds very pretty! Esp the ice sculpture</div>
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    edited December 2011

    RANGERGIRL!! have you made those curtains yet?  how do they look?> How did you make them with what material and how are you hanging them up? Please let me know as i am doing the same thing for our wedding at the merion in March. This is one thing im having trouble with figuring out how to DIY with. Thanks so much !

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    edited December 2011
    I had my wedding there in the Palace Room July 2009
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