All Brown students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as individuals from outside the Brown community, are welcome to inquire about reserving the chapel. Manning Chapel has embraced the Brown family in times of joy and times of sorrow for nearly two centuries. We look forward to the opportunity to explore with you further the appropriateness of this tranquil campus location for your ceremony.
Division of Campus Life
Chaplains and Religious Life
Weddings and Blessing Ceremonies
Reserving the Chapel
Learn more about the chapel's capacity, policies that govern its use and the applicable fees, staff who handle reservations, what support Brown is able to provide for these occasions, and what you are obliged to arrange independently.
Planning Checklist
A checklist to guide you through the process of planning your wedding at Manning Chapel
- The reservation application and fee should be submitted a minimum of six weeks in advance; Facilities requires six weeks' notice for processing requests at Brown.
- The couple should designate one individual to be the sole contact. The name of this person, usually the bride or the groom, must be stated on the reservation form when submitted. OCRL will not communicate with wedding planners.
- Make officiant arrangements and secure any necessary counseling or permission from local religious authority. The officiant must be secured at the time the reservation is submitted to OCRL. Full name, address, phone number, and affiliation are necessary for the reservation to be complete.
- Investigate legal requirements about marriage in the State of Rhode Island.
- Make decoration arrangements, including setup and breakdown. These need to be supplied, assembled and dismantled by your florist or wedding planner within your allotted time in the chapel.
- Make parking arrangements for limousines or any vehicle carrying the wedding party or disabled members of the family.
- Brown reception sites: Brown Faculty Club, Hope Club in Providence.
- Inform OCRL staff about any special requirements that may be needed for guests coming onto campus. The chapel is handicap accessible; however, two-week advance notice is required to run the chairlift.