The Neon Chapel

Privacy Policy

Including our Texting & Electronic Messaging Policy

Effective date: September 17, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how The Neon Chapel (“Neon Chapel,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information in the course of our commercial activities in Ontario and across Canada. It also sets out our texting and commercial electronic messaging practices under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

We operate an intimate wedding chapel and related event services in Wellington, Prince Edward County, Ontario. If you book with us, inquire about a date, visit our website, come to an event, or text us back, this policy applies to you.

1. Who we are

Business name: The Neon Chapel
Business address: 298 Wellington Main St., Wellington, Ontario K0K 3L0, Canada
Email: info@neonchapel.wedding
Phone / text: 613-707-4347
Website: www.neonchapel.wedding

The person accountable for our privacy practices is our Privacy Officer, who can be reached at the email and mailing address above. Please mark correspondence “Attention: Privacy Officer.”

2. Laws that apply

Ontario does not have a general private-sector privacy statute. For a commercial business like ours, the primary Canadian privacy law is the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). PIPEDA’s ten fair information principles — accountability, identifying purposes, consent, limiting collection, limiting use/disclosure/retention, accuracy, safeguards, openness, individual access, and challenging compliance — guide how we handle personal information.

Commercial electronic messages we send by text (SMS/MMS), email, or similar electronic means are also subject to Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and the CRTC’s related rules. If we handle personal health information in a way that brings Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) into play (we generally do not, other than limited accessibility or dietary notes you choose to share), we will treat that information with extra care and only as needed to deliver your event.

This policy is written for Canada, with our operations based in Wellington, Ontario. It is not legal advice. If federal or provincial law changes, we will update this document.

3. What personal information we collect

We only collect what we reasonably need to book, plan, and deliver your ceremony or event, to communicate with you, to run the chapel, and to meet legal obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, that may include:

Contact and identity

  • Names of the couple, witnesses, planner, and other contacts you designate
  • Mailing address, email address, and phone numbers
  • Preferred names, pronouns, and how you want to be addressed in ceremony materials

Booking and event details

  • Package selection, date and time, guest count, and add-ons
  • Ceremony preferences, music cues, and planning notes
  • Guest list information you provide (names, plus-ones, contact details if you share them)
  • Dietary restrictions, accessibility needs, and other hospitality notes
  • Vendor names and contacts you ask us to coordinate with

Legal ceremony information

  • Information needed to complete an Ontario marriage ceremony with a licensed officiant (for example, names as they should appear on documents, and details you or the officiant need for the licence and register)
  • We do not keep copies of government identification longer than needed to complete the legal ceremony, unless the law requires otherwise

Payment and contracts

  • Contract details, deposits, balances, invoices, and refund records
  • Limited payment information processed by our payment provider (we do not store full credit-card numbers on chapel systems)

Communications and website

  • Messages you send us by form, email, phone, text, or social media
  • Call and text logs reasonably needed to manage bookings and consent records
  • Website technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, and approximate location derived from IP, plus cookies or similar tools as described below

Photos, video, and publicity

  • Photographs and video captured at the chapel, including ceremony and reception coverage if included or separately arranged
  • Images you send us, or tag us in, that you ask us to use

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 except as part of a guest list or family event you arrange. We do not market to children.

4. How we collect it

We collect personal information directly from you when you fill out our website forms, book a date, email or text us, call, tour the chapel, sign a contract, pay a deposit, or attend an event. We may also receive information from:

  • A planner, officiant, photographer, or other vendor you authorize to deal with us
  • The other member of the couple, if one of you is our primary contact
  • Payment processors, booking platforms, and website hosts that process transactions or form submissions on our behalf
  • Publicly available sources only where that is lawful and consistent with why we need the information

If you give us a guest’s phone number or email so we can send day-of directions or a logistics text, you confirm you have the authority to share that information and, where required, the guest’s permission.

5. Why we use personal information

We use personal information for purposes a reasonable person would expect in a wedding-chapel business, including to:

  • Respond to inquiries, book tours, hold dates, and complete contracts
  • Plan and deliver the ceremony, styling, coordination, bar, food, music, and other services you purchase
  • Coordinate with the licensed officiant and complete the legal marriage process in Ontario
  • Process payments, deposits, change orders, and refunds
  • Send transactional messages about your booking (confirmations, invoices, timelines, day-of instructions, weather or access updates)
  • Send commercial messages (offers, last-minute availability, events, newsletters) only where CASL consent exists
  • Improve the chapel, our website, and our services
  • Protect the safety of guests, staff, and the premises, and to prevent fraud or misuse
  • Comply with tax, marriage, employment, and other legal requirements, and to establish or defend legal claims

If we want to use personal information for a new purpose that is not compatible with the original purpose, we will explain that purpose and obtain consent where the law requires it.

6. Consent

PIPEDA requires meaningful consent. We obtain it in ways that match how sensitive the information is and what a reasonable person would expect.

Express consent

We ask you to actively agree — for example by checking an unticked box, signing a booking form, or replying YES to a text — when we collect more sensitive information, when we want to send promotional texts or emails, or when the purpose would not be obvious.

Implied consent

We may rely on implied consent where you volunteer information for an obvious purpose (you give us an email to receive a quote; you give us a mobile number so we can confirm your tour). Implied consent under PIPEDA is different from implied consent under CASL. We do not treat a phone number on a booking form as permission to send you marketing texts unless CASL consent is in place.

Withdrawing consent

You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawing consent for texts or marketing will not affect messages we must send to complete a booking you already made (for example, a payment receipt or a same-day access change). Some information we must keep for tax, marriage-record, or legal reasons.

7. Texting and electronic messaging policy (CASL)

This section is the chapel’s texting policy. It covers SMS, MMS, iMessage-style texts to a phone number, and similar short electronic messages. Email marketing is covered by the same CASL rules and is included here where it matters.

CASL applies to commercial electronic messages sent to electronic addresses in Canada. A message is commercial if it encourages participation in a commercial activity — including promoting packages, add-ons, open dates, events, or the chapel brand — even if it also contains useful information.

7.1 Two kinds of texts we send

Transactional / relationship messages. These facilitate a booking or conversation you already started. Examples: tour confirmations, contract and deposit links, “your officiant will arrive at 3:00,” parking or weather updates on the wedding day, “your balance is due,” and replies to a text you sent us. Many of these are exempt from CASL’s consent requirement because they complete or confirm a transaction you agreed to, or they are a response to your request. We still keep them relevant and as short as we can.

Commercial / promotional messages. These include open-date alerts, package promotions, public-event invitations, last-minute pop-up announcements, newsletters by text, and similar offers. We send these only with express consent, or with valid implied CASL consent that has not expired, and only until you opt out.

7.2 How we get consent to text you

We prefer express, recorded consent. That can look like:

  • A checkbox on our contact or booking form that is not pre-ticked, next to clear language such as: “Yes, The Neon Chapel may text me at this number about my inquiry, my booking, and chapel news. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.”
  • You texting a published keyword to our number (for example START or YES)
  • You asking us in writing or on a recorded/noted call to text you, and we log the date, time, number, and what you agreed to

Under CASL, implied consent to commercial messages may exist for a limited time if we have an existing business relationship — generally two years after you buy a package or similar transaction, or six months after you make an inquiry. Implied consent ends when that window expires or when you opt out, whichever is first. Express consent does not expire until you withdraw it.

We keep records of consent (how it was obtained, the date, the number or address, and the wording shown to you) so we can demonstrate compliance if asked.

7.3 What our texts will say

Every commercial text we send will identify The Neon Chapel (or will make that identity easily accessible), and will include a way to reach us and a way to unsubscribe. A typical promotional text will look like:

Neon Chapel (Wellington, ON): Two Saturday dates just opened this fall. Details: neonchapel.wedding — Reply STOP to opt out. 298 Wellington Main St. 613-707-4347

Transactional texts will identify us and stay limited to the booking or question at hand. We will not load a logistics text with marketing if we do not have consent for commercial messages.

7.4 Opting out of texts

You can stop promotional and other commercial texts at any time by:

  • Replying STOP (or the equivalent unsubscribe word we specify) to our number
  • Emailing info@neonchapel.wedding with the subject “Unsubscribe texts” and the mobile number
  • Calling 613-707-4347 and asking us to remove the number
  • Telling us in writing at 298 Wellington Main St., Wellington, ON K0K 3L0

We will process opt-out requests as soon as possible and in any event within ten (10) business days, as CASL requires. The unsubscribe method will remain effective for at least 60 days after a commercial message is sent. Opting out of marketing texts does not automatically cancel transactional messages needed to run an existing booking, unless you ask us to use another channel (email or phone) instead.

Reply START or email us if you opted out by mistake and want back on the list. We will treat that as new express consent.

7.5 Frequency, rates, and hours

  • Message frequency varies. Booking clients may receive several texts in the weeks around their date; promotional recipients typically receive far fewer.
  • Message and data rates may apply, depending on your wireless plan. We do not control carrier charges.
  • We aim to send non-urgent texts during reasonable hours, generally 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, except for time-sensitive day-of or weather messages.
  • We do not send texts that are false, misleading, or that install software on your device.

7.6 Who we will not text

  • We will not buy, rent, or scrape lists of phone numbers for marketing.
  • We will not send promotional texts to a number just because it is published online.
  • We will not text wedding guests from a couple’s guest list for marketing. If a couple asks us to send a guest a day-of logistics message (parking, start time, address), we will keep that message transactional and limited.
  • We will not sell or rent phone numbers to third parties for their own marketing.

7.7 Third-party messaging tools

We may use a Canadian- or internationally-hosted texting, email, or customer-relationship tool to send and log messages. Those providers process numbers and message content on our instructions. They are not allowed to use your information for their own marketing. See Section 9 on service providers and transfers outside Canada.

7.8 Email under CASL

The same consent, identification, and unsubscribe rules apply to commercial emails. Emails will include our mailing address and an unsubscribe link or reply instruction. You can unsubscribe from promotional email without unsubscribing from booking-related email.

8. Photos, video, and social media

Weddings are photographed and sometimes filmed. If your package includes photography, or if we, a hired photographer, or guests take pictures in the chapel, those images may include you and your guests.

We may use chapel-owned or licensed images of the space, styled details, and — where we have consent or a reasonable expectation consistent with a public-facing wedding business — of ceremonies, for our website, social media, and marketing. If you do not want your faces used in our marketing, tell us in writing before the event (or as soon as you can after). We will honour reasonable requests going forward and will take down posts we control. We cannot control photos taken and posted by your guests.

Please do not send us photos of minors for marketing use unless you are the parent or guardian and you expressly agree to that use.

9. Who we share information with

We do not sell personal information. We share it only as needed to run the chapel and as the law allows, including with:

  • The licensed officiant performing your ceremony
  • Vendors you ask us to involve or who are included in your package (catering, bar, florist, DJ or sound host, photographer, planner, rentals)
  • Payment processors, booking and website platforms, email/SMS tools, cloud storage, accounting, and professional advisors (bookkeeper, lawyer, insurer)
  • Government bodies when required — for example information related to an Ontario marriage ceremony, Canada Revenue Agency, or a lawful demand
  • A buyer or successor if we sell or reorganize the business, under confidentiality and with notice where required

Service providers may only use personal information to perform services for us. Where a provider is outside Canada (common examples include United States-based payment, website, or email tools), your information may be processed in that country and may be accessible to foreign courts, law enforcement, and national-security authorities under local law. We use providers we consider reputable and we limit what we send them. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

10. How long we keep it

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose collected, and then for a reasonable period to meet legal, tax, insurance, and record-keeping duties. As a practical guide:

  • Inquiry records with no booking: generally up to 24 months, sooner if you ask us to delete and we have no legal need to keep them
  • CASL implied-consent clocks: we track the two-year / six-month windows so we stop commercial messages when implied consent ends
  • Contracts, invoices, and payment records: generally at least seven years for tax and accounting
  • Marriage-ceremony records: as required by Ontario law and the officiant’s statutory duties; chapel copies only as needed
  • Photos we are licensed to use: for as long as we use them for the chapel’s legitimate purposes, or until you make a valid takedown request we can honour
  • Consent and unsubscribe logs: for as long as needed to demonstrate CASL and PIPEDA compliance

When information is no longer needed, we destroy, erase, or anonymize it in a secure way.

11. Safeguards

We use physical, organizational, and technical measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. That includes restricting staff and vendor access to a need-to-know basis, using password-protected and (where available) encrypted tools, keeping paper files in a controlled location at the chapel or office, and training anyone who handles bookings to treat guest information as confidential.

No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure. If you have reason to believe your interaction with us is no longer secure, contact the Privacy Officer immediately.

12. Privacy breaches

If we experience a breach of security safeguards that creates a real risk of significant harm to an individual, PIPEDA requires us to report it to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, notify affected individuals, and keep a record of the breach. “Significant harm” can include humiliation, identity theft, financial loss, or damage to reputation. We will act quickly to contain the incident, assess the risk, and meet those duties.

13. Your rights

Subject to limited exceptions in PIPEDA, you may:

  • Ask whether we hold personal information about you
  • Request access to that information and an account of how it has been used and shared
  • Request a correction if it is inaccurate or incomplete
  • Withdraw consent for optional uses, including promotional texts and emails
  • Ask us to delete information we no longer need

Send requests to info@neonchapel.wedding with the subject “Privacy request,” or write to the Privacy Officer at our Wellington address. We may need to verify it is you. We will respond within 30 days, or we will tell you if we need a permitted extension. We may charge a minimal fee for extensive reproductions; if so, we will tell you first.

14. Cookies and the website

Our website may use essential cookies to make pages work (for example, to keep a booking flow intact) and may use analytics or similar tools to understand which pages are useful. Some third-party embeds (maps, booking widgets, payment pages, social media) set their own cookies under their policies.

You can control cookies in your browser. Blocking some cookies may break booking or payment functions. We do not use your website data to send you texts. Filling a form is what creates a communications record.

15. Links and other sites

Our site and messages may link to vendors, local Wellington businesses, social platforms, or payment pages we do not operate. Their privacy practices are their own. Read those policies before you share information with them.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect how we work, new tools, or changes in law. The effective date at the top will change when we do. Material changes that affect how we use information we already have will be announced by posting the new policy on our website and, where appropriate, by email or a notice to current clients. Continued use of our services after the effective date means you accept the updated policy, except where the law requires a fresh consent.

17. Questions, complaints, and the Privacy Commissioner

If you have a question or complaint about privacy or texting, start with us. We take these seriously and will look into them.

Privacy Officer — The Neon Chapel
298 Wellington Main St., Wellington, ON K0K 3L0
Email: info@neonchapel.wedding
Phone: 613-707-4347

If we cannot resolve the matter, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, which oversees PIPEDA:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1H3
www.priv.gc.ca · 1-800-282-1376

Concerns about commercial electronic messages (including texts) may also be directed to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which enforces CASL: www.crtc.gc.ca.

18. Short-form texting notice (for forms and signs)

You may use or see this summary wherever we collect a mobile number:

By providing your mobile number, you agree that The Neon Chapel (298 Wellington Main St., Wellington, ON K0K 3L0, info@neonchapel.wedding, 613-707-4347) may text you about your inquiry or booking. If you tick the marketing box (or reply YES/START), you also consent to occasional texts about dates, packages, and chapel events. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. We process opt-outs within 10 business days. See our full Privacy Policy at neonchapel.wedding.

Document note. This policy is a practical template prepared for The Neon Chapel’s Ontario wedding-chapel operations under PIPEDA and CASL as those laws stood in September 2026. It is not a legal opinion and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Have an Ontario lawyer review it before you rely on it, especially if you incorporate a numbered company, add a new booking platform, collect guest health information, or expand marketing programs.