Wedding Timeline

Wedding Agreement and Timeline at Rockefeller and Bond Chapels

a private page for couples with deposited reservations

Initial Inquiry: check! You’re in the Chapel calendar for the date and time confirmed by email. Congratulations! You may have met us in person already at point of inquiry or deposit, which is great. If you are international and/or booking from another state, you may choose to have an initial site visit later (if you like — not required); otherwise, you’ll meet our musician(s) in person at the music meeting (in person or via Zoom) and then the rehearsal, the Friday night immediately preceding the Saturday ceremony.

Deposit: check! Thank you for your $500 deposit. Your balance (your fee minus this $500) will be due 30 days prior to your ceremony via a University customer account we will help you establish. Where do we go from here?

Officiant selection: you should identify who will preside over your vows. This person can be anyone you choose but must be authorized to preside at a wedding in the State of Illinois, and will help you with your marriage license. If you need recommendations from us, see the list of campus religious advisors at Spiritual Life . We don’t usually provide a celebrant unless you are a member of the Rockefeller Chapel Sunday congregation. You may already know the name of the person – please include this in an email to us in no rush. We do not require proof of the officiant’s certification.

Rehearsal: you should identify your one-hour rehearsal, beginning at 4:30, 5, or 6 PM on the Friday immediately preceding your wedding date. Please note that since we may have multiple rehearsals on an evening, they are scheduled on a first-come basis. Promptness by the party and officiant, and departure by the end of the hour are essential. Your officiant organizes the rehearsal and our coordinator is onhand to receive (see below).

Music selection meeting: a few months prior to your ceremony, you should schedule a time with University Organist Tom Weisflog to select music. This is also your best time to bring a planner or family member to visit the site. Our coordinator will attempt to join you for this meeting, but Tom will answer the musical questions and you can send me followup questions via email in any scenario. Tom may be able to accommodate a virtual (phone) meeting if neither of you are local, but it’s always ideal to do this in person if possible. Solo guest musicians are welcome (see guidelines), which Tom will work to integrate, but many couples opt for just the magnificent organ and bells, included in your reservation. Tom can be reached at weisflog@uchicago.edu.

Carillon is also included in your reservation! Your 30-minute prelude on the bells does not strictly require customization, but the University carillonist would love to hear from you if you have favorites (or a general theme) you’d like your friends and family to hear ringing through campus before your ceremony. You can advise the organist on carillon preferences and he will relay onward for you.

Balance: 30 days before your ceremony, you will send the University your balance payment by ACH, wire, or check following a brief account setup facilitated by the coordinator (keep your eye out for that link, see deposit information above and balance information here depending on the date of your wedding). This is a great time to check in with us and confirm your officiant, music selection, and final rehearsal and day-of-ceremony timing.

Program: 14 to 7 days ahead: if you are using a formal printed program, please send us (weddings@uchicago.edu ) a digital copy for our local preparations and archives.

Rehearsal: our expert wedding coordinator (assigned one month before the ceremony) will be here for you. The organist is not present for the rehearsal — the rehearsal is led by your officiant to make sure you are comfortable. You may choose to bring small, non-perishable items (such as a box of programs) for storage overnight, but we can’t keep décor, flowers, or food between the rehearsal and ceremony. The chapels are not staffed early Saturday mornings, and if you are in the 4 PM ceremony window there may be a noon ceremony before you, so you should plan all deliveries and arrivals for the very start of your window, not before.

Ceremony: the Big Day. Congratulations! We will have dressing rooms (Rockefeller lower level, or for Bond ceremonies, designated rooms at neighboring Swift Hall) and the sanctuaries bright and ready for you at the start of your window. All deliveries, photography, guest arrival, and final music rehearsing must take place at or after the start of the reservation. The chapels are not otherwise open to the public on your ceremony day. We do not maintain a lost and found other than for the most essential items (wallets or phones), which we turn over to university police after 3 days, so please have ushers / planners / family clear the space carefully before the end of your reservation. The next office day is the following Monday for phone calls or item retrieval. Please kindly note that your three-hour Saturday wedding window must be strictly observed – no deliveries or photography before, or lingering after, in fairness to our staff and other event reservations. Thanks for your understanding.

The reservation window for 12 PM ceremonies is 10:45-1:45. The reservation window for 4 PM ceremonies is 2:45-5:45.

Reception note: most couples have their wedding reception booked or in mind by the time they reach us, but if you are still looking for options, there are a few newer or less conventional options in Hyde Park we are happy to recommend! Feel free to consider or ask us more about the The Sophy, The Study, the Smart Museum, The Quad Club, Chicago Theological Seminary, and the Rubenstein Forum. The last two are just blocks away, and have reception rooms with beautiful views overlooking Rockefeller Chapel and the Chicago skyline.

TECHNICAL NOTE FOR YOUR VENDORS:

Generally, questions from vendors should come to us through you — please refrain from putting vendors in direct contact with us barring urgent needs the week of the ceremony. Unlike many traditional wedding venues there is no preferred or limited vendor list, so every ceremony is new and different with a wide variety of supporters that just you will know best. You may wish to relay the below:

For planner, videographer and musicians: we do not provide audio feeds from our house systems; please plan to record ambient audio on your own if applicable. University Guest Wireless Network (with login and password) can be provided on request by Chapel staff to the wedding party and their designates, including vendors. There are currently no wired access points for external users. Wireless mikes on stands (at lectern / pulpit or chancel floor as applicable) are provided, along with wireless lav for officiant. Limited (up to 2 at Rockefeller, 1 at Bond) additional wireless mikes can be provided for vocalists, piano, or other instrumentalists, but the best experience for music is often true a cappella. This can be discussed and explored onsite at the music selection meeting and rehearsal.

For planner and florist: only freestanding decor is permitted; arrangements including chuppah must be delivered, erected, and struck (removed) during the three-hour reservation provided to the couple. Extra time is not available. Use of ladders is not permitted. Arrangements must not rest on or be attached to historic woodwork.

PLEASE NOTE: beyond the initial visit, music selection meeting, and rehearsal (3 visits total), we regret we don’t have other time to receive site visits from you, guest musicians, planners, or family before the ceremony. The chapels are (normally) open to the public and you are welcome to self-guide at other times (see Visit Us).