NEWLYWEDS Katie and Luke, who are both school teachers, tied the knot on April 12 at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church in Annagry.
Katie Rodgers who is a native of Calhame in Annagry and her husband Luke Gleeson who is from Sligo, celebrated their special day with a reception at An Chúirt.
Though now living in Sligo, Donegal has always had a special place in their hearts.
“Even though Luke is from Sligo, we were always going to have a Donegal wedding,” Katie said, reflecting on the significance of the location to their relationship.
Katie and Luke’s love story began when they spent a week in the Gaeltacht in Gaoth Dobhair, during their training to become teachers.
They both studied at the Marino Institute of Education in Dublin, but it wasn’t until after they graduated in 2018 that their friendship blossomed into romance.
“We actually ended up moving in together by accident before we really knew each other in college,” Katie laughed.
“We were actually friends for a really long time before we got together.”
The couple spent many weekends traveling to the west of Donegal to visit Katie’s family, and one of their favourite activities became walking along the stunning Carrickfinn beach.
It was here that Luke proposed, making the beach a place forever close to their hearts.
Katie knew from the start where she wanted to hold her wedding reception.
“I always knew I wanted to have my wedding in An Chúirt,” she said.
“We didn’t even look at any other venue; we were always getting married in An Chúirt.”
The wedding party pictured in the front gardens of An Chúirt Hotel with Errigal mountain in the backdrop. Photos: Hannah McKeown
Katie recalls bringing Luke’s family on a trip to Donegal before they were engaged, and Luke’s mother was immediately impressed by the hotel’s stunning setting.
“She said, ‘It was a beautiful setting for a wedding,’ and that was before we even got engaged.”
This wasn’t just about the view for the bride, An Chúirt was a place where Katie’s family had celebrated many special occasions over the years.
With family and friends traveling from all over the world – from Australia to Canada, mainland Europe to Cork – Katie and Luke needed a venue that could accommodate their guests.
“Everybody absolutely loved it,” Katie said.
From the friendly and helpful staff to the delicious food, their guests are still raving about how special the day was.
“Every single person we spoke to after the wedding commented on how helpful the staff were.
“They said everybody from the breakfast staff to the reception was so nice and they couldn’t do enough.”
From the moment the couple began planning their wedding, they were impressed with how smoothly everything came together.
Katie, who has celiac disease, was particularly grateful for the venue’s attention to dietary requirements.
“There were many additional dietary requirements within the guests, but they were catered to without hesitation,” she said.
The couple worked closely with Martin and Francis, who took care of all the finer details.
“They did everything for us; they were so on the ball,” Katie said, adding that the staff at An Chúirt were incredibly responsive and flexible, even when organising from outside the county.
The weather for the wedding was perfect, with a heatwave setting the scene for the day. The couple managed to squeeze in a visit to the famous church in Dunlewey for their wedding photos before the weather broke and the rain arrived.
After the delicious meal, the celebration continued with dancing as The Wilful band took to the stage. Katie and Luke shared their first dance to ‘Runaway’ by The Corrs.
After the wedding, Katie and Luke set off on not one, but two honeymoon trips. Keen travellers, the couple first visited Italy immediately after the wedding and later in the summer, they embarked on an unforgettable journey through Africa, exploring Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
