Chapel of the Bells

My husband and I got married here in 9÷9÷2015 we purchased a package that included a gorgeous boquet and boutinere. Everything was beautiful and perfect. Fast forward to last month and my 7 month old puppy jumped up and got the bouquet and boutiner and ripped it to shreds. I called Melody at the chapel and told her what happened. She gladly took the remains and rebuilt them. When I got it back it was more than I ever expected and even more beautiful than before! I am so pleased that I am writing this review and recommending anyone getting married to go see Melody and her staff because they will see to everything and go that extra mile! Thank you so much Melody and chapel of the bells for helping us keep our momento of our special day!

My new wife and I chose Chapel of the Bells for the reception and Casales Half Way Club for an Old Reno theme, and it was fantastic… we are still getting great comments from guests. Chapel is perfectly preserved and has a great nostalgic feel. It is family owned and really quite adorable. The may be a little businesslike and gruff behind the desk, but they are longtime pros and handled my last minute changes expertly. This is my second wedding here… I married here in 1978, and both times I couldn’t ask for anything more.

This place is amazing! I was a little worried at first because I read so many reviews that said this place was terrible and the staff were rude. They’re so not rude! We were married yesterday (10.26.15). My husband and I were even 30 minutes late and the first thing the lady up front said was she was worried about us! I was so frustrated because we were late and she calmed me down and told me to take a deep breath and that everything would be okay. They personally drove us to the court house and guided our way to get our licence. The driver was so sweet. The lady’s inside were awesome. The one who did my bouquet did a BEAUTIFUL job and it was even better than I expected. They made us laugh and all had big smiles. They even helped hand out the wedding favors! The ceremony was perfect. The minister was so kind and I loved the way she married us. Afterward they took pictures of my husband and I and the wedding party. Everyone there was so kind and sweet. My husband and I were talking to our best man and maid of honor and we all agreed that although there was a lot hustle and bustle, chaos, and some confusion, we wouldn’t change it for anything. That totally added to the experience and made it that much more fun! I wouldn’t change a thing about that day and I totally recommend this place to anyone who wants a small, cute wedding. Don’t let the negative reviews sway your decision. And you can’t beat the prices. I don’t remember what package we got but we got a whole variety of goodies for the wedding and they allowed us to pick out colors and styles. Plus, they even told us that if we came back to Reno, to stop by and say hi! 5 stars for sure. Thank you to everyone at Chapel of the Bells for making our special day even more special!

WOW!!! I had no idea a business could be this bad. The lady behind the desk was incredibly rude, so rude that another couple commented that we must have pulled her away from her wine bottle. The chapel has a sign that says established in 1962… you would think that it was still 1962 when you walk inside. From the old thread bare furniture to the musty smell this place has had no upkeep whatsoever. A wall plate shrine to princess Diana, yeah we all know how well that wedding turned out. Don’t bother ordering a DVD of the ceremony, the picture quality and sound is horrible. Seriously, when your recording someones special occasion I would think that you would update your equipment from a 1980 camcorder and VCR to something that was a little more up to date. If you want a quick wedding there are other places. If you want an incredibly cheezy, laughable experience this would be the place to go.

Got Married here on (7÷11÷15) it’s a quite little place, the staffing is welcoming when you have a event there. My Wedding felt rushed, but overall I felt thankful for the way it went. Pros & Con
Pros– The Price (With Coupon) Offer Flowers, and Memorable items.
Cons– Parking is horrible here, wedding hall & waiting room is small maybe 12 people comfortably.

We got married here June 2015. We had a lovely super cheesy Reno wedding. We expected it… we loved it. Wouldn’t change a thing. Just don’t go into this expecting a high class, red carpet experience. This was perfect for us because we didn’t need much. We got what we ask for.

UNPROFESSIONAL AND NAUSEATING
To spare the next couple money and disappointment, please continue to read…
I was GRAVELY DISAPPOINTED with the response of JACKIE, I guess one of the main staff and also daughter of the DISRESPECTFUL AND UNPROFESSIONAL wedding officiant GEORGE FLINT.
Here is what happened…
I was satisfied with my long distance phone correspondence with Jackie. She was helpful and accommodating throughout the planning process. I asked if I may have 5 songs played during the 30 min usage of the chapel, her response, «You can do whatever you want.»
***THE FOLLOWING IS WHERE MY LOW RATING COMES FROM…***
During my ceremony, just as I was about to enter with my very special entrance song, I hear a loud doorbell sounding, background music!!! This doorbell sound completely interrupted my entrance and ambiance of the ceremony. Even though I was completely distraught, I proceeded with the ceremony.
My guests and I stayed a few minutes longer to clean up our flower petals. No one asked us to clean up. We were being good stewards of the place of business we were using. We were being polite and courteous.
A few days later I viewed my wedding video. And to my SHOCKING AND NAUSEATING DISMAY… I discovered it was the GEORGE FLINT, THE WEDDING OFFICIANT who was the one that activated that doorbell noise that destroyed my entrance and entrance song. I saw him press a button on the wall near the curtain that activated the doorbell to expedite my entrance faster. The more I viewed, the more I heard him COMPLAIN WITH SARCASM that he was hungry and wanted me to enter faster.
I was so disgusted that I could no longer view the video. I proceeded to contact JACKIE. I KINDLY AND PROFESSIONALLY brought to her attention what I saw on the video. I was met with the following sentences:
«Well if you wanted that many songs you should’ve gone to a church for that. We don’t do that here!»
«I don’t appreciate you talking about my father like that.»
«I actually thought he did a lovely ceremony.»
«I don’t need to hear this SHIT!»
THEN SHE HUNG UP THE PHONE ON ME…
She gave my clearance on the number of songs I could use. I didn’t know, nor do I care that her father was the officiant. He is still a RUDE FATHER AND UNPROFESSIONAL FATHER. NOT TO MENTION UNPROFESSIONAL BUSINESS OWNERS.
We paid on time. We even cleaned up after ourselves. We followed the rules. I expect that a business owner deliver appropriate, civil, neighborly, genuine, customer service to paying customers that are civil, neighborly, and genuine.
I really hope they lose their business, run out of business and must close their doors for good. Jackie took things personal and attacked me with a VICIOUS tone. This is a BUSINESS. This is not an attack on your personality or family upbringing.
Jackie, you are obviously unfit to be in the people service industry. Nor is your father fit to marry couples. His hunger is far more important than respecting matrimony. They both need to take customer service classes OR just close up shop. I’m hurt and disappointed that I have a memory of this day that includes such rude and irresponsible, unfit business owners. Does her hungry father know that Jackie spoke to paying customers like that? Does the rest of the staff know that she overreacted and took things personal? Does the other staff know that they have an officiant that no longer respects matrimony? The website says, «We love what we do.» Do they love hurrying the ceremony to fit the staff’s schedule? JACKIE’S RESPONSE AND GEORGE’S UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THIS HORRIBLE REVIEW.
Jackie, I’ll start to appreciate your unprofessional father when you appreciate that my money feeds your father. She OVERREACTED, went OVERBOARD in her response, took matters PERSONALLY NOT PROFESSIONALLY. NO ROOM for improvement. VICIOUS attitude when given, kind and constructive feed back. DELUSIONAL that interrupting the ceremony with a doorbell is A WONDERFUL BUSINESS PRACTICE
I WISH THERE WAS A ZERO STAR RATING. One star is still too high for their quality of customer service…

I was a lil worried after reading the reviews but we had the best experience ever! It’s was the 2^nd marriage for us both. We wanted something romantic but simple. Cost about 75 tipped the minister 30 and the driver 5. I requested special flowers and they did such a beautiful job!!! The gap at the front I can’t recall her name now was amazing kind and happy for us. Are made the flowers herself and is so talented!!! We loved her! She helped point us in the right direction to the park we were meeting the photographer at too. It’s small, old but perfect. You know these chapels are not all modern n fancy … They’re kitschy and that’s part of the fun! We loved our special day! Thanks so much! She even took a pic for us with our phone!!!

Our parents got married here. It was a sweet lil ceremony but ghetto as hell. they were supposed to get a limo ride to pick up the marriage certificate. It was actually just a ride in the backseat of a hot car while the lady driving pointed all the air conditioners at herself. They also said we should tip the minister like sixty bucks, after paying like how much for this whole shoddy package? no thank you!

My cousin got married here over the weekend, she and her husband were walk ins. Both ladies at the front desk treated them like they were scum and having to provide a service for them was the biggest inconvenience of their lives. It took us all everything we had not to tell them off (16 of us attended), but we came a long way and all wanted to see them finally get married. Don’t go here, honestly, getting married anywhere else would be a wiser choice, they will ruin your wedding memory.

Everything that the reviewer named Tres B. said is 100% true! I’ll start with saying my at the time fiancé and I decided last minute to wed on our anniversary the day of our anniversary! It was about 6pm when it dawned on us that we wanted to do it. I looked up chapels in reno because we live in Sacramento. Immediately I saw this place had the least amount of stars and the only reason why we went here was because it is open the latest and we had a long drive there! The second we arrived we were rushed to the county clerk. I did notice the tip sign but quickly forgot about it because I was too busy being excited about marrying my best friend. When we arrived back to the chapel we were told to go in the waiting room. And out of no where the ceremony was starting. There was no discussion about anything. No music. I didn’t even get the choice to walk up to my husband. We were basically forced to link arms and just walk up to the alter where the ordaine was standing wearing nothing special. I did like what she had to say and I’m absolutely happy to have married my husband on the day that we wanted! When it was over it was time to pay… prior to this they never mentioned any prices to us at all so I honestly don’t even know what we paid for altogether. But the grand total in addition to the $ 60 marriage license we paid $ 130 plus a $ 40 guilt trip tip. My mom purchased the DVD for $ 25 although we will forever have the lasting memory of our cheesy reno chapel wedding, I will say that is the worst quality video I have ever seen produced in this decade!
If you’re desperate to get married and have limited time and options this is the place for you. But if you have the option to plan it out definitely go somewhere else!

The experience we had at Chapel of the Bells was one of lasting memories of a lifetime. We were greeted by very pleasant staff who provided us with excellent service, beautiful flowers and pictures that captured the moment. We would recommend Chapel of the Bells to anyone who wants to have fun at their wedding with no stress.
Thank You Chapel of the Bells!!! married December 6, 2013

This wedding chapel has a big note on their home page about road construction near the courthouse where you get your license and therefore they want to take you there, in a complimentary limo. Take that very mis-​represented statement as your first clue about the business tactics of this chapel! 1– its real easy to check Nevada DOT road conditions online; they have snow in winter and many commercial trucking and transport professionals depend on their reports for snow/​mud slides, detours, repairs, etc. If you were in Las Vegas, road construction is a never-​ending issue, but not so much in Reno. I have found Nevada DOT to be very user-​friendly for local traffic and the interstate hwy. 2– the office where you get a marriage license nowadays is located in a fairly new complex on the east side of Univ of Nevada Reno and the easiest way to get there is by using the freeway. It is no longer the old traditional looking historic courthouse on Virginia Street near City Hall, just south of the Truckee River. 3– IF YOU TAKE THE FREE LIMO RIDE, make your payment and make sure the clerk hands YOU your license. Keep it in your safe and secure possession, it is good for a year and the marriage ceremony must be held in the county where the license was issued. The only time the chapel personnel need to see that document is after the ceremony is performed and then the clergy person will sign it. The chapel does not need to get that document in their fingers one minute before the clergy is to sign the document. If they ask to see the license, (there is really nothing they NEED to «verify») show it to them but do NOT let it out of the grip of your fingers. Do not let the limo driver grab the license– saying something like «we’ll be taking care of everything for you»!!! Because if you become upset with this chapel and want to have your ceremony held elsewhere, it will take a bunch of strong-​arm talking to get them to return YOUR LICENSE back to you!!! And the license issuing office cannot create a duplicate document. They don’t want to re-​issue an outstanding incompletely recorded document. You can call the office and get them to explain their policy on this. The license issuing office can only issue a copy of a Marriage Certificate that has been recorded after the marriage is performed, the clergy person has signed it and then the license is considered a Marriage Certificate after it has been recorded. I was to be a witness for close friends who thought about using this chapel and wound up witnessing all of the above mentioned problems!!! Needless to say, this chapel took some of the romance away from my friends who should have had an absolutely blissful weekend in Reno.

This place STINKS!!! The lady at the front desk is an Ahole rude and I will say RACIST! Don’t waste your time or money here! There are many other chapels in Reno that are friendlier cleaner and will help make your ceremony a pleasant experience. We went there to get info and leave a deposit for our wedding and as soon as we walked it we were greeted by BITCHZILLA she was rude and said «Well if you been on our website you would see our prices «when I asked her for a quote so I would know how much I would need to pay.
I wanted to tell her off but I held my breath and continue to ask her questions about the coupon we had received at the court house which said $ 23.90 max 8 people and she grabbed it out of my hand and threw it away saying it was only to have your license filed and I could not bring 20 people! I wanted to cry and I knew I could not get married by such a negative people. I thanked her and left hearing her crumble our info.
I was so mad I wanted to forget about getting married at all. Luckily I visited we visited other chapels and ended up booking our ceremony and I am excited and happy I did not waste my money here!
Go to any other chapel but not Chapel of the bells!
I wish I would have read the previous reviews 1^st! LOL

Went here for my best friend to get married. The lady at the counter had a horrible cough and did not cover her mouth and was just ick. They married my friends in the waiting room and expected a 30 Dollar tip. My friend told them to do only 5 dollars over the amount and the lady was mad. She said well uugghhh. Well what did you expect when had them get married in the waiting room?

My husband and I eloped here two years ago. We came back to Reno for our anniversary with the original (and highly classy) intention of renewing our vows with an Elvis impersonator, but unfortunately The King was in demand and we couldn’t get his services. Instead, we figured we’d come back to the Chapel of the Bells and renew our vows where it all began.
I have to say, the night before we came in, we were reading the negative Unilocal reviews over dinner and laughing our asses off so much that we could barely eat. I’m sorry, but if you’re expecting to have a super special day and you think the people at the Chapel should be fawning all over you with awe and reverence because IT’S YOUR BIG DAY DAMMIT, you’re at the wrong place. It’s a quickie wedding chapel IN RENO. Sure you should be taking your commitment to one another seriously, but if you’re getting married at a chapel in Reno, you shouldn’t be taking YOURSELVES too seriously. It has a freaking DRIVE THRU for chrissake. OF COURSE it’s going to be tacky. That’s the whole point! Plus, they do at least 40 weddings a day here… you think you’re gonna be special to them by the time you come prancing in at 8:30 on a Friday? Sorry, no. If you’re a bridezilla and you want to be treated like a princess, you shouldn’t be getting hitched here. [end rant]
Anyway, the first time we were here, we had a blast. This time was no different. The receptionist was quite dry and unenthusiastic with us when we first came in, but she warmed up quickly when she saw we were actually there to have fun and weren’t taking ourselves too seriously. The waiting room is awesome — it looks like someone’s crazy grandmother decorated it. Commemorative Obama plate? Check. Framed letter from the Queen of England? Check. Creepy dolls, cubic zirconia rings, fake flowers, dingy wallpaper, worn couches, and commemorative T-​shirts? Check and check.
The little chapel itself is kitschy and cute. Still very 50’s-60’s and tacky as all hell, but that’s perfect for this kind of thing. Once you get past the quirk and kitsch and Reno-​ness though, the actual vows and ceremony are pretty touching. The Reverend Flint does a great job and her words during the ring exchange were so moving that I got to bawling like an idiot (for the third time we’ve done this, you’d think I’d be an old pro but no!). Although her spiel has probably been done a thousand times with countless other couples, it’s incredibly meaningful and just what we were looking for.
The vow renewal ceremony was just as expensive as a regular marriage, but who cares. It’s a one of a kind experience and totally worth it. So if you have a sense of humor, I’d recommend stopping in… have a laugh, get hitched, and enjoy yourselves.

Chapel of the Bells is the absolute worst business I have ever had the misfortune of stepping foot into.
Unfortunately health circumstances forced my wife and I to marry quickly. We had been engaged and planned on a wedding with family and friends but life has a way of dictating its own terms. I was set to go to Stanford Medical Center the following week so we decided on Saturday night, after going out to dinner with a couple friends, we would go ahead and do the quick wedding that night.
We headed down to Chapel of the Bells. Upon arriving we were greeted very rudely by the woman at the front desk. As this was not an ideal situation to begin with my wife understandably was having second thoughts that this was not the place for us. She retreated to the restroom to freshen up while I completed the necessary paperwork.
The whole time this woman behind the counter was very impatient and was acting as if this wedding was the biggest inconvenience of her year. My wife came out and the lady then made a rude remark regarding hurrying this show along. At that point she and I had had enough and wisely decided against getting married here that evening.
I told the lady to cancel our paperwork and we were leaving. Her response, «thanks for wasting my time, I hope your wedding fails and you divorce.» I was floored and we quickly left the building. On my way out right before closing the door I responded, «I hope you go out of business.» I would never wish that upon anybody except these people. Maybe this review will cost them a few customers and save another couple from this terrible place.
We got married in a very small and beautiful ceremony two days later at Galena Creek. So glad we didn’t do it here.

For the first time ever, I wish Unilocal had negative stars. This was the single worst experience I have had at any business. Here is a panoply of our time here:
1. When I set the reservation, they dully asked me for all information for my reservation. Name, age, state, etc. Then they told me to call when I arrived in Reno. As soon as we got off the plane, I called, and they asked me for the identical information all over again. As I am walking through the airport giving out my personal ID again, I asked them why they didn’t have this information I previously provided. The woman mumbled incoherently. When we arrived at the chapel, they asked for the same facts a third time. FRUSTRATING.
2. When I called in to make a reservation ten days before our wedding date, I asked for a simple bouquet of fresh flowers. They said they didn’t have time (but they had a «lovely assortment of silk flowers»)BARF. I ordered flowers on my own and picked them up on the way in.
3. When we arrived the receptionist, a dour, bulky, trollish woman greeted us with utter indifference. FAKE SOME ENTHUSIASM, this is a big day for us!!! She acted like we were a toothache in her already loathesome day. Unenthusiastically she took us to the courthouse for our marriage license. The «limo» A white Cadillac, had magnetic political signs and a laminated back seat sign urging that we tip. The conversation on the way to and fro was about how their business was suffering NO KIDDING?
4. When we arrived back at the chapel, I asked if we could change into our wedding attire. Her response? «We only have one bathroom and make it quick as its for everyone to use» What a pig! All she had to say was «sure!». There was no one else in the building!
5. I expect cheesy at a Reno wedding chapel. I am good natured about it. Really, I was expecting an Elvis statue or paper mache angel. But when the owner walked buy in a bright orange and way-​too– tight Pendelton patterned sweater, a fake Louis Vitton attaché’ and pistachio green pants, I knew this was not good. The «reverend» was also a behemoth woman dressed in WalMart’s finest who did do a decent short ceremony. but then…
6. We were badgered to tip both woman, given envelopes to tip, they tired to sell things like an awful video and she made it clear they would «destroy it immediately» if we didn’t buy it then.
7. The décor is so bad its tough to explain. Totally incongruous. Plates of Marilyn Monroe, a big photograph and plaque certifying that the owners of the chapel once flew on the Concorde (Whoppty friggin doo) A lamp with a knight base, a lamp with an angel base, a statue of some woman/​lizard thing, blue carpeting, teal wallpaper, fuscia pillows, taffeta cloth draped in a corner. One corner area looked like the Franklin Mint had some awful case of loose bowels.
While we can and will laugh at this, the truth is this was a special day that, if not for our sense of irony and goodwill, would have been devastated by the staff’s boorish trailer trash behavior. Not a smile, not a well wish, not a compliment to my bride. This place is absolutely intolerable and I urge you not to patronize this awful scourge.
THIS WAS HORRIFFIC!!!

Here comes the bride…
I to-​tuh-​lee criieeeeddd.
Seriously, I was BAWLING. Which is why I’m glad I didn’t have to do this in front of 200 of my closest family, frenemies, and relatives who the phrase «you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your relatives» was made for.
It was just me and him, and it was perfect. Trashy 60s kitsch and all. I mean, the website says this is the oldest chapel in NorNev, and the décor totally proves it.
We picked up the coupons at the courthouse for every chapel in the area. I totally reccomend that, no matter which one you go with. This one was the cheapest, at $ 13.90. I knew we’d be paying a lot more than that, because one of the other coupons for $ 35 said «never any hidden fees,» and that one included a witness.
We ended up paying just over 70 bucks, and that included the witness fee. It also included pictures, so it still ended up being cheaper than going to the Office of Civil Marriages (which costs $ 55 and I’m pretty sure you don’t have a «pictures» option there… but if you added our picture fee to that it would top out in the nearly 90 buck range).
Other talking points: the awesome exterior, it’s just so 60s. It’s not in a business storefront like if you go to one on the strip. Again, I can’t stress picking up the coupons in the courthouse enough. Grab them on the way out after getting your license. Be prepared to pay a little more than whatever fee the coupon says no matter where you go, but we got a «special fee» sheet because we had the coupon. Also, they’re open until midnight on Saturdays, which gave us plenty of time to tool around Reno for the day.
I’ll update this once I get the pictures developed.

I have to give this place 5 stars, it’s where I just got married! At their DRIVE THRU! It was totally and utterly hilarious but I really wanted my number one guy (besides my husband), my dog Jack, to be there with us. For those who don’t like to stand up in front of a lot of people, I highly recommend this quick and easy way to join in matrimony.