Nello Christmas Party

20th floor in the Chase Tower, downtown South Bend has been the location for the past three years. This company is growing rapidly. This may be the last year we can use this space for the celebration. The view overlooking the city is amazing! One can easily see the campus of Notre Dame with the 'Golden Dome' all glowing. It will tough to find an equal replacement location. I'm confident we'll come up with something for 2010.

Guests had a great time listening to 'Kevin Q and the Night Crew band'. They were just perfect for the crowd. If you wanted to get up and dance to some old time blues and jazz, you could, if you wanted to just sit and enjoy, that was fine too. They provided a great mix of background and upbeat songs.

The invitations came from Spark Fine Stationery. A great place to find cards, unique gifts and custom papery.

Colors this year were blackberry and garnet red mixed with their established corporate colors of deep blue and platinum. It was a nice blend and very festive! We used a crushed shimmer linen and a new crinkle tafetta in blackberry and with silver chavairi chairs. Candlelight illuminated the entire room.

LaSalle Grill did a fabulous job with the food. The menu consisted of Mini Delux Burgers with Gruyere, Bleu Cheese and Argula (Yum-o), Cajun Bacon Wrapped Chicken (what a hit!), Assorted Sushi rolls (gone in 15 minutes), Roasted Bruyere stuffed Cremini Mushroom caps, Caesar Salad in Parmesan Cheese bowls served with mini forks (a great display), Housemade Salt and Vinegar Chips, and Fruit and Veggie Crudite. Snickerdoodles, Assorted Mini Cheesecakes and Mexican Wedding cakes for dessert.
We also added hometown favorites from The South Bend Chocolate Factory. 'Christmas Crunch', Dark Chocolate Truffles, Old Fashioned Toffee, and Peanut Butter Meltaways.

We provided bar services with our own licensed bartenders. The 'Nello-tini' signature cocktail was once again a hit! Served chilled just right in a martini glass, the blue concoction is delicious!

This is a party we love to create each year. The client gives us complete freedom on the design, menu and style of the party. Thank-You Nello Corporation!

An Opportunity, Not an Obligation

We get to be part of something really cool. We have a wedding coming up on January 2, 2010. When I met with the bride, she shared with me that she and her fiance are going to Uganda as soon as they marry, to continue the mission they started there. This couple, in their 20's, plans to move to Uganda to run the orphanage they founded. She said to me she wanted to, "keep her wedding 'simple' because every dollar spent, could be used to feed another child in Uganda". WOW. that impacted me and moved me to want to help. So we are! The Merry Me team is going to help by not only making her wedding beautiful on a limited budget, but we are also supporting the work they plan to do in Uganda. We are so thankful for the opportunity. We are blessed to be a blessing, so that's what we're going to do.

New Bar Design

We're excited to share a new bar design with you! Available for 2010 weddings and events, we can customize this look for you. We unveiled the new rental at the SJRMC Grand Opening. Check it out!

December... on your mark... get set... GO!

Wow! Merry Me has had a great 14 days! We started with our annual Nello Corporation Offices holiday decor then dove straight into a solid 8 days of multiple events for the Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center Grand Opening! AND... wait there's more! We designed this year with the Jr. League of South Bend, a winter wonderland atmosphere in "all that sparkles" for their Holiday Ball. AND... created a fabulous corporate holiday party for Nello Corporation! We hope you've been following us on facebook and twitter as we've documented the play by play for these events. If not, become a fan and follow us!
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MerryMeEvents
Facebook: http://facebook.com/MerryMeEvents
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/chergoggins We really wanted to be eco-friendly as we planned for the grand opening events! This new hospital is so beautiful and eco-chic! We also wanted to enhance the space, not over take it with decor. We hope you enjoy our modest approach to the designs we chose to use. Another offering we provided was the Coat Check Service for each nightly event. Our goal is to provide specific services customized to your needs! Leaving no stone uncovered, we aim to handle a wide range of event services!

Enjoy these photos.. more to come in following posts.

Century Bride

Here are a few photos from our "outside the box" booth at Century Bride last month. Enjoy!!!

The Merry Me! Team

Lounge Area

Many Thanks to the Beautiful Merry Me! Bride, Lauren!

Some more of our favorites from Ghoulish and Glam

The Merry Me! Team enjoyed every minute transforming a beautiful home into a haunted house; from creepy crawlies to rhinestone-covered skulls this party was a ghoulish success! Merry Me! left no (grave)stone unturned when planning and designing this glam gala.

Setting the tone for this event, black boxes with fingers inside were sent to the invitees. Driving up to this haunted gala, guests were welcomed by vampire valets, followed by a candlelit walkway leading to the front door, where the vampire butler greeted guests. Inside the guests danced to Shawn DJ-ing and enjoyed the many tricks (special effects) by ProShow, which added to the new ghoulish décor that now adorns the home. Those who dared continued on to eat creative treats by Chic Eats and drank Vampire Kisses.

Check out the photos below of the Ghoulish Gala!

Forest River Inc. Appreciates their Clients

Merry Me! had the grand opportunity to be part of this annual corporate event. In this down economy, how refreshing it is to work with Forest River, Inc. As one of the leaders in the RV/ Manufactured Housing Industry in Elkhart County, they wanted to show appreciation to their clients and dealers for the successes of the past as they look forward to a great future.
This 1500 person event took place at their corporate offices where an 80' x 180' tent was staked. Together with Aay's Rental, McIntosh Greenhouses and ProShow we created an inviting and welcoming atmosphere for those who gathered. Their guests were entertained by two local bands who put on a fabulous show! Catering was provided by Elkhart's own 523 Tap and Grill for fabulous eats.
We look forward to partnering with them in the years to come! Thanks for the opportunity!

Caitlin Nish weds David Pearson 09.12.09

The week's forecast called for a 40% chance of rain and storms. I really didn't want anything more disrupting this couples' wedding plans! We pre-planned it all with back up tents and side
walls, but were hopeful that the weather would change. This area is notorious for a 'change in the weather'. By mid-week it all turned around. The prediction was sunny and 78. Perfect!

You may have heard the reviews and dissatisfaction of some brides recent experiences at Willow Harbor. Admittedly, this was a large concern for us as well. A little over a month ago, we joined Caitlin and Dave for one last site visit before their big day. Disappointment in what they saw was an understatement. We promised that we would do all we could to be sure their wedding was spectacular! We came prepared with over 100 plants and foliage, buckets and pine sol to clean, a shop vac and our toolbox in hand. However, as we arrived mid-afternoon Friday for our preliminary set up, my jaw dropped in pleasant surprise! Willow Harbor looked BEAUTIFUL!!! The grass was lush and green, no longer patchy and brown and freshly mowed and trimmed like a golf course! Staff was busy cleaning the interior of the tent. The dance floor had been replaced with a brand new one... we didn't have to do a single thing to clean anything!

Although the experience was challenging, Willow Harbor is back on our preferred vendor list to being a great choice for your wedding ceremony and reception venue.

Bob from CK catering continues to be one of our top picks for catering. They did a superb job on presentation and taste as they served guests efficiently. As always, their staff is a pleasure to work with.

Charlie from The Liquor Locker equipped the bar with the couple's choice of spirits. Willow Harbor staffed the bars in the Polo Barn and in the main tent with professional bartenders who also did an excellent job.

'Cakewalk' for the beautiful cake... lavender lemon flavored. Yummy! Alexis Davis is consistently making stunning cakes that taste great!

And certainly last, but not least... MAC DADDY rocked the dance floor! Neither Caitlin nor David had seen this band preform prior to their wedding. They completely relied on our recommendation. Shortly after the first set, Dave came to me with sheer excitement and said "this band is great!" A full dance floor all night long proved the fun provided by this top notch band!