Wedding Terms of Use

These terms of use are specific to the organization of weddings in Dwight Memorial Chapel and additional to Dwight Hall at Yale’s general Facilities Terms of Use.

Dwight Hall does not provide wedding planning services. Our staff will be happy to help facilitate the organization of a wedding by guiding the celebrants through the steps required to confirm the reservation and helping them to identify the Yale offices and community resources they need to contact to make their arrangements.

The Chapel

Dwight Memorial Chapel is located on the Yale University Old Campus and is the physical center of Dwight Hall. The Chapel was built in 1842-46 as the college library.  In 1932, with “the removal of the books” to the new Sterling Memorial Library, the large central space was converted to create the Dwight Memorial Chapel in honor of Timothy Dwight.  The Chapel seats 120 with flexible seating and holds the Bozyan Memorial Organ built by Rudolf von Beckerath in 1971. Please note that the Chapel is not air conditioned.

Requests

Requests to reserve the Chapel for weddings must be submitted through an online wedding reservation request form. 

The Dwight Hall Operations Manager (203-432-2420) will review room requests during office hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and contact requesters to confirm details and next steps before confirming the request. 

Fees

Fees for wedding ceremonies in the Chapel are $1500 for Yale affiliated celebrants and $2000 for non Yale affiliated celebrants. Additional fees will apply if additional rooms are needed. or rental fees for the Chapel and other Dwight Hall rooms, please see the Facilities Terms of Use.

Yale Affiliation

To be considered “affiliated” with Yale, at least one of the celebrants must be a current student, faculty member, employee or an alumnus of Yale.

Insurance

Dwight Hall at Yale users are required to be insured for liability and must give evidence of $2,000,000 limit of general liability insurance from a company licensed to do business in Connecticut in the form of a Certificate of Insurance which names Yale University as additional insured. The certificate should be submitted to Dwight Hall, and we will send it to the Office of General Counsel for final review and approval.  

TULIP (Tenants’ and Users’ Liability Insurance Policy) coverage can be purchased through URMIA. Insurance application must be completed online. The Tulip insurance coverage is for $1,000,000. When completing the application, users must select to add an additional $1,000,000 of coverage to meet the $2,000,000 requirement.

License Agreement

A license agreement approved by the Yale University Office of General Counsel is required to confirm the wedding reservation. A digital platform is used to draft and sign the agreement once the insurance policy is shared and approved.

Capacity

The Chapel can accommodate 120 people. The Common Room will accommodate 80 for a reception. The Library can serve as a dressing room for 15-20 people.

Student Sexton

Dwight Hall will provide a student sexton who will serve as facilities coordinator during the wedding. The sexton is mainly responsible for setting up the Chapel furniture and facilitating access to the building for the celebrants, guests and vendors.

Officiants

There is no official officiant of Dwight Memorial Chapel. The celebrants must make their own arrangements with someone who is able to perform weddings in Connecticut. (See section 3 of Marriage in Connecticut document.)

For celebrants looking to identify an officiant, Dwight Hall recommends contacting the Chaplain’s Office at Yale University (203) 432-1128.

Organ

Celebrants in need of an organist should email Prof. Martin Jean in the School of Music martin.jean@yale.edu.

Other Arrangements

Celebrants can bring decorations, food and other items into the Chapel as long as these are removed at the event of the celebration. The distance from the door to the organ screen is approx. 81 feet. A 75-foot runner will be more than sufficient.  

Parking

Bagging of meters is arranged through the New Haven Transportation Department. You can find more information on their website.

Metered parking is available on most streets near Old Campus. There are also several parking garages close by including the Chapel-York Garage (150 York Street) and the Broadway Island Parking Lot (Broadway across from Apple Store).

Directions and Contact information

http://dwighthall.org/contact/

To submit a wedding reservation request, please use the wedding reservation form.