Where wedding dreams begin - or at least nightmares are averted

By Ian Gillespie -- Free Press News Columnist

Sometimes, it's the bride's mother. Sometimes, it's the groom's mother. And sometimes -- a lot of times, actually -- it's the booze.

But when it comes to weddings, you can usually count on one thing: there's going to be a problem. "There's a lot of fighting in weddings," says Dale Brewster. "Everybody's heard of nightmare weddings." Heard of them? Heck, I was once best man at a booze-soaked fiasco on a Toronto boat that ended with a punch-up and an usher being ushered out of a restaurant because he was too, ah, happy. It wouldn't surprise Brewster. The twice-married entrepreneur has been in the wedding planning and decorating business since 1979. And she knows that, for many couples, weddings are anything but bliss -- they're stress-filled struggles.

Brewster's solution was to provide conjugal customers with worry-free weddings at her Crystal Wedding Chapel. "All the bride has to do is make sure she's got a groom here," says Brewster. "She doesn't have to worry about anything." About three months ago, Brewster opened her Vegas-style wedding chapel at 227 Wharncliffe Rd. S. The place doesn't look like a chapel -- it's a humble-looking, white-washed storefront that at various times during its history has housed a piano store, a plant shop, a hair salon and a pinball arcade. Now, it's a place where dreams begin. Or, at least, nightmares are averted.

"I know that with the weddings we've done so far, there's just been no stress at all," says Brewster, adding business has been brisk. "They just come in, bang, and out." There are many reasons to get married at Brewster's chapel. A lot of couples don't belong to a church, and even if they do, they may have to book their ceremony months in advance. For many -- such as Roman Catholics who have divorced but not obtained an annulment -- a church service is out of the question. Some can't afford or don't want to spend the $15,000 to $20,000 that an average wedding costs. Some invite only a handful of guests. Others don't have the time or patience to plan a wedding. And some -- particularly those getting married for the second, third or umpteenth time -- just want to do something different.

"If people want traditional marriages, they're absolutely not going to come here," she says. "They're just not going to do it." Couples tying the knot can choose from six different package deals at the Crystal chapel, ranging from $159 ("That's the quickie," says Brewster) to $2,599, which includes music, photographs, video, bouquets, boutonnieres, a garter for the bride, a limo ride to the reception, dinner for two at a local restaurant and wedding night accommodation in a London hotel. All the ceremonies are performed by an ordained minister. "You want a civil or a Christian ceremony? -- you have a choice," says Brewster. "You want it short and sweet, or you want it longer? Do you want it repetitive or non-repetitive? Two rings or one ring?" You can even book the whole shebang over the Internet (www.crystalweddingchapel.com).

Brewster says she got the idea after visiting Las Vegas 14 years ago. Back then, she says, London wasn't ready for the idea. "But the economy has changed. Either you're going to spend $20,000 to $30,000 on a wedding or you're not going to spend much.

There's no in-between," she says. Couples are getting married at a later age. And as Brewster observes, 30-year-old brides are usually thriftier than 20-year-old brides. But even if they're only spending $159, Brewster says a wedding should be special. "Oh, I still want it to be nice," she says. "I still want it to be girlie . . . That's what every girl dreams of. It's still important to get that feeling." So yes, there's plenty of frills, flowers and feelings at the Crystal chapel. But that may be delivered a tad quicker next spring when Brewster plans to open a drive-through chapel at her Wharncliffe site. "Likely, we'll do more renewal of vows and that sort of fun thing," she says. "But it's going to be available. "There are people getting married at baseball diamonds, there are people getting married in hot-air balloons, wherever. So what's the difference if they sit in a limousine or whatever and get married?"

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