Did you know there's a labyrinth here? Walking meditation took me about 8 minutes one way, about 450 paces according to my pedometer. It is located in a garden like setting, surrounded by woodsy growth. The path is not difficult to follow, elegantly designed and well maintained. The labyrinth is circled with commemorative and memorial bricks. Seating is available for rest, relaxation, and further contemplation. A hidden gem! read more

The Wayside Chapel - Sign designating location. - Wedding Planning Near Me - Palos Park, Illinois

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This location is an intimate, beautiful, & peaceful place for a wedding ceremony. My husband & I wanted a small, spiritually focused wedding & this was the perfect place. Cheerful spring flowers greeted everyone as they walked up the path to the building. The interior is rustic and simple in an elegant way. The staff was helpful & the fees were reasonable. We used their organist & soloist; they were very good. Several of our guests commented they thought it was very beautiful. read more

My first time being there was for my niece's wedding this past weekend. Was so impressed! The garden area is beautiful. The minister, Jerry, was so personable. Someone very down to earth and easy to follow and understand. He was inspiring and encouraging. The staff were friendly and willing to assist in any way. A very positive experience all the way around. Would definitely recommend this place for any occasion! read more

Beautiful ceremony site! Working through the planning process with Winona was easy and everyone was extremely helpful. We had a wonderful vocalist the day of and a perfect day. read more

The grounds are beautiful, yes. Outdoor weddings here are great. That said, the chapel does not have the same feeling as the outdoor altar, and the staff is quick to say rain is in the forecast and your wedding is going inside! The chapel is dark, dank, small and awfully hot. There is no flexibility from the staff here - their way or the highway, no matter what. My biggest complaint is there is inadequate waiting space for wedding parties. I have been here for two weddings and in both, the staff saw it fit to stuff too many people in an unventilated closet as a waiting area. read more

Beautiful location for a smaller intimate wedding ceremony. I photographed one in the beginning of July and it was the perfect day and lighting was just right. Will post some photos to share. read more

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Beautiful, affordable, and great staff all around to work with. Jerry, the minister, is a lovely man; everyone loved his natural & spiritual instinct. Perfect option if you are looking to have a private garden (or chapel) ceremony. Everything you need in one flat price. No complaints at all, I would highly recommend. read more

The Wayside Chapel - Wedding Planning Near Me - Palos Park, Illinois

when i reached out they responded that if we weren't members they wouldn't entertain us being married there.

The outdoor garden is a beautiful setting for a ceremony, the staff is very accommodating and the music soloist is amazing!!! They even let you choose songs that may not be on the selected list. Perfect place to have a small, intimate wedding. read more

A beautiful location for a non-denominational wedding. Reverend Jerry was wonderful. I, the Mother of the Bride, did not know what to expect as a practicing Catholic. I knew my daughter and future son-in-law did not want to marry at my church. I was so happy when the chose the Wayside Chapel and Gardens. The garden where the service took place was stunning and serene. The people working at the chapel were really helpful and accommodating. It turned out to be a blessed day made even better by the staff. read more

Adorable chapel, beautiful grounds and garden area! We attended a baptism there, which was really nice and personal even though the family didn't know the minister well. He was very friendly and explained everything in a nice way. I could see he wrote in all the names in every space in his baptism notes, so as not to screw something up along the way. It was religious but not like a Catholic ceremony- we were done in about 25 minutes. Afterwards, he welcomed us to take pictures in the garden, which we did and got lovely photos! We weren't rushed out of here by any means. It was a really nice experience. read more

The chapel and grounds are adorable, quaint, and overall picturesque. It is very small and tucked into the woods, giving an almost medieval era feel to ceremonies. I have been to several weddings both inside the tiny chapel and out in the garden. They have been some of the most personalized, beautiful weddings I have attended. I wish I could have such warm thoughts on the customer service. I was a bridesmaid at a wedding this past weekend and got a first hand look at their service. First, they are booking too many weddings for one day. We could not arrive on the grounds until 2:30 for a 3pm wedding. We arrived at 2:18 and our limo driver was yelled at as soon as we pulled up. Sure, we were a little early and perhaps it would effect the traffic flow down from the chapel, but there is a nice way to handle it and a jerky way to handle it. And this guy was a total jerk. Right at 2:30, we pulled back up and made our way down the path to the chapel gardens. The chapel's coordinator ran up to the wedding party, spouting about how the florist messed up. Of course, this does not bode well for the bride's nerves so we bridesmaids went up to assess the situation. The florist had not labeled the flowers... no big deal. I certainly need no labeling to clarify the difference between the bouquets and the boutonnieres. The wedding party was small so this was easy managed in less than 5 minutes. Certainly not the crisis she made it out to be. She also demanded the name of the florist so that she could "call and yell at them." We did not provide any information, of course. Our next adventure was at the conclusion of the wedding. We had until 4:00pm to have wrapped up the wedding and taken pictures. At 3:45, the woman was rolling her eyes, sighing loudly and eventually yelled at the photographer to "hurry up" She continued to badger us until we finally gave up and left. We returned to the limo only to find our favorite guy from before also yelling at us to hurry along. This was so forced, that it caused us to leave behind a bridal party member. He had to catch a ride with the parents of the bride to catch up with us at the next photo location. read more

This place and the grounds are beautiful. My parents got married here over 15 years ago. The staff was very friendly and everyone in the wedding party and the guests was very satisfied. Since then I've attended 3 weddings here and it hasn't changed much, it's still a very beautiful place...I love the scenery and the fact that it's a small venue makes it very intimate. read more

The Wayside Chapel helped make our wedding the most memorable day of my life. We had a candlelit ceremony that was both spiritual and individualized. And every year during the month of your anniversary you can renew your vows in chapel you were married in! read more

We were married at the Chapel 18 years ago and it was a beautiful sunny fall day. The pictures we have of the wedding and the garden are beautiful and I've had many compliments on the them. The people at the Chapel made the wedding easy by guiding us through all the steps. It has been a wonderful memory for us and we appreciate the fact that the Chapel exists for couples who wish to be married in Church but for which the Catholic Church is not an option due to prior marriages, faith or time constraints. read more

I got married at the Chapel in September, 2001. It was the most beautiful day (even right after the Sept. 11th disaster). The weather was perfect, the grounds were perfect. Everyone that day was super. I got married out side. I did not have to provide chairs. I would recommend this place to anyone, for any time of year. Yes, the Chapel is small, but it is romantic and cozy. I do not understand why other posters day the staff was rude. I did not experience this. If you are looking for a magical place to get married, this is it ) read more

We had our wedding here August 27, 2011. The outdoor ceremony area is absolutely breath taking and very intimate. That said, if you have a large wedding party and are planning on inviting over 50-75 guests, this is not the place for you. We didn't have any issues with feeling rushed, however I do wish the wedding coordinator had more control and organization when everyone was arriving, people were unsure of where to go and where to sit, and they didn't even save the front row for our immediate family. The priest was awesome! He was very accommodating to us with our vows and the prayers (since I am Catholic and my husband is Muslim). Overall, everyone loved our location and we have many beautiful photos from here. We would definitely recommend it for anyone with a small wedding looking for a budget friendly outdoor wedding. read more

The Wayside chapel was the perfect choice for our daughter's wedding. She and her new husband loved the chapel and garden. We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day for the wedding, so it was held in the spectacular garden. The minister was friendly and presided over the wedding creating wonderful memories. The staff was helpful and friendly from our first visit through the final moments at in the chapel garden after the wedding. We would highly recommend the Wayside Chapel for anyone seeking a lovely, intimate venue for a wedding. read more

I've been to a few weddings here both in the chapel and outside. The chapel is a cute little place, but you wouldn't be able to fit a lot of people inside. The outside is beautiful. They have a gorgeous background perfect for a forestry wedding theme. The only downside is the stairs. There are a lot of steep stairs one needs to walk up in order to get to the wedding location. This will be a major struggle for anyone with a wheelchair or older attendees who have trouble walking. I was wearing high heels and struggled with the stairs, so that is something to consider as well. For the most recent wedding I have attended, the management was also a little slow. The wedding was scheduled for 2:30 and they were still setting up at 2:45. The actual ceremony didn't start til 3:00. That was not cool. However, it is a very beautiful place to have a small wedding and you will get some amazing pictures. read more

We just had a wedding here this weekend. We are military and they gave us a HUGE discount. We were thrilled (they knocked off like $1k off of the price). I would say that for the venue it was great but I'm not sure we would pay more if we weren't military. We had our event in the chapel and it had a/c. We had 65 guests and they all fit. Jerry (minister) was great...talked with us beforehand for what we wanted. They offer lots of options which is nice. Would be good if they talked to couples about their religious preferences of what is said during the ceremony vs what isn't. The venue is classified as "non-denominational" but there is a huge christian/catholic emphasis. The hostess was so helpful and really helped everything run smoothly. Many behind the scenes items happened and it helped me as the bride relax and enjoy the event. Would be great if they had a bridal getting ready room! Hmmm...what else....overall a great experience! read more

We were married here a few years a go and had no problems at all. As stated in the other reviews the grounds are outstanding. We were married in May and it rained all morning before we were hitched so everything was in bloom. You have the option to get married inside or outside, but if you get married outside you have to supply the chairs and worry about bad weather. If I were to do it over again I would go with outside. The person who oversaw the wedding was a ex-catholic priest, which was great for a fallen catholic like myself. I don't remember how much time we had if it was two or three hours long but I never felt rushed, although if we were to do it again we would block out two time periods instead of one. It was pretty inexpensive compared to a lot of places that were not nearly as nice. It is out of the way if you live on the north side but not bad if you live on the south side. I never really noticed the grumpy people, everyone seemed nice to me. Maybe I'm just used to the surly lady smoking the Capri 1000 after living on the south side for 8 years. read more

Our garden wedding was beautiful - The grounds are gorgeous - A must see romantic spot. Our wedding coordinator and minister were pleasant and accomodating; however we did feel pressed to leave the grounds exactly as agreed and one of the ladies from the office (I don't know her name) was not particularly nice about showing us out. I think it could have been handled with a bit more poise and patience as we were already loading and leaving in our cars. Sadly, not a great last impression - but I still give the Wayside Chapel a 4-star overall. read more

My wife and I had our wedding ceremony here. Talk about beautiful! Everyone working here was so helpful and accommodating. The ceremony was outdoors, but if it rains (it didn't), they have the option of a beautiful little chapel to get married in as well. It was incredibly beautiful and I can't recommend it enough read more

When my wife and I were married there 20 years ago, the Wayside Chapel was one of the easiest and most affordable options for us, as neither of us were members of a church at the time. We liked reverend Jerry so much that we have returned to the chapel every year to renew our vows in an inexpensive renewal ceremony which is followed by a wonderful meal at the lodge. Each December, the chapel is decorated with evergreens, and looks just beautiful. I can't think of a better setting for a small wedding. read more

I attended a wedding and had my own wedding here. Both were in the Chapel. The pre-planning was very good, and the minister was very helpful. There aren't a whole lot of options for the ceremony but enough to make it different from all other. The people that keep things running are not very warm. I was nervous and asked the lady which side the bride stands on and she shoved me to the right side, which is the groom's side. Not the worst mistake, but you do have to keep in mind that your time is blocked carefully out and you must live within them. Not a good place for more than 2 attendants, it's way too small. I think it holds 50 people. All the money they make from weddings is used to run The Farm, which is a wonderful experience for kids. read more

I too was married at the Wayside Chapel & my wedding day was the BEST. When I inquired about having my wedding at the Chapel I was told of the time restrictions. Arrive 1/2 hr before ceremony time. Ceremony last about 1/2 hr & then you have 40-45 minutes for pictures & then you must leave the grounds. They do not want 2 brides to collide. I'm sure that most people do feel rushed but in defense of the Chapel, this was explained to the bride & groom even before they booked their date. They even request that couples attend a Wedding Information Meeting a few weeks before their marriage. This meeting is very informative. It explains arrival & departure times, info for outside vendors, etc... My experience with the Staff was outstanding!!! I guess I followed the rules. The Wayside Chapel is a lovely place for a wedding. I would do it all over again at the Chapel read more

My husband and I had a December wedding here and couldn't have asked for a better experience. From the planning to Revered Jerry's wonderful sense of humor and kindness to the picturesque location everything was wonderful. The Chapel is decorated for the holidays and always looks lovely. It's an especially great choice for anyone looking for a non-denominational ceremony with an understated elegance to it. We really felt like it was such a special day for us as well as our immediate family who were all incorporated into the ceremony. Our family and friends raved about the beautiful location and the touching ceremony after attending so many impersonal wedding services. I'd highly recommend The Wayside Chapel. read more

I was married here in 1997, and everything was perfect. I was so impressed, I've stayed extremely involved with the organization as a volunteer. As listed in other reviews, I know the Wayside Chapel has heard complaints about the time allotted, and they've reduced the number of wedding slots per day, thus allowing more time for each service. We had no such trouble, but we also took care to arrive on time and stay to our schedule that was laid out ahead of time in respect to the next service. This wasn't a surprise...we were aware of the timeline ahead of time and planned accordingly. The facilities are without comparison, and the staff did a wonderful job. Another nice feature is the renewal of vows ceremony they sponsor every year, which we've returned for many times. I've been to four other weddings here, and whether they were held indoor or out, everything was great. Highly recomended. read more

My wife and I just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We were married at the Wayside Chapel in December and every year we return during that month to renew our vows and revisit acquaintances. The chapel is nestled in the woods giving it a Currier and Ives feel. It is beautifully decorated at this time of year. We would recommend it to anyone looking for a nondenominational ceremony and picturesque location for their wedding anytime of the year. Reverend Jerry and staff have been wonderful. read more