“Hi Gerry & Bernadette
I'm finally getting the chance to sit down and write this email....It's long overdue after our wedding day on 28th December 2021 and it is all done to you guys!!!!
We started our journey with the Sligo Park wayyy back in 2018 where we met the lovely Margaret. Margaret was an absolute lady and kept us updated with the renovations of the ballroom and even invited us to view it after it was completed. When I first told her of our ideas and plans for a Disney themed wedding, she was so supportive and was on board with all our ideas no matter how mad they seemed LOL and even checked in with me so see how I was getting on with the DIY!!! When Covid hit and we were forced to postpone our original date, again Margaret was so supportive and always kept us updated on any new government announcements. We learned that Margaret was going on maternity leave we were disappointed she wouldn't get to see our mad ideas come to life but we did promise her pictures so she could see it all (There attached 😉)
It was at this stage we met the amazing Bernadette! When we first sat down with Bernadette and we told her of our plans for a mad hatter tea party, rabbits, centerpieces and tags on cups I think we may have given her a sleepless night or 2 LOL After one of our meetings Bernadatte called me the next morning to say she was thinking about our wedding all night and had to ring to make sure she had everything absolutely right....How lucky were we to have such a special lady!!! She made sure everything was exactly how we wanted it and even organised a room to store all the boxes in during the wedding. Bernadette wanted to ensure nothing was lost or damaged. She was always available to meet and she replied at lightning speed if we sent an email. Even at meetings she made sure Darragh had a Guiness and I had tea! One time I popped up on my lunch break and it was hard to convince her I had eaten as she wanted to make sure I didn't go back to work hungry....I dont think any other hotel would care and look after their customers as much as Bernadette does...it's simply amazing! Thank you Bernadette so much x
In the lead up to our wedding, the dreaded news came that the Government announced the reduction in numbers which led to us having to cut 120 guests from the list at very short notice. When I called the hotel and even though it was a weekend and ye were having a well deserved break I had calls from both yourself and Bernadette to answer any questions or concerns...this is something we are forever grateful for. Your support was amazing!!!!
On the 27th December we pulled up with the car loaded with boxes and we were greeted by Andrew who was on standby to help and he had Ruairi with us in seconds with a trolley. Poor Ruairi had to do several runs up and down to the room. He was an absolute gent, told us he would be around all day and to ask the girls at reception to call him if we needed any help and even helped me when I was trying to figure out the name of a guest....Ruairi realised he knew the person and gave us the details we needed....how lucky!!! The day after the wedding we had the pleasure of having Ruairi helping us again as we packed up the cars, he was so obliging and when I was going to clean off the writing on the mirrors he insisted he would do it and wanted us to go off to enjoy the rest of our day....Ruairi is a true asset to the Sligo Park and we wish him nothing but the best for the future which I'm sure will be a very bright one!!! Throughout the day on the 27th we were stopped by staff saying 'hello Shinara & Darragh we heard about all the boxes, we can't wait to see all the stuff' and when I was setting them up, we had staff come in to say hello and have a sneak peak...It so lovely to see how excited they were and we even think the staff were more excited then we were lol! It was magic and heart warming, the staff are incredible!
We were very lucky to have 3 managers in the ballroom with us. I first met Graham a few days before the wedding and he was so welcoming and made sure every detail was correct, he had the hard task of getting the music timing right and it was absolutely spot on!!! He had all the staff briefed on the music and our entrance was brilliant! Graham even had loads of advice for us, when I told him I had planned to print my own menus he worried for us and re-assured us that if we hadn't the time or if it didn't work out as we planned he would have menus available for us and we can't thank him enough!! Andrew played an absolute blinder on the day, he never missed a trick and made sure the top table never wanted for anything. When we arrived at the reception Andrew, Graham & Robbie took us to the ballroom so we could get a peak and have some photos before we greeted guests, it's something we are so grateful for as we go to see all our centrepieces and take it all in. When we were finished Andrew came up with the idea we would surprise our guests and come through the side door and he was absolutely right..did they get a shock!!! Andrew spotted we had our bouquets with us at the top table and he quickly got vases of water to keep them fresh as he knew I was having my bouquet preserved! He made sure my bouquet was taken away and placed somewhere safe and when the meal was near an end he came up to confirm it was ok to remove the cake and he even knew which guest to ask to pack the train up. The next morning when we came to the ballroom to pack up all the items Andrew had it all rounded up and ready to be put in the car. He ran around that morning still determined to help us as much as he could. We really appreciated his help and he was a gentleman and a pleasure to have around. I think Robbie is the most familiar face around Sligo Park and we got to know him very well on the Wedding Day. Robbie made sure every guest had been looked after and we had great fun in the corridor with him while waiting to enter the ball room, Robbie knew exactly when we had to enter at the exact time in the song and he even told us how much he loved the Disney theme and he had never seen a wedding like it before...I think he was as excited as us!!! We think Graham, Robbie and Andrew are a serious force, I don't think they even need to communicate to know what the other is thinking and they make it happen!! The dream team of the ballroom and we are soo soo grateful!!!! THANK YOU GUYS!!!!
We would also like to say a big THANK YOU to Chris and all the team in the kitchen. We had many different orders for the top table and Chris was very obliging and made sure everyone got what they wanted. No one was left hungry! The food was delicious and we got amazing feedback from our guests!!!
Last but not least we would like to say thank you to Julian the night porter. He was so lovely, kind and great fun. He sent us all off to bed with much needed water and we later learned he had also given water to all of our guests heading off to bed...I can safely say a lot of guests had less of a hangover thanks to Julian!!!!
From the bottom of our Heart, THANK YOU soo soo much to every member of staff, ye honestly went above and beyond for us and made a real life fairytale come true and we will be forever grateful and look back with great memories.
Apologies if we have forgotten to mention someone.
We are looking forward to visiting very soon for some more yummy food and the warm welcome!!!!!!!
A very grateful
Shinara & Darragh
”
