Newfoundland and Labrador couples looking to get married in a Vegas-style chapel won’t have to make the trip to Sin City anymore. Soon, they can simply drive to the Southern Shore.
There, in Mobile, Brenda and Bob Lee have spent the past few months building Mom’s Little White Chapel — their own version of the famous Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
They believe it’s the first of its kind in the province.
“We don’t know of anymore. We hope we’re the first,” Brenda Lee said with a laugh. “And I’m sure they’ll try to duplicate, but they won’t.”
The idea formed after the couple, who runs Mom’s Place bed and breakfast, was approached by one of its guests who wanted to say her wedding vows while staying at the vacation spot.
The ceremony went by without a hitch, the bride was happy — and Brenda Lee had a vision.
“That night, she woke me up at four in the morning, ‘I got an idea. I got an idea,” said husband Bob, adding that this wasn’t the first time his wife woke him with “a crazy idea”.
For N.L. couples looking to tie the knot in a Vegas-style wedding chapel, the trip to Sin City itself isn’t needed anymore. Instead, they can just make the trip to the Southern Shore, where Bob and Brenda Lee have built their own Little White Wedding Chapel.
“I said, ‘Yeah, we got to build a chapel. We should have a little white wedding chapel like they got in Vegas and we should be open all hours,'” Brenda added. “Why not see [people] when they’re happiest?”
Bob was on board right away, but is still surprised at how fast things have taken shape. Two short months after the ceremony on Feb. 9, the concrete floor for the chapel was poured.
“When [Brenda] gets her mind set to something, it happens pretty quick,” said Bob. “I thought it was an idea we’d work on first, but within three months we’ve a little white chapel.”
Mom’s Little White Chapel is not just a nod to the name of the famous Las Vegas version. It incorporates many design elements referencing the U.S. elopement destination — including a custom-made sign and a stained-glass window featuring Elvis Presley.
Their love for the King of Rock and Roll, said Brenda, comes from her late uncle Terry, who was born on the same day as Elvis.
When Dave Pye and Jillian Gardiner of St. John’s-based company SGO Designer Glass heard the unique request, they knew they had to be a part of it.
“Every now and then, a project comes along that is just so much fun. And this was just beyond belief,” said Pye. “Jillian worked tirelessly on an Elvis design, not wanting to duplicate something that’s already been done. We wanted to come up with something truly original. And she knocked it out of the park.”
“I love a challenge, certainly,” Gardiner added. “I also love using as much design and as much colour as possible. So, that really worked well for this panel.”
Gardiner’s creative freedom in designing the panel also had special elements included in the design — such as the words ‘The King’ and ‘That’s alright, Mama’, in reference to Brenda Lee’s late mother.
The design process alone took about 20 hours, said Pye, and the fabrication process took about 100 hours from start to finish.
“Doing any iconic figure like this in stained glass, it does present a real challenge. We want people to know right away when they look at it who they’re looking at,” said Pye.
“I think this one is probably head and shoulders [above] in terms of the fun factor for us. It was great.”
The chapel is getting its finishing touches before its inaugural ceremony can take place on July 14. Then, later in the fall, the Lees hope to add a custom-made steeple.
“I’m looking forward to seeing all the brides. I cannot wait to see them all and all the smiles. I love anybody getting married,” said Brenda, who has become a licensed marriage commissioner and will marry the couples herself.
Slots for the chapel are filling up quickly. Half a dozen brides booked their dates within the first 48 hours of the chapel being announced on social media and the total number of bookings has since risen to 32.
The Lees, who eloped themselves, have some marriage advice for the future spouses — “Don’t go to bed angry.”
“Hopefully, they’ll be that happy by the time they’re rolling out of here, they won’t be thinking of anything else other than when they’re coming back to Mom’s Place,” Bob said.
“Just as long as they book for their anniversary,” Brenda agreed.
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