“Old Christ Church has become one of the most
popular spots to host a wedding ceremony in the
state and certainly in Pensacola,” says Shannon
Reeves, Wedding Coordinator at Great Southern
Management, which serves as the management
company for a number of popular event venues
in downtown Pensacola, including Old Christ
Church. “With its location in the heart of Historic
Downtown Pensacola, the church really does
offer the best of both worlds, it has such a quaint
little white chapel look and feel, but it’s still able
to accommodate quite an impressive number of
guests. When engaged couples are looking for
the perfect place to have their ceremonies, they
come here and are immediately charmed by the
church’s rich history, its beautifully manicured
lawns, the antique wooden pews and the beautiful
stained glass window,” she explains. The number of
ceremonies booked each weekend speaks for itself—
in fact, the church averages nearly half a dozen
weddings every weekend.
It’s a boast-worthy number, to say the least, for
any church—much more so for one standing in the
shadow of so many mega-churches. But it is this
very detail that makes it that much more desirable,
its time-tested foundations bearing reminder of
the need, not for grandeur or showiness, but for
strength and integrity in the face of hardship. In
a world where marriages are so often faced with
stresses that test their ability to survive, Old Christ
Church is a beautiful illustration of endurance, a
testament to loveliness that has grown only greater
with the passage of time.
In total, the church has hosted more than 1,000
weddings over the course of its long life, one
which began when the Protestant Association in
the City of Pensacola came to an agreement that
the small city needed an Episcopalian church. In a
time so affected by changes of religious tides and
a desire to establish the spiritual landscape of a
newly burgeoning area, the small structure served
great importance, imbuing the Protestant faith
into the growing community. The Norman Gothic
architecture of the structure serve as an outward
reminder of the times, an era in history when the
nations of Europe reigned supreme and the Roman
Catholic Church was losing its strong grip.
Even now, Old Christ Church stands as
a testament to the tenacity, dedication and
determination of people who dreamed of more…
more life, more opportunity and more freedom.
And for the couples who marry within the walls of
this charming little piece of history, it’s the perfect
place to speak words of their own desires for more,
and their willingness to embark on the journey of a
lifetime to get it.
January 2017 | 51
“When engaged couples are looking for the
perfect place to have their ceremonies, they
come here and are immediately charmed
by the church’s rich history, its beautifully
manicured lawns, the antique wooden pews
and the beautiful stained glass window.”
- Shannon Reeves, Wedding Coordinator
Great Southern Management
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