Thorncrown Chapel

nt and office coordinator were both incredibly nice and helpful, making sure everything went off without issue.

th to plan a third wedding long distance we reached out to the Thorncrown Chapel for the ceremony. From the very first email asking for information, Cheryl Hoffman was amazing to work with. She was so patient and promptly answered our many phone calls & emails. The Chapel is absolutely beautiful, but what made the wedding so special is that Cheryl went above & beyond to accommodate the special needs we had with the Bride's ailing Grandfather who was performing the ceremony. Cheryl helped make our small family wedding truly special & memorable!!!

e was nice and tried to keep us calm. The lady who runs it kept getting on when we decorated, got a little grumpy about the music and kept trying to tell my photographer what she could do. They are strict on time, there was another wedding after ours, and she kept walking through the pictures telling us how much time we had left. The place was beautiful and we have some amazing wedding photos. If you can handle how strict it is then I highly recommend this glass chapel!!

d it was my husband's and my favorite road trip when we visited it the first time a few years ago while we were still dating. Pros: - Gorgeous! Absolutely no need to provide any sort of decorations or flowers - doing so would almost be an insult. Even in the late fall or winter, it's beautiful. This could also save you some money! - Minister is included (we ended up using our own, but it was nice to have the option) - Lovely sound system (only uses CDs though) - Chapel caretaker is on-site to help assist with the music and logistics if needed. - Did I mention it's gorgeous?? Neutrals: - Can seat no more than 100 persons - On-site office can be used as a staging area for bridal party, but not as a getting-ready suite. We had about 10-12 people in our party and it was quite cramped, but we weren't in there for long, so it was okay. - Can be tough to book. We got married on a Monday and had no issues, but Friday-Sunday we hear can be book out months in advance. - If you choose to decorate, decorations must be approved by chapel staff. Cons: - Timing. Due to the popularity of the venue, they crank weddings out one after another. This means that you only get the venue for a MAX of an hour and a half (unless you pay quite a bit extra) for seating your guests, the ceremony, AND pictures afterwards. You will NOT be allowed on the property early and must be off the property on time because another wedding's time slot will begin immediatley after yours with no buffer between. So if you do decorate, be sure to plan your ceremony length with enought time to take pictures and clean up afterwards. They are quite strict about this. - Chapel staff can be quite strict at times. Just communicate EARLY, OFTEN, AND EXPLICITLY about your plans for the day so there are no surprises and they can approve your choices. I generally found no problem, but they do want to make sure that your ceremony is respectful to the chapel and to the Lord. - There are no bathrooms on site for guests. There is a restroom in the chapel office where the bridal party can wait before hand, but it is not for public use (i.e. guests). Final Advice: - Be in contact with the chapel early if you want to get the date and time you desire. - Have a conversation (in person if you can!) with Cheryl the chapel coordinator so she can help you figure out logistics and approve ceremony readings since you cannot scout out the property during normal visiting hours. When visiting the chapel during public hours, you have to sit down inside and cannot move/look around. - Contact your photographer/videographer and put them in touch with the chapel coordinator as well as encourage them to do a site visit so they can see how the lighting works in an all glass chapel and for them to scout out where they should stand to get good pictures since there isn't much room for them to move around. (We used the Nikon Kidd (Mike Quain) for Photography and Complete Weddings + Events out of Springfield, MO for video (Tyler Hines) - highly recommend them both!) - Read up on the history of the chapel because it's quite lovely :)

recommend for anyone!!!!!!

y questions. They worked so beautifully behind the scenes the day of our wedding to coordinate the details and to take care of our guests. Could not have asked for a better experience. AND it's breathtakingly beautiful! Everyone goes crazy over our pictures. Can't recommend it enough.

remony, start to finish lasted 15 min. So there was plenty of time for pictures! Inspite of the reviews about a "rude" elderly lady, we didn't have any trouble. Everyone was extremely nice! I can't wait to go back on our anniversary!

his place to anyone.

the venue, we highly recommend it. Our time slot was 5:30 - 7pm. We arrived at 5:30, met with the minister and started our ceremony promptly at 6. Patricia, the chapel musician, played for us and she sang and played beautifully. There was time after the ceremony to take our photos and then head to our reception.

ers have. Everything was perfect!

tself). However, after actually having my wedding there, it isn't as much of an issue as I initially thought it would be. They bring you (as the bride) into the office right before the ceremony and the preacher sits down with you and discusses everything. He explains what normally happens and then asks what you want to happen. Then he goes and directs everyone. It took alot of stress off of my shoulders. If you are even considering this venue - Go for it. My wedding could not have been more beautiful.

wned the chapel kept getting in the way, would not let them take the pictures at the front of the chapel, told my photographer where she could stand and even went to far as to make a rude comment in front of all my guests directly after the ceremony. I paid good money to have this woman try to direct my photography and insult us on our wedding day!!!

the price you pay. I thought it was worth it, though. We got so many compliments on how pretty it was! Roxanne at the Thorncrown will answer all your questions.

take in the nature around them as well as stay out of the cold/hot/rain outside!

rything went smoothly. Watch out for mingling guests....make sure you inform your guests before hand to leave right after the ceremony to the reception, no time to talk to guests there if you want pictures in front of the chapel. Very very pushed for time! Have someone in charge of letting your guests know, you (the bride) will be in a whole other world and really won't care about what your guests are doing :-) I was just loving every minute not really knowing what time it was.

ou provide your own music. Seating is very limited.