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City opening door to private wedding chapels
Forget Las Vegas-Vancouver could be the next big
destination for folks wanting to get hitched.
The city already has its first wedding chapel. The
Chapel at Stanley Park has operated for the past year on the ground floor of the
majestic [Stanley] Ho Building at the corner of Chilco and Georgia streets.
 
proprietor
of The Chapel at Stanley Park: "I do lots of international weddings, lots
for couples coming in from Japan. One day last week we had three." Photo by
Randall Cosco
Proprietor Allan Burnett said demand for wedding
services has been increasing, particularly among Japanese travelers that come to
Vancouver for a combination wedding and honeymoon. But there's a hitch: the city
currently has no zoning for wedding chapels.
Burnett said he's been able to skirt the problem by
registering his business as a retail outlet and selling wedding-type products at
the 606 Chilco St. location.
But the uncertain nature of the operation means he's
been unable to market his business effectively. So far, all his business has
come from referrals, an Internet site and an advertisement in the Yellow Pages.
"I do lots of international weddings, lots for
couples coming in from Japan. One day last week we had three. But often I've had
couples, especially from the U.S., that ask, 'Why is it so hard to find
somewhere to get married in Vancouver?'" said Burnett, whose weddings start
at about $600 plus GST.
"They were amazed it's so difficult because in
the states, they have wedding chapels all over the place."
Alan Duncan, a rezoning planner with the city, said
Burnett's business came to the city's attention early this year when he applied
for signage outside the building.
"We told them it was an illegal use because
wedding chapels are not defined by a bylaw," said Duncan, who was then
asked by council to investigate the market for wedding chapels and come up with
a way to include them as a legal operation in the city.
Duncan spent the next few months researching the
wedding industry in North America and found the market for destination weddings
is huge.
"People think of Las Vegas as the wedding chapel
capital but my research found that even in Kitchener, Ontario, they had two
wedding chapels in their city hall. In Vancouver we have huge potential for
destination weddings. People already come from other countries to get married
here because it's a beautiful city and they can combine [it with] their
honeymoon," said Duncan, who found it costs about half as much to have a
wedding in a wedding chapel than in a church.
Duncan said if council permits wedding chapels in
commercial areas, places like Gastown could become hotbeds for destination
weddings.
"Couples would be able to have their ceremony in
a Gastown chapel, have their photos taken alongside historic features in the
area, then go to one of the restaurants, pubs or clubs for the reception."
In a report to council yesterday, Duncan recommended
wedding chapels be legalized, pay a $250 a year fee and abide by the same
parking restrictions as funeral homes. Council, which met after the Courier's
deadline, was expected to approve the move.
Burnett doesn't fear competition because the Ho
Building's location is superb and the market is so large.
"There is a huge need for what we are doing.
Otherwise, people are forced to go to golf and country clubs and
restaurants." - By David
Carrigg -Staff writer Vancouver
Courier 18 Sept 2002
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