Las Vegas Weddings

Does the idea of deciding on wedding colors fill you with dread? How about bouquets, tulle, centerpieces, and wedding cake? I tried to plan a traditional wedding. We didn't belong to a church so finding somewhere to get married was a nightmare. Three months into planning I was so stressed out I no longer looked forward to getting married. So we decided to go to Vegas and elope. I can honestly say it was the best decision of my life.

Vegas weddings tend to give you the visual of a cheap little chapel with fluorescent lighting and an Elvis impersonator. You can go this route. However, if you aren't interested in that then a little research can land you the wedding of your dreams.

We decided we wanted to get married outside at nighttime. We did it on the grounds of the Luxor hotel. It was beautiful. We had the back drop of the huge pyramid in our formal pictures and the strip in our candid shots. We went with a company called Classic Vegas Weddings. We had a professional photographer who videotaped the wedding and also took over a hundred pictures and put them to disk for us. We also were given the most beautiful red rose bouquet. The entire experience was everything I thought it could be.

There are several different companies that offer non-chapel weddings. You can get married at the Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon, in a helicopter, in a limo, directly on the strip, in your hotel room, on the hotel grounds, and just about everywhere else in between.

All in all, I think we spent maybe $500 on the wedding itself. Not bad considering we were looking at a minimum of $4K at home.

Here are some tips for getting married in Vegas:

1. Get married on a week day. You will find that Vegas hotel rooms are extremely expensive on the weekends. We got married on a Monday.
2. Rent a car. I know, I know. Everyone says you don't need a car. I'd invest in one. Parking isn't an issue on the strip. Every hotel has a parking lot. Besides, you'll want to go see Fremont Street and its much easier if you have a car.
3. Wear comfortable shoes. Those little strappy things are absolutely adorable. However, if you have any sort of walking to get to the location, go with something comfortable. I was halfway through the hotel and dying to take my shoes off.
4. Create your own announcements. Just cause it's a Vegas wedding doesn't mean you can't have guests. Create your own announcements and send them to everyone letting them know the date and location.
5. Keep it simple. The whole point of eloping is having a low stress experience. Leave the huge wedding dress and tux at home. I can't imagine taking a dress through the airport. Opt for a simple white sundress and a polo shirt/khaki pants outfit. It's about what you're saying. Not what you are wearing.