Weddings

UR Affiliation

The Bride or Groom is one of the following:

• Alumnus/a with an Undergraduate or Graduate Degree
• Child of an alumnus/a with an Undergraduate or Graduate Degree
• Full-time/Part-time Staff
• Child of a Full-time/Part-time Staff
• Full-time Faculty
• Child of Full-time Faculty

No UR Affiliation

• Non-UR affiliated clients are eligible in addition to faculty, staff, and alumni.
• Weddings without a UR affiliation may be booked up to 10 months in advance.

• The Chapel may only be booked, for weddings, on Saturdays. Available times are 3pm or 6pm. Timeframes are as follows:
  • 1:45pm to 4:30pm for a 3pm ceremony
  • 4:45pm to 7:30pm for a 6pm ceremony
• Rehearsals in the Chapel are scheduled for the Friday evening prior to your wedding date. Rehearsal timeslots include: 4:00-5:30pm and 5:30-7:00pm. Timeslots are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis at contract time.
• Clients and all vendors must not arrive early or stay late beyond their reservation (inside or outside the Chapel, including parking lots). All setup, photos, takedown, etc. must be done within the above timesframes. It is the responsibility of the client to communicate this policy to all vendors and/or the wedding planner.
• At the earliest, weddings may be booked 12 months in advance for brides/grooms with a UR affiliation, and 10 months in advance for brides/grooms without a UR affiliation. Requests are handled in the order they are received within the 12 or 10 month timeframe. We do not keep record or wait lists for requests made prior to 12 or 10 months out.
• Certain campus-wide events prevent weddings from being scheduled. These include, but are not limited to, Commencement, Reunion Weekend, home football games, large admissions events, and holidays/breaks.
• The Chapel is available for a ninety (90) minute rehearsal on the Friday before the Saturday of the wedding ceremony.

• The rental rate is dependent on affiliation to the University. For the most up to date rate information, contact 804-289-8585.
• All rental fees are subject to an additional 6% sales tax.
• The rental fee covers one time slot, not one wedding. If a longer reservation is desired, more than one time slot can be purchased.
• The contracted Reservation Time may not be exceeded. Licensees who exceed a reservation, either by arriving before or staying after the time contracted, will incur a surcharge of $1,500.

• We will be in contact as we get closer to the event date to determine which parking lots are available for you and your guests. While the University of Richmond is a wonderful and memorable venue for weddings and receptions, it’s important to know that the nature of a college campus includes the potential to host multiple events on weekends. In some cases, such as a home basketball game, we have increased traffic on campus which can impact or limit guest parking. While we will work to find a reasonable solution for all attending campus on busy days, we cannot guarantee specific parking lots or number of spaces.
• Guests with limited mobility may load/unload on the square brick patio directly beside the handicapped entrance to the Chapel. After loading/unloading, the vehicle must be moved to one of the lots we have available, as confirmed before your event date.

• The Chapel seats 750 on 62 pews.
• The Chapel aisle is 98 feet long.
• Aisle runners are not allowed.
• The Chapel has both a Bride’s Room and a Groom’s Room, located on either side of the tiered platform at the front of the Chapel.
• The Chapel has 1 Prayer Room.
• Stage - There are four (4) tiered hardwood platforms. A piano is located on the 4th tier. These platforms lead up to the choir loft.
• No food, drinks, or alcohol are allowed in the Chapel.
• Floor Plan

• If you have a minister you would like to use for the service, you are welcome to invite that person. The Events Office or the Office of the Chaplaincy can provide guidance to your family’s minister, if needed.
• In order to perform a wedding or civil ceremony in Cannon Memorial Chapel, a minister or officiant should be ordained and recognized by his/her denomination and the Commonwealth of Virginia, or be lawfully eligible to perform civil ceremonies in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Those who receive ordination online are not viable minsters for Cannon Memorial Chapel weddings.

• The chapel is equipped with a Baroque tracker-action pipe organ built by Rudolph von Beckerath.
• The chapel is also equipped with a seven (7) foot, walnut stained, Steinway grand piano.
• Neither the organ nor piano can be moved.
• Musicians are not provided by the University as part of a Chapel reservation. Please contact the Music Department if you are interested in hiring someone to play either instrument.

• The Chapel enjoys a standard of excellence in music and wishes to have this standard maintained in all Chapel events that involve music, including wedding ceremonies. Care should be given to respect weddings in the Chapel as worship services. The music selected for these services should be sacred, classical, and otherwise appropriate for the setting.

• A staff person will be on-site to ensure all lights are turned on/off for your event.
• There is no sound or audio-visual equipment available for weddings in the Chapel. The chapel acoustics make it unnecessary to have a microphone in the Chapel.

• Only dripless candles are permitted in the Chapel, and only on the top tier of the Chapel platform.
• All dripless candles must be extinguished prior to leaving the Chapel.
• Candles and candelabras are not provided by the University.

• The florist may load/unload on the square brick patio directly beside the handicapped entrance to the Chapel. After loading/unloading, they will need to move their vehicle(s) to one of the parking lots we have available, as confirmed before your event date.
• Decorations may be hung on pews with plastic hooks or ribbon. Tape is not permitted.
• Only silk flower petals can be thrown.
• Birdseed, rice, rose petals, bubbles, etc., cannot be used inside or outside of the Chapel.
• All flowers/decorations/excess trash (boxes, etc.) must be removed within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the ceremony.

• All decorations, flowers, personal belongings, and excess trash (boxes, etc.) must be removed within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the ceremony. After 30 minutes, a minimum $200.00 clean-up fee will be applied.

• Photographers may load/unload on the square brick patio directly beside the handicapped entrance to the Chapel. Once they have loaded/unloaded, they will need to move their vehicle(s) to one of the parking lots we have available, as confirmed before your event date. Photography personnel need to vacate the chapel within 30 minutes of the end of the ceremony.
• Groups may not continue to take photos after the reservation end time, inside or outside the Chapel and surrounding areas.

• Signs can be ordered from Printing Services (804) 289-8525.
• Signs must be ordered at least three (3) weeks prior to wedding date.
• Signs must be posted on metal stakes. Metal stakes can be purchased from the print shop.
• Signs may only be placed on University of Richmond property.
• Signs should clearly state the date of the wedding ceremony. If they do not, they may be removed prior to the date of your event.
• Signs cannot be placed on stop signs, parking signs, or directional signs.
• Signs cannot be placed in flowerbeds or on trees.
• Signs cannot be placed on any of the brick walls that the entrances to the University of Richmond.
• Sign orders, printing costs, metal stakes, and posting of signs are the client’s responsibility.

• The wedding contract must be signed and returned, along with a 50% non-refundable deposit, within fourteen (14) business days of the contract issue date.
• The remaining balance is due at least fourteen (14) business days before the event.

• All wedding clients are required to carry event insurance.
• Please visit, https://tulip.ajgrms.com, and follow the instructions below:
  • Select the quick quote and enter the state and then the institution.
  • Please use the institution’s location code(s) are as follows:
  • 4125 University of Richmond
• Tulip insurance must be on file with the Events, Conferences and Support Services Office no later than three weeks prior to your wedding ceremony to avoid cancellation. There are no exceptions.

• University Catering
• Jepson Alumni Center Receptions
• Rehearsal dinners and receptions are scheduled as separate reservations from wedding ceremonies, and all costs associated are at the client’s expense.

• There is an emergency phone located in the Chapel, to the right of the stage near the Groom’s Room, x8510. Dial 911 in case of emergency.
• The physical address of the University is 28 Westhampton Way, University of Richmond, VA 23173.
• UR Police (non-emergency extension), x8715.