Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Like many other brides-to-be, 2005 graduate Nyana Miller faced many questions about what she wanted for her big day. Questions ranged from how she would wear her hair to what prayers would be said. However, Miller was certain of one aspect of her wedding: Its location would the University of Kansas’ Danforth Chapel.
Since its opening in 1946, Danforth Chapel has been the site of nearly 5,000 weddings for alumni, Lawrence residents and University-related couples from across the world. According to kuhistory.com, as many as 170 couples a year get married in the chapel. Indeed, it has become a University tradition for alumni to be married in the chapel.
Miller said she and now-husband Chris Kokruda became close when they both lived in scholarship halls just feet down the 14th Street hill from Danforth. Miller said that was why the chapel became the obvious choice for them when they decided to get married.
“College was such a transformative time in our lives, but we were able to stay close and grow in the same direction,” Miller said. “Getting married in Danforth was perfect because it was so close to where we became so close.”
However, location was not the only reason that Danforth had sentimental significance for Miller.
“I remember going to Danforth on Sept. 11 and the sense of calm there then,” she said. “I always thought of it as a peaceful setting.”
Thad Holkeim, pastor for Ecumenical Christian Ministries, was the minister for Miller and Kokruda’s wedding and many other weddings at Danforth throughout the years.
“A lot of alumni like to have their weddings at Danforth because it’s a place they have been during their time at KU,” Holkeim said. “Others like it because they don’t have a particular congregation or because they see it as a neutral site if each side of the family has its own church.”
Holkeim said that marriage services at the chapel did not have to be religious.
“Sometimes I refer couples to judges,” he said. “And that’s OK. I make sure they have services that are not in violation of their principles.”
Although demand for the small chapel was high, Miller said the process of booking it was not difficult.
“A lot of alumni get married there, but it’s not as hard to get a date as everyone thinks,” she said.
Miller became engaged in August 2006 and was able to book the chapel shortly afterward through the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, which runs the chapel and oversees its bookings.
Becky Dunavin, chapel coordinator, said that couples could book the chapel up to a year in advance and could do so through a booking form on the center’s Web site.
Danforth has become more than a University landmark. With an average of three weddings a weekend, it’s also a popular vow locale.
It is not without limitations, however. The chapel seats about 80 people, too small for some wedding invitation lists, and has limited parking. Because of the high demand for the small space, couples also have limited time to set up their decorations, have their service and take everything down again — only two hours are allotted to each wedding.
Recent renovations completed earlier this semester bolstered Danforth’s cosmetic appeal. A bridal room was added, the organ was refurbished and new lighting and tiling were installed. Dunavin described these changes as “yet another positive draw to the chapel.”
— Edited by Luke Morris
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