Finding the perfect wedding chapel in Houston

October 9, 11:43 AMHouston Bridal Scene ExaminerJan Cancila

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      Wedding gazebo at Vargos - Photo (c) 2009, Jan Cancila

Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Dennis Rodman, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley all tied the knot at wedding chapels in Las Vegas. That’s pretty easy to do with dozens of wedding chapels along the Vegas strip and Nevada’s easy marriage requirements: no waiting period, no blood test and a county clerk that issues marriage licenses 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. Inspired by simplicity of the famous Vegas wedding chapel marriage, a friend is trying to duplicate that experience in Houston.  

To be clear, there are thousands of places to get married in the Houston metropolitan area. Nearly without exception, every house of worship can be the site of a wedding. There are wedding venues where the bride and groom can say I Do and five minutes later start the reception without leaving the building. There are outdoor locales, such as the gazebo at Vargo’s, pictured above, and with special permits one can even have a small ceremony in front of the waterfall at Williams Tower. The challenge however was to find a wedding chapel. A Wedding Chapel is a building that has the sole function of hosting wedding ceremonies and is staffed with an officiant who can legally conduct the ceremony. So the quest begins for the perfect wedding chapel in Houston.

A Google search of "wedding chapels Houston" turned up a long list of decidedly non-wedding chapels. Every wedding venue, bed and breakfast, hotel and restaurant that has ever hosted a wedding appeared on the list. But wait. On the list, amid all the pretenders were two true wedding chapels. Closest to town is the Harmony Wedding Chapel, located at 8120 Gulf Freeway. You have probably passed it a hundred times driving south of downtown on I-45 where it sits on the west service road. It is a white building with columns and a steeple. Somehow the name seems to fit. Call (713) 643-7777 for more information. The second true wedding chapel is the Office Wedding Chapel at the Dream Weddings Cottage in Tomball. Billed as an alternative to the ‘cold courthouse’ this chapel is for the truly intimate wedding, hosting a maximum of 12 guests for a civil ceremony. For more information call (832) 286-2606.

A search for other true wedding chapels drew a blank, so the next search was for chapels on the campuses of local colleges and universities, which turned up 3 good prospects:

The University of Houston has a lovely chapel on its main campas called the A.D. Bruce Religion Center. Although used for other types of religious meetings and ceremonies it makes an ideal wedding chapel. The chapel has a wall of widows overlooking the wooded campus that becomes the backdrop for the ceremony. The chapel is available to the public for weddings on a reservation basis. An organist is provided in the fee but the couple has to bring their own official to preside at the ceremony. Guest capacity is 250. Call (713) 743-5050 for more information. 

The Chapel of St. Basil can be found on the Museum District campus of The University of St. Thomas. This architecturally noteworthy chapel with the glistening gold dome and asymetrical design is available for Catholic weddings only for those who have graduated from the University or who are current students. Guest capacity is 225. For more information please contact the Chaplain, Fr. Mike Buentello, at (713) 525-6981 or buentem@stthom.edu.

Rice Memorial Chapel is on the campus of Rice University. The chapel’s two story nave and sleek lines bring an understated simplicity to the venue. The university itself is one of the more popular locales for wedding portraits due to its stunning series of walkway arches. To use the chapel, the University has implemented a strict policy of requiring either the bride or the groom be a current or former Rice student or an employee or trustee of the university. Guest capacity is 226. For more information, contact the Student Center at (713) 348-3778. 

None of the Houston chapels allow for the spontaneity of the Las Vegas wedding as Texas has a 72 hour waiting period between applying for the marriage license and saying “I Do.” That may be a good thing. Of the five celebrities listed at the beginning of this article not a single one of the Vegas chapel marriages passed the test of time.

We’re wishing our friend and his bride-to-be the very best in their quest for the perfect wedding chapel and hoping this list is a help to finding their happily ever after.

Jan Cancila is the Houston Bridal Scene Examiner and owner of The Linen House, a linen rental boutique located in Houston and The Woodlands.  Readers of this article may enjoy her Weddings 101 series:

• What does wedding insurance cover?
• How to host an engagement party in Houston
• Planning a second wedding
• Break these rules part 1 and part 2