Planning a wedding is challenging under the best of circumstances. During a pandemic, it was among the most challenging logistical and emotional hurdles my wife and I have ever encountered. This is why we are endlessly thankful to Merida and her team for all that they did for us. Merida was professional, thorough, responsive, creative, and personable. She helped guide us through some very awkward moments and handled the intricacies of working during a public health crisis with grace. She oversaw everything from our switch of venue, the reduction of our guest list, the procurement of vendors, and the overall flow and details of the day itself. Merida ensured that what we needed was done, full stop.

We are located in northern NJ and Merida’s location did not once impact her ability to meet with vendors or chat with us. She was exactly what we needed and my wife and I believe that she is one of the main reasons our event occurred as planned. We fully recommend her for your event. -Matt and Christina, married 8-28-2020

This is barely an exaggeration, I don't know how we could have crawled across the finish line without her.

When my husband suggested we hire a wedding planner, I was a bit dubious - he's already so great at planning things and it seemed like an unnecessary expense. How wrong I was.

Merida is truly exceptional. Her knowledge of all the vagaries a wedding can present saved us endless headaches. She's always ready with a simple explanation or a hilarious anecdote whenever a bugbear rears its ugly head.

Merida cares about your event. I can't explain how gratifying and relieving it is to see her get irritated with a vendor on your behalf and set her jaw as she fixes the problem for you.

Merida will video chat with you periodically for status updates. She will reliably suggest alternatives if a plan isn't coming together. She will go to a venue with you to ask and answer the jargon-filled questions with an ease that can only come from experience. There's no room for hesitation and you won't wonder if you're being exploited with Merida at your side.

Merida is cool. She helped me figure out a side surprise to spring on my husband and she did it gladly. If you - like me - feel like you're constantly in over your head with this sort of thing, you'll be happy to know she can provide a starting point so you can get your bearings.

Merida and her assistants do not mess around when it's go-time. You will be kept on schedule gently but firmly, you will have access to the kit of everything-and-anything-you-might need. You will have a no-BS advocate who knows when to make a call for you to minimize your stress and when to consult you.

Merida is compassionate. Part of the reason my husband picked her is because she's LGBTQ-friendly. When you're queer, it can feel like you're always walking on eggshells and ready to flinch at any point just trying to live your life with dignity and happiness; my husband knew this event would be an enormous undertaking and knew he would likely face more misery if he braved it alone.

Merida was a lifeline. She is sensitive, well-connected, and fiercely dedicated. She made our wedding feel every bit as magical and joyful as we deserved, and we can never thank her enough.

Merida is worth it. Do yourself a favor and hire her. You won't regret it.

If you gave me a million characters in this text box I still wouldn't be able to express just how grateful I am to Merida and her team.

My husband and I have been together for over two decades and had already spent an enormous amount of time thinking about our wedding over the years, but after coming out as a trans man in 2019, I quickly realized that planning a gay wedding would involve additional challenges I hadn't considered. The thought of reaching out to vendors and getting misgendered as the "bride" over and over was an incredibly anxiety-inducing prospect. I knew we needed help from someone who understood our situation and would ensure we were both treated respectfully by an incredibly cis-heteronormative industry.

From the moment I engaged her, about a year before our wedding date, I knew that I'd made the right call. As a member of the community herself, Merida was my biggest advocate and fiercest champion. Her zero-tolerance policy of anyone who showed signs of homo/transphobia weeded out any problematic businesses and in just a few months she was able to book us an almost entirely queer team of vendors, all of whom did a spectacular job on the big day. I've never been so thankful to have someone like her in my corner.

Each and every call with Merida was an absolute delight. Not only is she an incredible wedding/event planner, but she is one of the most delightful people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. She is brilliant, thoughtful, and hilarious, putting you instantly at ease. No matter how nerdy or esoteric our ideas, Merida was here for it and helped us bring every little detail to life. Anytime I said the words "I know this is kind of crazy but could we possibly..." she would listen attentively, smile, and reply with "We can do that." Week after week things I thought would be impossible came together and fell perfectly into place.

On the day of the event (04/07/24), Merida and her team were like a SpecialOps team, complete with a full arsenal of emergency supplies the likes of which you've never seen. She kept us on schedule but never rushed us, leaving time for spontaneity; for every minor question or concern she had a plan, not one detail was overlooked.

The wedding itself was absolutely perfect. I cannot stress this enough. It was PERFECT. It was everything my husband and I had ever dreamed of since we were 15 years old. Thanks to Merida there was not a single thing we had to compromise on for the sake of someone else, there was not a single bad vibe, it was truly the most beautiful, entertaining, and triumphant celebration of queer love any of us had ever experienced. I was genuinely concerned my face would break from smiling with euphoria all day. It's been over a month now and I'm getting emotional all over again just writing this review.

I never thought I would be able to be my whole entire self on my wedding day.
Thank you, Merida for turning my gay little anime prince dreams into reality.

If you're queer, a huge nerd, or just someone who marches to the beat of their own drum, please hire Merida. She will make all of your dreams come true.

Check out our mini-video here!
https://vimeo.com/931825218/f5280e5cea