When Wedding Bells Ring

 The Chapels

Georgetown University opens the three following unique religious settings to campus weddings:

Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart (Located in Dahlgren Quadrangle)
The university’s main chapel since1892, Dahlgren’s historical richness attracts many engaged couples. Its site, behind historic Healy Hall in the Dahlgren Quadrangle, adds to its attraction. The chapel seats approximately 250 wedding party members and guests. One of the engaged must be a Roman Catholic to qualify for a wedding in this 19th century setting.

Copley Crypt Chapel of the North American Martyrs (Located in Copley Hall)  Engaged couples may reserve Copley Crypt, as well as Dahlgren, for a Catholic wedding ceremony if one of the engaged is a Roman Catholic. The chapel offers an intimate seating capacity of 54. Chapel entrance is from the roadway behind Copley Hall.

St. William’s Chapel (Located in Copley Hall)
St. William’s Chapel comfortably seats a wedding party of 120. The chapel may be reserved for ceremonies of any faith. Access St. William’s via Copley Hall’s main entrance.

The chapels are all wheelchair accessible.

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Campus Ministry welcomes weddings of the following:
• GU degree student
• GU graduate
• GU faculty member
• GU staff member
• the child of a GU faculty member
• the child of a GU staff member

The Reservation Process

There are three major steps in reserving a chapel for your wedding at Georgetown:

Step 1: Determine Eligibility

The first step to planning your wedding at Georgetown is to determine eligibility. Engaged couples are asked to review the Wedding Guidelines prior to contacting the Administrative Assistant for Sacraments.
Should couples have additional questions after reading the guidelines, they are welcome to contact the Administrative Assistant for Sacraments by email at sacraments@georgetown.edu or by telephone at (202) 687-6880 for further assistance.

The Chaplain and Administrative Assistant prefer to speak directly with the engaged couple and/or Clergy. Please help deflect calls from third parties including parents, Wedding Coordinators and Florists.

Step 2: Make a Reservation

To secure a chapel, engaged couples are encouraged to contact the Administrative Assistant for Sacraments to determine chapel availability and to make a reservation. A tentative reservation may be placed on hold for a maximum of two weeks.

Step 3: Schedule a Pastoral Visit

Once a wedding date has been secured, engaged couples should contact the Administrative Assistant for Sacraments to schedule a pastoral visit with Dr. Ennio Mastroianni, Sr. Roman Catholic Chaplain. Please, no third party calls.

Pastoral Visits are routinely scheduled for Thursday mornings between 8a.m. and 11a.m. Couples should complete and take the following forms, along with their chapel fee, to their first pastoral visit:

1. Wedding Chapel Reservation Form
2. Couple's Agreement Form

Schedule of Fees

The current chapel fee per wedding is $1000. Checks should be made payable to Office of Campus Ministry, GU.

Please include the following costs when preparing wedding budgets:

Description/Cost

Chapel Use Fee:  $1000.00
(May be adjusted for current students
and recent graduates)

Clergy’s Stipend:  $500.00 plus, recommended

Music Director/Organist and Consultant:  $350.00

Cantor/Soloist:  $200.00

Things to Know

Wedding Reservation Tips

When choosing a date, here are some things to keep in mind about Weddings at Georgetown University:

  • Weddings only occur on Saturdays.
  • The chapels are also closed for weddings on Easter weekend, Commencement weekend, Reunion weekend, New Student Orientation (last weekend in August), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.
  • Our busiest season is from late Spring to early Fall.
  • The 3PM and 5PM slots are the most popular and are the first to go.
  • We do have other time slots at 11AM, 1PM and 7PM.
  • Arrangements for weddings should be made at least 6 months in advance.
  • We average 3 weddings a weekend.
  • The longer you wait to reserve, the less likely your date will be available.

 

Information for Clergy

Wedding documents are now available online for your convenience. Please note that these documents are password protected. Contact the Administrative Assistant for Sacraments at 202-687-6880 or via email at sacraments@georgetown.edu.

Available Forms