NEWLYWEDS Alicia and Tom Curtin tied the knot on May 2 and held their wedding in the stunning Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny.
The venue is particularly significant as it is the very same place Alicia’s own parents celebrated their big day close to 30 years ago.
Alicia McCunnie, a native of Ballymagorry just outside Strabane, was just a toddler when she celebrated alongside her parents as a flower girl.
In a full circle moment, the Curtins’ two young daughters Fiadh and Nola also joined them on their big day, taking part in their sand ceremony.
“They were so excited for me to finally have their last name,” Alicia told the Donegal News.
This was just one of the many special moments which made their day one they’ll never forget.
The celebrations went off without a hitch thanks to the bride’s mother Nicola, who found herself in the role of chief wedding planner.
Alicia and Tom and the girls are living in Wrexham, Wales, where Tom is from, not far from where they met during their student days in Liverpool in 2014.
The couple had settled down and welcomed their two beautiful daughters, so marriage was the natural next step.
Tom proposed to Alicia during an intimate moment at home, with a slideshow of their favourite memories and one of their favourite songs playing in the background.
Then the wedding planning started.
“Everybody wanted to have the big Irish wedding,” Alicia said, explaining why they opted to celebrate on her home turf.
It also meant her mother naturally stepped into the role of wedding planner.
The sentimental connection to the venue was already there, with many family occasions celebrated at the Letterkenny hotel, but when the couple visited shortly after its major renovation, they were blown away and knew it was where they wanted to celebrate with their nearest and dearest.
Despite living on the far side of the Irish Sea, the entire planning process with the hotel was seamless and straightforward.
They had an intimate ceremony in the hotel, followed by a drinks reception and nibbles for guests before heading into the main reception. Guests loved that everything was under the one roof, with no travelling involved.
The hotel even generously included complimentary day two celebrations, which proved a major selling point for the Curtins.
Alicia was particularly impressed with the staff, including wedding coordinator Helen, who worked closely with her mother throughout the planning process.
“Honestly, the staff were so amazing, we couldn’t have asked for anything better, they went above and beyond.
“Whatever we wanted to do they were happy to make it happen.”
Travelling from Wales, the couple and many of their guests spent the weekend at the hotel, where staff were attentive throughout and always ready to have the craic with guests.
On the wedding day, manager Chris was a great help and the wider team looked after all the finer, and equally important, details, including ensuring glasses were never empty.
One element guests haven’t stopped raving about was the delicious food and generous portions.
Alicia spoke of the huge variety of menu options available and how difficult she found it to narrow them down because everything sounded so good.
“It’s all anyone talks about, was how good the food was,” she laughed.
Entertainment for the evening was provided by Riff Raff 2, who supplied both a live band and DJ and kept guests on the dancefloor all night.
With honeymoon planning still in the works, the Curtins already have one important future trip being requested by their daughters, a return visit to the Mount Errigal Hotel.
“They’re already asking us when we’re going back to the hotel,” laughed Alicia
