Northwestern College Nazareth Chapel Wedding Review

Nazareth Chapel is an easy recommendation for us; not only have we been there a half dozen times, but we can honestly say we’ve never had a bad experience.  Their wedding coordinators are organized, calm and VERY helpful. Nazareth Chapel is located in Roseville, MN just northeast of downtown Minneapolis. It is on the private campus of Northwestern College, but it is open to the public. You can get all the information that you need about rates, and planning your wedding at NWC on their wedding website. From a wedding photographers perspective Nazareth Chapel is set up perfectly. The dressing room for the bride and bridesmaids has plenty of room and good lighting. So often dressing rooms, are cramped, messy and in a basement with pink fluffy sheep painted on the walls.  The guys dressing room is clean and has enough light so the photos can look natural, but it’s nothing special.

However, what does make Nazareth Chapel special is the awesome photo opportunities right near the chapel. Right in the foyer are some awesome windows, and arches, perfect for creative portraits and detail shots.

Right outside there are lots of great opportunities for photos no matter what the weather.  This is one of best locations for a wedding with bad weather, there are plenty of spots to do great photos indoors, and you can easily step out onto the covered walkway which is lined with stone pillars to get photos with outdoor lighting without stepping into the rain or snow. Check out Kristy and Tim’s Wedding for some photos outside near the chapel as well as on the nearby island. For more photos also visit Tracy and Anna’s Northwestern Wedding.

As a photographer, if you’re not prepared, or haven’t been here before photos in the chapel could be tricky. It is quite dark, but photos can turn out amazing if your photographer is prepared. It’s definitely a good idea to find out if they’ve been here before. The chapel is almost entirely stone, and doesn’t require a lot of decorations to be very breathtaking.

This isn’t a make it or break it detail, but the front door leaving the chapel makes for great photos too. It’s always one of those fun candid moments, and they just work great here.

So in summary, from our experiences as photographers at Nazareth Chapel on the Northwestern College Campus, this is great place to get married. The staff here is courteous and well organized and there are great locations for photos indoors and right on site. They can also do receptions right in the same building at the attached banquet hall, but they have restrictions on serving alcohol. So make sure to ask questions if you’re considering using their banquet hall for your reception as well. If you have any questions that we didn’t cover feel free to ask! Or if you’ve been here for a wedding please add your comments.