Wedding Chapels - Choosing a Wedding Chapel
When you are choosing a wedding chapel, you will firstly need to determine your budget.
Most chapels provide wedding packages in a range of prices to suit all budgets, so you should be able to find somewhere you can afford if you look around.
Use the phone directory or the Internet to search for suitable chapels, and make a shortlist of locations you would like to investigate further.
Most chapels have their own websites these days, so you will be able to see pictures and details of the interior and exteriors, and get a good sense of the style and ambience of the place before you make your shortlist.
Visit the chapels on your shortlist in person, and arrange some time with the chapel coordinator to have a thorough look around at all the facilities.
Check that it has suitable seating and parking for all your guests, and confirm details about the duration and cost of a typical ceremony.
You should also check up on the chapel's music facilities, dressing rooms and whether it has suitable access and seating for elderly guests, or those with mobility impairments.
It might also be a good idea to look at the chapel from a photographer's point of view, and check if there are any attractive gardens or features that you can utilise for your wedding photos.
If you are planning on making a wedding video as a memento to the day, make sure you check with the chapel coordinator that this will be allowed.
Some chapels also provide reception rooms and lodging, so ensure you also check out these facilities carefully, and get a brochure with the prices that you can take away with you.
If you are asking family members to stay overnight, try and be reasonable and provide a range of options that everyone can afford.
Once you have selected a chapel, book the date of your wedding and check at this point whether there are any particular legal requirements that will need to be settled before the wedding.
Most chapels will require you to provide your birth certificate, and also if you are divorced a copy of your final divorce papers.
Some chapels may also ask you for a copy of the relevant death certificate if you are widowed, but this is unusual.
If you have changed your name legally, you may be asked to show this documentation alongside your birth certificate.
It is also common to be asked details about your parentage, so make sure if you are booking the wedding on behalf of your partner, you have the full details of both sets of parents in hand, such as full names (including any middle names) and also their full home contact details.
There are many different types of chapels to choose from, and as this is a special day it is important to pick a place you feel comfortable with, or have a personal relationship too.
It may be the chapel you were baptized, or a place you visit regularly for worship.
If you are not already familiar with the routines of the chapel, it is important to check whether there are any other religious observations during the time you have booked the chapel for, as this may affect the basic decorations.
For example if your wedding should fall during a feast day, the chapel may already be highly decorated with flowers and coloured fabrics.
This may benefit you if you are on a tight budget, as you will save money on decorating the venue yourself, or on the other hand you may not feel the colour scheme is appropriate for your wedding, and would prefer to change the date instead.
Most chapels provide wedding packages in a range of prices to suit all budgets, so you should be able to find somewhere you can afford if you look around.
Use the phone directory or the Internet to search for suitable chapels, and make a shortlist of locations you would like to investigate further.
Most chapels have their own websites these days, so you will be able to see pictures and details of the interior and exteriors, and get a good sense of the style and ambience of the place before you make your shortlist.
Visit the chapels on your shortlist in person, and arrange some time with the chapel coordinator to have a thorough look around at all the facilities.
Check that it has suitable seating and parking for all your guests, and confirm details about the duration and cost of a typical ceremony.
You should also check up on the chapel's music facilities, dressing rooms and whether it has suitable access and seating for elderly guests, or those with mobility impairments.
It might also be a good idea to look at the chapel from a photographer's point of view, and check if there are any attractive gardens or features that you can utilise for your wedding photos.
If you are planning on making a wedding video as a memento to the day, make sure you check with the chapel coordinator that this will be allowed.
Some chapels also provide reception rooms and lodging, so ensure you also check out these facilities carefully, and get a brochure with the prices that you can take away with you.
If you are asking family members to stay overnight, try and be reasonable and provide a range of options that everyone can afford.
Once you have selected a chapel, book the date of your wedding and check at this point whether there are any particular legal requirements that will need to be settled before the wedding.
Most chapels will require you to provide your birth certificate, and also if you are divorced a copy of your final divorce papers.
Some chapels may also ask you for a copy of the relevant death certificate if you are widowed, but this is unusual.
If you have changed your name legally, you may be asked to show this documentation alongside your birth certificate.
It is also common to be asked details about your parentage, so make sure if you are booking the wedding on behalf of your partner, you have the full details of both sets of parents in hand, such as full names (including any middle names) and also their full home contact details.
There are many different types of chapels to choose from, and as this is a special day it is important to pick a place you feel comfortable with, or have a personal relationship too.
It may be the chapel you were baptized, or a place you visit regularly for worship.
If you are not already familiar with the routines of the chapel, it is important to check whether there are any other religious observations during the time you have booked the chapel for, as this may affect the basic decorations.
For example if your wedding should fall during a feast day, the chapel may already be highly decorated with flowers and coloured fabrics.
This may benefit you if you are on a tight budget, as you will save money on decorating the venue yourself, or on the other hand you may not feel the colour scheme is appropriate for your wedding, and would prefer to change the date instead.
