We Gambled and Had a Las Vegas Wedding!

Getting married over the age of 50 can be a hurdle. Making arrangements for getting married, while almost three hundred miles away, can sometimes be a nightmare. I accomplished both of these feats and wore white too. Looking back, the experience was unforgettable and hectic. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I would do it a bit differently. I became engaged six years ago after meeting my husband on the Internet. Yes we were a match made in cyber-space. Our engagement lasted for a year, while we began planning our dream wedding.

Alright, maybe it was my dream wedding! My soon to be husband, just sat back and let me make the plans. I did ask for his opinions often though, and we both took part in the important choices that were to be made. He gave me an engagement ring on Christmas and we decided that we would get married the following December. We had both had previous marriages, and because of that fact, and the fact that we met on line, we wanted to be sure that we gave ourselves some time to be sure, before tying the proverbial knot. We agreed upon the date. After checking out local spots and the costs involved, we thought that getting married in Las Vegas would be an answer for us. Now the real work would begin. I started checking out wedding venue information, available on various Las Vegas web-sites, on the Internet. There are quite a few. A few places to find wedding info. for Las Vegas is www.lasvegas.com. Many of them list prices for package deals. Some wedding packages include the reception meal and cake.

I ordered our cake from a Las Vegas grocery store, which is located both in Las Vegas and California, so I knew how it would look and taste. I did the ordering over the phone and just had to pick it up the day of our wedding. Our cake was beautiful and delicious. We puchased potted plants from a grocery store, to decorate our suite for our reception. We used poinsettas which were not only seasonal and matched my color scheme but they looked gorgeous too.

I called various beauty salons and arranged for my daughter and I to have our hair done the morning of the wedding. It worked out just fine. If you don't know where to look just check a local phone book or ask someone who lives locally for a recommendation. You may also want to check with the hotel where you are staying. Some hotels have beauty shops on location. Some stylists will even come to your room at your hotel to do your hair and make-up.

I wanted a wedding gown to wear and I began the search for that special dress. Because I am a plus size woman, I was afraid that I wouldn't find anything that i would like. I actually found several beautiful gowns at David's Bridal. I decided to wear white. Yes even at over the age of 50 I wanted to look like a princess for my new husband. Instead of a veil though I chose a small pearl tiara to go along with my gown. I felt beautiful on my special day. Emily Post will not be there and I think we should do what makes us happy and not worry about what is correct. It worked for me. Just remember to buy comfortable shoes. I bought a pair of silk white slippers to wear after the ceremony and I was so happy that I did. Our feet were killing us.

Living only a few hours made it easier for us to find exactly what we wanted for our wedding. Using this advantage we spent a couple of weekends driving to Las Vegas and checking out those infamous wedding chapels. There are as many types of chapels and wedding styles offered in Sin City as there are ages and body types of brides. You can have a theme wedding officiated by Elvis, or you can choose to have a character from Star-Trek carry your flowers for you. You can choose to dress up as a Renaissance princess and have your Knight waiting for you at the end of the aisle and sleep in a castle on your wedding night. Some Vegas wedding packages even include a room for the happy couple to spend their wedding night in. Money and imagination are the only limits you will find when creating your Las Vegas dream wedding. There is truly something for everyone regardless of your budget.

After looking at numerous wedding chapels we agreed on getting hitched at the "Little Chapel of the West." It had historic value being one of the oldest original churches in Las Vegas and it wasn't gaudy. That was really important to me. Some of the chapels actually looked sleazy to me and I couldn't imagine what getting married in one must be like. One actually was located next door to a Porn shop on one side and a cheap motel on the other. This was not what my fiance or I had in mind for our wedding. The chapel that we chose had an old western look to it and I thought it was quite pretty. My children were in my wedding party and my girls wore red dresses in different styles that we had found for a minimal cost. After the wedding and before we went to our suite for cake and champagne we dined at a world famous restaurant that really seemed as though it were on "Top of the World."

We looked through the packages that were offered by The Little Chapel of the West and we picked one that would serve our needs and our budget. We found one package that included all of the flowers that we would need and photography was included. One thing that I didn't count on though was because we had picked a Saturday for our wedding, our service seemed to be done in a hurry and we felt extremely rushed. I had asked if we would be allowed to use Unity candles during our ceremony and was told we could. We were then so hurried, that we never got a chance to use them in our ceremony. We also had been allowed to chose the music that we wanted for the procession. During the ceremony and for the recessional everything was so hurried, that one song was played throughout the service. The staff at the church played the "Wedding March" on an organ ,when we left the church, because they had other people waiting outside to start another ceremony. We received a tape of our wedding, along with some history about the chapel and a bit about Las Vegas too. I still treasure it. Our pictures also turned out quite lovely and we got quite a large assortment. Our friends and family took candid photos of the ceremony and after too.The package deal included the service, use of the chapel for a half hour, organ music if desired, choice of flowers, a tape of the wedding and a limo ride to and from the wedding chapel for one price. We were asked to pay the minister a separate fee and to give the limo driver a tip too. In all our wedding cost $650. If it were possible and I could do it again, I would either pay for an extra half hour at the chapel or pick a week day for the wedding.

We spent our honeymoon in Las Vegas and surrounding areas, seeing the multitude of shows, playing a few slots, and exploring some of the glorious terrain that surrounds Sin City. We even spent one day visiting the near by the local mountains of Mount Charles, where there was quite a bit of snow. It was a wonderful experience where you could choose to be as busy or laid back as you would like. Go ahead and plan the wedding of your dreams. You are never too old to have what you want. With a little luck, you just might win a special Jack-pot. Looking at my husband after almost six years, I know I did.

Sources for this article are: www.lasvegas.com and http://www.vegas.com/weddings/

http://www.littlechurchofthewest.com/