By Matt Cassidy, Galway Advertiser
Getting married is one of the biggest days in a couple’s relationship. The couple wants every small detail to be perfect including the location of the wedding function. The Claregalway Hotel is a premier deluxe award-winning wedding venue in the west of Ireland and promises a wedding day to be remembered.
Set in the picturesque village of Claregalway, on the banks of the Clare River, the Claregalway Hotel is an idyllic spot to host a magical winter wedding. Wedding co-ordinator Nora Gill believes there are three key ingredients that are essential for having the perfect big day.
“There are three key ingredients that go into a wedding, the couple themselves, the wedding venue, and the entertainment. We will take care of the food for which we are renowned and we cater for all special dietary requirements. All of our sauces are made from our own stocks in the kitchen. Our beef is personally picked by our head chef and our fish is freshly delivered. Our head chef Zoard has been crafting menus to enhance the tastes of all our traditional dishes that go down well with our customers on their wedding day. We do our best to source our products locally as we believe in supporting local Galway businesses.
“From the planning, the lead up, and the ceremony, I am personally on hand with my team to assist in planning of every couple’s wedding day, creating those warm personal touches that make the day so special. In our Waterdale suite where we host our weddings, we can accommodate up to 280 guests and we have just introduced our chic Chivari Banquet chairs.
“We have a range of budgets to suit everyone from €45 to €65 inclusive. This would include items such as the wedding car, champagne toasts, and wedding favours, flowers for your church and ceremony,bridal bouquets, delivery of all your flowers and set up. There are plenty of personal items included in the Claregalway Hotel’s wedding packages. If you wish to tailor your personal wedding package, you may do so from our extensive choices and I will be happy to create the perfect wedding package for the perfect wedding day.”
The hotel’s commitment to providing couples with one of the best wedding experiences that any venue in Galway can offer has been recognised through various nominations and awards won by Nora and the team.
Nora says: “We have been nominated for the WeddingsOnline’s Best Wedding Co-Ordinator. Being nominated is a great validation for all the hard work that the team at the Claregalway Hotel puts into organising and hosting a wedding. It is a team effort and the tangible reward is a great boost to our efforts here. I also received best Wedding Co-Ordinator last year with MrsToBe.”
Having a wedding at Claregalway Hotel is not only a great experience for the couple and guests but also the team according to Nora. “It is always an exciting time when we host a wedding here. Everyone is so electrified for the couple and all of the guests who are celebrating such a special milestone in their lives and we get to share in that moment. Our aim is to make sure everyone is well looked after on the day and all their needs are catered for.”
Exciting refurbishment
This year has been an exciting year in the Claregalway Hotel, with a major €500,000 refurbishment of the building and its facilities. Nora reveals: “We have refurbished our leisure centre, bedrooms, and bars. We have enhanced our contemporary design, our bedrooms are fitted out now to a four star standard – contain LCD television, room safes, USB charging ports, enhanced mood lighting, new 1000 sprung King Coil beds. Modern design and lighting improvements have allowed us to generate more space in all our rooms which already had generous space for our guests to enjoy. Core Fitness, our leisure centre, has added underfloor heating to the changing rooms with a full refit, enhanced pool facilities and an upgrading of our gym equipment. We wanted to offer more and enhance the all-round experience of our customers.
The bridal suite at the Claregalway Hotel has also recently undergone a full refurbishment boasting all the latest soft touches which makes a couple’s wedding day and stay at the hotel an experience they will treasure, including tropical seated showers, relaxing deep baths with mood lighting, Bluetooth connectivity for the music. The suite has been totally renovated to offer more soft touches for its newly weds – contemporary colour schemes, digital televisions, walk-in wardrooms and lazy lounge area.
Nora says: It was time for a change and we wanted to exceed our customers’ expectations with a more enhanced stay for bridal couples and their guests. We have all the delights now in our bridal suite which make a couple’s stay here at the Clareglaway Hotel as comfortable as it is memorable.”
Going green is very important to the Claregalway Hotel and Nora says every wedding hosted at the venue will have an eco-benefit to the environment. “We are helping to improve our environment by producing our own electricity on site using natural gas which will reduce our carbon foot-print and other associated wastes.”
The winter wedding fair
For couples looking to sample a Claregalway Hotel wedding day experience, the hotel’s Winter Wedding Fair is taking place on Sunday October 15 from 1pm to 4pm where a range of Galway’s top exhibitors will be present.
Nora says: “These exhibitors will provide couples with help and tips for planning their wedding. We have a bridal fashion show by Mandy Maher from Catwalk Model Agency so couples can see all the latest trends in bridal fashion, grooms wear, bridesmaids, and mother of the bride.
“Couples can check out the hotel’s menu, enjoy cocktail tasting and view our new enhanced facilities. The hotel also will be launching its 2018/2019 wedding packages. The wedding team and I are very excited to show off the hotel at the wedding fair to all the attendees.”
As always, Nora, Paul, and the team at the Claregalway Hotel would like to thank off of its customers for their continued support and look forward to seeing them over the winter and the New Year.
For more information on the upcoming wedding fair at the Claregalway Hotel contact 091 738 300 or email [email protected].
