My sister got married to a wonderful man on this perfect November day at Wayfarer’s Chapel, also known as the beautiful Glass Church or Tree Chapel, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. It was a beautiful wedding, but my sister is camera shy so there will not be many pictures of her and her husband on this blog post.

There is, however, much to be said of the actual wedding venue. When the Chapel was built in 1951, its most prominent architectural feature of glass walls helped locals refer to it lovingly as the“glass church.” The surrounding trees have since grown in, so you may hear locals lovingly call the Chapel the “tree chapel.” Before all this, Elizabeth Schellenberg, a Palos Verdes Peninsula in the late 1920s and a member of the Swedenborgian Church, envisioned “a little chapel on a hillside above the Pacific Ocean where wayfarers could stop to rest, meditate and give thanks to God for the wonder and beauty of creation.” (Read more about the Chapel’s beginnings here). It is not surprising that Wayfarer’s Chapel is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places because it holds a lot of historical meaning to the Palos Verdes residents.

Wayfarer’s Chapel is also a modern architectural icon. According to the Chapel’s website, Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed this“tree house” sanctuary after being inspired by a recent trip up north in the redwood forest. Wayfarer’s Chapel now serves as a premier example of Organic Architecture, wherein “trees are the forms and the space within the forms is sacred space.”

If you are unable to visit Wayfarer’s Chapel, check out this video tour, Wayfarer’s Chapel’s online photo gallery or my photos below.

Even during the fall season, the surrounding gardens offered my sister the perfect setting for her wedding portraits.

My children served as Ring Bearer and Flower Girl during the wedding and they, too, enjoyed the breathtaking views of the environment.

The Bride’s and Groom’s send-off was beautiful, but it was only for a short while because we later met at the nearby wedding reception venue, Michael’s, in Downtown San Pedro.

Congrats on a beautiful wedding, baby sister. May you be blessed with a wonderful marriage.

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Wayfarer’s Chapel
5755 Palos Verdes Drive South
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
310-377-1650
http://www.wayfarerschapel.org

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