Couples looking to get hitched in a Las Vegas-style chapel may no longer have to travel south to ring wedding bells.
That’s because two Toronto friends are planning to bring the speedy, quirky brand of elopement to the city.
Hannah Stein and Victoria Wild are the co-founders of Two of Hearts Chapel, a new business that soon hopes to offer local couples the whimsical pleasures and aesthetic of a Sin City wedding.
Their take on the concept, which is in the early days of planning, has amassed considerable attention on TikTok in recent weeks — and the duo is taking their followers on the journey with them.
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Bringing Vegas glam to Toronto
Traditionally, elopements are small, intimate affairs that focus more on the couple than conventional wedding elements, like long guest lists, catering and a full ceremony.
Elopement planning is typically minimal and the ceremonies are usually quick and low-cost.
While some Toronto bars have temporarily transformed their venues to match Vegas chic chapels in the past, the city doesn’t appear to have a standalone, year-round spot.
Stein and her fiancée Liam White began planning their own wedding after becoming engaged in 2021.
The couple said planning a wedding in Toronto proved much more difficult than they ever expected.
The costs and glamour of the traditional “big white wedding” weren’t realistic within their budget, Stein said. The more “low-key” option was getting married at Toronto City Hall and throwing a party with 40 or so friends and family members afterward, but that was still going to be costly.
If couples choose to get married inside one of the city’s three civic centre wedding chambers, they must pay $133.50 for a 30-minute booking. The marriage licence itself is $160 and couples must hire their own officiant, which can cost hundreds.
“We just weren’t seeing anything we really liked,” Stein admitted. “We wanted something a little more intimate and beautiful but still affordable. After some time, we stopped thinking about getting married.”
Then, the idea of a Vegas wedding came up.
Not wanting to travel to the U.S., the couple began searching for Vegas-style venues in Ontario. They were looking for a spot where they could get the same fun, eccentric vibe and revel in the Vegas-like elopement experience.
But Stein couldn’t find any such chapels that existed. She decided to team up with Wild, a friend and professional wedding planner, and her fiancée, a graphic designer, to start their own business: Two of Hearts Chapel.
“I couldn’t believe it didn’t exist in Toronto,” she said of the chapel. “We’re going to take the money we were going to put towards our wedding and open up the chapel and be the first ones to get married there.”
An affordable, campy middleground for marriage
While the new business partners intend to pay homage to the Vegas scene, Stein and Wild have plans to give their future venue its very own identity.
“We’ll be following our own vision,” Stein said.
Stein envisions a large ceremonial stage equipped with a “big light-up heart” and well-decorated faux cakes for photo ops.
She and Wild are hoping to give Torontonians a middle ground between a plain city hall ceremony and the “extremely expensive” traditional wedding experience.
That middle ground, according to Stein, should not only be cost-effective, but also rooted in the campiness often synonymous with Vegas.
“We’re drawing a ton of inspiration from queer movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” she added. “We just want this venue to be extremely beautiful — fun, colourful; that 80s Vegas vibe.”
A location hasn’t been locked down yet but Stein and her team are in the process of viewing properties around downtown Toronto. They are hoping to score a central location that has parking and is easily accessible.
Currently unsure of the costs that newlyweds at the chapel would incur, Stein said her team wants to keep pricing manageable for the “everyday person.”
They hope to offer several different packages that will cater to every lovebird — even the unromantic and platonic couples who just want to bask in the jolly formality.
“We want to offer commitment ceremonies,” she said. “Say if you want to marry your friend just for fun, you can do that. It’s a place for all different kinds of love, like poly people who want to get committed, or people with disabilities who can’t legally get married because they’ll lose their ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program).”
In addition to elopement ceremonies and photo ops, couples will be able to add on flowers, cake, music and other items at their discretion. The venue will also be pet-friendly, so bringing dogs and other furry friends is encouraged.
The crew behind Two of Hearts Chapel said they already have numerous officiants who have expressed interest in joining the endeavour. The team even has a wait list of interested couples.
“People are saying they’re holding off on getting married until we get going, which is really exciting,” Stein said. “The big part of this is going to be the aesthetic and people are already on board without seeing the aesthetic — that’s a great sign this is really needed.”
Can a Vegas-style chapel work in Toronto?
In Nevada, there is no wait period between obtaining a marriage licence and getting married. The state has a streamlined process with minimal paperwork, so couples can easily wed that same day.
Vegas wedding chapels are also famous for allowing walk-ins, meaning a couple looking to tie the knot can do so without necessarily needing to book an appointment beforehand.
In Ontario, it is possible to wed the same day as obtaining a marriage licence, but there are several caveats.
Couples must apply for a marriage licence through city hall within 90 days of the day they intend to be wed. In Toronto, they’re required to make an appointment ahead of time to apply for the licence.
Provided all the required documentation is in order, couples typically leave their appointment with a marriage licence, according to the city.
If couples plan ahead of time and obtain their marriage licence prior to stopping in at Two of Hearts Chapel, Stein feels confident their business will succeed — even if they can’t offer the Vegas-style walk-ins for legal marriages.
“It’s a little more difficult to do Vegas-style marriage in Ontario with the regulations,” she said. “Talking with the officiants, they’re not allowed to marry someone who seems intoxicated or anything like that — which is very much part of the Vegas-style. But we’ll find ways to make it still feel like Vegas without it actually being Vegas.”
With the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S., Stein senses their chapel will be a fantastic opportunity to keep future newlyweds on the northern side of the border. She sees Two of Hearts as a “buy Canadian” version of the typically Americanized ceremony.
Stein is also hoping to establish partnerships with local caterers, florists and dessert shops in an effort to support small businesses in Toronto.
“I’ve grown up here and I love this city,” she said. “It’s important with everything that’s happening right now to support Canadian businesses so we don’t have to go down to the States.”
Two of Hearts Chapel is expected to open by the end of 2025.
Couples interested in joining the wait list can email [email protected] for more information.