I think getting married here for an elopement, with just yourself and your partner, and no guests, would be perfect. But to have a ceremony/wedding feel with decorations and your closest family & friends present, then this is not it.
My cousin and her husband had their ceremony here. They booked through the Riverside Court Office. There are contradicting information between the clerks at the court office, court office's website, and the chapel's website. Per the court office's website, ceremonies can only be held on weekdays Mon-Thurs and has to be booked in person. When my cousins arrived to the office, the clerk told them the chapel has to be booked online but was courteous enough to book it in person for them.
I also noticed on the chapel's website that it stated they actually can hold ceremonies on the weekends. My cousins already booked a weekday ceremony, but it would've been efficient if all information were aligned across all platforms.
They're more responsive via email with detailed information about the ceremony, do's and don'ts, and pricing. Just like every other review, it is true they are strict on time. You only get a 30 min time slot - not a minute more or less. Within those 30 min, you'll have to haul a-- if you plan on decorating, setting up cameras, etc. Oh and you have to clean everything too. WITHIN your time slot.
Unless you have a full team with a game plan and everyone knows exactly what they're doing, then you'll be fine (but still flustered). If not, the stress and frustration will ruin the day. We thought we had a game plan, but it was so chaotic that nothing went to plan.
A wedding coordinator is mandatory when you book a weekend appointment. You're on your own if you book a weekday appointment. Since they booked a weekday appointment, there is no hospitality whatsoever with the exception of the security guard. The security guard was nice and let us know when to enter and how much time we had left.
We arrived around 15:45, and our time slot was at 16-16:30. The doors remain locked until your time slot. The officiant, Hilda B., pretty much escalated every situation. She was not welcoming when we arrived. She went straight to the point and asked for their marriage license, witness, identifications, etc. While they were going over the information, my family and I rushed to set up the decorations. The security guard advised us that we should start on the decorations since Hilda didn't give the rest of us any information.
While we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to set up the decorations, Hilda came out and said we couldn't throw flower petals down the aisle. The email did say we weren't allowed to have flower petals because there's no custodial on site. We did it anyway bc I knew we still had to clean it up ourselves. I replied to Hilda that we'll clean it after, and her response was "okay sure, if you want to take up your time doing that." My justification is that if you're not offering to provide any assistance with setting up AND you're telling us we have to clean everything up ourselves, then don't tell us how or what we can decorate.
Hilda came back out shortly after and told us we were starting. Without any warning mind you. We had to drop everything and take our seats. The groom was called up. Music of their choice was played. We waited for my cousin to walk down the aisle. She came out of the bathroom completely unaware the ceremony had started because Hilda didn't tell her when she was going to start the ceremony. She rushed down the aisle without her bouquet and without her parents by her side.
Hilda officiated the ceremony in less than 5 minutes. They were not allowed to say their own vows due to the timing, but they were able to say the basic vows. After the ceremony, Hilda was nowhere to be found. We had the remaining time to take photos quickly. The security guard told us how much time we had left. We also had to quickly take down the decor and sweep the flower petals.
Overall, the chapel was well kept. Hospitality needs to improve. I don't recommend court weddings because it'll be rushed and leave you feeling flustered. read more