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Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church
Wedding ceremony
Wedding ceremony
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church
Couple's wedding traditional kiss
Couple's wedding traditional kiss
Lanscape
Lanscape
Wedding ceremony area
Wedding ceremony area
Wedding ceremony
Wedding ceremony
Couple's portrait
Couple's portrait

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Stanford Memorial Church

About

Weddings at Stanford Memorial Church continue to be a celebrated tradition at Stanford University. The church stands at the center of the Stanford campus and is the University's architectural jewel. It provides a beautiful sacred space for weddings with guest attendance from 2 to 1,200. Honoring its founding charter, Stanford welcomes all religious and spiritual traditions, endeavoring to create a memorable ceremony for all couples. Weddings are held on Saturdays

throughout the year in Stanford Memorial Church at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm, and 5:00 pm. To be eligible to have a wedding ceremony at Stanford Memorial Church, one member of the couple must qualify with a Stanford University affiliation:

Current student in a Stanford degree program

Stanford alumnus/alumna

Current or retired Stanford faculty or staff member

Registered member of the Catholic Community

Regular participant in the University Public Worship

Postdoctoral individuals at Stanford

A child or grandchild of a person in one of the categories listed above

A child or grandchild of a couple previously married at Memorial Church

3 months lead time is needed for non- Catholic weddings and 6 months is required to plan a Catholic wedding.

For more information, please email at weddings.stanford.edu or call 650 723 9531.

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Frequently asked questions

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

1

Describe your venue:

Historic Building
Religious

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony

What event services do you offer?

Event Planner
Get Ready Rooms

What transportation and access is available?

Wheelchair Access

Reviews of Stanford Memorial Church

Write a review
Write a review
U
User2320446 Sent on 09/17/2015
5 out of 5 rating
The waitlist is not as long as rumored! We had our pick of summer dates when we went in a year in advance, and there were only 2 out of 4 possible weddings on our wedding date. Current students and/or employees get a substantial discount on the usual rate.
R
Rachelle Sent on 05/27/2010
5 out of 5 rating
Memorial Church is absolutely beautiful, and I've dreamed of getting married there since I was a wide-eyed freshman.

Mary Gallagher, the coordinator for MemChu, is an absolute gem and we were so lucky to work with her for our ceremony. Also, Father Nathan and the rest of the staff of the Catholic Community at Stanford were very supportive and helpful during our marriage preparation.
P
R Sent on 03/29/2008
5 out of 5 rating
The Rev. Scotty McLennan performed a beautiful service, allowing us to substitute two poems that are important to us for a sermon. The church provides a wedding planner as part of the contract, which was wonderful.
E
Elidia Sent on 11/16/2013
4.8 out of 5 rating
Stanford is a non-denominational church, so naturally we chose to go with a Catholic ceremony. The service is quick and simple, and only allows for a 45-minute mass, which is perfect for guests. I loved every minute of being in the church with family and friends.
Yi-hui
Yi-Hui Sent on 09/14/2010
4.7 out of 5 rating
The Church is definitely beautiful and memorable for our wedding, however there are lots of rules and procedures to follow. First of all, you need to be related to Stanford somehow to get qualified. Second, you need to complete 2 marriage counseling sessions. The ceremony is restricted in 2 hours, including preparation and cleaning time. Hence speading pedals is not allowed. The most inconvenient is, the photography and videography is not allowed during the ceremony except the professional ones. Even for those professionals, they need to stay on specific spots. So be sure to hire someone with experiences at Stanford Church. Other than all these, the Church is beautiful, the staff is nice, and the service is professional to guarantee a wonderful wedding.
M
Lindsie Sent on 06/02/2008
4.7 out of 5 rating
The Stanford Church was a stunning backdrop to our ceremony. Everyone was professional, on time, and did everything right. Our only minor complaint was that they had strict guidelines that we had to make sure we abided by. However, given the beauty of the church these guidelines help to preserve the atmosphere and the beauty of our ceremony. We couldn't have been more pleased.
C
Lisa Sent on 06/08/2010
4 out of 5 rating
This is a breathtakingly gorgeous church to get married in if you're affiliated with Stanford. They can do up to 4 weddings a day and only give you a 2 h 15 min timeslot where you have the church though, so you have to be able to work within their rules. They have restrictions for where the photographer and videographer can stand, where you can put flowers (limited), and the clergy read a pretty cookie-cutter script for the ceremony. However, you are able to personalize the wedding by having an assisting clergy give a 3-5 min homily, choosing readings/hymns, and incorporating cultural traditions. My wedding went extremely smoothly and they do a great job of making sure the ceremony goes without a hitch even if you're nervous and can't remember!
C
Cameron Sent on 05/14/2015
2.4 out of 5 rating
We had our wedding ceremony at MemChu in May. The church is magnificent, and that is what you're paying for. The religious staff (Catholic community in our case) were wonderful and professional. The organist was fantastic.

Stanford's staff, however, was difficult to work with. Melissa is the coordinator, and only responds to email messages. She lost our emails once and treated us very brashly because of her own incompetency. She also failed to answer most of our questions directly or in a timely manner. Until the actual wedding day, we and our wedding party were treated very poorly. She made us feel bad about our choices in ceremony music, processional order, etc. even at the rehearsal. To her credit, everything went smoothly for the ceremony. Stanford would be wise to make sure she is either replaced or reprimanded for her treatment of the clientele. We have heard similar opinions from friends who have been married at the church.
J
Jessica Sent on 05/23/2017
1 out of 5 rating
The space is beautiful. Our officiant was lovely. The wedding coordinator was very difficult to work with. She kept on putting off an initial meeting with us. Every time I tried to schedule a meeting with her, she would claim she was too busy or that she was on leave. We had to meet with a substitute coordinator, who could not answer our questions. We were promised a ceremonial certificate and audio recordings of the ceremony, but we never received them.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

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Stanford Memorial Church frequently asked questions

The space offered by Stanford Memorial Church for wedding events is known for:
  • Historic Building
  • Religious
Stanford Memorial Church offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
Stanford Memorial Church offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
Stanford Memorial Church offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Event Planner
  • Get Ready Rooms
Stanford Memorial Church is recommended by 81% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.1 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.4 in quality of service, 4.2 in professionalism, 4.1 in average response time, 4.1 in value and 3.6 in flexibility.
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