Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Irvine Memorial Chapel (Mercersburg Academy), Mercersburg

A wedding at Irvine Memorial Chapel on the Mercersburg Academy campus means getting married in a chapel that was designed to be filled with light. The windows were of the utmost importance to the people who planned it, and that daylight is a gift for your photographer and videographer as you walk down the aisle. Above the chapel rises Barker Tower, home of the Swoope Carillon, one of only 163 traditional carillons in the United States, so ask whether bells could ring out as you leave.

Weddings have taken place here before, but it is first of all the academy's chapel: a meeting place for students and faculty, a place of quiet during the week, and home to an ecumenical Sunday service in the Protestant tradition when school is in session. That means a wedding ceremony here depends on the academy's approval and its calendar, so contact the school early and ask whether your date is possible, who may officiate and what the chapel requires.

For your wedding photos, the campus around the chapel is part of the appeal, but pictures on the grounds need the school's permission too. Inside, talk with your wedding videographer about sound: carillon recitals ring out on many Sunday afternoons, and a chapel this size can carry an echo, so plan microphones for the vows. Visitors can only enter the chapel on weekdays from 8:30 to 4 while school is in session, by calling Campus Safety, which is the easiest way to see it before your wedding day.

• Contact Mercersburg Academy early to ask about weddings and your date.
• Visit the chapel with your photographer by calling Campus Safety.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines and the carillon.

A little about Irvine Memorial Chapel

The academy calls its chapel the result of 30 years of dreaming, planning and working, and it serves as a campus reminder of the school's mission to help students live for something beyond themselves.