Grand Reflection at the Chapel of the Transfiguration.

An early wedding at the Chapel of the Transfiguration. This photograph is part of the collection of the Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum, and reproductions may be purchased from them. Ask for 1958.2404.001.

The Chapel of the Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park is a favorite wedding site.

Chapel of the Transfiguration glows with evening light.

St. John's Chapel, one of two sanctuaries on Glenwood St.

Interior of St. John's Chapel.

Interior of St. John's Church, also on Glenwood Street.

St. John's Church.

St. Hubert the Hunter Church in Bondurant.

Wedding Information

Procedures for all Weddings

The Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole is delighted you have chosen us to be the place you begin the next portion of your life's journey. Please read the information carefully to avoid any confusion or disappointment. Note especially the following:

The sooner you complete your application and return it to St. John's, the greater is the likelihood that we shall be able to accommodate your request. Please do not assume that the buildings or the clergy are always available. Until the application is completed, including all fees paid, your wedding is not entered onto the parish or clergy calendars. These procedures have been carefully developed over many years, and many weddings. They are not suggestions, but an explanation how weddings take place at this parish. We appreciate your reading them carefully and following them in your planning. Please download two copies, keeping one, signing and returning the other with your application.

Church fees: The fee for a wedding at the Chapel of the Transfiguration is $2,500 (full-time residents of Teton County, Wyoming, $1,500); for St. John’s Chapel $1,500,for St. John's Church $3,000. A separate fee schedule of $800 is available when either the bride or groom is a member in good standing of St. John's Parish in Jackson Hole. A member in good standing meets one of the following criteria: Be a current pledging member in good standing or have a significant record of financial support for this parish over the period of the preceding three years. Non-attending children of members are eligible for this until the age of 25, after that they must also be a member in good standing. There are no exceptions. The fee covers the cost of the organist for the wedding, the honorarium for the priest, maintenance, utilities, cleaning and other overhead expenses. A non-refundable fee of $500 is required with the wedding application. If permission for your wedding is not granted, we will make a full refund. Please make payment to St. John’s Episcopal Church and send it to P O Box 1690, Jackson, WY 83001 with a signed copy of this information sheet. The total fee is due no later than 60 days before the wedding date; if it is not paid in full by then, the date will no longer be held and any deposit already made is forfeit.

No flash photos may be taken during the service. After-service photos are to be completed within one hour of the scheduled beginning of the service. Stationary video cameras are allowed in designated places. If you are having photos done before the ceremony, you must clear this with the church office.

Church membership: It is not required that you be a member of the Episcopal Church to be married at the Chapel of the Transfiguration or St. John’s. The canon law of the Episcopal Church requires that at least one of you must be a baptized Christian.

Advance notice: Episcopal Canon Law requires at least 30 days advance notice before the scheduled date of a wedding. The 30 days are counted from the date we receive the application forms at our church office. In cases where an applicant is divorced, 60 days advance notice is required.

Premarital counseling is required. The counseling may be done by your clergy or a professional counselor. Officiating clergy at St. John’s provide counseling only for members in good standing. The counselor must send a letter of confirmation, indicating the number of sessions, at least 30 days before the ceremony.

Marriage license: The marriage license must be issued in Wyoming. There is no waiting period by the state, and a blood test is not required. The Teton County Clerk’s Office is at 200 S. Willow Street in Jackson and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The mailing address is: Teton County Clerk, P.O. Box 1727, Jackson, WY 83001. Marriage licenses may be obtained in another Wyoming county and brought to Jackson with you. We cannot perform a wedding unless the license has been presented to the officiating clergy. You must give them your license at the wedding rehearsal or immediately upon arrival at the church if there is no rehearsal scheduled.

Clergy: The officiating clergy will be the Rector or associate clergy of the Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole. Episcopal or Lutheran (ELCA) clergy may officiate with permission of the Rector and the Bishop. Clergy of other denominations may assist at the service when a written request is included with your application and permission is granted by the Rector. When visiting clergy are involved in a wedding, we make every effort to enable them to function in the manner desired by the couple and their families. If Holy Communion is to be included in your wedding, Episcopal and Lutheran (ELCA) clergy will officiate. St. John’s clergy will normally conduct the rehearsal, but invites input from visiting clergy. Please contact the Rector at least 30 days in advance of the rehearsal if you have any questions about the above. Also, the officiant will not be assigned to the wedding until 30 days prior. If you wish to request a certain clergy, please submit it in writing. Please note that your payment to the church includes the fee of the officiating clergy. If you request someone to assist the priest,it is your responsibility to make financial arrangements with the guest assistant.

Photographers, florists and wedding consultants: Make sure the persons you employ are familiar with our requirements for weddings at St. John's and the Chapel. All communication concerning the wedding itself must be done between the couple and the church office. Please note: in all matters concerning the rehearsal or the ceremony itself, St. John's clergy will function as the wedding coordinator. If you hire a wedding consultant, he/she must contact Fr. Ken Asel 30 days in advance to be present at the rehearsal.

Rehearsals: A rehearsal, although optional, should only be omitted when no music and/or no more than two attendants are desired. Rehearsals are generally scheduled for the day before the wedding. All rehearsals will start on time, after 15 minutes the rehearsal will be canceled.

The wedding service: The form of service is the “Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage” as contained in The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, 1979. Please make a written request for any additions.

Music: Music is chosen in consultation with the officiating clergy. If you wish the organist to play a special selection, you must make your request in writing and be able to provide the sheet music. Musical selections must be approved by the parish organist at least 30 days in advance of the ceremony.

The parish organist has refusal rights on all weddings in the parish facilities. If you wish to employ another musician, you may do so only with her permission, with these stipulations:

If you wish to have other musicians (strings, brass, harp etc.) consult with her. She will arrange musicians for you.

• The parish organist will be compensated for the ceremony at the usual rate from the fees that you pay. There is no discount for using another musician. It will be your responsibility to provide additional compensation to the guest.
• The organist will only be at the wedding rehearsal if it is prearranged. The rehearsal fee is $50.
• If you have a guest singer (s) or musician (s) who need organ or piano accompaniment, a rehearsal with the organist is required. This rehearsal fee is $50. (However, if the organist is playing the wedding rehearsal, and the singers are in attendance, this fee will be waived.)
• The parish organist, or her designate, will review all musical selections for suitability in a marriage service in the Episcopal Church.
• If the wedding is in St. John’s Church, the parish organist will meet with the guest musician to ascertain the guest’s ability to play and care for our pipe organ.
• After approval, the guest may arrange practice sessions on the organ through the church office.

Unity candle: We do not include the lighting of a unity candle in our wedding service. For those desiring to light a unity candle, we suggest it be done at the wedding reception, or perhaps at the rehearsal dinner as a symbol of intention.

Flower petals: Flower petals, rice, birdseed, confetti are not to be strewn anywhere inside or outside our buildings. Flower petals stain the floor surfaces; rice and birdseed pose a safety hazard to other guests, and all items present a cleaning problem for our staff. Likewise, please do not distribute bubble-blowing kits to your guests, as the bubble mixture leaves a slippery and dangerous soap residue on the ground.

The Eucharist: (Communion, the Lord's Supper, Mass) is available upon request. Please notify the church office that you want communion and an estimate of the number of people partaking.

Candles: The office must be notified 30 days in advance if you wish to use our candle stands in St. John's Chapel or St. John's Church. The cost of the candles is $60.

The Chapel of the Transfiguration

The chapel is located near Moose, Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park in the shadow of the Grand Teton Mountains. The window over the altar frames a view of the mountains. This rustic chapel will seat approximately 65 people with additional limited visibility seating outside, weather permitting.

There is a bathroom and dressing facilities for the bride and her attendants only. Please consider wearing flat shoes, as there is a boardwalk there. We do not allow refreshments to be served at the Chapel and only by arrangement in writing and for additional fees at either of the churches in town.

Availability: The Chapel of the Transfiguration is available for weddings from May 25 through September 30. Only two weddings per day are permitted at the Chapel, and they are scheduled two hours apart. All days depend on the availability of our clergy. Sundays are not available.

The wedding rehearsal: All rehearsals are conducted at St. John’s Chapel in the town of Jackson (the corner of Glenwood and Gill, one block north of the Town Square).

Flowers: Only two small vases of flowers allowed at the altar. Bouquets must not be taller than the altar cross, which is 18 inches tall. Simple flower arrangements may be placed on the organ and in the windowsills. Flowers or other decorations may not be placed on pews, walls or door of the Chapel or the bell tower. For safety reasons,runners are not permitted down the aisles. Additional candles, arches and stands are not permitted without written permission at least 30 days in advance.

St. John’s Church

St. John’s Church is located at 165 North Glenwood and was constructed in 1995. The Church is built of logs and offers a beautiful setting for weddings. The seating capacity is 225 to 250. Additional seating capacity may be obtained by using the choir seating and chairs behind the back pews.

Availability: St. John’s Church is available for weddings year round. Weddings may be scheduled during Lent only under special circumstances. Two weddings are allowed per day, and are scheduled two hours apart. Sundays are not available for weddings.

Flowers: No more than two vases or baskets of flowers on the flower pedestals near the altar. Any other decorations must be such that they may be easily set up during the first fifteen minutes or half hour of time provided for building use. Thumbtacks, tape, etc. are not allowed. For safety reasons,runners are not permitted down the aisles. Additional candles, arches and stands are not permitted without written permission at least 30 days in advance.

The wedding rehearsal: All rehearsals are conducted at St. John’s Church.

St. John’s Chapel

At the corner of Glenwood and Gill streets in Jackson, was built in 1916. The Chapel is built of logs and listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The beauty of St. John’s Chapel provides a lovely setting for weddings. The seating capacity for the Chapel is approximately 100.

Availability: St. John’s Chapel is available for weddings year round, based on the availability of our clergy. Weddings may be scheduled during Lent only under special circumstances. Typically, two weddings are allowed per day, and are scheduled two hours apart.

Flowers: Two small vases of flowers on either side of the altar are appropriate. Flowers may also be placed on the piano and in the window sills. Nothing may be attached to the walls or door of the Chapel. Thumbtacks, tape, etc. are not allowed. For safety reasons,runners are not permitted down the aisle. Additional candles, arches and stands are not permitted without written permission at least 30 days in advance.

The wedding rehearsal: All rehearsals are conducted at St. John’s Chapel in Jackson (on the corner of Glenwood and Gill).

How to Schedule Your Wedding

Complete and return the following:

1. Wedding application and signed copy of information sheet
2. Divorced persons seeking remarriage must enclose a copy of final divorce decree.
3. Wedding fee.

The date and time for your wedding will be reserved granted that it is open on our calendar and your application is approved. The church office will contact you once the paperwork and fee is received.