Love Chapel NYC hosts micro-weddings amid pandemic restrictions

NEW YORK - New York City is filled with wedding planners, photographers, venues, and officiants. What it doesn't have is a surplus of small wedding chapels. Then came the pandemic, and Bradley Lau and Veronica Moya put their long-held dream to the test and created Love Chapel NYC on the Upper West Side. 

Veronica said she wants the weddings at their venue to be special and beautiful. Just because they are small, they don't have to be "blah," she said. Bradley said they offer a customized experience to couples looking to exchange their vows quickly and in front of small groups.

Love Chapel NYC, tucked away on West 75th Street, is their answer to City Hall's 90-second nuptial. Bradley and Veronica, who are both registered marriage officiants, were handling various kinds of micro-weddings (drive-thru, courtyard, et al.) before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic began, their business picked up and they opened the chapel in January. They've even married five couples who were divorced and decided to remarry.

Love Chapel NYC offers two types of ceremonies. The first option is a quick ceremony with four guests for $200. The second version is a 40-minute ceremony with 14 guests for $400. 

Isaic and Bernadette Pitre got engaged in December, right around the time they found out they were expecting. The pandemic dashed their hopes of having a church wedding, so they opted for Love Chapel's 40-minute ceremony.

They stumbled upon Love Chapel NYC after Bernadette's dad wondered why New York City didn't offer the same access to micro-weddings that Las Vegas is known for. What they needed was right in front of them — no more than a few train stops away. They said the experience was emotional and memorable.

And so far, they're living happily ever after.

Love Chapel NYC | 161 West 75th Street, Suite 1A, New York, NY 10023 | 917-532-4030 | lovechapelnyc.com