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

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!!

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.