During a podcast interview with two of our travel specialists, we started talking about weddings in Las Vegas and it got me thinking: why do people get married in Vegas? Is it cheaper, easier, more fun, or does the intoxication of five too many cocktails just obliterate any common sense? Whatever the reason, Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world, so they must be doing something right.
The Graceland Wedding Chapel is marked as a legendary venue (Bon Jovi got hitched there after all) and can record your nuptials for web broadcast so your loved ones back home can enjoy the fun too. Most packages include a DVD of the service or a photo slideshow – ah, everlasting memories! Amongst the bright lights and gambling bustle of this desert city, there are opportunities rife with potential for a wedding that you won’t forget in a hurry.
A brief civil ceremony is the simplest way to do it, and the marriage license only sets you back $50 and a half hour. While the standalone chapels ring most familiar with the postcard image of Vegas, most hotels now have their own chapels, and they tend to be a lot more elaborate. The great thing about the hotel ceremonies is that they can arrange a theme for you. So, if you’re feeling like an Elvis theme would work- go wild. Or maybe a Star Trek affair tickles your fancy. Don’t be shy to request a wedding at the top of the Eiffel Tower. You know, the one in Vegas. It’s just like the real thing, only without the French. Nothing is too weird or wacky or Vegas, the home of the weird and wacky.
Hotels like the Bellagio have consultants that can tailor make your special day to exactly how you want it. Packages can include photographers, flowers, spa treatments, hotel reservations and, if you’re feeling adventurous, a ceremony can be held in Japanese or French. Just make sure you know when to say the ‘I Do’ part. The options are varied and endless and quite bizarre, but one thing for certain is that a wedding in Vegas is going to be completely unique. If you want to know how to do Vegas on the cheap, we already covered it. And just remember: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Les and Arran from the Kenwood Travel sales team discuss weddings and Elvis in Vegas:
Les – Last time I was there they took us to a little chapel and Elvis did the ceremony. He was a great bloke, he really was a nice guy, he loves doing it, marrying people. He looked like Elvis as well. The second time I went, we where going through this arcade and there were this bride and the groom on the stock machine. They’d just been married or going to, but they carried on wearing the wedding dress.