Real Weddings

SUBMISSIONS

Chapel Journal is grateful to receive and showcase real wedding stories and sacred moments.

At Chapel Journal, we aim to share features that are equally fashion-forward and faith-filled. On Chapel’s pages, you will find weddings and editorials that feel artistic, expressive, and high fashion. Yet our hope is to infuse this aesthetic-- which often feels forbidding and cold—with faith and with traditional values. Chapel weddings are not merely pretty: they are rooted and grounded in God’s grace and truth, and therefore radiate beauty which surpasses all expression.

Chapel is not looking for superficial beauty but rather a brush with heavenly beauty—beauty that points readers to Christ and gladdens the heart of God. These Christ-centered, beautiful weddings deepen Chapel’s mission and encourage readers at every stage in their walk with God.

It is an honor to receive your submissions and witness your most beautiful moments. Both brides and vendors are welcome to submit to Chapel Journal, and in addition to real weddings, we accept styled shoot and editorial shoots, engagement sessions, and lifestyle features. Below, we are sharing a guide to lend clarity and elegance to the submissions process and answer some of the most commonly posed questions.

Submissions Form

Name

First Name

Last Name

Are you a:

Bride

Vendor

Event Title

Be as clear and creative as possible, thinking in terms of a headline: “Grandmillennial Garden Wedding” rather than “Real Wedding Submission”

Event Date

YYYY

Event Location

Bride and Grooms Social Media Handles (Optional!)

Vendor List

Please credit as many vendors as possible and be sure to send correct Website URL’s and their business social media handles, so they may be properly credited.

Your description and/or personal story:

Articulate your design inspiration and creative path, as Chapel loves to detail the artistic process that leads to these beautiful moments. Reflect on your favorite wedding day moments—the moments that will dwell with you always; the wedding day stories you’ll tell your children and grandchildren. Don’t be afraid to tell your love story and testimony, as features are selected as much for the reason and the ‘why’ of it all as they are for their beautiful aesthetic. (Read “What Sets a Submission Apart” below for more).

Wedding Film Link (If Applicable)

A beautiful wedding film elevates any submission. Nothing is as captivating as moving imagery, set to beautiful music—our readers love a film that corresponds to the story they’ve read. The best films are usually at or under five minutes, but Chapel makes an exception for standouts that exceed this length.

Instagram Reels

If you have an incredible Instagram reel, please submit the link here for consideration on our Instagram feed.

Commonly Asked Questions

What kind of features do you publish?

Chapel publishes an artistic mixture of real weddings, styled shoots, engagement sessions, and lifestyle features. Chapel’s passion, however, is for real weddings. We believe the best stories are those that have actually taken place—your stories. Editorials and styled shoots shed light on artistic concepts and innovations and transport us with their ethereal beauty. But we believe that nothing is as moving as a real story—in all its pathos and imperfection—and thus give priority to beautiful real weddings.

Lifestyle features include beautiful hosting and entertaining style and informal gatherings. For submissions, think: gorgeous garden party, elevated picnic, or a Coastal Grandmother-inspired tea party. If you have a creative concept that aligns with our wedding focus—perhaps you have an online ceramics store that would make for beautiful registry items—we would love for you to reach out!

What sets a submission apart?

Chapel is devoted to beautiful photography, but always look beyond this for genuine connection between couples—the intangible ‘something’ that causes a submission to glow. Call it chemistry, a spark, a certain je ne sais quoi—we all know the real thing when we see it.

Beyond genuine connection, however, Chapel is passionately interested in the stories and prayers that led up to a wedding day. We invite you to share your story along with your gallery, as we love to understand the ‘why’ behind the beauty of the wedding day: the longing prayers, trials, and uncertainties that led you to your present joy. Chapel hopes to encourage, inspire, and edify readers with stories from real brides and grooms—miracles of beauty and answers that only God’s hand could bring about. We are mindful that those reading Chapel may be lonely, afflicted, grief-stricken, in need of hope. Our prayer is that the stories shared on these pages offer readers a glimpse of heavenly hope and encounter with beauty that ministers deeply to the heart, and the consolation that can only come from God’s word and Presence. We pray God uses your stories to calm, strengthen, and bless the hearts of others, and glorify His name.

Are there any aesthetic considerations?

Like all wedding blogs, Chapel has a defining aesthetic. Reading our pages, you will become acquainted with the Chapel style: graceful, artistic, refined, and expressive. We believe that beauty and truth are eternal, recognizable, and knowable. And we believe that beauty, if it is real, will always reflect truth; the two are intimately bound. As such, Chapel is always looking for features that radiate beauty from within, beauty that also has integrity and stands for what is honorable, pure, and good.

At Chapel, we certainly do not discourage and rather embrace beautiful style and fashion-forward developments. We love when brides opt for an artistic dress or explore expressive styles of floral design. We consider features from a fashion angle, noting what was worn, how it worked, stylistically, with the venue, and whether the décor choices were made with an equally discerning eye. We believe that faith and creativity are not incommensurate items and believe that fashion and design can be shared in a way that’s both beautiful and honorable. We are always looking for couples with rare personal style that’s reflected through fashion, venue, décor, and all stylistic choices.

What about an engagement session?

A gorgeous sense of style and an undeniable connection are a must. Engagement sessions are elevated by beautiful locations and incredible personal style.

What is your exclusivity policy?

Chapel Journal welcomes both new and previously published features.

How do I send my photos?

Chapel gratefully accepts both film and digital submissions. Please send a curated gallery of up to 100 images for real weddings, and up to 50 images for all other features. Edit your gallery with polish and precision, focusing only on those images that are indispensable to your wedding or visual story. I kindly ask that you send this via Dropbox, Pass, or Pixieset. Images must be a minimum of 2500 pixels in width and smaller than 20mb.

Any photography considerations?

Chapel is drawn to light-filled, fine art photography. Overly dark and moody edits aren’t a favorite style, and Chapel tends to shy away from anything ultra-trendy in favor of sophistication, elegance, and refined beauty. Artistic and visionary concepts are always welcome, but not every trend will be right for Chapel. Color photos are our focus, but it’s fine to include a few black and white photos for a bit of emotional variance. Please send black-and-white images sparingly.

Detail images are important: flat lays, tablescapes, floral nuances, and invitation suites all communicate something important about your style. When composing your submission, be sure to balance between images that convey human emotion and those that capture riveting details. You’ll want to include both the ‘wow’ images—those that would merit their own Instagram post—and subtler details. Be sure to also include beautiful, composed moments (for instance, serene bridal portraits) with those in which emotion breaks through (a loving between mother and daughter, a groom’s tearful response to the vision of his bride).

What does Chapel look for in a styled shoot?

Styled shoots should create a sense of reverie, a transporting daydream. Artistic and visionary, styled shoots should feel dreamy, otherworldly. These fashion-forward features allow vendors to express their creativity without restraint, executing concepts they hope clients will fall for. From surreal floral installations to unforgettable gowns, styled shoots should give us all a couture moment.

Vendors should take refuge in the creative freedom afforded by styled features. This is the place to showcase artistic ideas and concepts that you’ve always dreamed of creating—and may not have found the right client for. Here is the opportunity to create the flowers, designs, and concepts you see in your dreams, and take the artistic chances you long to take.

What does Chapel look for in a lifestyle feature?

Chapel appeals to the old soul, the daydreamer; the reader to whom elegance and etiquette is important. I love to publish any examples of graceful hosting, whether it’s an intimate alfresco dinner or a feminine garden party. Submit small gatherings and beautiful hosting ideas here.

We are devoted to beautiful photography, but first and foremost look for genuine connection between couples—the intangible ‘something’ that causes a submission to glow. We strive to showcase the highest levels of artistry and expression, but we also believe in the kind of beauty that transcends mere aesthetic excellence. A Chapel wedding is suffused with the light of grace, gentleness, prayerfulness, and loveliness. A hymn to faith-filled, fine art weddings.

We are forever trying, at Chapel, to capture a balance between features that feel very fashion-forward but also faith-filled. Couture creations speak to us, and on Chapel’s pages, you will find weddings and editorials that feel artistic, expressive, and a bit high fashion. Yet our hope is to infuse this aesthetic- -which otherwise can feel forbidding and cold—with soul and with traditional values.

We look forward to sharing your beautiful events!

Have questions? Email us at mckenzie@chapeljournal.com