Vegas Wedding: The Day We Spontaneously Got Married

It was a normal hot June day, in lovely Las Vegas, Nevada. I was living with my older sister, Krystal, and her young son, Christopher. I had moved from Oregon the year before to help her out with my nephew and to start school. Since no one was home that day I decided I didn't want to be cooped up in the house any longer when it was so beautiful outside. So I slipped into some shorts and red spaghetti strapped shirt and set out to wash my little silver Hyundai.

My dog, Hunter, decided to join me as he squeezed his large rottwieler frame through my legs to get out the door, almost knocking me over. I was about to give him a reprimand when he did a 180 and raised his rear in the air playfully, the sun making his black fur appear to shine. I could barely hide my smile as I told him to stay in my most authoritative voice so he knew I was serious and not run off. I didn't think I would need to worry too much about him running off since I had the hose on to wash the car, and he's not very fond of getting hosed as punishment. I had put the hose on the ground, turning the sprayer off. Hunter must have thought that the hose was off, because he took off after the next person to come by, which happened to be a man, probably in his late twenties, jogging by, in his own little world. He didn't even notice that Hunter was chasing him and kept on running down the next street.

Leaving my car halfway covered with soap, I ran down the street trying to catch up to Hunter. He was halfway down the street by the time I caught up to him. He had finally stopped when the jogger got far enough from our house that Hunter wasn't too sure if he wanted to follow or go back home. I grabbed him by the ring on his collar and started to drag him back to the house when all of a sudden a man with spiked blond hair asked me to stop.

" Is your dog nice?" He asked.

"Yeah, he may look big but, he's just a big baby." I told him, Hunter now sitting politely at my side.

"...Cuz my dog needs someone to play with?"

For the first time I realized the small black and white pit bull at the man's side, I also realized the men in the garage. There was one sitting in the back corner on a lawn chair, a boy who looked about sixteen was sitting on another lawn chair, and there was a man working under the hood of a small red car. I turned my attention back to the man with the pit bull when Hunter tugged on his collar. He and the puppy were taking turns with at checking each other out. I knew Hunter needed another dog to play with, so I let go of his collar and he chased after the puppy into garage.

"You want a beer?" Said the man who owned the pit bull. I shook my head as I followed him up towards the garage.

"No, Thanks. I don't like beer." I took a quick glance at Hunter to make sure he was staying close.

"That's cool. By the way, I'm Jasson." He said before taking a sip from the beer bottle he was holding.

"Cheri." I introduced myself.

Jasson pointed to the man in the back corner with the bottle still in hand, "That's Mike."

Mike nodded his head, "Hey!" He had shaggy bleached hair that waved in all different directions and it looked as if he hadn't shaved in over a week.

"That's Joel." Jasson was pointing at the young man I figured to be around sixteen. "He doesn't really live here but he's cool so we let him hang out with us big boys." I smiled at him as he nodded his head in recognition. Jasson then pointed to the man under the hood. "And this is Kevin." Kevin glanced up at me and then went right back to work on the car.

"You want a beer?" I turned back to look at Jasson and laughed.

"I don't drink beer!" I said.

"Okay." He said as he walked towards the door leading to the house. Before entering the house Jasson turned towards me once more. "You want a beer?"

I laughed again and shook my head, talk about pure pressure. "Sure." I turned my attention back to the dogs that were playing a little more wildly, but were still close.

When Jasson returned with my beer I sat down in a blue plastic lawn chair. I kept glancing up at Kevin working on the car. Everyone else was talking to me but Kevin seemed to be in his own little greasy world as he concentrated on whatever he was doing under that hood. Though I was talking with Jasson and a little bit with Mike, for some reason I couldn't stop wondering about Kevin. He was extremely attractive in a rugged sort of way. I've always had a thing for mechanics, but I think there was something more that I just couldn't put my finger on.

I was halfway done with the beer, which was no easy thing for me to do, when I had to call it quits. I couldn't stand to take another drink. Jasson started calling a party foul on me when Kevin, finished with the car, sat down next to me. "Don't worry about the beer. You don't have to drink it, I'll finish it."

I smiled as I handed him the beer. "Thanks." He then pointed to a large beer bottle half way full of liquid about ten floating cigarettes. "Who are you to talk about party fouls?" He directed to Jasson. "You can't talk about party fouls until you drink the rest of that bottle!" Jasson nodded his head in defeat as we all half laughed; half gagged at the image of him drinking the cigarette filled beer.

I suddenly remembered my half soaped up car and made my excuses with a promise to come back later, with Hunter, for a Barbecue Dinner. I took Hunter by the collar and made sure to put him inside so he couldn't run off again. I re-scrubbed my car to get the dried soap off and started all over again. By the time I was done I had enough time to take a quick shower and put on some fresh clothes before heading back to the guys house.

They were starting up the grill by the time I arrived. I was surprised when I walked into the kitchen and found a large salad. I figured these weren't your average kind of guy, but bachelors making a salad. I became a little less surprised when I was introduced to Jasson's girlfriend, Lisa, and Mike's girl, Sadie. Not being the only girl around made dinner a lot more comfortable and relaxing. After dinner Lisa, Sadie and I went for a walk, I departed when we reached my house.

The next day, after work, I changed clothes, grabbed Hunter and headed over to the guys house. Everyone was outside in the garage again, drinking beer and relaxing. Hurley, the puppy, and Hunter were excited to see each other and started playing instantly. They were about to eat dinner and invited me to eat with them again. This time I stayed and watched some movies after dinner. I ended up crashing on the small love seat in the living room and woke to find Kevin on the floor asleep. Trying not to wake him, I quietly left and went home. I changed clothes quickly and went to the store to get donuts and milk for the guys. I believe that is when I won my way into all of their hearts.

Over the next couple of weeks I spent almost every night on the love seat in their living room. I was at their house more than I was at my own. We spent every night watching movies and just hanging out, and during the days I wasn't working, I was hanging out with the guys outside. Kevin slept in the living room whenever I fell asleep on the love seat. When he could see that I was starting to doze off, he would offer his bed to me, but I told him I didn't feel right taking his bed from him. He still didn't go to his own room even when I declined his offers.

Kevin and I started talking more and more. He was usually the first one awake in the morning, everyone else didn't get up until after noon, so we had a few hours every morning to talk and we usually put a movie or two in. I started to lie down on the floor with Kevin when we were watching movies at night. We would both fall asleep with a blanket over us and the back cushions from the love seat for pillows.

It was barely over a week after that first day when Kevin and I both seemed to notice a sizzle between us. We started lying closer to each other on the floor for movies and we would both 'accidentally' touch the others arm or leg. After about two weeks everyone would all of a sudden remember they needed to do something and would leave the room, leaving Kevin and me alone. We both knew what everyone was doing but we didn't say anything or do anything about it.

Before I knew it, I was 'Kevin's Girl." Before we even decided to give each other a shot every one was naming us a couple. It was that very same week that Kevin got his first kiss from me. We were at the bowling alley at the Orleans Casino where Kevin and some of the other guys were on a bowling league. Kevin was up and he had knocked down all the pins except two, one in the middle and another in the end corner.

"He's not going to get this one." I told Mike.

Kevin must have overheard me because he walked over and said, "If I make this you have to kiss me on the cheek."
A kiss on the cheek is harmless enough. "Deal!"

He went up to the bowling lane and grabbed his ball. He stared at the pins at the end of the lane as he made his calculations. He took a few steps forward as he swung the ball in front of him and released. The ball rolled straight down the lane hitting one pin and knocking it into the other. Kevin came back to sit next to me and grinned as he placed his cheek in kissing distance. After I gave him a small peck on the cheek he turned to me. "Now, you have to kiss me on the mouth for every strike I make." I smiled in agreement and he smiled every time he made a strike that night.

The next week was the Fourth of July. My sister and I were having a small party at her house for family and some of her friends. I stayed at home until around nine when the fireworks started outside. I drove to the mountain behind our houses and walked up the 1/4 mile long road to the top. Kevin, his Uncle Steve, Jasson and Lisa were all up waiting with plenty of beer and Smirnoff for us girls. Steve had the tailgate to his truck down for sitting while the barbecue filled the air with the smell of fish and steak. The view of the city was spectacular. The fireworks' exploding over the city lights was the perfect scene.

Kevin followed me as I stumbled my way through the dark to explore one of the large caves. With only a flashlight it was hard to maneuver around the large boulders and bushes around the cave, especially since I was a little more than buzzed from the alcohol. Kevin put his arm around me and kept me from tripping over anything. The cave was a little warmer than outside but it was still chilly. I snuggled up against Kevin for warmth as we looked around the cave. We stayed until it was time to drive back down the mountain. Kevin drove my car the short distance back to the house, since I was too intoxicated to deal with a stick shift. Instead of going home, I followed Kevin home and spent the night snuggled safely in his arms.

My Mother's birthday was on Wednesday and I was supposed to take her to see a movie, but she got back late from her birthday dinner and had to cancel. Since I wasn't taking her to a movie my night was free. I told Kevin I wanted to go get my fairy tattoo that I had wanted for almost a year. We drove to a tattoo parlor in North Las Vegas called Desert Ink. I was hoping to get my tattoo that night but I had to make an appointment for the next Saturday.

We were on our way back to Kevin's house when he asked, "Do You want to go home or do you want to do something?" I looked at him and smiled.
"I want to do something crazy!" He named a few ideas he had that were neither safe nor legal.
"It has to be safe! Legal! Spontaneous! And fun!"
He was out of ideas and told me to decide. At that moment we drove by a church that had a sign out front about renewing your wedding vows. Being Vegas, I laughed. "I know what we can do. We can get married."

Now I was completely joking, but he had to challenge me. "I don't think you would go through with it!" He said. Well, I just happen to be a very stubborn young lady and I do not like being told I don't have the guts to do something. Humph! "No. I'm crazy enough to go through with it. I don't think you would go through with it!" I threw back at him. We both were silent for a moment while we tried to figure out if we would indeed go through with it or not.

Having come to a decision Kevin broke the silence. "So do you want to get married then?"
Taken completely by surprised I stammered, "Are you serious?"
Kevin was silent. Not taking him seriously I relaxed back into my seat and watched the building blur by. We had been driving for about ten minutes when I realized that we weren't heading in the direction of home. "Where are you going?"

Kevin didn't answer at first, looking at the buildings in front of us. "I'm going to chapel."
I was stunned. "Are you serious?"
He continued to drive without answering. He seemed as if he was still working things out in his own mind before he committed to marrying someone he had just met a little over three weeks ago. "I don't know yet." He said. "I don't have any money."
I smiled mischievously. "Well if you will go through with it I'll pay for it, but you have to be sure cuz if I pay for this you are not backing out!"

Kevin didn't say anything, but he continued driving towards the Strip. We had somehow agreed to elope in the awkward silence. Kevin drove to the court house and parked. We both got out of the car and stopped. "Are you sure you are going to go through with this?" I asked. Kevin only nodded and we both walked towards the courthouse.

We both grew more and more nervous as we stood in the late night line for marriage licenses. We didn't say much to each other as we filled out the background forms, but rather stood in a waiting silence among the other couples. It was almost midnight by the time we left the court house, marriage license in hand, in search of a wedding chapel.

It was easy for us to choose a chapel since flyers for many chapels were handed out in front of the court house by its employees. We decided to go for the chapel with the lowest price. We spent sixty dollars on the wedding license and had only had about seventy dollars left, without using my credit card. We went to the Stained Glass Chapel on 9th and Ogden since it was only about forty to sixty dollars for a ceremony and pictures.

The ceremony went by rather quickly; we had no rings so a huge chunk of the ceremony was skipped. We posed for the Reverend's Wife as she snapped a few pictures of us together. I was in a state of shock. Did I really just do what I think I did? Or am I dreaming. I couldn't believe I was someone's wife! I looked up at Kevin and knew he was thinking the same thing I was.

We got back to the house around one in the morning. Unsurprisingly, most of the household was still awake. We spent almost thirty minutes convincing everyone that we really were married. After some congratulations and a couple commitment lectures, Kevin and I retired for our wedding night.

I woke bright and early in the morning and walked briskly over to my sister's house, after giving Kevin a quick peck on the cheek. I walked up to Krystal's room and found her and her boyfriend, Jason, still asleep. I quietly walked to her side of the bed and nudged her awake. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and I handed her the marriage certificate Kevin and I got as a souvenir for our marriage. We would be getting our real one in the mail.

Krystal stared at the certificate for a few minutes as her eyes adjusted to the light so she could read. She stared at it a moment longer before looking up at me. "Did you already do it or are you going to do it?"
"We already did it, last night." I said.
Krystal was silent for a moment. "Did you tell mom yet?"
"No!"
"You have to call her! Give me a minute to get dressed. I want to be there when you tell her."

I went into my room with the phone while I waited for Krystal. She was more excited than I was to hear our Mother's reaction. When she finally came into my room she had a huge grin on her face. I dialed my Mother's number and waited for her to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Hi Mom. It's Cheri."
"Good Morning, Sheesh."
I smiled at my childhood nickname. I took a deep breath as Krystal leaned closer. "Are you sitting down?"
"Yes?" She said suspiciously.
"Okay, good." Another deep breath. "I got married last night!"
There was only laughter. "Nice try Cheri. You're trying to fool me since it was my birthday yesterday."
Krystal chimed in. "No Mom. She's serious. I saw the marriage certificate.
Silence....."Are you serious?"
"Yes!" Krystal and I said in unison.
"Why would you do that? To who?" She asked. "Cheri got married!" We heard her tell our step father, David. My Mother and Step father both started talking at the same time, obviously upset about how I went about getting married.

Okay Mom has a reason to be upset; I got married on her birthday. Understandable. But why is David upset? He's not my father or anything. I thought to myself as my childhood feelings of dislike towards my Stepfather resurfaced. I had gotten over my dislike of him years ago. I thought of him more as my mother's husband than as a step father, I don't know where he thought he had any say in what I did.

I gave the phone to my sister and let her talk to our mom before she hung up. My sister went back to her room, leaving me to call my Father. I went through the same dialog with my father, only he took it a lot better than my mother had. My step mother gave me her congratulations before I hung up with my father and headed back to my new home, with my new husband.

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NOTE: This is the true story of how I met my husband and how we got married. We are still going strong seven months after our marriage. Kevin and I love each other very much and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together. We just received our wedding rings in January and though we are still living in the same house that I met him at we are hoping to have our own place soon.