SOME may say newlyweds Aoife and Ryan Mortimor are a match made in heaven, and thanks to Tinder, a match is exactly how their love story began.
Aoife, from Derry City, stumbled across her future husband, Ryan, a farmer from Craigbane, on the popular dating app.
And, as they say, the rest is history.
Falling madly in love, the couple’s relationship moved quickly.
So much so, on their four-year anniversary, they decided to start planning their big day, despite not even being engaged at the time.
“We booked our wedding in the January, just me, Ryan and my mammy,” Aoife told the Donegal News.
“My sister was getting married around that time and we didn’t want to take that away from her.”
Keeping their big plans under-wraps until after Aoife’s sister’s special day, the pair officially got engaged that June, six months after booking their wedding.
“The day we got engaged, we told everyone the date of our wedding,” Aoife laughed.
Although the couple describe themselves as laid-back and easy-going, there were still a few boxes that had to be ticked when it came to finding the perfect venue.
With both Aoife and Ryan having close family ties to the county, their first priority was finding the perfect Donegal venue, one that would be convenient for older wedding guests living locally.
And with 265 guests set to attend the reception, another box that needed to be ticked was accommodation, and plenty of it.
Choosing The Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny for their once in a lifetime celebration, the pair put their trust in the hotel’s dedicated wedding co-ordinators to bring their vision to life.
Aoife and Ryan made a pitstop in Conway’s Bar in Ramelton ahead of their reception in The Mount Errigal Hotel. Photos: Lisa McConnalogue
“What we loved about The Mount Errigal was how much accommodation was available,” Aoife said.
“We had quite a big wedding, so it was ideal.”
On December 5, the soon-to-be Mr and Mrs Mortimor tied the knot in Craigbane before making the journey to Letterkenny, where a truly magical evening lay ahead.
After first visiting Conways Bar in Ramelton to capture the day, the couple made their way to The Mount Errigal, where all their guests were waiting for the celebrations to begin.
From a drinks reception on arrival to personalised menus crafted by talented chefs, every detail of their big day was flawlessly executed, despite the weather not playing ball.
“We are quite avid wedding-goers, so food was a big thing for us,” Aoife said.
“We had heard lots of great reviews about the food in The Mount Errigal, and the service.
“It was top class.
“A lot of people commented on how much food there was, and how good it was.”
Ending the night with a boogie to The Engagements, the couple’s chosen wedding band from Enniskillen, Aoife spoke about the lively dancefloor.
“I never left it all night,” she joked.
“If anyone wanted to talk to me, they had to come to the dancefloor.”
When asked if she would recommend The Mount Errigal Hotel to other future brides and grooms, Aoife said there was no doubt about it.
“We couldn’t fault it, everything ran so smoothly,” she said.
“There wasn’t much planning we had to do, the staff were so helpful and you could email them anything at all.
“We literally just had to turn up on the day.”
And although the celebrations seemed to be over in a flash, the couple still have their honeymoon to look forward to, when they will set sail on a Caribbean cruise in January.
