Benvoulin Heritage Church and Reid Hall

Built in 1892, Benvoulin Church has been a Kelowna landmark for more than a century, a Gothic Revival church where couples can say their vows surrounded by history.

The church stands in Benvoulin Heritage Park, cared for by the Central Okanagan Heritage Society. The park also holds Reid Hall, an English cottage-style garden and McIver House, an early farmhouse.

Benvoulin was the first Protestant church south of Vernon. After closing as a church in 1964, it was brought back to life through a restoration led by the Heritage Society, with thousands of volunteer hours, and reopened in 1986 as a community facility.

Inside, circular pews, rich woodwork and a pump organ dating back to the church's earliest days give a ceremony a sense of quiet history.

Reid Hall, rebuilt in 2000, sits beside the church and can be rented together with it or on its own. The 825-square-foot hall has vaulted ceilings, skylights and hardwood floors, and is fully wheelchair accessible.

The hall's warm-up kitchen includes coffee urns, a refrigerator, a range and a dishwasher, and the building also offers washrooms and change room facilities.

The Society describes the church and hall as best known for weddings and receptions, and holding a wedding here supports the preservation of Kelowna's heritage.

For couples who want a historic church, a garden setting and a hall next door for the celebration, Benvoulin Heritage Church and Reid Hall offers a Kelowna wedding rooted in the past.