We were married in Co. Galway at Cloghan Castle in July and wanted to share information about our experience. Hopefully our experience can help some people out down the line. We were planning our wedding from abroad (we live in Toronto, Canada) and experienced a few pitfalls, but notwithstanding a few problematic vendors things turned out well in the end.
Venue
First, Cloghan Castle was exactly what it seemed to be on its website. The castle itself is a little bit more rustic than some other self-catering castles, but it was exactly what we were hoping for. It had a gorgeous old tower, two beautiful rooftop battlement areas (one of which was set up for outdoor peat fires), the main reception hall was gorgeous all decked out, the second reception room was perfect for cocktails, the grounds were meticulously manicured - all in all the perfect venue for a rustic castle wedding. I do warn you that the furniture, fixtures, etc. are a little frayed around the edges, but that only lends to the castle's charm. It was such a great backdrop for photos!
Also beneficial were the 7 double bedrooms in the castle, 3 of which had en-suite bathrooms. As we were all coming from overseas, much of our bridal party stayed at the castle for the three days we had it. The only issue might be that not all the bedrooms have en suite baths - I believe it is 3 bedrooms share one bathroom which has a tub but no shower. All things considered though, this venue was great.
Photography
Also worthy of great accolades is Shane O'Neill of Aspect Photography - this guy is an amazing photographer and an awesome guy in general. He did a great job and captured so many fantastic moments at our wedding - we did not even notice him for a huge chunk of the wedding. Absolutely incredible photography - check out his website!!
Catering
I also have to thank Christina Murphy of Rumblin Tum (Rumbling Tum?) for her absolutely masterful catering. People are still raving about the food 3 months later. Christina and her team are honestly just about the nicest people you will ever meet. They fed all of our vendors without hesitation, they took care of my 7 month old niece so her mom could eat - they honestly just felt like family. Christina told me from day one not to worry about things - she would take care of everything... Let me tell you, she did... and then some!
Bar
Our barman was Maurice McCarthy. He was a pretty fantastic barman. I would highly recommend. He does not use e-mail and can be tough to get in touch with, but he knows what he is doing. He picked out some fantastic wines for the wedding that people could not get enough of and did a great job managing the many drunkards while helping me keep the event on budget.
Planner & Decor
We used Kate Deegan of Co-Me.net (Co-ordination made easy) as well as her decor company "Perfect Details". We do not recommend either of these companies. Feel free to PM me for further details.
Flowers
For flowers we used Victorian Posy. We do not recommend this vendor. Feel free to PM me for further details.
