Wedding reception venue recommendations

thetope

have been to receptions at the la mon and clandeboye and found them both to be very nice. Clandeboye in particular was v good. Have been to a few at belfast castle, they were great but i think that was the craic more than the location. bar service is poor there (and that's very important at wedding receptions!!) plus you can't stay there afterwards, you have to go elsewhere, which is pain. and it is very dear. in august last yr i went to a wedding at the dunadry which was excellent but perhaps a bit far out of your way. the ballroom is a bit cavernous as well if you haven't got that many guests.

al_fazer

I can't recommend anything near you, but here's a few tips I've noticed from my own wedding (Radisson, Limavady) and some others I've been to.
Some hotels do more than one wedding per day. This means you don't get all the attention and you can hear distractions if the other one has finished while your speeches are still happening. I've heard this happen at the Colloden and it wasn't nice.
A function room that fits the no. of guests. Some big rooms have dividing walls that slide back. We used this feature at the Radisson because we had 100 day guests and then lots more extras in the evening, so we had a 2/3 sized room in the day and the full sized one at night.
Try and meet the duty manager/MC who will be running things on the day. A good assertive, but friendly person is what you want to shepherd your guests around and let everybody (including yourselves) know what's happening and when. (This is easier said than done because hotel people seem to move jobs a lot and he/she might not be there in two years time.)
On a money saving view, we used an entertainment agengy in Belfast to organise a "wedding DJ" only, and no band. You can make him a playlist of any favourites you want but he's also good at reading the crowd and playing appropriate stuff at different times of the night. Our dance floor never emptied the whole night and we had a range of ages and types of people. I think he cost £250 from 10pm 'till 1am. That was 3 years ago. A band would have been at least £400+ and unless you've heard them play at a wedding before, you could end up listening to Daniel O'Donnell covers all night.

Congrats and best wishes
Al

Wishfairy

I'm a wedding co-ordinator (glutton for punishment) and would highly recommend the Clandyboye near Bangor but it may be a bit far for you to travel.

La Mon is also good for food and service but I expect they are quite expensive - I don't do full co-ord just 'on-the-day' so the cost isn't my business!

If you have any questions at all or need help with any aspect just drop me an email as I'm not on here as often as I would like. ***EDIT - email address removed by board guide, please pm member with any information you wish to pass on***

Wishfairy

Hi,

I need some local knowledge and can't think of where else to ask but you guys!

A client of mine is hoping to get married in September of this year. Initially her plans were to have the ceremoney in Mussendon Temple but she then 'Downgraded' to Springhill. Now she has been presented with an unexpected tax bill and is having another rethink.

She wants somewhere 'dramatic' and beautiful, but is also planing a really fun reception with BBQ food, giant lawn games and maybe a ceilidh. INEXPENSIVE is the name of the game.

If you can think of anywhere that fits the bill - even an old barn or community centre that would be suitable - please do let me know as things are getting desperate!

Thanks lots!

Please pm with any suggestions!

Chrissy_Boy_2

We had our reception at the Tullyglass House Hotel in Ballymena and couldn't fault them at all. They went out of their way to make sure everything was 100% on the day and nothing was too much trouble (even the sandwiches at 3am !).
They treated us and the in-laws to dinner so we could sample the food, which was a nice touch.
They've also spent a bit of money on the grounds so there are plenty of 'features' for photos.
All we had to do was sit back and enjoy the day, couldn't recommend them highly enough.

raptorman

Can anybody recomend somewhere nice in NI for wedding services, i.e. castles or anywhere with character/history.

Thanks in advance.

mcclim

Did you try Narrowwater Castle at Warrenpoint we had are wedding photographs taken at it. It's not cheap but it is really nice.

arkonite_babe

I have found a site full of info, you might find something HERE

THIS ONE is a guide to Civil venues, I think they are all National Trust properties. Further info on National Trust venues HERE

HTH!

raptorman

Thanks for those, will pass the details to my boss.

weetrucker_10-4

have a look at LISSANOURE CASTLE LOUGHGUILE its near ballymoney check out the website www.lissanourecastle.com it might be what your looking for.

hope it helps

***edit by board guide - corrected your link as it wasn't working***