Our chosen venue, Lough Mardal Lodge, is a large, circular straw bale and cob building built on the shores of Lough Mardal near Ballintra in Co. Donegal. It is approx 20mins drive north of Bundoran. We will have the full use of the main lodge building, terrace, and campfire area during the wedding. You are free to walk around the site and down to the lough throughout the day. The Lodge owners Marcus and Clare, and their young family, live on the land just a little bit up the road from the Lodge, so we ask that you please be respectful of them and their neighbours throughout the evening by keeping to the Lodge and immediate surroundings as much as possible. The venue is Eco-accredited and we will be encouraging and sticking to Zero Waste principles throughout the day. You can read more about the venue, including accessibility here: https://www.loughmardalglamping.ie/

There is limited accommodation at the venue which has been reserved for the bride/groom and immediate family. The easiest option will be to find accommodation in Bundoran town and avail of the organised buses to and from the venue. We recommend you secure accommodation early. As Bundoran is a tourist town, it can be busy during the summer period. There is also a Michael English concert in town on the same night as the wedding which may reduce availability in some hotels. Please see the 'Accommodation' tab for a list of possible options. There are several hotels in town, as well as self-catering units and Airbnb options. Accommodation is Donegal town is also an option and approx 25 mins to the venue, however you will need to make your own way to the venue as we will not have a bus going from Donegal town.

As our chosen venue is a little out of the way, we will be running buses to bring you to Lough Mardal Lodge and back again on the day. There are two buses leaving town at 1.50PM, coming back at 1AM. Bus #1 includes: 1. Portbeg (For Portage accommodation and Marine Terrace) 2. American House (For Madden's, Allingham and Holyrood) 3. KFC (For Atlantic Aparthotel, Willard's B&B, Dartry View and Tullan Strand) Bus # 2 is for the Great Northern Hotel only and leaves at 1.50PM. The bus company have kindly asked that you return on the same bus in the evening for ease of drop offs. The drivers will have more flexibility at night to drop you off to your exact accommodation. The journey out to Lough Mardal is in the middle of a busy Saturday afternoon in Bundoran, and it will be more difficult for the bus to stop at everyone's accommodation. For those driving, there are two car parks available on site. Follow the signs and someone will help out with traffic management on the day. The roads out to Lough Mardal are small country roads so drive safely.

The ceremony begins at 3pm. If you are not travelling on one of the pre-arranged minibuses from Bundoran, please make sure you get to the venue in time to be seated no later than 2.45pm.

Absolutely none! We want a relaxed day so the less formal the better. There is no need for hats and high heels. Please wear whatever you will feel most comfortable with on the day, only you can know what that is. The ground at Lough Mardal is uneven so please consider sensible footwear. If it helps to figure out the "vibe" of the day, the groom will wear 'smart causal', the father of the bride wishes to wear a t-shirt and the bride herself is considering boots and a warm jacket for later. We do plan to have the ceremony outdoors, so please make sure you are prepared for walking on grass, and for whatever the Donegal weather decides it is doing that day. If there is an absolute downpour, we do have an indoor back-up option, but otherwise we're planning to roll with it and embrace the elements. Please dress for the weather and stay warm. We would recommend bringing something cosy for the evening, especially if you re planning on sitting outside by the campfire.

For those up early in the morning, the bride and groom would love to start the day with an ocean dip or surf. Please join if you are up for it. Buses will leave Bundoran at 1.50pm. The ceremony will be led by our lovely celebrant Vanessa at 3pm. Dinner will be called at 5.30PM. The campfire will be lit from about 9pm. Bar closes at 1am. Singing sessions are always welcome. The buses back to Bundoran will leave soon after 1am.

Michael from Yes Chef is our caterer for the day. He has assured us that he can cater for vegetarians and gluten free options. We hope you leave well fed on Saturday!

Lough Mardal Lodge will be running a small mobile bar on the terrace that guests can purchase from directly. The bar takes card payment only. Marcus is the owner of Lough Mardal Lodge and will be running the bar on the night. He has a selection of wines, local beers and ciders. Guinness is on tap.

We would love to see you the night before at Anya's parents house if you are planning on travelling to Bundoran on 6th September. This will be a chance to meet other guests and mingle with the crew before the big day. Address is 52 Stracomer Hill in Bundoran. Party from 5-8pm. We will then organise a short catch up for the 8th September to say goodbye to everyone. We understand that Donegal is a long way from home for a lot of people, so please do not feel obliged to stay if you need to hit the road early on the 8th. We will meet at the Phoenix Bar in town 12-2PM. We are also considering organising a 'Hills of Donegal' bus tour for anyone planning on staying a bit longer in Bundoran. This will depend on numbers, so please express your interest to us. This will most likely be after lunch on Sunday 8th if going ahead so might suit those of you planning to head home on Monday 9th.

We are so excited to have you join our special day and your presence at our wedding genuinely is the best gift we could ask for. Some of you will have significant distances to travel and we could not wish for any more from you. However, if we are to be honoured with a present, a card box and gift table will be available at the venue on the day for you.