Ten Fun Facts About Mary!
We’re so thrilled to introduce the newest addition to our team, Mary Bona!
While she might be new around the Clover office, she certainly is no newbie to the events industry. We first met Mary several years ago when she was working for a catering company in Chicago and we absolutely loved working events with her on the team. Her affection for checklists, schedules, and the little details ensure every event goes off without a hitch, while her upbeat and positive attitude keeps a smile on everyone’s face.
We hope you enjoy getting to know Mary with a few fun facts below!
Images courtesy of Emilia Jane Photography
1. Mary was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. She has now lived in the Chicagoland area for nearly 10 years, however Michigan will always have a special place in heart.
2. Mary is a proud graduate of Michigan State University – GO GREEN! She knew she wanted to go there and what she was going to study since she was 17. She graduated with a BA in Hospitality Business and loved every minute of it!
3. She is the youngest of the 3 girls and also has 3 nieces, she considers her family a mini sorority and even has matching sorority rings with her sisters!
4. She married her college sweetheart (Matt) in her ultimate dream wedding in downtown Chicago in 2015.
5.Mary twirled baton competitively for the first 12 years of her life. She very easily relates to the girls in Toddler and Tiaras
6. She started her career in events working at the Michigan Governor’s residence. She assisted taking care of the first family and coordinating all the events hosted at their home. Her favorite part of the job was spending 4 days decorating for the holidays!
7. Mary is proud dog mom to her Cavapoo, Lexi. Lexi is 6 years old but is a forever puppy and will play fetch for hours.
8. Mary is an avid podcast listener. She enjoys a mix of interviews, murder mysteries and Bachelor recaps – her favorites being Arm Chair Expert, Crime Junkie, Serial, This American Life and Chatty Broads. You will hear her frequently say in conversations, “I was just listening to a podcast and they said…”
9. Mary fell in love with wedding coordination while working at Berghoff Catering and Restaurant group. She was an off-premise catering coordinator for over 4 years and loved the personal aspect of being a part of one the most important days of anyone’s life.
10. Like most in the hospitality industry, Mary is a foodie and loves checking out the latest restaurants. She keeps a list on her phone of must try places and is always happy to provide recommendations of where to go and what to order when you’re there! Her go-to spots in Chicago are Ella Elli, Quartinos, The Loyalist and Formento’s.
11. BONUS FACT! Mary’s favorite part of every wedding she coordinates is when the Bride and Groom are introduced for the first time at the reception. She has worked too many weddings to count at this point, and still cries every. single. time. when this happens!
