AFTER 16 months of uncertainty during lockdown a North Wales hotel became a colourful hive of activity to host three weddings in three days.

With lockdown restrictions eased in Wales, couples who had been waiting months to tie the knot where finally able to have the ceremonies of their dreams surrounded by friends and family.

This presented a challenge to Tyn Dwr Hall, in Llangollen, a specialist 27-bedroom wedding hotel that had been unable to host ceremonies of that size since the start of the pandemic.

The Leader: The team at Tyn Dwr Hall.

But it was a challenge that general manager Tracey Owen and her team were eager to rise to - but that team had to be rebuilt as many of the former staff had taken other jobs during lockdown.

It meant that the business was able employ and train 40 new staff members as well as reinstating 20 furloughed staff. In addition to the usual training they had to be instructed on all the latest coronavirus measures.

There was also the boost to the local economy as florists, bakers and the like were called into action again.

It meant that over three days, 320 guests were given a warm welcome to the venue and the weddings went without a hitch - other than the three that were intended.

For many staff, the three back-to-back weddings were their first proper days in the job.

The Leader: Tracey Owen at Tyn Dwr Hall, Llangollen

Tracey, pictured above, said: "As everybody else was we were waiting for guidance from the Welsh Government, which has always come at very short notice. It enabled us to speak to our couples who were really patient and holding on for information. We were lucky with the dates and managed to do weddings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday last week.

"One of our couples had actually booked in 2018 for their wedding in 2020. When covid hit they had to move the date to this year, but early this year, and then they moved to the dates we had available in July. So it was third time lucky for them."

Tracey said the day they could host weddings again had been a long time coming.

She added: "To be able to open our doors and welcome guests back in was absolutely amazing.

"We're an exclusive wedding venue, our only business is weddings. So even when some hospitality was able to reopen, we weren't. A lot of wedding venues like ourselves were unable to trade until this guidance.

"We've had three lovely weddings.

"We've had some lovely feedback from those that were able to visit us. Even though there are still restrictions on what we are and are not able to do, it ran very smoothly. All guests were communicated with ahead of time and fortunately the weather was on their side. We've got lovely gardens and a terrace so they were able to spend a lot of time outside."

Prior to the weddings, a lot of work had to be done in a short time to get the hotel ready.

Tracey explained: "Because we've closed for so long a lot of our team understandably decided to go and do other things - there was only so long that they could wait for us to be able to reopen. So we have a new team.

"We had to take on a full brigade of chefs, bar staff, housekeeping team, and a team that coordinate the weddings, waiting on staff, and a night porter. It's been a full top to toe revamp.

"It's been a mammoth task to do it, and to do it to the level we want it done to. Every wedding is special to us, and we want everyone to have an amazing day, so it was important for us to spend that time ahead of opening to make sure we were ready.

"We provide an exceptional service, above and beyond the norm, so all of the new team had to be trained right from the beginning. I'd say for about 50 per cent of the team this was their first experience of a wedding."

She added: "I could not have hoped for it to have gone any smoother, it was really beautiful."

The Leader:

One of the couples who were finally able to have their dream wedding were Louise Phillips and Garfield Jones.

They said: "Thank you so much to all the staff at Tyn Dwr, especially Shannon, for giving us the best wedding we could have ever wished for!

"We had an absolutely amazing time and everything went seamlessly.

"Despite covid still being very much a part of current life that did not stop us being able to have the day we had dreamed of, thanks to the ability of Tyn Dwr to adapt and overcome.

"Our day was filled with fun and completely faultless, nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Our guests have not stopped complementing everything about the day, venue, service, food, music, entertainment and it’s lovely to know that they all too had the perfect day!

"We have so many very precious memories to treasure.

"For all those with their wedding day still to come please rest assured you don’t need to have any worries or doubts about your wedding at Tyn Dwr, you are in very safe hands, it will be a very special day and everything you have dreamed of."

Tracey was also instrumental in lobbying the Welsh Government throughout the pandemic, helping to form the Welsh Wedding Venue Alliance alongside 40 national wedding venues.

She is now hopeful that the wedding and hospitality industries in Wales are on the path back to normality.

Tracey added: "Lockdown was awful, and you feel for everyone that was affected, especially our couples. It took everybody by surprise.

"It affected everything - all our suppliers, florists, cake-makers, and local accommodation. It wasn't just the hall that was affected, everything dried up in the local economy.

"Every couple of months you'd think we were getting something and things were starting to get a bit better. I remember thinking in April and May last year that we would be doing weddings again in September - but then we had the second wave and it all happened again.

"But the future looks brighter now.

"I really feel for the Welsh Government, I don't think anybody in charge would have been able to make the right decisions for everybody. But we can put all that behind us now and we're all moving in the right direction."