Goin' to the Chapel

After we changed our reception venue, our ceremony site became a no-brainer. When I told Mr.M that we had signed with Highlands the first thing he said was said "we can get married in the Old Cadet Chapel now. Call them up!"

 

Image via usma.edu 

 

Here's some background:

The Old Cadet Chapel sits on the cemetery at West Point.  And a little over two years ago, Mr. M and I went there to pay our respects to some of his classmates.  And when we were done, we walked into the chapel, hand in hand without saying a word.  Suddenly he turned to me and said "if we get married here [West Point], I want it to be in this chapel." And that was that, decision made.  I'll never forget it.  

To tell you the truth, I couldn't imagine a more perfect place for us to be married!  The chapel is intimate as it is beautiful.  And you can't deny it's connection to history. 




So this past weekend Mr. M's mom took me up to WP for a tour.  I brought along my mom, my Thia M, and my aunt who is visiting from Greece to see the chapel.  

Personal photo

I love the architecture--so did my aunt.  I believe her words were "It is very beautiful, it reminds me of Greece," or something to that effect.  Ok, so she might be partial. 

I would love to create something to hang on the door, but alas, we only get an hour in the church with no time for set up.  But we won't need any decor, look:

The interior is a lot like the church I grew up in, simple and charming.  And at the risk of sounding really weird--my favorite part of the sanctuary is that it smells like books.  Still with me?  Call me cray, but I've been fascinated by old books since I was a little girl.  I spent many happy Sundays in the library of my church, looking through the pages of books that I probably shouldn't have been allowed to touch without supervision (fruit punch fingers can be a little sticky).

Here's another shot from the balcony.  The aisle isn't as menacing from up there.  It looked way too long from the first interior pic.

 

The chapel is home to many plaques that commemorate the service of various heroes.  

How many plaques?

Many, many, plaques.  Let me zoom out to give you a better idea.

 

That's just one small section.

This plaque in particular caught my eye.  Any guesses as to who it once belonged to?

It reads "Major General [blank] Born 1740 [blank]," and it was once dedicated to Benedict Arnold.  I threw this picture in for the Mister, I knew he'd get a kick out of it.

It feels so good to have this major detail settled!   And we're both really happy to be married in this chapel.  

How did you choose your ceremony site?