Weddings at MHC

Note: for applications submitted before August 10, 2009,  please refer to Pre-08/10/09 Weddings at MHC.
 
The primary use of Abbey Chapel is by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Music Department at Mount Holyoke College. However, the College extends the privilege of using the Chapel for weddings to members of the Mount Holyoke College community as well as the general public when the Chapel is not in use by the College.

There are two chapels, either of which may be reserved. The main chapel seats approximately 900 people. The small chapel seats approximately 65 comfortably. The Fiske and Skinner organs are in the Main Chapel. The small chapel is equipped with a console piano. Weddings planned for the months of September through May can be reserved up to one year in advance.

Weddings planned for June, July and August may be reserved up to two years in advance. Please read all the accompanying pages so that you fully understand the procedures and policies governing your use of the MHC Abbey Memorial Chapel or Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary for your wedding before submitting an application. To reserve the Abbey Memorial Chapel or the Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary, please submit the application available on this website. An application will be considered intent to rent the chapel and will be followed up with an email response noting which dates and times you have reserved. A bill from the MHC Comptrollers office will be sent out to the “Person Responsible for Payment” identified on the Application and is payable upon receipt. This bill will be for both the non-refundable rental fee and the $500 Security Deposit which will be returned after the wedding minus any fees or fines.

Weddings may not take place during regularly scheduled College events or holidays, such as Orientation, Family Weekend, Christmas Vespers’ Week, Commencement, and Reunion Weekends. The Chapel is also not available during the entire month of April and parts of November. During the academic year, we cannot accommodate Sunday weddings, and Weddings or Rehearsals must be at 6:00 pm or later on Fridays. Persons applying must be in good standing financially with Mount Holyoke College to make a reservation. Reservations will not be made for anyone with an outstanding bill.

For Mount Holyoke affiliated funerals or baptisms, contact the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life by calling 413-538-2054 or email the Religious & Spiritual Life Department.

A note to the couples wishing to be wed in the Roman Catholic Faith:
In accordance with the Roman Catholic regulations for weddings, special permission must be granted to a wedding couple to be married outside of their residential parish. The Bishop of the Springfield, MA Diocese can only give special permission for marriage at Mount Holyoke College’s Abbey Chapel to those Catholic wedding couples with a connection to Mount Holyoke College. Such a connection would be as a MHC faculty, staff, student, alumnae or their immediate families, i.e., mother, father, daughter, son, sister and brother. For more information contact, Father Richard Bondi at 413-532-3228 x11.