Perkins Chapel is one of the premiere spots in Dallas to get married. The venue can have a 15-month waiting lists and costs $1,800 to reserve. The building is one of the oldest on campus and was built more than 50 years ago. (Courtesy of SMU News & Informations)

SMU’s Perkins Chapel has held weddings for more than 60 years. With close to 200 marriage services a year, it is a hot spot not only for SMU graduates and faculty members but others around the metroplex as well.

With any venue that is in demand, one might expect the cost of rental to be higher and the booking to take place well in advance of the targeted date. However, rumors around SMU’s campus suggest that Perkins Chapel is nearly impossible to book.

“There are rumors that freshman girls book (the Chapel) in their first year just in case they get married within the next three, they can have their wedding at Perkins without the wait,” said SMU junior Jean Paul Desterac.

Teresa Rosado, coordinator of weddings at Perkins, explained that in actuality a couple can only book as far as 15 months in advance.
“Back in the day they booked years out,” she said. “Now we only go out 15 months in advance because Perkins (theology school) needs to be able to use their chapel. It’s theirs.”

Rosado has scheduled roughly 1,500 marriages in Perkins over her nine year tenure. Through the years, Rosado has discovered that based on the month and time of year, Perkins could have many marriages in a weekend or very few.

In regard to the rumor Rosado chuckled, “People feel that way when their specific time or date has been taken. That’s the most difficult part of my job – telling a bride that her time is already booked.”

Rosado also added that many people from surrounding areas come to Perkins to get eloped.

“People from San Antonio come down and elope for the next weekend,” she said. “They call me on the phone and ask if I have anything for the next weekend! Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.”

Megan Mitchell, SMU graduate and former employee, was married at Perkins in 2000. Almost 12 years ago, the cost of reserving a space was under $1,500.
“I can’t remember exactly what I paid, but it was between $1,200 and $1,400,” she said.

The cost of renting out Perkins Chapel today is a $1,800 fee. Once a couple has booked, if they decide to call off the arrangement they are refunded 50 percent of their payment.

Mitchell also said that she waited for 13 months after booking to walk down the aisle.

In addition to the cost and the interval of time between booking and wedding day, Perkins also has strict guidelines on matters such as capacity, photography, video recording and decorations. According to the Perkins Chapel website, users of the facility can only choose florists from a list pre-approved by the Chapel.  There are also no weddings on football game days which conflict with the traditional boulevarding before home games.

“There are a lot of restrictions,” Rosado said. “You may not be able to play the music you want. Perkins is not a wedding chapel, it is a seminary and we have to respect it as a place of worship.”

Even with the wait, the cost and the guidelines, Perkins Chapel still draws much attention from the SMU community and outside communities alike. The Chapel’s website also posts that only a third of the people married are SMU alumni or students.

So, there must be reasons beyond that SMU is the alma mater to many couples in the Dallas area that make people want to marry in Perkins.

Mitchell, who met her spouse outside of SMU, said that the leading reasons why she got married there differed from just the fact that SMU was where she had graduated and worked right out of college.

“It’s beautiful! It sat around 300 people, which was perfect, and at that time it had just finished its renovations. It also had a center aisle,” Mitchell said.
Anthony Tillman, currently an associate provost at SMU, was married last year to Dr. Lori White, SMU’s vice president for student affairs. Tillman and White were married at the First United Methodist Church in Dallas but seriously considered Perkins as the place to hold their sacred ceremony.

“We did consider Perkins Chapel as it is a stunningly beautiful building and sanctuary.  We also wanted to provide our out-of-town families and friends with the opportunity to get a glimpse of SMU, which is a great looking campus.  However, the Chapel was not available on the dates we were considering for our wedding event,” Tillman said.

When asked if he were planning his wedding today would he choose Perkins, Tillman said that he would book the Chapel far in advance.
 
“If we were currently in the planning stages for our wedding, we would arrange to reserve the Perkins Chapel at least 12-18 months in advance.  It is a very popular venue for weddings especially during the late spring and early summer months.”
 
Mitchell, who was proposed to at 8 a.m., skipped work that day to reserve her special day in the renowned Chapel. She recommends Perkins to any SMU couple looking for a special place to share their vows.
 
“It’s perfect. In my opinion, there’s no other place,” she said.