Going to the chapel

COVID-19 has robbed many Americans of celebrating some of life's most precious milestones. The Hitching Post Wedding Chapel in downtown Coeur d'Alene, however, kept blushing brides walking down the aisle all season long.

Due to restrictions by the Centers for Disease Control and state guidelines, many large-scale venues and traditional locations were forced to cancel planned weddings. The Hitching Post, with its quaint charm and size, kept the dream alive for lovebirds traveling from across the Pacific Northwest.

Idaho started the reopening process before most places in the country. When neighboring states like Washington, Montana and Oregon kept their businesses locked up, couples crossed the borders and called Don and Lynn Knapp.

"We've had people come in that originally had weddings scheduled in places like Hawaii, but they would have had to quarantine for two weeks," Don said. "So we benefited because of other states' lockdowns being more serious than they are here."

The Knapps have been in the wedding business for over 30 years, which is only a fraction of the Hitching Post's 101 years of tying the knot. Offering services on-site at their western, traditional-style chapel, the Knapps also travel around the area to officiate hundreds of marriages.

"Some days we have several weddings. On Saturdays, we often do 10 or 12 — occasionally more than that," Don said. "We have staff, myself, and Lynn all do weddings. On occasion, there might be two or three of us doing weddings on the same day."

Of course, the Hitching Post wasn't entirely missed by COVID cancellations. Following state guidance, the chapel originally cut back hours and has removed seating to allow for social distancing measures. Some Canadians had to cancel their wedding plans, too. Despite this, the chapel is full of life.

Many of their customers travel from Washington, the Knapps said, especially since many venues there are still under tight restrictions.

"When they couldn't get married there, they just decided to come on over to Coeur d'Alene, which thankfully is good for us," Lynn said. "COVID has had its ups and downs, but it hasn't been too bad for us. For the larger places that have big venues, I'm sure it's been very difficult."

Described by Lynn as a full-service wedding on a small scale, the chapel offers a quick ceremony with options for unity candles, sand ceremonies, love locks, photos and extra time for paperwork.

"During a hard time like COVID, we get the opportunity to make people happy, help them, and we hope that they walk away encouraged and excited for their new marriage," she said. "We get to be a part of their celebration. It's a happy time."

At the end of the day, the Knapps just want to guide newlyweds to the next chapter of life.

"They'll say 'we're glad that you're here,'" Lynn said. "They were going to have this big wedding and couldn't do it anymore. We were glad that we were here to be able to help them get married. We feel blessed."