Having Your Ceremony at Mead Chapel -- FAQ
Who can use the chapel for weddings?
Graduates of Middlebury College, as well as faculty and staff and their children, may use Mead
Chapel for weddings.
When can a wedding be scheduled?
Due to the increased use of the chapel for all kinds of events, we now very rarely schedule
weddings during the academic year. We would be happy to assist you in reserving summertime
dates for your ceremony.
Reservations may be made as early as one year in advance.
Because we have limited weekends available for weddings, we encourage couples to schedule
either a 1:00 or 4:00 ceremony, so that two wedding parties can use the space on those few
sought-after weekends.
The Chapel plays an active role in the College and therefore its programming and appearance are
subject to many changes during the academic and liturgical seasons. We will do our best to
inform you of any Chapel, College or community event that may coincide with your wedding
date or place unusual demands upon the Chapel's appearance or accessibility. Though not likely,
unusual circumstances may disrupt reservations made months or even years in advance.
Who do I talk to about scheduling a wedding?
The Chaplain or the Chaplain’s Office Program Coordinator (emckay@middlebury.edu) is
available to answer questions regarding Mead Chapel. If you have questions not addressed in this
publication, please phone the Chaplain's office at (802) 443-5626 and we will be happy to help.
What is the fee for using the chapel?
The base fee for using the chapel for weddings is $350. One hour is scheduled for each rehearsal.
Two hours are scheduled for each wedding. Additional time may be added to your wedding
reservation for a charge of $75/hour. You and your guests will have access to the Chapel one
half hour before the ceremony. For example, if your wedding ceremony is at 4 PM, your
reservation for the Chapel space begins at 3:30 and continues until 5:30 PM.
To confirm your booking, you must return the Chapel fee, the Wedding Confirmation form
(contract), and the Hold Harmless Agreement form to the office. Your tentative reservation will
be held for 30 days. If you are not able to confirm your booking within 30 days, but would like to
hold the date and time, please contact the Chaplain's office.
If you must cancel your reservation, please inform the Chaplain's office as soon as possible. Full
refunds will be made if the cancellation occurs prior to 3 months before the reservation date.
When do rehearsals take place?
Rehearsals are usually scheduled at 6:00 on the night before the ceremony. If two weddings are
scheduled for the following day, one rehearsal will take place at 5:30 and one will take place at
6:30 PM.
Does the college provide a staff person for weddings?
Couples are obligated to arrange for their own clergy person to conduct the ceremony. A
custodial staff person will be on hand during the wedding ceremony.
Can we have our reception on campus?
Hadley House and the Kirk Alumni Center are occasionally available, but most couples have offcampus receptions. Please call the office of Events Scheduling to inquire about Hadley House
and Kirk, sched@middlebury.edu.
Who can officiate at our wedding?
It is the responsibility of the couple to arrange for a cleric or justice of the peace to officiate.
The Rev. Laurel M. Jordan, Chaplain of the College, is available to officiate at weddings upon
consultation. She may require a series of conferences with the couple prior to the ceremony. To
make an appointment with Laurie, please call the Chaplain's office at (802) 443-5626, or email
her at ljordan@middlebury.edu.
A minister, priest, or rabbi holding ordained status in their denomination or a justice of the peace
is welcome to officiate at your wedding in Mead Chapel. However, special arrangements
pertaining to particular religions may have to be made. Please check with the local congregation
with whom your officiant is affiliated. (Example: St. Mary's Catholic Church has certain
protocols for visiting priests in the area.)
If the cleric performing your wedding does not reside in the state of Vermont, by state ordinance,
the cleric must write a letter stating his/her formal education, date and place of ordination, by
whom he/she was ordained, as well as their present standing in their denomination or religious
body. This letter must be signed by the cleric. The bride and groom must write a letter requesting
that this cleric be permitted to perform the ceremony. Include in the letter the date, time and
location of the ceremony. Both letters should be mailed (together if possible) no later than one
month prior to the wedding, to the Addison County Probate Court, Addison County
Courthouse,Middlebury, VT 05753.
After you have purchased your marriage license at the Middlebury Town Clerk's office, you
must go to the courthouse where they will issue a permit for the cleric, and attach it to your
license. Please call (802) 388-2612, ahead of time to ensure that the permit has been prepared.
Clergy and Justices of the Peace are traditionally given an honorarium for their services.
Honoraria vary according to the individual officiant. Checks should be made payable to the
officiant performing the ceremony.
The following is a list of people who have performed weddings at Mead Chapel:
Clergypeople:
Steven Jewett, American Baptist, (802) 388-4067
Laurel M. Jordan, United Methodist, Chaplain to the College, (802) 443-5626
Johanna Nichols, Unitarian Universalist, (802) 388-8080
Larry Yarbrough, Episcopalian, (802) 388-4169 (wouldn’t we give Larry’s office #?)
Justices of the Peace:
Walter Richard Calhoun (802) 388-2534
Mary M. Hurlie* (802) 482-3927
Christine Mobley Ketcham (802) 388-7433
Peg Martin (802) 388-7697
Michael Olinick* (802) 443-5559
David Rosenberg* (802) 443-5612 (W) or (802) 338-6453 (H)
* denotes member of college community
What about music for our ceremony?
Emory Fanning, the College Organist, may be available to play the organ at weddings. His fee is
$400, payable prior to the ceremony. Make checks payable to Emory Fanning.
If he is unavailable, there are several other local musicians who are familiar with the Mead
Chapel organ; their fees vary. They are: Susan Mason (organ, piano, harp, recorder), (802) 4622543; Kevin Parizo (organ), (802) 388-6971, and Ann Rowell (organ), (802) 388-8410.
Organists generally do not attend wedding rehearsals, but will meet with couples, musicians, or
soloists as necessary.
The organ (Gress-Miles, 1970) in Mead Memorial Chapel is a large instrument with three
keyboards and pedal board controlling 48 sets of pipes. Guest organists must have experience
with such classical organs. Mr. Fanning must be contacted directly at (802) 443-5607 or at
efanning@middlebury.edu regarding all guest organists, as instruction for its use is necessary.
Contact Mr. Fanning directly for any questions pertaining to musical apparatus or acoustics.
The Dragone Carillon (1986, 48 notes) located in the tower is available for qualified players. A
practice clavier is located in the basement green room. Ask Mr. Fanning for further details.
A few local musicians:
Samuel Guarnaccia, classical guitarist, (802) 985-2917
David Gusakov, violin/chamber music/ensembles, (802) 453-5725
William Kirby, trumpet, (802) 388-0267
Vermont Symphony Orchestra ensembles: http://www.vso.org/
Is there a sound system? How about lighting?
Microphones are located in each of the podiums on the chancel. Controls for sound are located
in the cabinet just inside the sanctuary as you enter the front of the chapel. If the person
conducting your ceremony is unfamiliar with Mead Chapel, contact us and we’ll give you more
detail on how to turn it on. Light switch panels are located behind the organ console and near the
stairway at the rear of the chapel.
Is the chapel handicapped accessible?
Mead Memorial Chapel is accessible to physically challenged persons via a ramp attached to the
on the north side of the building. There are, sadly, no accessible bathrooms. Handicapped
parking is available on Hepburn Road, at the chapel’s back door.
Is there a “bride’s room?”
There are no facilities within the Chapel for changing into wedding attire. Please make
arrangements to do so at another location. There is a very small “green room” (capacity: 5
people) in the lower level of the chapel that can be useful in some circumstances. However,
there is no access between it and the front of the chapel; the wedding party must go outside,
around the building, to get to the front door. Usually the groom and best man are encouraged to
relax there prior to the ceremony.
What about rest rooms?
There is one tiny bathroom in the chapel. It is in the lower level, and is not handicapped
accessible. There are both men's and women's rest rooms in Proctor Hall, across Hepburn Road
from the chapel. Proctor Hall is handicapped accessible.
Where do our guests park?
The wedding party and guests may park along both sides of Hepburn Road behind the chapel.
Parking for guests is also available on Old Chapel Road at the base of the Chapel hill, at marked
locations on both sides of Route 125. Campus Security will be notified that there will be many
guests on campus for your ceremony, and will not ticket off-campus cars.
How should deliveries be made to the chapel?
Hepburn Road, directly behind the chapel, will be opened at the beginning of your reservation
time and will be closed at its completion. If a problem occurs during weekend hours, please call
Campus Security at 443-5911.
What are the policies on decorating the chapel, throwing rice, and candles?
Aisle runners are permitted in the Chapel. The length of the aisle from doorway to altar steps is
approximately sixty feet.
Brassware on the altar includes two candlesticks and a cross. These may be removed and placed
in the side closet if not desired. The chapel is not equipped with a candleabra, nor are evening
services lit only by candlelight allowed.
Rice, confetti, balloons, birdseed, rose petals, etc. may not be thrown or released inside the
Chapel, on the outside steps, or on the sidewalks around the Chapel.
All decorations must be set up and removed completely within your two-hour reservation period.
Again, please be considerate of other wedding parties.
What are chapel policies on photography and videography?
Photographs in the chapel before or after the service must be completed within the two hours
allotted for your reservation.
It is the Chapel's policy that no flash or other photographic illumination for picture taking be
used during the actual ceremony. We ask this with respect to the solemnity of your marriage
vows and the Chapel sanctuary. Your photographer and guests are welcome to take pictures
during the processional and recessional of your service. Please inform your photographer and
guests of our policy.
Your entire service may be videotaped with a stationary camera with existing lighting only.
Neither the Scott Center staff nor the College Media Services staff are available to do video or
audio recordings of weddings and civil unions.
Some local photographers:
Brett Simison (678) 852-4761
www.brettsimison.com
Green Mountain Photography (802) 862-8222 www.greenmountainphotography.com
Kristin Hirsch (802) 545-2149
Gillian Randall Photography (802) 425-4242 www.gillianrandall.com
Tad Merrick (802) 388-9598
Curtis Rhodes Photography, (800) 673-1213
www.crhodes.net
Loveworks Photographic
Christopher J. Clements
802-453-5988
www.loveworksphotographic.com
Where will our guests stay?
Middlebury College cannot provide lodging for wedding parties or their guests, but Addison
County has lots of great places to stay. Here are just a few:
Basin Harbor Club, Panton, (800) 622-4000
Blueberry Hill Inn, Goshen, (802) 247-6735
Blue Spruce Motel, Middlebury, (802) 388-4091
Brandon Inn (802) 639-8685
By the Way Bed & Breakfast, East Middlebury, (802) 388-6291
The Chipman Inn, Ripton, (802) 388-2390
Churchill House Inn, Brandon, (877) 247-3078
The Greystone Motel, Middlebury, (802) 388-4935
The Inn on the Green, Middlebury, (802) 388-7512
The Lilac Inn (800) 221-0720 or (802) 247-5463
Mary's at Baldwin Creek, Bristol, (802) 453-2432
The Middlebury Inn, (802) 388-4961
The October Pumpkin (802) 388-9525
The Sugar House Motor Inn, Middlebury, (802) 388-2770
The Swift House Inn, Middlebury, (802) 388-9925
The Waybury Inn, East Middlebury, (802) 388-4015
The Whitford House, Addison, (800) 746-2704
Willow & Lotus Bed and Breakfast, Cornwall, (802) 462-2519
Who can do our flowers?
The wedding party provides their own floral arrangements for their ceremony. Most local
florists are familiar with Mead Chapel; we are happy to provide interior photos if that will be of
assistance. Keep in mind while discussing arrangements with the florist that the wedding party
will likely be using the steps at the front of the chapel. If decorating the pews is desired, flowers
and/or bows may be hooked, clipped, or draped on the ends of the pews. Most florists will supply
the devices necessary for safe attachment. We ask that nothing be stuck on, into or taped to the
pews or any other surface within the Chapel.
Blossom Basket (802) 388-3900
Carr's Florist (802) 247-5727
Cheers! (802) 453-3655
Cole's Flowers & Frames (802) 388-7852
The Cottage Garden (802) 425-3192
BloomersGardenFlowers.com
karenhescock@hotmail.com
(802) 948-2434
Silver Toad Floral Design
silvertoad.com
(802) 878-7350
What if I have a problem during our rehearsal or ceremony and need to reach Public
Safety?
Public Safety’s phone number is 443-5911.