Heinz Memorial Chapel — Attraction in Pittsburgh

We got married recently at Heinz Chapel, and we could not have asked for a better team! Obviously the chapel is gorgeous and speaks for itself, but what can sometimes go unnoticed is the staff working to make everything run according to plan. We emailed with Corinne for all of the upfront planning. She was responsive, helpful, and efficient. She always had an answer for any of our questions, and she stayed on top of any necessary forms that we needed.

We also met with Betsy, who was one of our two day-of coordinators provided by the chapel. She was so kind and detail-oriented, and she helped us cover any details or concerns that we had prior to rehearsal. Betsy ran the perfect rehearsal. She explained everything clearly and nicely, which made rehearsal short and sweet! Not to mention, Nicholas, the organist, was also so beyond nice and accommodating. We ran through walking down the aisle, and I had asked if we could make a change to the start of the music and shorten the piece. Nicholas edited the piece ON THE SPOT and crafted the most magical entrance for me. He is so very talented!

On the day of, both coordinators were so helpful and efficient. We had a 15 minute delay in starting our ceremony due to external shuttle delays, and we were not made to feel rushed or stressed in any way. The coordinators communicated with the wedding party, families, and our officiant, and Betsy made sure we never looked at the clock! We cannot recommend Heinz Chapel enough!! It was the perfect wedding ceremony venue.

All photos (except cookie table picture) captured and created by Carly K Photography...

Our wedding ceremony at Heinz Chapel was truly stunning. The space is one-of-a-kind and spectacular, and from the moment we toured it, we knew we had to get married there! The planning process with Wendy was so easy, and Sharon, our ceremony coordinator, was so organized and enthusiastic. She made sure to deal with every single difference in our ceremony with grace and elegance – from uneven numbers of bridesmaids and groomsmen, to my brother (a groomsmen) escorting bridesmaids to where they would stand and running to the back of the church to walk me down the aisle, to an a cappella group singing in the middle of the ceremony. We are so pleased with our experience with their team. Our wedding was also on a Friday, so we did not feel rushed out of the space at all. The best part of the whole day was that the garden right next to the chapel, which has been under construction since last year when we booked the space, opened specially on our wedding day. We were the first couple who was able to take pictures in the garden, which made it incredibly intimate. We loved our experience! Photo credit to Meredith McKee...

Heinz Chapel ruined our wedding and caused so much undue stress for us and our family. Pre-COVID, our experience was wonderful working with them for our 4/4/2020 date. But post-COVID, we were met with incredibly rude staff (if Sharon is your coordinator, RUN!), unwillingness to find creative yet COVID-safe solutions, and restrictions and policies that seemed to change daily as we prepared for our new April 2021 date. We just found out that all the other couples since November opted for a different venue; I regret that we did not do the same. Heinz was unwilling to work with our videographer to share audio, meaning that our entire live stream ended up being unintelligible. We couldn’t have an aisle runner, programs, unity candle, or even have groomsmen/bridesmaids process 2 by 2. At the rehearsal, they tried to change our widely-publicized ceremony start time. The day of the wedding, the coordinator was even more rude than at rehearsal, and closed the chapel before our allotted time was up. While it is a stunning location, my advice to any future brides: it’s not worth the stress. Find...