Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The Armada celebrates 30 years as a wedding venue

 
One of Ireland’s most established and best known hotels is celebrating 30 years as a wedding venue by offering its most comprehensive ever wedding packages.
The Armada in Spanish Point will launch its 2014 Wedding Packages when it hosts The Clare County Bridal Exhibition (1.00-5.30pm, Sunday 2nd February), featuring the West Clare Food Hall, Fashion Shows, Wedding Exhibitors and entertainment throughout the day.

The six new packages take account of the hotel’s rich history while at the same time celebrate its breathtaking location overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the innovative approach by management that has seen it develop into one of the country’s foremost wedding venues.

The first time a hotel stood on the cliffs where the Armada Hotel now stands was in 1808 when The Atlantic Hotel was opened. The hotel warmly welcomed the gentry, royalty and clergy of Ireland and Europe until 1919. Almost 50 years later, the Armada’s current owners bought what remained of the property. To this day, the original licence for the historic Atlantic Hotel is still in use at The Armada. 

The provision of a modern, award-winning hotel on the site of what was once the biggest hotel in Ireland and Britain during the 1800s has proven to be an attractive proposition to brides and grooms down through the years. Three decades on from holding the first wedding of Nessa O Brien and Brendan Sexton in 1984, the Management and Weddings team at The Armada continue to plan wedding packages with one eye on The Armada’s historical soul and the other firmly set on the importance of adapting to ever-changing wedding trends, themes and fashions.

“Most brides and grooms are very relaxed when they have their wedding with us, partly because all the worries of a wedding are taken care of by our weddings team, and also because they often switch into ‘holiday mode’ as soon as they arrive,” said Frank Minogue, General Manager of the Armada.

He added: “West Clare offers so much as a destination that the whole wedding party really enjoys an extended celebration. We are seeing more and more couples choose Spanish Point for this reason, and we have to be innovative in raising the bar for unique and tailored weddings to create a different event every time.”

The innovative packages developed for 2014 include the impeccable ‘Picture Perfect’ offering, ‘The Sweetest Memories’, ‘Oh I do like to be Beside the Seaside’ and the summer vibes of the ‘Elegance by the Sea’, to the all-partying ‘West Clare Hooley’ and the ‘Clare Harvest of the Sea and Land’. 

The new wedding packages feature menus and dishes that reflect West Clare flavours and produce from local suppliers and from the polytunnel of The Arnada’s sister property, Hotel Doolin. Homemade desserts are created in the Armada Pastry kitchen, as is the Armada’s Brown Bread crafted using the Chef’s secret recipe and with a decent drop of the hotel’s Dooliner Beer.  Meanwhile, the couple can take advantage of the hotel's stunning location with a host of activities on their doorstep with history walks, surfing, kayaking and some of Ireland's greatest attractions to include the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and the Loop Head Drive

The Armada’s lengthy track record one of the country’s leading wedding venues and as a high quality accommodation provider is reflected in the awards it has picked up in recent times, including ‘Overall Munster Venue of the Year’ in the Weddings Online Awards 2013, a Platinum Award in the Green Hospitality Awards 2013, and its status as a ‘Guaranteed Irish Hotel’.

The Armada will host The Clare County Bridal Exhibition on Sunday 2nd February from 1pm to 5.30pm. The Management and Weddings team will be on hand to discuss the new Wedding Packages and answer any queries from potential brides and grooms. More from www.armadahotel.com or 065-7079000.