Big Wedding on Campus: Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame
School’s out, but summer is a great time to get back to campus. After all, that’s where some of the most beautiful chapels are located, and they make for gorgeous wedding ceremonies. As we move into wedding season — 17 percent of weddings take place in June, the most popular month — we’re taking a look at some of the top on-campus chapels and churches to tie the knot.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart — University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
Religion plays no small role at the University of Notre Dame. About 83 percent of the student body is Catholic, according to the university’s website, and “touchdown Jesus” is an icon widely known for its juxtaposition of two Notre Dame hallmarks: football and the church. So it’s hardly surprising, therefore, that many alumni choose to be married in Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
The Basilica was completed in 1888 and has served as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States for 125 years. For couples who wish to be married at the church, one of them must be a current Notre Dame student, an alumnus/a of Notre Dame, a member of Sacred Heart Parish or a full-time staff member who has been working at Notre Dame at least five years.
If you meet this requirement, you need only call the office to make a reservation about a year in advance. Reservations must be made by phone only; reservations for 2014 opened March 4 at 8 a.m. Once you have a reservation, Notre Dame requires that you complete a marriage preparation program about six months before the wedding. Beyond that, it’s pretty typical wedding planning — a lot of paperwork and coordinating with the priest, musicians, caterers and so forth. The cost of church for a wedding ceremony is $800.
Source: Marriage at the Basilica
Photo: Ben Pancoast Photography