Top 5 Reasons to Skip the Big Wedding and Go to Vegas

There are many people that dream of their big wedding day and everything that goes along with it. Many people don't realize the cost and stress that comes along with this dream. After two weeks of planning our wedding in August 2005, we instead took my grandmother's advice and just eloped in Las Vegas. Here are some of the main advantages to a Las Vegas wedding.

1. It can actually save you money.

For our wedding we had a small budget. For $600 we flew from Baltimore to Las Vegas, stayed 5 days in a jacuzzi suite, had a wedding dress and tux we owned, drank a pretty good amount, gambled, and were entertained for several days instead of just a few hours. Our wedding at Little Chapel of the Flowers was free with our hotel stay.

2. My relatives were much happier.

Even though they had to pay for airfare and a hotel room, both of our parents were much happier to fork out the money for that than a sub-par caterer and bridesmaid dresses that most of them don't want to wear to start with. They got to wear whatever they wanted and got a weeks vacation out of the deal instead of one day in uncomfortable dress clothes. For the ones that couldn't go for various reasons our ceremony was broadcast over the Internet live so they could still be a part of our big moment. We also were given videos to share for the rest of our lives as part of the deal.

3. You can still get what you want.

Even with our free wedding that came along with our hotel room we got to pick the chapel we wanted, preacher or service type, what flowers were to be used, and what colors we wanted. We still had control of our big day.

4. You don't have to pay for an extra honeymoon.

You are already in a town where you can have limitless fun. Why go anywhere else? You can gamble, see shows, go to clubs and bars, and go on outdoor adventures. You can do anything in Vegas you can do in any other honeymoon destination.

5. It makes for a good conversation topic for the rest of your life.

Even though millions have gotten married in Las Vegas, people still loving hearing about your marriage there. I really wish we had now sprung for the Elvis impersonator just to make the story even better though. People don't believe us when we say we had an actual traditional ceremony and even have a really nice photo album to prove it. We got married in the same chapel as Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra. Even though I don't really like them how cool is that?

The whole experience gave us a closer bond without all of the stress of a normal wedding. I wouldn't trade our Vegas wedding experience for any other type of ceremony.