"Going to the chapel" could mean a walk to 139 Norfolk Street in Manhattan's East Village. A new storefront wedding chapel, claiming to be the first of it's kind in the city has opened at this address.
"I saw this and immediately thought Las Vegas, then I thought it must be a joke," said one woman, strolling past with her male friend. It's not exactly every girl's dream wedding venue, but it's not a joke and the price is recession worthy.
A ceremony here, minister included, starts at $100. That's not even in the same galaxy as the average price of a getting hitched in the Big Apple, somewhere between $19,000 and $33,000 dollars. On the other hand, the Wedding Chapel is $40 more than standing in line at city hall to tie the knot. www.gopublicprojects.com/store/wedding_chapel/
The space has white brick walls and a wood-plank floor. There are enough white folding chairs to seat 25 guests. The couple's name is projected onto a white curtain in front of the room. There is even a small disco ball for those who care to dance. You're on your own for catering, but we're told couples have brought in cupcakes from a nearby store.
The heart-shaped stencil on the window glass tells passersby they can get married, remarried or pretend married here. Minister Kevin Fey says he was duly ordained online in a matter of seconds, did the necessary paper work with the city and has already performed several ceremonies here.
"So, what's a pretend wedding"? I ask.
"A pretend wedding is for those who don't want to make a commitment or anything legally binding, but still want to have a party with their friends," says Fey.
To make sure the party runs smoothly, schoolteacher Alex Cardasis has taken on the job of wedding coordinator. "We email invitations and even stream the event online," says Alex.
"$500 will get you the top-of-the-line," says Ben Smyth, owner of the Wedding Chapel and the storefront. That includes a D.J. and a photographer. Smyth is no stranger to running small businesses at the address. He says he once had a ping-pong parlor on the site, as well as a mock drive-in movie theatre, complete with a Ford Falcon convertible seating five.
"Nothing is permanent here," says Ben of the revolving door venues.
"Why the chapel"? I asked.
"It seemed like a nice thing to do for New Yorkers," he replied.
It is a bare bones, but tidy bit of real estate and for the right couple with a tight budget, a deal. And there aren't too many of those when it comes to weddings in New York.
For more of my stories and GossipGram go to www.nbcnewyork.com.
