Meet Elaine
Lots of work and planning goes into making a wedding perfect for the happy couple.
One woman who does this is Elaine Gantly, Wedding Coordinator at the Oriel House Hotel in Ballincolling. We recently met up with Elaine to find out all about her job and career to date.
Tell us about your position:
The role of the wedding coordinator is a very important one but is nothing without the operations team behind it. As a team, we pay a huge amount of attention to detail and take great honour in creating a memorable day for each of our couples.
In terms of the day to day, every day is different as we cater for small, intimate, and larger more extravagant receptions.
The Oriel House Hotel is one of the most in-demand wedding venues in Munster, so we are extremely busy, especially during the summer season, with weddings and meeting newly engaged couples searching for their perfect venue.
We take great pride in the awards we have won over recent years including the being named as the Cork Wedding Venue of the Year 2018 at The Remy Martin Cork Business Awards, the 2019 Munster Wedding Award for best Cork Wedding Venue as well as the 2018 Best 4 Star Hotel of the Year in Munster at the Irish Hotel Awards.
We strive to continue to drive excellence in weddings and focus on the delivery of service to ensure we exceed expectation.
How have you got to where you are?
I completed my Diploma in Hotel Management in MTU in 1997, formerly CIT.
I then transferred to Athlone Institute of Technology to complete my Bachelor of Business (BBA) in Tourism and Hospitality Management in 1998.
Upon completing my degree, I secured a duty manager position in the Blue Haven Hotel in Kinsale. This was a fantastic opportunity to work in a small luxury family-owned boutique style hotel. It gave me the opportunity to learn all aspects of the business.
From there I relocated to the Imperial Hotel on the South Mall, Cork city where I spent 17 years in various roles under the guidance of owner and managing director, John Flynn. John was instrumental in my reason to remain with the company for 17 years and afforded me the opportunity to progress my career in many different areas of the business.
Whilst I began as Conference & Banqueting Coordinator, I then moved to working as PA to John Flynn, whilst the hotel was undergoing a 2-year development programme. The development included the construction of an award-winning spa, Escape Salon & Spa, which I managed for a period of 7 years.
Due to various health issues, it was time for a change and I moved into weddings and worked as Wedding Coordinator from mid-2013 to early 2016.
In early 2016 an opportunity presented itself to join the Oriel House Hotel in Ballincollig. The hotel had recently been purchased by the Talbot Group and a huge investment was planned for the property.
As I live in Ballincollig the challenge was hugely appealing and I took the plunge after 17 years.
Over the past 6 years I have helped couples plan and celebrate their wedding day here at the Oriel House Hotel and have overseen over 400 weddings during this time.
Each one is special and unique, and it gives me such great joy to receive feedback from all my couples after their wedding and what an enjoyable time they have had.
Why do you suit the role?
I am a very structured and organised person which are essential attributes required in planning process, especially when dealing with some many different wedding couples. Communication is so important at all stages and excellent attention to detail is must.
At the same time, a very caring nature is required which helps to develop a unique relation with each couple. Also being able to manage and be part of team is vital to ensure the operations runs smoothly on the day.
Finally, what skills are required?
Event planning, event management and hospitality management.