A Stained Glass Tale
This project was part of a creative nonfiction class, it was the most creative project I have written. I don't write very much creative pieces so this was definitely a struggle for me to write. In this piece, I shifted from introspective writing to a focus on place. By centering on Evans Chapel, I explored how physical spaces can carry meaning beyond their architecture. I wrote a short story about a couple getting married at the chapel, inspired by witnessing a wedding on campus one day. I became interested in how this quiet, often overlooked building could hold layers of history, emotion, and stillness amid the movement of campus life.
Evans Chapel, this beautiful place is where many couples have chosen to get married; me and my husband are one of these couples. Noah and I met in college because we both attended the University of Denver. Our first date was in the gardens around Evans Chapel, so this place has been special to us for a long time. We now both have been graduated for about 2 years and thought that since we have been together for almost 5 years that it is time for us to get married. We both have stable jobs and are ready for this new step in our life.
The tale of the Evans Memorial Chapel is quite unique. The chapel itself is 145 years old. It was built in 1878 as a memorial for Josephine Evans, John Evans' daughter. John Evans is the founder of the University of Denver where the chapel now is located. The chapel was not originally located on the university campus and was meticulously taken apart, moved and then perfectly rebuilt on the campus of DU. The chapel was moved to avoid destruction due to other construction going on in the area. The chapel sits outside of both Nelson and Nagel, two sophomore dorms. The chapel is nestled between lots of greenery, Lily pad ponds and walkways.
Today is the day of our wedding. I am starting my day off in a hotel near campus; me and all of my bridesmaids are using this hotel to get ready for the wedding. We all are in our robes getting ready for my special day. We have a makeup artist and hairstylist here to help us get ready. Once we all have our hair and makeup done its finally time to put on our dresses. My bridesmaids are all in sage green satin dresses. After my bridesmaids are dressed and ready it's time for them to help me get into my dress. My dress is a beautiful bright white, A-line dress with intricate floral lace. After I get zipped into my dress it’s time for us to head over to the chapel.
My husband and I are doing a first look in the gardens where we had our first date. As I am on the way to the campus, I start getting butterflies in my stomach and I can’t help but grin ear to ear. As we arrive, I can see all of my loved ones gathered outside of the chapel chatting with each other. I get out of the car and can’t wait to see my soon to be husband. I start walking towards the stop where we will have our first look and I’m so excited to see Noah’s reaction to me in my dress. I came up and am now standing right behind him. I tap his shoulder to let him know he can turn around. When he turns around, he is immediately in tears with a huge smile on his face. In that moment I know that he is the love of my life and I can’t wait to spend forever with my best friend.
We both make our way to the chapel itself so we can have our wedding ceremony. We walk in and I immediately look at all of the beautiful stained glass windows. Stain glass windows have been one of my favorite things for a long time. This is one of the reasons I chose this chapel for our wedding ceremony. I start to make my way down the aisle looking into the eyes of the love of my life. I meet Noah at the end of the aisle and we both smile with tears of happiness in our eyes. We say our vows and then the officiant pronounces us husband and wife. We walk back down the aisle hand in hand and we look into the stained glass window at the end of the aisle knowing that we had made it. This place will forever hold the memories of people in love who were united together.
