Malone Lodge Hotel: Open Day

The Malone Lodge Hotel has regular Open Days and I am a bit obsessed with calling down and having a nosy as often as I can.  Every time we go, we just fall in love with the place all over again. I think it's really important to see your hotel as much as possible because if you're anything like me, you get over-excited with plans and it isn't until you see the location again that you realise that your ideas might not actually work as you'd thought.
 
It's just nice to call in, just the two of us, and have a walk around the suite and plan where everything is going to go and how it's going to look.  We always go for a coffee in the residents bar - the coffee is to die for - or a meal in the restaurant while we're there to chill out and discuss some of our plans.  It's always good to make sure we're both on the same page.  I've been guilty of running on ahead and forgetting to tell Michael what my ideas are, and somehow just expect him to know what I'm talking about!

We got speaking to wedding coordinator Jenna who gave us both a much welcomed glass of Prosecco and some canapés and showed us around the suite and restaurant and answered all our questions.  We talked over our food options, and I think we've more or less picked what we're going to have served.  All very free and easy and no fuss. She also brought us upstairs to view the Bridal Suite - which was so much nicer than we expected.  Very big, luxurious and we're so pleased with how lovely it is.  We also got to nosey at the Presidential Suite which is huge, and the double rooms which are also much bigger and much nicer than expected.  The whole hotel is such a surprise - everything is perfect.  They did again stress that rooms for January are booking up very fast, so I would remind any of our guests hoping to book one do so ASAP.  Booking.com seem to have the best rates, and you don't have to pay until the day.  Worth reserving just in case.

The Reception area is lovely too with big comfortable chairs and sofas. There is a residents bar there which serves drinks up to 3am (and beyond, depending on how the night is going) for anyone staying in the hotel. They have a great outside area at the front with gorgeous old glass street lamps which will look fab in the January night light, but hopefully the January cold will stop too many of our guests congregating out there!  The Knife and Fork Restaurant is fab too and we'll be having our immediate-family-only dinner there for our parents, brothers and sisters before the Reception itself begins.

We just love the décor in the hotel, it suits our colour scheme perfectly. They have the most amazing black and white photographs and posters around the hotel corridors that just suit our theme down to a tee - we couldn't have found a better match for what we were looking for. As we're getting married in New York, we wanted a theme to reflect this, so we've chosen a very classic black and white theme - think old New York - all very glossy and chic. We love the floors, all black and white high-shine tiles with lots of mirrors on the walls and candles lighting up any dark corners.  I have made an appointment (with my own mother!) to discuss wedding flowers and décor this week - we've pretty much chosen exactly what we would like.  We're pretty organised with everything, and now that we're all booked and deposits paid, it's onto the fun stuff!

We're two very happy bunnies :)