Pop-Up Chapels: The Stress-Free and Creative Microwedding

For those newly engaged couples entering the daunting reality of wedding planning, have no fear. Pop-Up Chapels, a new concept created by local wedding planning company Hitched AF, aims to save couples the headache on their special day. 

Often, couples are eager to plan their dream wedding seconds after their engagement. While a wedding can be the exciting moment we all dream about, it’s also a massive undertaking to plan. Say the name “wedding” to a venue or vendors, and the price automatically increases exponentially. 

The Pop-Up Chapel replaces the fuss but maintains the frills. The experience starts with an online booking form for couples to customize their dream day. They can invite 20 guests (or more, for an additional fee), and are only tasked with finding something to wear and showing up. The opportunity allows couples a stress-free wedding meant to eliminate the woes of planning. 

Photo by Stephanie Parsley Photography 

Owner and Lead Planner of Hitched AF Jennifer Benson set the scene for aspiring couples to understand how the Pop-Up Chapel works: 

“Guests will arrive 30 minutes before their chapel appointment and will be greeted with welcome champagne or sparkling cider in the welcome lounge. The nearlyweds will receive their personal florals – whether they want bouquets, boutonnieres or a combination of the two. Then guests will be escorted into the Chapel, impeccably designed and decorated by KaraKara Blooms. There will be a short and sweet ceremony with a professional officiant, followed by a 45 minute reception in the chapel space with light bites, cocktails, mocktails and music. All the while, a professional photographer will be capturing all of the special moments. When their hour in the chapel is up, guests will be guided towards the exit, and the newlyweds will have an additional 30-minute portrait session with their photographer. Of course, if someone wanted a longer experience, they could book back-to-back appointments to maximize their time in the Chapel! After their chapel appointment, the newlyweds may choose to continue their celebration with an after party, but the beauty is that they can spend the day in whatever way feels best and the most authentic to them.”

Benson developed the idea for Pop-Up Chapels after she and her husband were married in Vegas. She adored the wedding culture in Vegas and strived to recreate it here in Denver. 

“The idea of a pop-up wedding chapel isn’t new – they exist all over the world – but there wasn’t anything like it in the Colorado wedding industry that I was aware of,” she said. 

Love was in the air as Benson was relaxing by a pool in Mexico with her husband on their anniversary trip. Margarita in hand, she thought of a recent styled shoot where her funky vision came to life alongside a dream team of wedding vendors. 

“What if, instead, we could rent that decorated space to a couple who liked the vision and they could actually get married there,” Benson thought. “That was the spark, and after doing hours of research and having many conversations with my vendor friends, it evolved into the vision for the pop-up wedding chapel.” 

When the wedding industry came to life again after the pandemic, many couples leaned into microweddings with 50 or fewer guests.

Photo by Stephanie Parsley Photography 

“I love the fact that we are seeing all kinds of alternatives to traditional weddings today, because weddings aren’t (or shouldn’t be) one-size-fits-all,” Benson said. 

Size aside, not all couples are keen on the traditional wedding experience itself. Benson started Hitched AF over a year ago to bring the essence of unique weddings to life. 

No idea is too odd for Benson. As a result, Hitched AF has pulled off a variety of eclectic wedding experiences:

“We’ve had a full-on summer camp-themed wedding where the newlyweds wore custom-made Camp Counselor t-shirts, checked guests in as they arrived and assigned them to bunk houses, hosted Olympics-style games and had a 3-day celebration with their favorite people all on-site.

We’ve fully built out a tented reception in the middle of a tiny town in the mountains with local bluegrass musicians and a menu of pizza, hot dogs and pies made by the local “pie lady.”

We are planning a New Year’s Eve ‘retro jungle disco’ wedding in an old, abandoned sports equipment warehouse.

And we’re going back to the mid-mod 60s with a Mad Men-inspired, retro cocktail party-themed wedding in early 2024.”

Gone are the days of the basic or traditional wedding and for Benson, every day is different and each client brings a new perspective to the wedding experience. 

“Hitched AF clients know what they want, they have a specific vision, and they’re not afraid to go against tradition and to celebrate in a way that is most meaningful to them, even when everyone is telling them they’re ‘weird’ or crazy,” she added. 

Pop-Up Chapels shines due to the involvement of local vendors. Kara Admire, Lead Designer and Co-Owner of flower shop KaraKara Blooms, collaborated with Benson to fill a gap in the wedding industry, offering an affordable yet luxurious experience for couples to tie the knot. 

Admire has always dreamed of starting KaraKara Blooms, but decided to take the first step once she moved to Colorado and met her business partner, Connor Jordan, while pursuing an education in architecture at the CU Denver School of Architecture and Planning.

Following graduation, the two opened KaraKara Blooms on September 10, 2022. Since then, the business has continued to grow and serves as a coveted floral design solution for local events, specifically weddings. 

Photo by Stephanie Parsley Photography 

“We have completely knocked our goals out of the park and have had such an amazing response from the local Denver community that we are already looking into options for some major growth,” Admire added.

As society focuses on factors like sustainability and affordability especially when it comes to events, Admire has seen a shift in weddings and her client’s expectations. While they are looking for luxury, they also aim to accommodate smaller budgets and reusable materials. 

“From pressing bouquets to full weddings with dried floral rentals, there are many ways the industry has been able to repurpose and reuse great designs,” she said. “That still doesn’t help the couples that love the sweet smell and soft look of fresh high-end blooms, but don’t have the budget, or simply can’t find the justification of spending what it takes to fill an entire event in a meaningful way.” 

“In comes Pop-Up Chapels where a couple can have it all and not have to put themselves in a hole financially,” Admire said.

The Pop-Up Chapel concept launches on October 7 and 8 at Realm. Available appointments that weekend provide personal connections with the Pop-Up Chapels team for interested couples. Additionally, there will be an open house party for those eager to experience all that the Pop-Up Chapel has to offer. 

Benson aims to host at least two Pop-Up Chapels in Denver in 2024, with dates to be announced early in the year.

Visit www.hitchedaf.com/popup-weddings for more information.