For most couples, the lead up to getting married involves a hectic schedule of planning, which can leave brides and grooms-to-be feeling stressed.
However, this wasn’t the case for newlyweds Chelsea and Jack Bannon, who celebrated their special day at An Chúirt Hotel in Gaoth Dobhair on New Year’s Eve last.
In fact, Chelsea says it was the “chillest” day of her life, thanks to the care and attention of the hotel staff.
Chelsea and Jack met in 2015 through mutual friends, and got engaged in December 2022.
Jack was born in England and moved to Keadue as a teenager, while Chelsea is from nearby Burtonport.
The couple have lived in Bicester since 2017, and share two-and-a-half-year old son Charlie.
Chelsea is a primary school teacher and Jack works for a team in Formula One.
While their lives are firmly based in the UK, Chelsea says the couple always knew they would return home to get married.
“I knew I wanted to keep it quite close in the Rosses just because of our families,” she says.
“We went to a New Year’s Eve wedding not long after we got together and I remember saying I would love to get married on New Year’s Eve in Donegal.”
The couple got married in the local church, St Columba’s in Burtonport, with Charlie as one of the pageboys.
Choosing An Chúirt Hotel for the reception was an easy decision for the couple.
“I really can’t recommend them enough,” says Chelsea. “From the moment we walked into the hotel when we were planning the wedding, we knew it was our place.
“[General Manager] Francis was so welcoming and really sold the venue to us.
“From then on, it was so easy. Our meetings and check-ins were very casual and it made the whole planning process easy.”
Getting married on New Year’s Eve meant that the festive atmosphere from Christmas was still in the air, with fairy lights and a Christmas tree decorating the venue.
“It was absolutely gorgeous,” says Chelsea.
The wedding party were treated to mulled wine and mince pies on arrival, with a trad band to get the celebrations going as guests chatted in the lounge.
The trad band was especially a hit with Charlie.
Chelsea and Jack also got to revisit a special memory on the big day.
They had photos taken at Mullaghderg Beach, a full-circle moment as this was the place where they got engaged.
Newlyweds Chelsea and Jack Bannon hit the beach on their wedding day.
Photos: Christopher James Photography.
When guests were called in for the meal, Chelsea said the service was the quickest she ever experienced at any wedding.
“The dinner was stunning. I’ve never had anything like it in my life,” she says.
“We had soup, there were vol-au-vants, I had the salmon for main, and then we had a medley for dessert.”
After the meal, the couple had music from band Electric Circus, who then set up the DJ to finish out the night.
They played songs of all genres, and Chelsea says the band paid attention to what the crowd wanted to hear.
“The dancefloor was hopping,” she says.
Ultimately, the day was greatly enjoyed by everyone, and the couple got to ring in the New Year surrounded by people they know and love the most on the dancefloor.
“It was everything I wanted,” says Chelsea.
“The day of the wedding really was magical. From arriving to seeing staff stood outside with umbrellas, to having our drinks topped up.
“The timings were on-point, our third party vendors were all taken care off on the day and night, and the food was honestly unbelievable.
“The whole staff was incredible and they made our day so special, and one we will remember forever.”
Newlyweds Chelsea and Jack Bannon on their wedding day. Photos: Christopher James Photography.