Inishowen Gateway Hotel, Railway Rd, Ballymacarry Lower, County Donegal, Ireland

Choosing the perfect wedding venue isnt always easy. Their’s always so much in store for you that will either make you fall in love with what they have to offer or could simply not be of your taste. This is the most vital stage of your wedding journey. I have a great tip for you! Write down 3 describing words that fit within the style that you desire, and create this. Ill give you an example, rustic, bright, fairytale etc.

I’ve teamed up with Inishowen Gateway Hotel wedding co-ordinator, Joleene, to find out what makes her venue an ideal location for your wedding day. 

Let’s begin

↓

 01.

Tell us about the Inishowen Gateway Hotel,

why is it such a beloved wedding venue for couples on their

wedding day?

The Inishowen Gateway Hotel has been providing couples with their dream wedding day for well over 50 years. Our location means you can enjoy your day surrounded by the gorgeous views over Lough Swilly, ideal for anyone who has never visited Inishowen before as it always delights people. We work hard to stay on trend with what is popular with weddings from year to year and source the best in wedding suppliers to work with. From romantic fairy light room draping to crisp and doughnut walls, every year trends change and its important when couples come to us, we can make their wishes come true. Together with fantastic food, chosen from our range of delicious menus, each couple can create a unique and memorable day when they choose the Inishowen Gateway as their wedding venue.

 02.

what makes the Inishowen Gateway Hotel unique from the others?

We believe it is our location, our attentive team together with our dedication to serving the best in delicious food that makes us unique. We also have our award winning wedding co-ordinator Sinead Bradley on hand who excels at perfecting even the smallest details for a couples big day. She guides couples through the planning stage and makes it all come together on the day.

 03.

couples want the wedding of their dreams,

how does your venue assure this?

How does your venue assure this? We assure this by really listening to them when they book with us, about what it is that’s important to them. Some want gorgeous room dressing to wow their guests and we make sure this happens, others focus on the food which we always deliver on. No two couples planning their wedding are the same and we treat every couple on an individual basis. Listening to them from the start to deliver what is most important to them, is key to a happy wedding day.

 04.

what tips would you contribute to the couples who are

planning a stress-free wedding day?

A. All your guests will remember from your wedding is the food and the music, so make sure and get these right. Everything else gets mixed up with other weddings after time has passed so really try and not sweat the small staff. By booking with us, you are guaranteed an excellent meal and we can recommend the best bands around if you are unsure.

B. Let the hotel take on as much of the organising as possible to free you up to think about yourself and enjoy the process the week of the wedding, this would include dropping in the table plan, luggage, extra items you want on show the day of the wedding, in the days before. Leaving it to the night before is stressful. When planning early on, include as much of the room dressing, arrival reception drinks, evening buffet as possible so you know what you are paying per head as little things add up when you go to add them in at a later date.

C. Don’t handle the guests room bookings, let them book direct and let the hotel deal with any issues such as cancellations, its grand to say you will book in guests and they can liaise through you but the week of your wedding there is a lot going on and guests ringing to confirm/cancel/amend rooms or correct errors should be something the hotel takes control over so you don’t have to worry.

D. Both of you come in for the final run through a month before the wedding so everyone knows the schedule of the day and times for speeches, meals length, band starting etc. this helps to keep you relaxed when you know what is happening next.

E. If doing a table plan, get it done early and drop it into hotel and don’t worry about it again, no one will mind if there happens to be an empty seat at a table, or two. We have seen couples on the day of their wedding chopping and changing and its too stressful. You final numbers are already in 48 hrs before hand so worrying about an empty seat is something no one else will even notice.

F. The most popular dates for weddings is bank holidays, Christmas and July and august. If you are set on having your wedding on one of these dates, book early or you may be really disappointed at having to settle outside of these dates.

 05.

what is the most epic request you have honored to date?

A helicopter landing at the hotel when we don’t have a helipad.

A huge thank you to Joleene for taking the time out of her busy schedule to complete the questions. If you would like to find out more, Click here.

If you have any questions or think that we make that perfect team for your big day, get in touch using the ‘Inquire Now’ button below. We look forward to hearing from you and much much more about what you have planned for your special day.

-James-