The Merion Wedding Guide | Cinnaminson, NJ

The Merion in Cinnaminson is a big, all-inclusive wedding venue with four ballrooms, a glass dome over one of the dance floors, and gardens with a stone colonnade, a gazebo and a footbridge over a pond. I have been photographing weddings at The Merion for 20 years.

This guide covers what goes into a Merion wedding: how the four ballrooms compare, where you can get married on site, the cocktail hour, and the garden spots I bring couples to for portraits. If you are still comparing venues, The Merion is also on my Mount Laurel wedding photographer page, with the other venues around my studio.

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The Merion Wedding Venue Snapshot

The Skylight Ballroom, set for dinner under its glass dome.

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Why Couples Choose The Merion

Most of your day can happen right here. You can get married outside or in a ballroom, take your portraits on the grounds, then walk back inside for dinner and dancing. The Merion is all-inclusive too, so the food and the service come with your booking and you have one less vendor to find.

• Four ballrooms with four different looks. Pick the one that already feels like you.
• The Skylight Ballroom has a glass dome right over the dance floor.
• Three ways to get married on site: the North Garden, the South Patio, or inside in a ballroom.
• Gardens with a stone colonnade, a gazebo, a pond with a footbridge and a tiered fountain. That is a lot of portrait spots without leaving the property.
• The Empire Ballroom comes with a deluxe bridal suite and a groomsmen suite with a pool table, so getting ready happens close by.
• The Merion says it has been hosting celebrations for over 60 years.

This is that dome at night, with the compass rose in the floor right below it.

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What I Tell Couples Before a Merion Wedding

I have been photographing weddings at The Merion for 20 years. Here is what I tell my couples before the day.

Come hungry to cocktail hour

The cocktail hour here is non-stop food. Honestly, it’s almost too much. Each ballroom has its own cocktail hour space, so what yours looks like depends on the room you book. Ask to see it set up for your ballroom when you tour.

There will be other weddings that day

The Merion runs several weddings at once. They coordinate it so well that I have never had two brides cross paths while I was working there. You get your own ballroom and your own cocktail hour space.

Where my couples get ready

Most of my Merion couples get ready at a hotel in Mount Laurel, a short drive away. The Aloft is more modern and gets a bit more window light. The Westin is more classic. They’re close to each other, and both are nice.

Give portraits an hour, or an hour and a half

Plan at least an hour to an hour and a half for photographs. Want something different from the gardens? Cooper River Park is a short drive from The Merion, and it’s a great spot for portraits.

If it rains

No stress. The staircase and the ballrooms give us lots of places to work inside.

Get there a few minutes early

Everybody waits to pull up under the awning at the drop-off, so there can be a line of cars and limos, especially in the rain. Build a few extra minutes into your arrival so the line doesn’t eat into your day.

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The Four Ballrooms at The Merion

Your guest count narrows this down fast. These are the numbers The Merion’s weddings page lists, so confirm current numbers with the venue before you fall in love with a room.

Big guest list? The Palazzo Ballroom is listed for 200 to 550 guests, and the weddings page describes an hourglass dance floor and nine crystal chandeliers.

The Skylight Ballroom is the one with the glass dome over the dance floor, listed for up to 250 guests. Every reception photograph in this guide was taken here. In the daytime the dome fills the whole room with light.

The Palace Ballroom is also listed for up to 250 guests, and it connects to the South Patio, one of the two outdoor ceremony spaces.

The Empire Ballroom is the newest of the four, renovated for an upscale city feel with draped linen and a crystal chandelier, and it is listed for up to 300 guests. It is also the ballroom The Merion pairs with a deluxe bridal suite and an exclusive groomsmen suite. The brochure says the bridal suite has three salon chairs and LED mirrors for hair and makeup, and the groom’s suite has a pool table and HD TVs with streaming.

Booking one of the other three? Ask the venue where you can get ready.

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Ceremony Options at The Merion

The Merion’s weddings page lists two outdoor ceremony spaces, the North Garden and the South Patio, and it hosts indoor ceremonies in the ballrooms too.

The brochure describes the North Garden as a private outdoor ceremony garden, with two European stone and wrought-iron gazebos, a 100-foot stone aisle path to the front of the garden where ceremonies take place, and a 32-foot-tall fountain and pond.

The South Patio is a private space connected to the Palace Ballroom, and the weddings page lists it for ceremonies of up to 150 guests. Inside, the ceremony happens in a ballroom, so everyone you invited is right there in the room with you.

Under the stone colonnade

The ceremony in these photographs was at dusk, under the curved stone colonnade at the end of a long paver aisle, with a draped chuppah set up inside it.

Walking down that aisle at dusk, with the building lit up beside you, is a really pretty way to come in.

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Cocktail Hour and Reception at The Merion

I don’t think you’re ready for the cocktail hour at The Merion. It’s so amazing.

Where it happens depends on your ballroom. With the Palazzo, the weddings page lists a private cocktail room and an exclusive outdoor patio, and the brochure adds the grand hallway next door and names the North Patio and the Palazzo Terrace for cocktail hour. The Empire comes with a top-shelf open bar. In the Skylight or the Palace, ask the venue to show you the cocktail space when you tour.

Here is the Skylight Ballroom with the tables set and the crystal chandeliers on.

At one of these weddings, the sweetheart table sat against the room’s damask wallpaper.

At the other, the head table went in front of the draped windows, which made a great backdrop for the toasts.

And when the hora starts, the chairs go up right under the curve of the dome.

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Best Spots for Photographs at The Merion

Everything here is on the property, out in the gardens or back inside under the dome.

The footbridge over the pond

I like to bring couples out to the stone footbridge. Lean on the balustrade and the iron-domed gazebo sits right behind you.

From the edge of the pond you get the whole bridge, with a fountain jet in the water below it.

The gazebo

The stone gazebo with the scrolled iron dome is ringed by rose beds, so you get flowers in the front of the frame.

The tiered fountain

The tiered stone fountain sits right beside the bridge, and the bridge railing is a great place to line up the bridesmaids.

The garden plaza

The paver plaza in front of the colonnade has room for the whole wedding party, and it is where we did the family formals too.

The dance floor at night

Grab a minute on the dance floor at night. The dome goes dark, and that floor is polished enough to double as a mirror.

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Planning Tips for a Wedding at The Merion

• Pick your ballroom before anything else. Your cocktail space and where you get ready both depend on it.
• Want to get ready on site? Look at the Empire Ballroom, the room The Merion pairs with the bridal suite and the groomsmen suite.
• Point your guests to the two hotels on The Merion’s vendor list, the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Mt. Laurel and the Holiday Inn Cherry Hill.
• Do a first look and you can finish the garden portraits and the family formals before an evening ceremony. The outdoor ceremony in this guide ran that way.
• In the Skylight Ballroom, take a few minutes on the empty dance floor before the doors open, then grab another minute there at night.
• Planning a South Asian wedding? The Merion’s weddings page talks about everything from the sangeet to the reception, and its vendor list includes Andaaz Restaurant & Caterers for Indian cuisine.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Weddings at The Merion

Where is The Merion?

The Merion is at 1301 Route 130 South in Cinnaminson, New Jersey 08077. It is an all-inclusive wedding and event venue in South Jersey with four ballrooms and outdoor ceremony spaces.

How many guests can The Merion hold for a wedding?

The Merion’s weddings page lists the Palazzo Ballroom for 200 to 550 guests, the Skylight and Palace Ballrooms for up to 250 each, and the Empire Ballroom for up to 300. Confirm current numbers with the venue.

Can you have your wedding ceremony at The Merion?

Yes. The Merion’s weddings page lists two outdoor ceremony spaces, the North Garden and the South Patio, plus indoor ceremonies in its ballrooms. It lists the South Patio for ceremonies of up to 150 guests.

What is the North Garden at The Merion?

The North Garden is The Merion’s outdoor ceremony garden. The venue’s brochure describes two European stone and wrought-iron gazebos, a 100-foot stone aisle path to the front of the garden where ceremonies take place, and a 32-foot-tall fountain and pond.

Which ballroom at The Merion has the glass dome?

The Skylight Ballroom. The Merion’s weddings page describes a glass dome over the dance floor and lists the room for up to 250 guests, and the marble floor under the dome has a compass rose inlay.

Does The Merion have a bridal suite?

The Merion pairs a deluxe bridal suite and an exclusive groomsmen suite with its Empire Ballroom. The brochure lists three salon chairs and LED mirrors in the bridal suite, and a pool table and HD TVs in the groom’s suite.

Is The Merion all-inclusive?

Yes. The Merion calls itself an all-inclusive venue, so the food and the service come as part of your booking instead of from a caterer you hire separately.

Are there hotels near The Merion?

The Merion’s vendor list names two hotels for guests: the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Mt. Laurel and the Holiday Inn Cherry Hill.

Where are the best spots for photographs at The Merion?

In the gardens at The Merion: the stone footbridge over the pond, the iron-domed gazebo, the tiered fountain and the paver plaza in front of the stone colonnade. Inside, the dance floor under the Skylight Ballroom’s glass dome.

Does The Merion host South Asian weddings?

Yes. The Merion’s weddings page talks about South Asian weddings from the sangeet to the reception, and its vendor list includes Andaaz Restaurant & Caterers for Indian cuisine.

Does The Merion host more than one wedding at a time?

Yes. The Merion runs several weddings at once, each with its own ballroom and its own cocktail hour space. They coordinate it so well that I have never had two brides cross paths while I was photographing there.

Where do couples get ready for a wedding at The Merion?

The Empire Ballroom comes with a bridal suite and a groomsmen suite. Most of my Merion couples get ready at a hotel in Mount Laurel, like the Aloft or the Westin, a short drive away.

How much time do we need for photographs at The Merion?

Plan at least an hour to an hour and a half for photographs. If it rains, we work inside on the staircase and in the ballrooms.

Have you photographed weddings at The Merion?

Yes. I have been photographing weddings at The Merion for 20 years. The photographs in this guide are from weddings there.

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