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Get Married in One of the 10 Most Beautiful Churches in America

From a remarkable Frank Lloyd Wright design to the world’s largest glass building, by Philip Johnson, AD rounds up the best churches in the country for weddings

Not everyone chooses to get married in a church, of course, but for those who do, there is no shortage of thrilling venues to pick from. Whether driven by divine inspiration or something more mundane, architects have pulled out all the stops to bring us stunning sanctuaries in every style imaginable, from Baroque to neo-Gothic to modern and beyond. We've narrowed our favorites down to ten of the best wedding-friendly churches from coast to coast. Newly betrothed architecture buffs, you can thank us on your first anniversary.

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    Cathedral St. John the Divine (New York)

    Spanning a full avenue block and three street blocks in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, St. John the Divine ranks as the world’s largest cathedral, despite its perpetual “unfinished” state. In operation for more than 120 years, the cathedral offers a delightfully perplexing mix of Romanesque-Byzantine and neo-Gothic styles (the result of several conflicting redesigns) and is a popular home for New York cultural happenings, including a recent Phoenix installation by Chinese artist Xu Bing.

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    Unity Temple (Oak Park, Illinois)

    A crown jewel of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Midwestern oeuvre, Unity Temple was completed in 1908 as a Unitarian Universalist church. Located just half a mile from Wright’s Oak Park home and studio, Unity showcases the architect’s masterful command of light and space with its famous stained-glass windows and perfectly square configuration.

  • 3/10

    Church of Mary of the Assumption (San Francisco)

    Designed by Italian architects Pietro Belluschi and Pier-Luigi Nervi in the mid-1960s, the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption offers a modernist take on the Catholic tradition. Sweeping concrete geometries characterize the building’s exterior, while stained glass and triangular coffers pay homage to classic cathedral architecture on the interior.

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    Thorncrown Chapel (Eureka Springs, Arkansas)

    Built in 1980 by former Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice E. Fay Jones, Thorncrown soars high above the Ozark woods in northwestern Arkansas. Comprising more than 6,000 square feet of glass fit into some 425 windows, the chapel’s walls blur any distinction between outside and in.

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  • 5/10

    St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago)

    A Chicago landmark in its own right, St. Joseph the Betrothed was completed in 1977 and remains an icon of modern Catholic church design. Characterized by its 13 golden domes—symbolizing the 12 apostles and Jesus Christ—and bright blue mosaic interior, the church performs traditional Ukrainian wedding services.

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    US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

    Though weddings at this chapel are limited to those with Air Force affiliation, it did not feel right to leave this contemporary marvel off the list. Designed in 1954 by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill partner Walter A. Netsch as part of his master plan for the Air Force Academy, the interfaith chapel is marked by its 17 peaks, each clocking in at a soaring 150 feet.

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  • 7/10

    Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France (New Orleans)

    French influences abound at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, whose current iteration was completed in 1850. The oldest cathedral in the U.S., St. Louis overlooks Jackson Square in the city’s French Quarter, one of the few Catholic churches perched on a public square in the country.

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    First Congregational Church (Nantucket, Massachusetts)

    On the tiny island of Nantucket sits the First Congregational Church, a fine example of classic New England white church architecture. A landmark of the former whaling community, the church was originally built in 1725 and moved to its current location in 1865.

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  • 9/10

    The Crystal Cathedral (Garden Grove, California)

    Since its completion in 1980, Philip Johnson’s Crystal Cathedral (which is neither a cathedral nor made of crystal) has held the title of world’s largest glass building. Composed of 10,000 glass panels, the church’s playful façade offers a distinctly contemporary take on traditional Latin cross-shaped church architecture.

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    Wayfarer’s Chapel (Palos Verdes, California)

    Because one Wright building is never enough, there’s also the Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.’s (FLW’s son) Wayfarer’s Chapel, an ethereal woodlands structure in Southern California. Wright completed the building, which would be nicknamed “The Glass Chapel,” in 1951, showcasing his father’s signature organic style by employing ample natural materials and light.

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