ROLLINS COLLEGE WEDDINGS
Knowles Memorial Chapel & Rice Family Pavilion | WINTER PARK FLORIDA
Weddings at Rollins College IN WINTER Park, FLORIDA
Two timeless Winter Park wedding venues in one campus
Rollins College is one of my favorite Central Florida wedding venues. There is something about this campus that just feels timeless. The light is always beautiful, the architecture has so much character, and every corner of it tells a little bit of a story. From the regal, sunlit steps of Knowles Memorial Chapel to golden hour in the rose garden to a reception full of joy beneath the arches of the Rice Family Pavilion, this campus gives us so much beauty to work with, and I will be with you every step of the way to make sure you get to stay fully present while I take care of the rest.
about Rollins College
Rollins College sits right on the shore of Lake Virginia in Winter Park, and honestly, it photographs like nowhere else in Central Florida. The campus has this collegiate, old-world charm, with Spanish Mediterranean architecture, mature oak trees, and wide open lawns that give every gallery a timeless feel instead of a trendy one.
Rollins is a big campus. That size means that even with two distinct locations, you and your fiancé can still have real, private portrait time together (or distinct, separate portrait areas for the bride and groom pre-ceremony if you’re not doing a first look). We have room to move, room to find quiet corners, and room for you two to simply be together without an audience. For my Type A couples especially, that privacy matters. My knowledge of the property, and knowing which spot works best for which couple, is something I lean on for every single Rollins wedding. No two couples get the same plan, because no two couples are the same.
Ceremony & Reception Spaces
For couples getting married at Rollins College, the day typically centers around two spaces: Knowles Memorial Chapel for the ceremony, and the Rice Family Pavilion for the reception. They sit close enough to each other, just across the street, that your guests never feel like they are being shuttled somewhere new, but each space has such a different personality that your gallery ends up feeling layered and full, not repetitive.
Knowles Memorial Chapel
A Historic, Regal Ceremony Setting
Knowles Memorial Chapel is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful ceremony backdrops I get to photograph. Built in 1932 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the chapel carries a sense of history in every detail, from the breathtaking stained glass above the altar to the soaring high ceilings, a grand organ, and neutral stone pillars surrounding a wooden altar area. It gives off such a regal, almost royal feeling. If you are dreaming of that timeless, storybook ceremony, this is it.
From the outside, the chapel is just so sunny, with warm stucco walls, a bell tower that reaches up into the sky, and light that seems to wrap around the whole building no matter what time of day you are there. I love photographing couples on the chapel steps and along its exterior archways, where the warmth of the architecture against the deep blue Florida sky creates portraits that feel bright and romantic. Inside, the neutral palette and religious atmosphere give couples full freedom to decorate and personalize the space to fit their style and color story, and with seating for up to 464 guests, the chapel can hold a truly grand celebration while still feeling intimate and warm.
About Rollins College | Winter Park Wedding Venue
Intimate Outdoor Ceremonies
Beyond the chapel, the Rollins Museum of Art Patio and Lawn provides a beautiful outdoor ceremony area surrounded by beautiful greenery, which makes it a wonderful fit for either a traditional wedding or a more intimate elopement. If you are leaning toward an elopement or a smaller, intimate wedding with more flexibility in your timeline, we can wander into more corners of this property than a full wedding day typically allows.
My Favorite Portrait Spots
If you ask me what I love most about photographing at Rollins, it is the rose garden, hands down. I have shot so many engagement sessions and wedding portraits tucked into that garden, and golden hour there is genuinely stunning. The way the light filters through the oak trees behind the garden creates this soft, glowing look you cannot recreate anywhere else on campus.
Just behind the chapel, there is also a small courtyard that I love just as much. It has this cute, European feel to it, a little hidden and a little romantic, and it is one of my favorite spots for intimate portraits or wedding party photos. Between the rose garden and this courtyard, there is no shortage of genuinely beautiful, layered spots to capture real, connected moments together.
Rollins Museum of Art Patio and Lawn
The Rose Garden & Courtyard
Getting Ready at Rollins
Rollins offers a dedicated bride suite along with a classroom space the groom and groomsmen can use to get ready before the ceremony. Both spaces give everyone a comfortable, private place to settle in, get dressed, and soak in the morning before the day gets going.
A Reception Space Unlike Any Ballroom
The Rice Family Pavilion sits just across the street from the chapel, and it is genuinely one of the more architecturally striking reception spaces I get to shoot in. Originally built in 1942 and re-purposed as a wedding reception and banquet hall, the pavilion has kept its nostalgic charm while offering a glorious arched, dome-style ceiling and large windows that let natural light spill through the entire room. It photographs so differently from a typical ballroom, and depending on setup, it can accommodate anywhere from 180 to 220 guests.
Just outside the pavilion, there is a courtyard used for cocktail hour, a great indoor-outdoor transition space that lets guests move fluidly between the two parts of your celebration.
Bride Suite & Groom's Classroom
Rice Family Pavilion
Why Winter Park's Beauty Makes Rollins So Special
Winter Park is already one of the most scenic areas in Central Florida, and I truly believe Rollins is where all of that beauty comes together in one place. You have the Spanish and European inspired architecture throughout campus, lush greenery around every corner, and Lake Virginia sitting right behind it all, dock and everything. It is rare to find one property that holds this much variety.
That variety is exactly why I love bringing couples here. Depending on the look you are drawn to, we can create such different feels within the same wedding day: romantic and old-world near the chapel, soft and natural in the garden, or open and airy down by the lake and dock. Rollins gives couples the freedom to embrace whichever style speaks to them most, all without ever leaving the property.
Real Weddings & Sessions at
Rollins College
Rollins College Wedding FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Rollins College offers timeless Spanish Mediterranean architecture, a historic chapel listed on the National Register of Historic Places, beautiful natural light throughout the day, and two strong, distinct spaces in Knowles Memorial Chapel and the Rice Family Pavilion that give your wedding day variety without sacrificing flow. The rose garden and courtyard areas add even more depth for portraits.
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Knowles Memorial Chapel can seat a maximum of 464 guests for the ceremony. The Rice Family Pavilion can accommodate 180 to 220 guests for the reception, depending on setup.
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Yes. Both spaces sit just across the street from each other, close enough that guests move easily between the ceremony and reception, while the size of the campus still allows couples to find private, quiet moments together for portraits.
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Absolutely. The lighting throughout campus is consistently beautiful, the chapel's sunlit exterior and stained-glass interior make for warm, regal portraits, the rose garden offers stunning golden-hour light through the oak trees, and the tucked-away courtyard behind the chapel brings a European feel perfect for intimate shots.
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Yes. Because Rollins is such a large campus, I am able to plan individual portraits for each of you in different locations before the ceremony, so you get beautiful, relaxed images without ever seeing each other early. No formal first look required.
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You will need to formally rent a space in order to host an elopement or micro wedding on the property. The spaces available for weddings are the Chapel, Rice Family Pavilion, and the Rollins Museum of Art Patio and Lawn, a beautiful outdoor area surrounded by greenery. A smaller guest list also means we can use even more of the campus for portraits throughout the day. The grounds at Rollins are open for photos, but wedding ceremonies without a rental are not allowed. You could also consider having a small ceremony on the lawn at the nearby Alfond Inn with a reception at Rice Pavilion. You can learn more about my elopement photography experience here.
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A little rain has never stopped me from creating beautiful images at Rollins. Over the years, I have found so many covered spots throughout campus, tucked under archways, along covered walkways, and beneath the chapel's overhangs, that let us stay dry while still fully embracing the character of the property. You do not lose that timeless Rollins feel just because the sky does not cooperate. If anything, those rainy-day portraits often end up being some of the most romantic and unexpected images in the whole gallery.
Planning Your Rollins College Wedding
winter park wedding photographer
If you're planning your wedding at one of the Rollins College locations like Knowles Memorial Chapel or Rice Family Pavilion and you're looking for a photographer who knows the campus inside and out, I'd be honored to tell your story. My goal is to create more than beautiful photographs. I want you to feel calm, cared for, and fully present throughout your wedding day while creating timeless imagery you'll treasure for generations.
