Chapel Information

Location, Parking and Directions

Location

• Physical Address: There is no street address for the chapel. We suggest the following for use in invitations:
  

  Alumni Memorial Chapel
  The University of New Mexico Campus

• Directions: There are two major street intersections near the chapel. One is University Blvd NE and Las Lomas Rd NE; the other is University Blvd NE and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. NE. A local street map and the UNM Campus Map are available to download.
• Campus Police: In case of emergency, the UNM Campus Police office is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. UNM Campus Police are located at:
  

  Hokona Hall
  2500 Campus Blvd NE
  Telephone: 505-277-2241

Parking

• Weekend Parking: From 7 a.m. on Saturday through 7 a.m. on Monday, parking is free on the UNM campus and open to the public. The parking lots located to the north and south of Maxwell Museum provide the most convenient parking for Alumni Chapel events ( see map ).
• Weekday Parking: If your ceremony occurs on a weekday, please contact UNM Parking and Transportation Services at least one week in advance to make arrangements for guest parking. The Parking and Transportation Services Event Parking Coordinator may be reached at 505-925-9686 or email events@unm.edu.

Reservations, Fees and Scheduling

Eligibility

• Full-time UNM students (those currently taking at least 12 credit hours in a degree-granting program), UNM graduates, and UNM faculty and staff may reserve the chapel.
• As a courtesy, this privilege is extended to children, parents, and siblings of the above. UNM records will be checked to verify eligibility.

Rental Fees

• Rental Fees: Pricing effective May 1, 2011. Rental Fees are for a two-hour block of time. Fees are as follows: Full-time Students $250; Faculty/Staff $300; Alumni $300; Children, Parents, Siblings of Alumni, Students, Faculty/Staff $500
• Cost of Additional Time: Any additional time, including rehearsal time, is $100 per hour.

Reservations

• Reservation Appication: In order to reserve the UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel, you must complete and submit the Event Reservation Application and Usage Agreement. Submit the application either in person at the Alumni Association offices; by fax 505-277-6844; or by US Mail to:
  

  UNM Alumni Relations Office
  Alumni Chapel
  1 University of New Mexico
  MSC 01-1160
  Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

• Payment: Payment by cash, check or credit card (Master Card or Visa) must be included to confirm your reservation.

Scheduling

• Scheduling: The UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel is booked on a first-come, first-served basis and is heavily used. Your eligibility will be verified and scheduling your preferred time will be determined upon receipt of your application. If a specific day of the week is important to you, your best chance of securing it is to reserve early.
• Rescheduling: If you need to reschedule your ceremony, we will be happy to help you find another time slot.
• Scheduling Restrictions: Because the UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel is not staffed and regular services are not held there, it is available by reservation ONLY.

Cancellations

• Cancellations: NO REFUNDS will be given except when the time slot that was originally reserved is booked by another party. UNM Alumni Relations reserves the right to cancel events at any time and in emergencies.

Reservation Time

• Chapel Access: A staff member is present to open the chapel for you at the start of your reservation time slot and to close the chapel at the end of your reservation time slot. The staff member also ensures that the usage policies are adhered to. You may not enter the Chapel earlier than your reserved time. You must leave at the end of your reserved time.
• Duration of Reservation: Please consider very carefully the amount of time you will need for your event/ceremony from beginning to end when you make your reservation. Include setup time, photography, arrival of guests, etc., before the ceremony, the ceremony itself, and egress of guests from the chapel, receiving line, photography, take-down, etc., after the ceremony. By evaluating all the elements involved, you can more accurately estimate the amount of time necessary to meet all your needs.
• Reserving Extra Time: If the planned duration of your ceremony is longer than the standard two-hour block of time, as noted in the Rental Fees section, the $75 per hour fee for additional time is added to the total cost.
• Please Be Courteous: Ceremonies are often scheduled one right after another, and the chapel is cleaned between ceremonies. All delays significantly impact subsequent ceremonies, so please do not go over your scheduled time limit.

Ceremony Details

Chapel Description

• Seating: The Chapel is air-conditioned and comfortably seats 150 people in 14 pews on each side of a five-foot wide aisle. The depth (seating area) of each pew is 24".
• Aisle and Alter: The length of the aisle from the back pillars to the altar rail is 52 feet. The width of the aisle is 5 feet. Each side of the altar rail is eight-feet long.
• Loft Area: Only the University Organists and approved guest organists are allowed in the loft area.
• Floorplan: Download the Chapel Floorplan here
• Food and Drink: Food, drink and smoking are not permitted. Use of alcohol on University property is prohibited.

Officiants

• Choosing who performs your ceremony and making arrangements with that person is your responsibility. A list of UNM affiliated clergy is provided to aid in your selection.
• All marriage ceremonies performed in the UNM Alumni Memorial Chapel must be in accordance with New Mexico state law.

Decorations and Rice

• Candles: Two wrought-iron candelabras are available for a $20 rental fee. Each candelabra holds nine 15" candles (which are included with the rental fee). For safety reasons, hand-held candles are not allowed in the chapel. Please ask about specific restrictions and instructions for candle usage.
• Luminarias: Luminarias may be used for decoration around the exterior walkways only. They may not be placed on the roof or inside the chapel. You are responsible for removing the luminarias before you leave.
• Rice: Please do not throw anything inside the chapel. Birdseed may be thrown outside the chapel; rice may not.
• Chapel Items Available for Use: A kneeler, plastic and wooden chairs for musicians, three small wooden tables, a music stand and a portable lectern. Please contact the chapel attendant if your require any of these items. You are welcome to move furniture to a location that best suits your ceremony, but you must return anything moved to its original place.

Music

• Acoustics: The chapel has excellent acoustics. Amplification for live music is not necessary.
• Sound System: There is no sound system in the chapel. If you wish to use taped music or CDs, you must provide your own sound system. Oversized sound equipment may not be brought into the chapel without prior approval.
• Organists: If you want the services of an organist, you must contact one of the UNM organists yourself. A UNM organist will play for all weddings in which organ music is desired. A special guest organist may play for a wedding only with the consent of a UNM organist. In that case, one of the UNM organists must be present at all times, and will receive the customary fees. All fees must be paid directly to the organist. Additional fees will be charged if the organist is asked to coach singers or transpose music.
• Length of Music: Weddings generally include 10-15 minutes of music while guests are being seated, a processional, a recessional, accompaniments for vocal and instrumental soloists and any other music that is played during the actual ceremony. The organist will begin plain playing prelude music 10-15 minutes before the wedding is scheduled to begin. Unless the organist has been notified that the ceremony is being delayed, s/he will end the prelude at 15 minutes past the scheduled time of the wedding. Organists are not available on Sunday mornings before 11am.

Photography

• Information: Photography is permitted in the chapel during your ceremony, depending upon the policy of your officiant. Please inform your photographer of the specific hours you have reserved the chapel so that you will have adequate time for all of the photographs you wish to be taken. Because of the heavy use of the chapel, it is not possible to allow you to remain in the chapel past your reserved time for additional photographs.
• Restrictions: The loft and the chapel office are the only areas strictly off limits for taking photographs. All other areas in the chapel are available to you.
• Commercial Photography: Commercial photographers may not use the loft or the chapel office to set up a photography studio or to store equipment.

Receptions

• Chapel Receptions: The chapel does not have space for receptions.
• Offsite Receptions: There are several UNM sites where receptions can be held. These include the Student Union Building, 505-277-5498 and Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, 505-277-4405.
• Food and Drink: Food, drink and smoking are not permitted. Use of alcohol on University property is prohibited.