Events By Merida Reviews
Reviews
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![RJ Rushmore]()
Rj Rushmore Sent on 07/25/2024Merida will be your best advocate for the wedding that you want!
Merida was THE integral part of making our wedding day perfect. We knew we wanted to hire a wedding planner going into this and after interviewing several planners, Merida was the clear choice for us. If you want an alternative, nerdy, queer-affirming, culturally informed wedding planner, Merida is the woman for the job.
Her knowledge of vendors and intricate details of wedding planning was invaluable. As my husband often said, ‘We are doing this once, you have done this hundreds of times, we trust you!’ You can tell Merida genuinely cares about your event, and it was incredibly reassuring to see her take charge, handling any issues that arose with vendors and solving problems that arose. We were updated with regular video chats and felt like we were heard and affirmed in our choices. She took the time to explain everything and her work ethic and spreadsheets are incredible. It was so helpful to be able to check in with her and be told what we should be focusing on and what we needed to do next. Merida herself is also just a wonderful, fun person who is easy to talk to. She was always just a text away, responding promptly, and handled her work/life balance flawlessly.
If you aren’t looking for a full service planner, she also offers a day-of coordination package which I would recommend to every couple, everywhere. Having someone who is familiar with so many venues, the way they operate, and what you need to do, and when, is the most helpful thing ever. While we were getting ready, Merida was making sure the vendors were on schedule and had what they needed. She was also the contact person for our guests who had any questions so that all we had to do was enjoy our wedding day. Merida and her team made sure we had a plate of food made up for us from cocktail hour, made sure we were hydrated, and ensured that we had a few moments to ourselves directly after the ceremony to decompress in peace.
I often thought, ‘Wow, I’m really not stressed about this wedding!’ because Merida took care of everything so well. 10/10!!
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![Calvin]()
Calvin Sent on 05/14/2024Merida is a gift
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 -
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![Nora]()
Nora Sent on 12/31/2023Book Merida Now
I don’t think words can really describe how amazing Merida and her team are. From the initial phone call looking for planners, Merida’s personality and get it done mentality had us sold! She took the vision we had and not only executed it, but let us enjoy our day - worry-free. Merida is a true professional and well respected in this industry. All our vendors shared that our wedding was so relaxed from getting ready to every event on our timeline. Thank you for such an amazing day. We are grateful to have your guidance and advice professionally and as a friend on our big day! -
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![Nickki]()
Nickki Sent on 12/30/2023Two words about Events by Merida: HIRE THEM.
Services we utilized EBM for:
Full Planning, inclusive of day of services.
Venues: St. John The Baptist, Manayunk; Lark
My husband and I had attempted to plan our wedding on our own and within one week of struggling for transparency with venues to see if they'd even fit into our budget, he had suggested maybe we hire a planner. I crowdsourced for recommendations to friends on Facebook and one suggested Events by Merida. We had 1 call with Merida and - to quote Stepbrothers "Did we just become best friends? Yep!". My husband said, "Hire her." within minutes of hanging up the Zoom. The connection and comfortability with Merida was immediate and lasting. It's easy to talk to Merida and build trust. She truly wants the best for you and your partner. That she is selective in whom she works with and how many weddings EBM takes on each year added to our comfort level. We knew Merida would be focused on us.
Planning: Prior to the wedding itself, Merida became my bridal Xanax. She kept me calm, on schedule, on budget, helped me find and vet venues and vendors, chased after folks for me, offered me suggestions, made sure the contracts were written in our favor, facetimed/zoomed into calls with me, came to my fittings with me, helped me with wording and design choices for our website, save the dates and invitations and was an invaluable resource. Bridal brain is real; I'm probably forgetting a lot of the other ways she helped us during the planning process. Our wedding had Filipino ceremonial traditions and Filipino food included that had to be considered in all of it. There were some wild events that happened during planning with the church and the venue that Merida helped us work through. To say she made me feel like we were her most VIP client is an understatement.
The rehearsal & big day: Merida and her team made sure the rehearsal and day of our wedding was as seamless as possible doing everything from running our rehearsal, reminding Monsignor of important parts, vendor wrangling - all of them. ALL, time management, body taping, dress fixing, reminding everyone to eat and hydrate, guest management... you name it, we could count on Merida and her crew to handle it. There were probably 300 things EBM handled that never came to our attention; we gave them carte blanche to ensure the day was amazing. When I say we worried about nothing, I mean we worried about nothing. Zero worries. Merida and her team had everything under control. Guests are still complimenting us on how friendly and professional the Events by Merida team were at our wedding.
I am a firm believer that the wedding wouldn't have been as awesome without Merida and her crew. THANK YOU a million times over.
**we haven't gotten pro photos back yet! -
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![Cindi]()
Cindi Sent on 08/30/2023Absolutely Incredible!
We cannot recommend Merida enough! She was always there when we had questions, even if the question seemed silly to me or I felt like I was overthinking. She never made me feel like I was dumb for not knowing something. She gave great advice, and always had our best interests at heart. There were many challenges we threw her way, including difficult family circumstances, decor that didn't 100% go as planned, and a dinosaur ring bearer. She was a calm presence, while also keeping us on time, and was a beautifully kind human being throughout the whole process. Honestly, we cannot image that the day would have been as great without her and her team. -
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![Lauri]()
Lauri Sent on 05/20/2023Every bride needs Merida!
I can’t say enough good things about Merida and her team. A+++ from start to finish! Merida and her assistant Laura made me feel so taken care of on the big day. They knew what I needed before I knew I needed it and kept me sane and calm throughout the whole process. I sent Merida about 100 texts on the day of the wedding. She answered Every. Single. One. I get overwhelmed by the big picture and hyper-focused on small details. She really helped keep me on track and sort out what was important and less important. I didn’t think I needed a wedding planner. We got engaged in February 2022 and bought a house in October 2022. By the time we were moved in (January 2023) I was starting to feel overwhelmed about putting a house together, working full-time and planning a May 2023 wedding all at once. The money we spent on Merida is the smartest $$ we spent on the entire thing! She’s has a sweet nature about her—a calming energy but can be firm when necessary. Merida was recommended to us by friends of ours who got married and used her services. Everything they told us about her was true! She is excellent! I feel like Merida is our very good friend now that we’ve spent countless hours on Zoom calls with her helping us navigate our way to a damn near perfect wedding. She kept us on budget and on schedule and laughing and having fun with her over the months she worked with us. Love Merida! Highly recommend!! -
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![Lisa]()
Lisa Sent on 10/27/2022If you're on the fence about hiring a planner, do it and hire Merida!
Merida and I have been working together for almost 2 years on my wedding and it was truly so incredible to work with her. First off, we heavily relied on Merida for her vendor recommendations that fit with the design and vision of our weddings. When we hired her, we already had our venue and photographer but she helped us with the rest of our team and we could not be more pleased. She is incredibly professional but also was really there for me when I was dealing with some personal family issues with my wedding which I greatly appreciated. She also constantly reassured and checked in with me throughout the process and answered my many questions and emails in a timely manner. In the days leading up to our wedding she went over timelines with me multiple times and made sure everyone knew what they were doing at the rehearsal. The day of, she made sure we were running on time and we were often ahead of schedule because of all the built in time that we had for our itinerary (that she helped us put together!). She also kept our very large wedding party on time and was in constant communication with our other vendors. She also steamed my veil and dress and all of my bridal party's outfits in record time. There was not one thing I had to worry about on my wedding day from set up to break down and I am so so appreciative of her and her hard work. She truly helped us have the wedding of our dreams and she really helped bring our vision to life. We are eternally grateful! -
![Ellen]()
Ellen Sent on 11/06/2021Merida=Best Decision EVER!
I can honestly say that the best decision I made during the wedding planning process (aside from saying “yes” during the proposal) was selecting Merida to be our wedding planner. My husband and I knew that we did not want a basic, cookie cutter wedding, but a big, fun party with a little wedding thrown in there and Merida was the perfect partner to make that dream a reality. During our two years of planning, Merida was always available for all questions, happy to discuss any ideas, function as a sounding board when needed and just be a guide through the craziness that can be planning a wedding. When our original caterer and DJ fell through, Merida was right there to provide recommendations for new vendors who would be on board with our vision. She was instrumental in helping us to orchestra the party aka wedding of our dreams!
Though Merida was a superstar leading up to the big day, she really shined on the wedding day! She was there to ensure everyone was on time, had shirts/dresses camera ready, things ran smoothly and just be a calming presence on a hectic day. From our perspective the day went perfectly…if anything did go wrong, Merida made sure we did not know about it and that the day still went on as planned. She far exceeded our expectations…she even let me wipe my sweaty face on her shirt!
Working with Merida was incredibly fun and enjoyable! We would get married every week/month/year, if it meant we got to have Merida along for the ride! Words can not fully convey how thankful we are for Merida and all that she did to make our wedding day the best day ever!
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![Katie]()
Katie Sent on 06/18/2021Exceeded expectations
Merida did an amazing job! We hired her midstream and she jumped in feet first and got us on track, even with COVID hanging over our heads. She was prompt with communicating with us and left no stone unturned. The whole day went off without a hitch and the best part was that we relied heavily on Merida to make that happen and she exceeded our expectations!
It was a beautiful wedding and we can't thank her enough for helping make that happen! -
![Matthew]()
Matthew Sent on 10/12/2020Top Marks for a Professional Planner
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
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![Smidford]()
Shanon Sent on 09/15/2020Merida is the Queen of Fixing Last Minute Changes!
I love Merida! My fiance and I were determined to pull off a wedding during the time of COVID-19 and Merida made it happen. Everything had to be adjusted from table sizes (ranging from 4 to 10), certain people needing very distanced seating, food allergies, a possible hurricane to the timing of everything day of. She helped get things from my house, my mothers house and was the main point of contact with the owner of the restaurant. I couldn't have made this happen without her. The rain even through us a curve ball the night before and Merida had a seating backup plan done at 11pm the night before. I would recommend her to any brides who needs someone that shows up, manages allll crises ( she glued my mother in law's fake eyelash on!! Now that's service!
Sincerely,
An extremely satisfied bride -
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![Dana]()
Dana Sent on 01/10/2020Merida is fantastic!
We hired her a couple of months out from our wedding, when we started reading some awful reviews about our venue. We LOVE our venue, but they were newer and going through some major growing pains. Merida was familiar with the space, and after reading all of her reviews, we knew we needed to call her! After speaking with her, I knew she would be perfect to help us pull everything off, and we were right - our day was PERFECT from start to finish.
Merida juggled all the coordinating with vendors arriving and dropping off, all the setup and timeline execution, and ran interference with tougher family members. She is sweet and funny, but not afraid to step up and let everyone know who's in charge, and we really needed that! She ran out and picked up a ton of beverages, cups, and ice for our wedding party when we realized that the venue didn't supply any of those things. She ran around all day making sure every detail was executed how we wanted it, and while she kept me posted on any last minute decisions that needed to be made, she never let on in the slightest if anything bad or stressful was happening! If anything went wrong on our day, we never heard about it.
We had the absolute best day of our lives, and we know we owe that to Merida for taking care of all the details and absorbing all of the stress for us. Thank you, Merida!!!Events By Merida's reply:
Thank you so much, Dana!! It was so much fun being a part of your day- I hope you guys had fun on your honeymoon! -
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![Alecia]()
Alecia Sent on 08/05/2019Fantastic perfect wedding
Wow! I just had my wedding last weekend with Merida as my planner! It was absolutely beautiful. I am a little controlling and don't like other people doing things for me, but Merida laid down the law, and made me relax and enjoy my day, and it was beautiful and gorgeous. Planning a wedding in the backyard is a lot of work, and I truly feel like I barely did any most of the time which was amazing! All of the decor and vendors Merida helped arrange were amazing, and she certainly kept my very large party of 13 groomsman and bridesmaids in line so I did not have to. I highly recommend Merida for a rather stress free, beautiful, and unique wedding! -
![Nathaly]()
Nathaly Sent on 11/18/2018Stress free
We reached out to Merida when we were considering having our wedding on the East Coast (we live on the West Coast) and explained we needed a lot of support having this sort of destination wedding on our family's property back home. Merida responded VERY quick and provided some information on her packages and pricing. We discussed more of what I was looking for and she tailored her package and provided a very reasonable price for the amount of work that was needed. We set up a time to meet via phone and Merida was very easy going but straight to the point. She responds to emails quickly and gets started as soon as you decide you fit well together. Merida helped us realize how our budget would be allocated realistically and made sure we got what we wanted but was upfront if our expectations were over budget. Merida always had a few alternatives to help us get our ideas going but not break the bank. Unfortunately we ended up having to do our wedding on the West Coast, due to family preferences, and we will miss Merida's support during this time. Even if you think you can plan a wedding on your own, reach out to Merida and hear her ideas, you will realize she can support in things you never even knew you needed! -
![stephanie]()
Stephanie Sent on 11/08/2018Hands down, best decision ever
We hired Merida to put together our out of the box brewery wedding. She did an AMAZING job working with the space we had, and bringing together all the necessary components. She was always there to answer all my questions (as silly as they were) and to even just listen to me complain. It was really like working on a huge project with a friend. She was laid back, but was stern when necessary. She went above and beyond for us, and we couldn't be happier with how the day turned out. She was prepared for anything (no really, you should see her day of kit) to happen, and handled anything that did happen quickly. I can not say enough great things about Merida. I don't think I would've survived wedding planning without her! -
![Hemlock.G]()
Erica Sent on 02/09/2017Full Disclaimer: I knew Merida as an event planner when she was working mainly corporate gigs. We worked together several times and I always looked forward to working with her. She is always prompt, professional, and nigh on unflappable. She always got it done. I asked her to be my wedding planner because of her capabilities in the corporate sector, and I wanted someone I knew and could trust. I knew I could rely on her to pull off what I wanted. She didn't bat an eye when I told her I wanted black as a wedding color, that I didn't want to wear white, and my partner wanted nerdy stuff everywhere and we wanted to do a hand-fasting. She took everything in my head and made it perfect. Her day-of skills are outta this world. I've seen her in corporate and at my wedding. She handles crises like a champ. -
Ashley Sent on 05/07/2023
Couldn't have done it without Merida
From start to finish, we couldn't have planned our wedding without Merida. When we couldn't get an appointment to tour our dream venue, Merida made it happen, and we were able to book it shortly thereafter. When we were stumped finding a florist or musicians, Merida recommended great vendors for us and helped us review all the pricing and contracts. Whenever we had etiquette questions (frequently), Merida helped us navigate tricky situations with the guest list and other sensitive matters. The whole time, she helped us stay positive and joyful about the planning experience - even while we were planning from two different continents and neither of us lived in the city where we were getting married. Where Merida and her team really shined was in the final few weeks of high-stress planning leading up to the big day. Merida helped us make sure no detail was missed. And day-of, Merida and Laura were absolutely invaluable. The whole day went so smoothly because of their expertise. We couldn't imagine having planned a wedding without all of Merida's help. We recommend her enthusiastically! -
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