|
 When
Dale Brewster opened Canada’s first drive-through wedding chapel three
years ago, it was mainly a marketing ploy. “It didn’t matter to us if
anyone used it” she says, so she was pleasantly surprised by the amount of
traffic the service has generated.
She is also surprised by
some of the vehicles arriving at her window – everything from a London
Transit Commission bus (rented by two LTC employees for their nuptials) to
a flat bed truck that arrive on Halloween night decked out in graveyard
theme, complete with the vampire groom and a bride that emerged from a
casket. For Brewster, it’s all part in having fun with a wedding and
making it an experience that reflects the couple’s likes and lifestyle.
The drive-through is just
one item on the menu at the Crystal Wedding Chapel, a business that
Brewster opened in 2002 to provide couples with an inexpensive,
hassle-free, “Vegas Style”, wedding service, where the couple have
pre-determined packages to choose from. Brewster based her business on
what she had seen in Las Vegas, where she and her husband were married.
“There where no headaches and it was definitely stressless”, she says,
something that she felt would appeal to many couples.
She spent more than 10
years on research before opening her non-denominational chapel on
Wharncliffe Road, and initially believed her primary market would be
second marriages. “I actually do more first weddings”, she says. “The
wedding industry is a multi-billon dollar industry and a lot of people
don’t want to spend that kind of money.”
On offer are a number of
wedding packages, starting with the no-frills Shot Gun package at only
$199 – in and out in 10 minutes and no personal vows, personal music or
guests. At the upper end of the spectrum, the $2,500 Crystal Orchid
wedding includes everything from photos to flowers to a wedding cake and
garter for the bride, and allows up to 45 guests to attend. For lower
priced packages, the Crystal Wedding Chapel will provide flowers on loan
for the bride to carry and use of a wedding cake for photo purposes.
But it’s not just the
economics bringing people to the chapel doors, says Brewster. Some couples
want to get married on short notice, and their own church may not be
available. And for those who want to tie the knot and an off-site
location, Crystal Wedding Chapel will provide a minister to perform the
wedding ceremony in backyards, hotels or, in one case, on the racetrack an
Western Fair. There are three ministers available, and the service can be
spiritual, civil or personal.
These days the bulk of the
Crystal Wedding Chapel’s business involves couples planning weddings in
foreign countries. “Mexico and the islands are popular,” says Brewster.
“(Couples) want to get married on the beach or in an exotic place, but the
paperwork and red tape can be very time consuming and expensive. For $150,
the couple can be legally wed here to obtain their Ontario Marriage
License, then head south for the ceremonial wedding at their chosen
destination.
The legalization of
same-sex marriage has brought a steady stream of same gender couples to
the chapel, especially from the United States and other countries. One
Saturday in June Brewster married two men from California in the morning
and two women from England in the afternoon. The women, Kristine and Laura
opted to have Elvis serenade the bride as she walked down the aisle. “This
is just for us, something not too serious”, noted Kristine. “We’ll have a
second formal wedding with family and friends in London (England).” The
couple found the Crystal Wedding Chapel through an internet search,
however Brewster says the majority of couples find her through
word-of-mouth referrals.
With the success of the
concept, Brewster is currently scouting for a Toronto location to
replicate the London chapel. She is also actively planning to franchise
the business. “We are just about ready to go with it,” she says,
envisioning a string of Crystal Wedding Chapels bring unique wedding
experiences to brides and grooms across Canada. |
