Chapel of Orange

Two weeks into our engagement, my now husband Matt and I, narrowed our prospective wedding venues to those that had or embraced a historical element in hopes that such a venue would augment our wedding theme. A cursory search populated the usual historical wedding venues in Orange County. Even after scheduling appointments with all these venues, I felt a bit underwhelmed with them all. Something in me wanted to find something more and better than the «usual.» So I searched again and found The Chapel of Orange. I reviewed what was made available online and discovered that The Chapel of Orange (previously Chapman Chapel) had recently been sold and was under new ownership. What was posted consisted mainly of pictures and a brief historical bio of the chapel. Immediately, I was overcome by the charm the pictures encapsulated. This was what we were looking for! I immediately emailed the owner, Cheryl Gale, to schedule an appointment for May 2015. Unlike my experiences with reps from the other venue sites, I was surprised to receive an email from no other than Cheryl herself, right away.
With our moms in tow, Matt and I met with Cheryl, who provided us with a thorough tour of the chapel grounds, its architectural history (The Chapel of Orange is on the National Register of Historic Places) and a personal account of what lured her and her husband into purchasing The Chapel. Just as I fell for the pictures I reviewed online, I fell even more in love with the venue in person.
Matt and I quickly realized The Chapel of Orange was unlike most venues. It wasn’t just because the venue hit all of our check-​offs (history, charm, beauty, location); nor did it rest solely on its cozy, welcoming and homey feel. The deciding factor was Cheryl herself. Upon first meeting, she was kind, open, honest, and genuine. Just as she was putting her time, money and faith into the hidden potential of The Chapel, Matt and I put all of our faith into her and her team. In addition, Cheryl’s team consists of her family and close friends. Ashley Paige (@ashleypaigephoto) is her daughter and Chef Kaya (@noleftoverscatering) is her son-​in-​law. After scheduling another tour of the chapel (this time with all our parents), Matt and I booked our wedding and reception with The Chapel of Orange for April 2016. Oh, and all those other appointment’s I had scheduled? Yeah, I cancelled all of them that very first day I visited The Chapel of Orange.
The months, weeks, and days leading up to our wedding came easy and all of that was due to Cheryl and her wonderful team. Cheryl kept us updated via text and email with the progress of the banquet hall, emailed us pictures upon its completion, and recommended we come down at our leisure to view its completion (which we did… several time because it came out freaking awesome). She remained cordial, professional, jovial and prompt with returning emails, texts and phone calls regarding concerns and questions at all hours of the day and night. She sent reminder emails regarding booking our food and cake tasting; provided us with the contact info for her team, advised us when we should contact them, followed-​up with us and her team if contact was initiated, established and our wishes cemented; provided us with check-​off lists, reminded us of the date and time of our rehearsal, and even compiled a personalized day of wedding itinerary.
Then, the day we’ve all waited for finally arrived. While me, Matt and our families were at home getting ready; Cheryl, Alyssa, Marina, Chef Kaya and Co., Chris Williams (DJ/​MC), Thy Ngyuen (OceanicFlowers), Tina, Pastor Bob Cavinder (Center Pointe Ministries), Ashley, Christina, Arin Meyer (Videographer) and James were all prepping, setting-​up, arranging, rehearsing, chopping, cutting, reviewing, double checking, and memorizing away at The Chapel. The one thing my mom wanted to happen (aside from me and Matt getting married) was for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception to flow smoothly. And it did. Matt and I couldn’t have pictured it any better. Our wedding ended-​up being the most fun, creative and unique wedding either one of us has ever attended, and I’m not saying that because it was our wedding. It was due to the hard work, diligence, passion and commitment of everyone at The Chapel of Orange. They took some of the elements we liked, wanted, paired it to match our personalities and tied it all into our theme of love and family.
Our wedding will be a date that neither me, my husband nor our closest families and friends will ever forget and will always treasure. Matt and I want to thank our family, family friends, and our family at The Chapel of Orange for all your support, commitment, patience and hard work. And a special recognition to Cheryl Gale. Thank you for… everything (you know).

My husband and I got married at the Chapel of Orange in mid-​January and we couldn’t be happier with our choice of venue. The atmosphere perfectly suited out nostalgic personalities. The historic spot was both beautiful and versatile. We decorated with vintage books, (flame-​less) candles, and used minimal flowers; the result was stunning. The chapel, ballroom, and surrounding area provided a classic (and stunning) backdrop for our photos. They’re gorgeous.
The best part of getting married at the Chapel was working with Cheryl! She provide all-​inclusive packages where she will take care of almost everything that goes into wedding planning. Full disclosure — I absolutely dreaded having to plan my wedding. The idea of having to hunt for a caterer, photographer, florist, DJ, etc made me extremely stressed. Thank goodness we found Cheryl because she handled the booking and scheduling for all those moving parts. Our cost included (the stuff I’ve already listed) invites, décor, alcohol, and two (yes TWO) event coordinators for the night of our event.
I can’t stress enough how helpful Cheryl was during the wedding planning process! I literally was able to tell her our «vision» for the wedding and I could sit back and relax because she had everything handled. She probably saved my husband and myself a few spats over silly little details.
Oceanic Flowers — bouquets and boutonnieres were beautiful. Our florist, Thy, was super nice and was able to work with us within our budget.
No Left-​Overs Catering — Kia was a consummate professional. From our tasting up until our reception he was prompt in email responses and didn’t make us feel like a bother when we had some last minute/​surprise «dietary issues» for him to adjust. The food was great! I didn’t notice any plates with leftover food as we walked around tables during dinner service. After dinner, Kia put on a suit and came around to make sure the event was going well.
Ashley Paige — I love this photographer! Trying to get photos with everyone was potentially the most stressful part of the evening but our preplanning with Ashley helped us streamline that process (as much as possible) and we were able to join our guests during cocktail hour in no time. She was super prompt in getting us our prints (all 1,000 of them) in less than a month.
DJ Chris — Was fun and lively. He kept the party going and followed our general «must play» and «don’t play» list. During our pre-​event meet he had a lot of great ideas on how to order speeches, dances, songs, etc to make our reception flow smoothly and efficiently.
Lindsey and Cheryl — The BEST wedding coordinators! They diffused and deflected a lot of drama during the reception that I didn’t hear about it until we returned from our honeymoon. They allowed my husband and myself to enjoy the evening without worrying if a guest changed their food order or potentially had a bit too much of the wine. I didn’t have the forethought to designate one person to collect our keepsake type items after the night but I didn’t have to worry about it because Cheryl and Lindsey made sure things like the cake topper, toasting glasses, etc were set aside.
We really can’t praise this place enough! I highly recommend the Chapel of Orange to any bride (or groom) who wants a venue with personnel you can trust to deliver great service :)

I had my wedding on April 30, 2016. As I am pregnant, I came to the chapel hoping to plan my wedding in the span of 3 months. Alyssa (my wedding coordinator) was so accomodating and extremely helpful throughout the entire process! I found the chapel because they offer all inclusive packages, so it makes it a lot easier to plan a wedding in a short amount of time. What was included was: the venue which included the ceremony and reception, cake, food, decorations, florist, photographer, the pastor (non-​denominational), invitations, and the DJ. I think the wedding coordinator was an upcharge, but I would not have been able to plan this wedding without her! Alyssa took care of absolutely everything! She scheduled tons of meetings to make sure everything was perfect! She gave input, and even came with me during the florist meeting. She put me in contact with all the vendors to make sure that I was able to speak to them personally and she helped finalize all the details. She was there when I asked way too many unnecessary questions, and calmed my nerves when I had a mini panic right before the wedding! Alyssa was so sweet, made no judgements and was just so helpful. I can’t say enough good things about her!
I had the most amazing wedding, and it was all thanks to Alyssa! I met Cheryl, the owner of the chapel, on the day of my wedding and she was so sweet and so accomodating as well! I had such an amazing time, and planning the whole thing was quick and stress free! I barely had to think about anything! Alyssa had absolutely everything figured out and under control.
Thank you so much for such a special wedding, Alysa and Cheryl! It would not have been the same without you! I am on cloud nine

My wedding really was a fairy tale dream come true! Cheryl and her team (and all the vendors) went out of their way to make my day truly unique and special. All our guests are still raving about how beautiful it was and how every detail was «exactly who you are». Our guests thought that my husband and I picked out all the details and decorations, when in fact we did very little. From the moment I met Cheryl I knew I was in good hands. When she asked me what I pictured our wedding day I was at a loss on how to put my dream into words, but when I started trying to describe what I wanted she said she knew exactly what to do for us, and she really did. Cheryl and Alissa always responded to me right away, and all the vendors she picked are truly extraordinary. Chef Kaya put so much love into our food, and every thing was so delicious! Great Dane Bakery baked us a beautiful and yummy cake and even put our family crest on it, which everyone loved! And my bouquet by Oceanic Flowers was the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen. All the flowers were gorgeous! I thought the DJ, Chris Williams, would think we were insane from some of our song selections, but he loved all our choices and even found the perfect songs that fit our style to fill in the gaps. The photographer, Ashley Paige was amazing! She made me feel so beautiful and made our bridal party so comfortable, and that really comes through in our pictures. The best part is that I actually got to ENJOY my wedding! Cheryl even threw in a few surprises for us and I am so grateful for every single thing she did for us. I told her at the end that my husband and I have been together for 8 years and I had to wait a long time for my wedding day, but I would gladly have waited 8 more years since everything was so perfect!

I just had my wedding here and it was amazing! Everything was perfect! I had the full coordination package and I really recommend it! They helped me plan an amazing and beautiful wedding in 3 months and they really made sure everything ran smoothly. EVERY vendor they had was amazing too! I’m so happy I found this cute place!

After looking for chapels around the area, this is the one that got our attention the most. The chapel is beautiful inside and out. Cheryl was amazing in helping give us the wedding that both of us really wanted. We planned our wedding only a couple months in advance, but Cheryl took it as no issue. We feel incredibly fortunate to have Cheryl help us work within our budget to give us the wedding of our dreams. We had an issue with our unity candle and boutonnieres, but Cheryl and her assistant made it work. Our officiant that was provided by the chapel was just as amazing. Thanks to everyone in the chapel who made our special live up to our expectations.

I recently had my wedding ceremony at the Chapel and couldn’t have been any happier with how it all turned out. My wife and I came across the chapel via word of mouth and looking online the first thing that came up was an awful review from an angry bride about the previous owners. Luckily, Cheryl is in charge now and she is wonderful. Absolutely no complaints we love the look of the Chapel of Orange and it fit us very well. There is also a newly renovated reception hall that looks amazing too. We were on a budget with our wedding and we were more than pleased with how affordable it was to have our ceremony here. We highly recommend anyone engaged to go to the chapel of orange!

My boyfriend’s mom recently got married there. The venue is beautiful. It holds a decent size amount of people. The chapel has a beautiful charm to it… ohh and the hall… Gorgeous!

What can I say about the Chapman Chapel?
First of all let me say, I was incredibly fortunate to work with Cheryl and her amazing staff there. Cheryl is a doll to work with, she has an amazing way with people and I felt like she genuinely cared for me as a person. This is definitely one of the hardest industries to work in as some brides can be difficult, but Cheryl made sure that I didn’t have to stress over the small details. If you can put what you want into words, Cheryl will find a way to make it happen.
I got married on Saturday January 23, 2016 at 5 pm. The Chapel of Orange is a historical site located in the heart of Orange. It is literally a gem, that will make your guests feel as if they’ve stepped into a different world. As corny as that may sound, I had multiple guests that said that to me, that was the quote of the night. The venue was recently renovated and it is definitely one of a kind. You really have to see it in person.
All of our guests walked out raving about the food. Melissa who takes care of making the cake was super sweet and she made sure to follow up with me about what I wanted. We ended up selecting the salted caramel and it was even more delicious the day of. Cheryl has put together a great group of vendors who are do-​ers, you will not have to stress. I worked up until 3 pm and had my wedding the next day. They do the stressing for you. Everything about our wedding was amazing and it was truly a fairy tale.
There are very few times in my life where I can genuinely say that someone went above and beyond. The Chapel of Orange is one of those places where you will meet amazing people who you will want to stay in touch with. At the end of it all, you will feel as if you gained a family.
If you’re considering this place, stop by and check it out, you will not be disappointed.

It was such a positive experience re-​visiting ye ol Chapel of Orange, formerly Chapman Chapel. I had attended a wedding there years ago, and it had fallen into disrepair! But now Extensive remodeling has taken place and it is so pretty and classy now. The Chapel is spacious yet intimate and the ballroom/​reception area, which never really existed is gorgeous! New ownership has made such a wonderful difference – we were in such warm and capable hands. I look forward to coming back here!

My husband (wow, still feels weird to say that) and I got married at the Chapel of Orange on 12÷31÷15, and all I can say is that Cheryl works wonders!
We were originally planning on getting married in the San Gabriel Valley, but after pricing venues, rentals, catering, etc., we got a bit overwhelmed. We started looking at all-​in-​one venues and found Cheryl via Unilocal on 11÷15÷15. I called her that day, and lucky for us, she had an opening for us to visit that afternoon. As soon as we drove up to the Chapel, we fell in love. Once we met Cheryl and took a quick tour, we knew we had found our location.
We wanted to get married on NYE, so that gave us just over a month to get everything in order. I don’t know how we would’ve done it without Cheryl. She guided us through everything. All of the vendors on her list were AMAZING. We picked a gorgeous and delicious cake from Great Dane Bakery, got our flowers from Thy at Oceanic Flowers, had Chris DJ our reception, and had Pastor Bob officiate a funny and touching Christian ceremony.
Ashley, the photographer, was so sweet and personable, and we were blown away by the pictures she took. And the food – my goodness, Chef Kaya hit it out of the park! The appetizers, entrees and sides were delicious. The food was every bit as good as dinners we’ve had at fancy restaurants.
At Cheryl’s recommendation, we also added a photo booth to our reception. Our guests loved it and had so much fun mugging for the camera.
My friends couldn’t believe we were able to put together such an elegant and beautiful wedding in such a short time. Of course I had to tell them that it wasn’t me, it was all Cheryl.
Thank you Cheryl, Alyssa & Co. for making our wedding day beautiful, fun and stress-​free!

Cheryl couldn’t be any nicer or more helpful. She won’t try and sell you on anything you don’t want, but if you wanted a small intimate setting in Old Town Orange, this is the place. I cannot stress how nice the new owner is. She’s smart and savvy and nobody is paying me to say this. I always thought if I got married in Orange, this would be the place. If you’re thinking the same, I suggest this place. The owner and her staff take care of anything except what you want to do yourself. Food is great. Location is convenient and easy to get to from the circle and all major highways.

We had our wedding services and reception here. We booked last summer for a January wedding, before they finished the ballroom renovations and took a chance it would be finished on time.
It far exceeded our expectations! Very warm tone with the lighting and decorations. We had 90 show up plus mariachi and there was plenty of room for dancing.
The staff was phenomenal. It was an all inclusive package which included the vendors for the cake, food, flowers, and photography.
Cheryl’s communication was prompt and everything flowed smoothly. We added a mariachi, open bar and even had our ring bearer pulled down the aisle in a wagon. Everything went smoothly.
With the groom having to travel for work during the planning stages, Cheryl and her team put everything together. They were very flexible with appointments for food tasting, cake tasting and flower arrangements. We just made the important decisions and the team did the rest. We were even wondering if there was more we were supposed to do but Cheryl had it all covered!
We would highly recommend and this place will surely book well in advance with the new renovations!

One word: recommended.
We got married on 12/​12/​2015. When did we get engaged? 11/​08/​2015! I think the tight schedule says itself why this place is special and how well the owner Cheryl was able to provide a great service.
After we decided to have the wedding directly after we engaged, Cheryl was one of the people we approached online regarding wedding inquiries. She was extremely prompt on answering our questions via emails, phone calls. She also provided different customizable package options for us to choose from. She was able to provide/​refer wedding vendors for photography, catering, cake, flower, etc. This would save you a lot of trouble, especially if you are doing a quick one. On the big day, she was onsite all the time, handling any crisis or fulfilling any last-​minute requests (have to be reasonable of course). Besides, she is a really nice person to talk with and all her staff are supportive as well.
Our wedding wouldn’t have been possible (not to mention enjoyable) without the help from Cheryl and her staff. We highly recommend her and this place.

I don’t even know where to begin on how amazing this place is, along with the owner Cheryl. The grounds are beautiful and I love the fact that it is all inclusive also. Cheryl takes care of lining up your photographer, videographer, officiant, catering, florist, baker, photo booth, hair and make up stylist, DJ, caterer and anything else you can think of! For someone like me who works and has a family, this was priceless.
The new owner/​coordinator Cheryl went above and beyond any expectations I had. She really puts all her energy into each and every wedding and makes you feel like your wedding is the only one she is dealing with. I can’t even begin to tell you how many emails I sent her over a period of 6 months, and she responded very quickly to every single one. Cheryl’s number one goal truly is making sure the dream wedding you envision in your head, becomes a reality for you. She is very meticulous and focuses on every detail and is very accommodating. We got married at The Chapel of Orange on Nov. 14, 2015. We had our ceremony in the chapel and reception for 60 in the beautiful garden area. IT WAS PERFECT, and people are still complimenting me how beautiful the site was and how great the whole day was. My wedding day really was the perfect wedding, and I know for a fact it wouldn’t of been had it not been for Cheryl and the Chapel of Orange. I highly recommend this place for any wedding, from a very small intimate one to a larger one. Not to mention, the new ballroom was just recently completed this past week and it is stunning! You definitely need to add this venue to your list of places to check out, you won’t be disappointed.

What a dream come true!
I got married on 11÷7÷15 and I couldn’t be more happier then ever. The weather was perfect. The Chapel of Orange was the best choice we ever made. The interior was just unbelievable. We didn’t need to decorate the aisle or anything. The way the chapel was designed was just perfect. My guest loved this place. The ceremony was just picture perfect. Cheryl was so helpful and went out of her way to get my wedding party walking down the aisle. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She was just so friendly. At the ceremony, the musician Sean was great also. I didn’t have a chance to thank him because I was just so busy with everything. But I’m going to be forever grateful to the chapel of orange they made my wedding come true. It was a day to remember.

What a Gem!!! As a wedding photographer I am always looking for new venues to tell my brides about and well this time i was actually a guest at a friends wedding! The Chapel of Orange is just adorable!!! From the moment I parked in the cute neighborhood to when i walked in everything was so welcoming. The ceremony was beautiful, the chapel is such a historical building in the City of Orange and its so charming!!! After the ceremony we went to take photos in the garden and the landscape is lush and dreamy, perfect for photos!!! The Neighborhood has adorable houses make a great backdrop as well… of course i notice those things :) I had the pleasure of meeting Cheryl the owner of the chapel, she is the sweetest and was so helpful the entire day!!! Its so refreshing to see the Owner of a venue be so hands on and involved, making sure that everything is perfect! you don’t find that often… Im so excited to tell all my brides about the Chapel Of Orange…

The owner of the Chapel of Orange was amazing to work with. She is very creative and experienced and came up with so many special touches I would not have thought of. The venue is gorgeous, the food was amazing and the photographs perfect. I cannot recommend this venue or the owner of Once Upon A Fairy Tale enough.

Such a beautiful venue! I loved the staff and service, catering as well! Was a one stop everything kinda venue. It made my day so special and easy. Recommend 5 stars cause I am recommending to all my clients!

Such a BEAUTIFUL chapel and amazing place to get married! It’s historical and right in old town orange which is such a charming location. Highly recommend this orange county wedding venue!