Going to the Chapel

For an intimate gathering of family and friends on the big day, opt for a quaint, local chapel to exchange wedding vows.

Written by Leslie Criss and Emily Welly   |  Photographed by Joe Worthem

In Southern towns, large and small, beautiful wedding chapels of every size and style continue to be one of the things couples consider when planning the big day. Locally, some chapels are part of wedding venue businesses, and some are built and cared for by families that decided to share their land and property with happy couples looking for the perfect setting.

Tupelo funeral director Steve Holland, for example, said he always wanted a church on his family land. “We have a family cemetery,” he said. “And a cemetery needs a chapel.” And Marty Brown wanted a chapel on family land simply to have a place for his own family to gather on special occasions. But then he decided to make the chapel available to others.

Here are some of the lovely, sought-after chapels in north Mississippi where couples are choosing to say “I do.”

The Lodge at Live Strive Farms

855A Highway 30 East, Oxford  |  662-444-8141

Perhaps the newest chapel in north Mississippi, the Lodge at Live Strive Farms hosted its first wedding in March. Three sides of the chapel, which seats 284, are almost entirely glass, flooding the interior with natural light. Separate from the chapel is a lodge that sleeps 10 and an 8,000-square-foot event space for wedding receptions and other occasions.

Fillmore Street Chapel

901 North Fillmore Street, Corinth  |  662-287-3111

The oldest church building in Corinth, Fillmore Street Chapel was built in 1871 by Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It was the first church established in Corinth and served as Fillmore Street Presbyterian Church from 1906 to 1976. It is now used as a chapel by First Methodist Church. The Gothic Revival-style chapel was constructed with load-bearing brick walls and windows with lancet arches. In 1898, a vestibule with a twin-tower effect, topped with high-pitched gabled dormers on the steeples, was added to the sanctuary. The chapel remains a popular site for weddings.

The Chapel at Plein Air

1 Town Square Lane, Taylor  |  662-234-3151

This Taylor chapel, built in 2015, offers couples a place of simple elegance to recite their wedding vows. The bright, white chapel is constructed almost totally from materials salvaged from centuries-old estate homes, churches, mills and warehouses. The floors are built of heart pine that came from a 200-year-old warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina. The chapel’s windows are from a Lutheran church in Pennsylvania, the pendant lights from a Baptist church in Virginia and the oak pews from a church in Virginia. The chapel can comfortably seat 280. As an additional convenience, the Mill at Plein Air, a wedding venue since 2011, is only steps away from the chapel and provides a perfect place for a follow-up reception.

Cedar Shadows Chapel

1248 Rowland Road, Pontotoc  |  662-255-3222

On the side of a rolling hill dotted with 100-year-old cedar trees on the east side of Pontotoc, Cedar Shadows Chapel stands. Completed in the summer of 2022, the chapel is the brainchild — and design — of Marty Brown and Craig Helmuth, and it offers an intimate and beautiful space for the exchanging of rings and “I dos.” The white, steepled chapel can seat up to 50 people, with an outdoor pavilion and fireplace for a reception, dinner or even an outside ceremony. The chapel and its surrounding gardens serve as a memorial to longtime friend Tom Evans, who died in 2020. Chandeliers, stained-glass windows, several bishop’s cathedra, a church bell, statuary and wrought iron from Evans’ home have found a place at Cedar Shadows.

The Sanctuary At Sadie J.

3118 Hwy. 6, Plantersville  |  662-213-7971

Tupelo funeral director and former state representative Steve Holland has had a chapel on his family land in Plantersville for the past 15 years. The small, white chapel is actually a refurbished 112-year-old church, restored by Holland as a personal project. Originally, the chapel was situated in the Union community south of Plantersville and served as the Union Southern Baptist Church. Later, the church sat empty for 10 years and ended up in a state of disrepair, until Holland acquired it and had it moved to the Sadie J. Farm. Holland removed pine paneling that was added in the 1950s and added 1902 hardwood flooring that came from the old Tupelo cotton compress warehouses — the only thing not original to the building. The chapel holds 120 people. In addition to weddings, it has been the site of community gatherings, nonprofit fundraisers, musical events and much more.

Kingfisher Chapel

5191 Raymond Ave., Tupelo | 662-523-4111

Since 2015, Kingfisher Lodge has served as a beautiful wedding venue on 6 acres in the woods of Verona. Wedding ceremonies and receptions are held inside the 7,000-square-foot main lodge, but for those looking for outdoor options, the property also boasts a rustic, open-air outdoor chapel that seats 200 people. In addition to the covered chapel, Kingfisher has outdoor pews that overlook a lovely lake on the property. The venue also includes a bridal bunkhouse, men’s quarters, a courtyard with outdoor bandstand and more.