Ontario city that's a newlywed hub just got a kitschy Vegas-inspired wedding chapel
A new wedding venue in Ontario's scenic Prince Edward County is giving couples a smaller option for their big day.
Wedding planner Megan Whalen-Craig and DJ/event planner Ilon Tyan know all too well that, despite what the rom-coms may suggest, not every couple dreams of spending their wedding day in the company of their 200-plus closest friends, family, acquaintances, and whoever else ends up on the invite list.
It's one of the reasons — along with the astronomical cost of holding such an event — that elopements have been on the rise worldwide, and, for those of a certain kitschy aesthetic persuasion, the draw of an iconic Las Vegas chapel wedding, complete with neon lights and bright colours, looms large.
There's, historically, been one small speed bump for Canadian couples looking to engage in that tradition, however: you've got to go to Vegas to do it.
Increasingly, however, that obstacle is becoming a thing of the past. In Toronto, ventures like Two of Hearts Chapel and The Pop-Up Chapel Co. have made micro-weddings all the more accessible. Now, thanks to Whalen-Craig and Tyan, Prince Edward County has its own answer to the iconic Vegas-style wedding chapel.
Opening the doors of their venture, Neon Chapel, in early October 2026, Whalen-Craig and Tyan are capitalizing on the region's status as one of Ontario's most romantic getaways and offering lovebirds the option to undergo their nuptials in a more intimate — and incandescent — setting.
Boasting a combined 35 years of experience in events, including 15 specifically focused on weddings on Whalen-Craig's part, Neon Chapel was built to give couples the option to have a wedding untethered by the oftentimes restrictive, expensive, and stressful conventions of wedding traditions.
"Neon Chapel is what happens when someone who believes fiercely in love decides to create the venue she always wished existed. It's a space designed with intention, warmth, and care, and it prioritizes people over rules, meaning over spectacle, and connection over convention," the venue's website reads.
"It's a space that celebrates love loudly and unapologetically, in ALL its forms."
That mission manifests in a selection of four different wedding packages, which range in price from $1,500 to $18,000, allowing for anywhere from two (plus the couple) to 50 guests.
On the lower end of the spectrum, "The Quickie" starts at $1,500 and offers couples a 30-minute ceremony with two guests present and a couple of shots on the house for libations.
The scale of the celebration, as well as the price and headcount, go up from there. Starting at $2,500, "The Chapel" hosts up to 30 guests in a 60-minute ceremony with included drinks and snacks. The 2-hour, $6,000 "County Takeover" also allows up to 30 guests, plus light bites, included drinks and personal fresh florals.
Of course, if you want to do the whole shebang — or, in Neon Chapel terms, "The Whole Damn Thing" — you can do that, too. Starting at $18,000, you can host a full-fledged wedding there, with five hours allotted to the ceremony, up to 50 guests, a DJ playing party tunes, a full meal, flowers and drinks included.
For those who've long fantasized about the old-school, screw-it-let's-just-do-it wedding, Neon Chapel certainly looks the part. The delightfully tacky space features a leopard-and-rose-print bar framed in pink fringe, an altar complete with pink satin draping and a sizeable light-up heart and kitschy accoutrements to boot.
It may be a tiny space, but it sure makes a big impression.
Neon Chapel is located at 298 Wellington Main.
Neon Chapel
