Arkansas Glass Chapel Wedding Venues: Cooper Chapel
Happy Wednesday! Want to know a ridiculous fact about eight year old me and Wednesdays?
When I was in second grade, I’d never gotten a spelling question wrong on any assignment or test (where it was graded, at least!) so I thought that I was, like, the most incredible speller ever. Your girl didn’t suffer from low self esteem in early elementary school and if I know one thing I knew this: I could effing spell. So, when we had a spelling test on days of the week, I didn’t study and I sounded out Wednesday to “Winsday” and, when I got it wrong, totally brought the test up to my teacher after class and complained that the spelling didn’t make sense.
My teacher, bless her, was beyond kind and told me that my spelling was right for sounding it out but that spelling it out and sounding it out wasn’t always the same. I was in total disbelief and, to this day, when I write “Wednesday”, I say “Wed-nes-day” in my brain. Not for any other weird spelling I’ve learned over the years… but just for Wednesdays. And I do sing the “Mississippi” song in my head every time. And always misspell vacuum. Lol.
But! That’s not what our short and sweet blog post is about today! It’s about this: Cooper Chapel. Here’s three things I love about it!
Three Things I Love: Cooper Chapel
Wait! Hold up! It’s been a minute since I wrote one of these so let me take a step and explain myself. I fell off of blogging and all social media for the past several years but, before that, I wrote a near-t0-my-heart blog series about three things I loved about each and every wedding. And while I’m hesitant to totally bring that series back (I have like four random ones in my drafts folder already, lol), I did think it would be really fun to bring the series back for today and talk about a beloved wedding venue / Arkansas glass chapel instead! So! Let’s do the dang thing!
One: The Light
I know, I know, I know. Not everyone is as light crazy as me. But the light in Cooper Chapel? It’s a DREAM.
No really! I only pulled a few photos for this blog post but they are all taken in totally different times of year, times of day, and type of weather. The light in Cooper Chapel is always unique, dreamy, and bright and shooting there is an absolute joy. When it’s sunny, it glows from the inside out. When it’s rainy, it’s ridiculous cozy + romantic. When it’s cloudy? It’s ethereal. And the light? It totally reflects this! It also feels like being outside even though you’re inside and, honestly, it’s just totally iconic. Glass chapels are rare, even though we have several in Arkansas!
Two: It Looks Really Freaking Great with Prisms
That’s it. That’s my second point.
I love shooting through stuff and using unique light and, at Cooper Chapel, shooting with a prism just really captures the feel of the wedding ceremony. There’s light coming every which way and, when a prism is added, it just takes everything to the next level. As someone who loves colorful and creative photography, this is so wonderful! Sometimes prisms can feel a little gimmicky but, in Cooper Chapel, it just feels right.
Three: The Most Popular Spot for Family Photographs
If you’ve been around here before, you know that I love taking family photographs.
At Cooper Chapel, the most popular place for family photographs are the stairs at the front of the chapel. And while I love family photographs at each and every wedding, I almost get giddy to take family photographs at Cooper Chapel. This is definitely because of the light but it’s also because the stairs blend a bet of cozy + tradition. Arkansas glass chapel wedding venues are all really special but I just absolutely love the framing of Cooper. It’s cozy, so full of light, and just the perfect spot for a nature-loving couple who wants to be married in the woods.
Need more convincing? Here’s some (but not all) of my fave weddings at Cooper Chapel!
Lindsey and Alex // Weisi and Trae // Megan and John // Makayla and Matt
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Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas Lissa Chandler is a portrait and wedding photographer who celebrates life one photograph at a time. Lissa is also the owner of Opal and June where she offers mockup photographs, bookish + history merch, and the dreamiest photoshoot dress rentals. Additionally, Lissa is the host of the laid back, conversational podcasts Your Photographer Mom and Our Favorite Villes.
As a creative photographer in Northwest Arkansas, Lissa doesn’t niche down on a genre. She niches on a feeling instead! That feeling? The huge, happy feeling of hope and excitement that you feel as a kid opening up a huge box of 120 crayons. Sound like a feeling you remember? Let’s shoot!