The following article is posted with the permission of the Aiken Standard and does a great job of telling you about us.

 

Victorian Wedding Chapel

Minister wants to keep Christ in ceremonies

August 16, 1998

The phrase "wedding chapel" may bring to mind visions of instant wedding services and flashy, tacky chapels in Las Vegas.

But Victorian Wedding Chapel at 446 Laurens St. NW - Aiken's newest wedding chapel - is a different sort of operation.

Jerry Tindall, a minister, is co-owner of the chapel with his wife Judi, who serves as wedding coordinator.  They try to create a Christian atmosphere in the services.

"What I am happy to do is create more of a pathway for people to be involved in Christianity. " Tindall said.

He said that South Carolina law, which requires a 24-hour waiting period for marriage licenses, "gets past the drunken stupor, the foolish stunt, the spur of the moment, or the heat of the moment situation" that can occur in Las Vegas.

He said he has only had one situation where a couple wanted the quickest ceremony possible, which still requires a license.

Tindall said a couple saw the Victorian Wedding Chapel billboard on their way to Aiken to pick up their license and made the decision to marry there.  The groom was a soldier at Fort Gordon. 

Tindall said he thinks the fact that there are multiple wedding chapels in the Aiken area is because Aiken County borders Georgia, where stricter laws require blood tests and a 30-day waiting period for marrying couples. 

Tindall said 50 percent of the couples who have married at the chapel have come from Georgia.

Tindall said some people also come to the chapel for a second or third marriage.

"Most of the churches, if it is a second or third wedding, are reluctant to use their resources," he said.

Some couples may also want more freedom in planning the wedding that some churches allow. 

The Tindalls offer an alternative for those who do not feel comfortable with a traditional church service but still want the service to be a Christian one. 

The Victorian Wedding Chapel is a pastel building behind a residence that serves as the chapel's office.  Tindall said he designed the chapel himself. Couples may be married there or in a white gazebo with a green-tiled roof.

The chapel is carpeted in green and has white walls, opaque flower-like light covers and a wooden altar. 

In the front of the chapel, out of sight of the area where weddings are held, is a bathroom used as a changing room and an entryway which makes a good sitting area.

Two doors on separate sides of the chapel can be used for the bride's and groom's entrances, symbolizing the uniting of two families in one, according to Tindall.

The Tindalls got the idea for the chapel after hosting weddings for family and friends in their former residence.

They modeled the chapel after the residence they purchased.

The Victorian Wedding Chapel opened in late June, and approximately one wedding a week has been held since the opening.

The chapel offers several services at varying prices.  These may include videotaping, flowers or other extras.  We offer remote wedding officiants. Call for pricing.