Local News

Actions

Reno's last drive-thru wedding chapel closes

Posted at 3:45 PM, Mar 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-04 18:45:13-05

The last drive-thru wedding chapel in Reno has heard its final vows.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports 83-year-old George Flint opened the Chapel of the Bells in 1962, and he closed its doors for good Wednesday.

His daughter Margaret Flint says she doesn't think there's a "novelty for the stereotypical chapel wedding anymore."

The wedding industry in western Nevada has declined. Washoe County in 1978 issued more than 36,000 marriage licenses. The county issued fewer than 8,000 last year.

George Flint says they had a "naivete about us" to think the industry would continue to survive.

Jacobs Entertainment purchased the chapel last year as part a plan to redevelop the neighborhood.

George Flint was given until April 2019 to stay open, but he decided it was better to close early.