- Before I met my current husband, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get married.
- After our dog died, he rushed to the courthouse and wanted to get married right away.
- We wanted our wedding to be fun and carefree, just like our relationship.
I never dreamed Wedding Day — Before I met Wade seven and a half years ago, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get married. Our first date was great, but once I finally got the hang of online dating, I wanted to explore more.
“He'd be a great guy for someone else,” I told my best friend.
Still, we continued dating, and our fun, easy-going relationship gave us strong reasons to settle down. Within six weeks, we were exclusive, and within six months, Started living togetherThere was no rush to get married, and years passed with silly trips to Target, trying new restaurants, and TV show marathons together.
Then in the summer of 2022, after we got through the worst of the pandemic, my brother got married, and that was the catalyst. Get your boyfriend to proposeOf course, my answer was yes.
I decided on Las Vegas so I could go with my family.
Still, we rushed Planning a weddingOur beloved dog died in December, and as we grieved the loss, we were acutely aware that time is not infinite. My fiancé wanted to go to court immediately, just us two.
But I felt that it would be unfair to my parents, who had been patiently waiting to celebrate this milestone with me. Plus, there aren't many opportunities in life to get all the loved ones together. Our family lives in Minnesota and Texas, and our closest friends are scattered across the country. Las Vegas seemed like the perfect place. For us to meet.
My fiancé wasn't immediately on board – he enthusiastically recommended a beautiful tennis resort in Phoenix called The Wigwam – so in the end we went with my idea.
I joked that Las Vegas was the right choice because “every relationship is a gamble.” But it seems we're in luck. Neither of us are gamblers, but when we arrived Friday night, WadeAndom Roulette Betting — I bet $100 on the green at 11 to 1 odds (i.e., not good) and won $1,100. It felt like a great omen for our marriage.
I just wanted something fun and easy.
The ethos of planning my wedding was to be fun and carefree, just like our relationship, and I always thought a rushed wedding chapel looked like fun, and what could be more fun than having Elvis officiate your wedding?
I made a reservation Little white chapel We decided to visit the famous Las Vegas wedding venue where stars like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, and Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow have been married, and we decided to get a package that included an Elvis impersonator officiating the ceremony and singing three songs. Our Elvis was, Michael Contidid a great job.
Since we had 36 guests, we upgraded to a larger chapel and got the basic photography package as a backup in case we had an issue with the photographer we hired last minute – luckily there weren't any issues with the photographer. Keith KaplanHe was amazing, and I'm glad I followed my instincts when it came to backing things up. I learned that you can never have too many wedding photos.
Perhaps the best moment of the day was when we pulled up and found our family and close friends gathered outside the Little White Chapel waiting for us. There was a photographer driving and I was busy taking pictures so I don't have any photos of that moment but it's burned into my mind. It was so moving to see all those people that came out to support us and feel their love.
There was accommodation to suit every budget.
The benefits of an overseas wedding Las Vegas With so many cheap flights available and a wide range of accommodation options at various price points, we felt we weren't overburdening our guests.
However, we wanted to make sure our out of town guests were well fed so we booked the 4 course dinner. Joe's Stone CrabThey accommodated us very well despite the miscommunication with the reservation and everyone said the dinner was amazing – I have to take their word for it – I was too excited and couldn't eat much.
Afterwards, we returned to the Mirage where most of our group was staying and enjoyed an amazing afterparty at the Center Bar. I, along with three friends, belted out a live rendition of “Lightning Crashes” along with a live band with a great setlist of young millennials. I was still buzzing when we got back to our hotel room.
“I never knew my wedding would be one of the best days of my life,” I told my husband, and he couldn't agree more, joking, “It was magical.”
meanwhile Average wedding cost nationwide in 2023 Although it cost $35,000, the best thing about our magical wedding was how we were able to keep costs down without sacrificing any of the essentials, like my super cute Anthropologie dress (which was technically designed as a reception dress, but it suited me perfectly.) It only cost me $10,000, which was a relief.
I didn't feel it. cheap wedding; it also felt like a masterpiece to their guests. One of Wade's friends is an art dealer, and his review was, “This was the most fun, laid back wedding I've ever been to. It was amazing. It was just naturally cool.”
When we first started planning, we didn't realize that Las Vegas was the “Wedding Capital of the World,” but now it's easy to see why.
