Mallard Island Estate by Merri-Makers

e from loving the venue, we loved Gianna!! She was extremely patient with all my questions (and there were a lot), putting us completely at ease that our day would be seamless. Her and her team did such an amazing job making sure everything is on schedule down to the very minute. They are truly experts in their field and made sure us and our parents were taken care of the entire day. Not to mention you get the entire estate – we had our bridal party stay in the suites upstairs so the party could keep going! MIYC’s catering is MerriMakers who is also out of this world. So many of our guests raved about all the food, especially the cocktail hour. If you’re a sushi lover - SPLURGE FOR THE SUSHI. The display was incredible and the freshness was out of this world. Everything was so perfect, I hope i have the opportunity to attend as a guest!!

for our ceremony, cocktail hour was in the garden and downstairs area, and the reception space was awesome! They have window doors that they were able to open up once our reception started and it created such a cool and versatile space! There was a bar set up out on the balcony and it looked amazing. The grounds have so many amazing spaces for photo opportunities for the bride and groom as well as their guests. Getting ready in their bridal suite was absolutely incredible. It was such a dream of a day. Nothing was missed, right down to the swans swimming in the water all day by the chapel!!! Everything ran so smoothly thanks to their amazing staff. Gianna is just the best wedding coordinator EVER. She was always there to answer any and every question I had. She was ON IT!! The entire year leading up and the day of the wedding. She helped me solution and put me at ease so many times throughout the wedding planning process. I didn’t hire a wedding planner and I didn’t feel like I really needed one with all of her help! We honestly had zero problems come up the day of! The bridal attendants were great, always checking in on me to make sure I had what I needed and keep me updated on how things were moving along. My husband and I never didn’t have a drink in our hands and stayed fed all day thanks to them! Speaking of food.. WOW!! Everything was incredible. Right after our ceremony we were taken up to the bridal suite to trays and trays filled with food from cocktail hour so we didn’t miss out! Everything was so delicious. Our guests said they couldn’t believe how much food we had and how delicious it was! We were able to attend a tasting before the wedding and it really helped us make our selections for the day of, which wasn’t easy! I want to go back in time just to eat all of the food again! If you’re looking for a beautiful venue, incredible food (it truly is incredible, food was a big thing for us!!), and the most attentative staff to work with, Mallard Island Yacht Club is your place! I am one HAPPY bride!! Much love!

t backdrop. Though on-property, it feels separate & sacred: a beautiful, blank canvas upon which you can build the wedding of your dreams. When the doors were thrown open on our Big Day- and we were greeted by a room full of sunlight, flowers & love- our breaths were genuinely taken away. From pre-ceremony drinks in the garden, to a seamless indoor/outdoor cocktail hour, to a reception during which guests danced in the bay breeze, Mallard's expansive premises & thoughtful layout left nothing to be desired. On our first visit, we were awed by how stunning it looked in the daylight. But the nighttime views - with a candle-lit chapel, moon-lit terrace & fire-lit garden - knocked our socks off. Another draw was the bridal suite... just WOW! It’s an oasis with a separate salon space that housed hours of stress-free bridal prep. A blissful way to start the day, for sure! The guys found their perfect home in the Groom Shack: a rustic cabin nestled right on the bay. With drinks in their hands - and a view that inspired deep breaths & total serenity - their day-of vibes were certainly brought to life! As avid foodies, we wanted to be sure that we fed our guests and fed them well! Based on overwhelming praise, we can say: Mission Accomplished! Scallops served in shells, tomahawk steak sliced on the spot, a locally-sourced raw bar, cacio e pepe, lobster rolls - and that's just the cocktail hour! For 6 straight hours our group was met with a feast beyond their wildest dreams, all facilitated by the most wonderful & attentive staff. Working with Gianna & Merri-Makers was a stellar experience. They are professionals, through-and-through! In the wedding lead-up, they offered helpful hints & checked in often to ensure major milestones were met. Once we selected our outside vendors, they coordinated logistics, ensuring we had as little to worry about on our Big Day as possible. Day of, their kindness & compassion made us feel calm & cared for and allowed us to focus on what mattered most: spending time with loved ones & getting married! We also can’t say enough about our attendants! When the bride’s feet needed a break, sneakers magically appeared under the sweetheart table. When the groom needed a drink, it was in his hand without asking. The same impeccable care was shown to our parents, family & friends. People make such an incredible effort to be with you on your wedding, and you want them to feel as loved and appreciated as you do. Merri-Makers can give a Master Class on how to do just that. We also hosted our afterparty at Mallard! Oddly enough, it’s not too hard to encourage folks to have a few extra cocktails when the next stop is just downstairs! From arrival to departure, our guests were with us for 8 hours. To us, that’s the sign of a great party! Our family stayed overnight at Mallard. When we awoke the next morning, all of our things were packed and ready to go: a fitting ending & further proof that, from start-to-finish, the service at Mallard is unparalleled. Special thanks to LouAnn, who took great care of our troupe and sent us off with the warmest wishes. Whenever we're asked about our wedding, we smile and say “it was the most perfect day." We're eternally grateful to the Mallard & Merri-Maker team for helping make it all happen.

will remember forever!!! When we toured the venue we were initially drawn to the waterfront views from anywhere inside or outside of the building! The covered dock where the ceremony is is beyond beautiful and so unique. An amazing part of the venue is that all of the outside space (with the exception of the courtyard) can be used if you have rain on your wedding day! Not many people think of a rain plan - and at this place - even the rain plan is beautiful! The downstairs cocktail hour space and upstairs reception spaces are so unique from one another but are both beautiful - you have to see them for yourself! The downstairs is a high end coastal bar vibe but with elegance and the upstairs is just the most beautiful and unique reception room I've ever seen! The dance floor is huge and the flow of the upstairs makes it very functional for a large or small wedding. The craftsmanship of the ceiling and vintage detailing is to die for! And the 3,000 square foot bridal suite..... once you see it, you'll know what I mean!!! The venue has a limited number of guest rooms you can rent the night of the wedding (if are required to rent out the rooms if you get married on a Saturday) and each room is so unique! We had our immediate family stay over the night of the wedding and it was perfect! We got ready off-site at another hotel & were able to check in at 1230 the day of the wedding. If you have a Friday wedding I believe you can check in at 10am. During our planning process we worked with Gianna who was amazing and helped us each step of the way! Gianna was so responsive and helpful with any questions we had - and she also helped us customize our menu to fit our price range and taste preferences. The food is incredible! Our guests were raving about the various stations and passed food during cocktail hour - and the unique food choices for dinner - again you can make it very customizable! From what I heard from my guests, there were zero lines at the stations and at the bar. The service the Merri-Makers team provides is above and beyond anything I could ever imagine! I've worked in the service industry and I am so impressed with their team! They have multiple bridal attendants that cater to you the entire day and they are the sweetest people! We also had 2 maitre ds who made our dinner service run so smoothly. We also had an amazing overnight manager who was so sweet and helpful! They will keep your entire day on track! ALSO - they cleaned up everything for us at the end of the night too and organized it into our bins! I never heard of a venue doing that. It was incredible. We also had our after party in the downstairs area where cocktail hour was and it was so much fun! It is great having a venue where you can have the ceremony, reception, and after party! The entire day just ran so smoothly from start to finish. I wouldn't change anything about this day. This place really knows how to put on a wedding and make it special for you and your family!!!!

ried near LBI and I originally thought I wanted to get married at Bonnet island (their sister property) until I stepped foot in Mallard.. I knew my venue search was over and I found my dream venue. I loved the unique wedding experience you get with mallard.. you have the option to rent out the entire property overnight. The entire third floor is like a hotel so you and your guests of choice can spend the night. This eases so much stress that you know you have access to your own personal room with a bathroom whenever you need it and you don’t need to worry about getting on a shuttle after your wedding night and staying in a hotel! We worked very closely with Gianna, who coordinates and basically plans your entire wedding at Mallard. Gianna honestly becomes like your best friend by the end and really makes your entire experience. There is no need to hire a wedding planner when you get married at Mallard. She truly is amazing at what she does. She is kind, organized, flexible, and always checked in week to week to make sure you had everything and anything that you needed for your big day. In addition on your wedding day you get two Maitre D‘s who make not only the bride and groom but your families feel like royalty. Anything you needed they had for us. They made sure my husband and I had everything we needed wedding day, gave us our own personal private cocktail hour, made sure we had a whole plate of every dessert, and so much more. My husband even got 2 dinners!!! In addition to us they also made sure our families were beyond taken care of by giving them trays of food at cocktail hour, trays of dessert, etc. My parents and in-laws could not believe the above and beyond service the staff at Mallard gives you. Brides, if you envisioned yourself getting married at a location with a bridal suite look no further. The bridal suite is honestly unreal and it’s almost something you need to see yourself to believe. My girls could not believe how amazing that suite was and there’s an entire salon up there where you get ready. One of the other selling points to me was the ceremony space. The beautiful boathouse chapel overlooking the bay was breathtaking! Ok so let’s talk about the FOOD. My guests could not get over how amazing the food was from the cocktail hour to the reception and even the after party! Also not to mention the dessert was amazing (highly recommended the bananas foster and homemade ice-cream sandwiches) The reception space is beautiful and I loved that there is so much room for your guests to hang out and not feel cramped. I also loved how the dance floor had its own area. Other weddings I’ve been too had the band right on top of the reception tables and it was so loud that I couldn’t even think. This was so nice that the band and dance area was a bit separated so people could still enjoy talking with other guests without screaming over a band. I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t love about my day and Mallard. Our guests were so impressed and it was the best day I could of ever imagined. From the second you and your wedding party steps foot at the venue you are treated beyond amazing. If you are looking for a luxury and unique wedding experience near the water then getting married at Mallard is a MUST! Thank you Mallard for the best day EVER!!!