Have you ever dreamed of running off to Vegas for a quickie wedding? Or wondered whether people really do that anymore?
Well, I have (wondered…not dreamed about it for myself), and my questions have now been answered! As part of the “Wedding MBA” conference in Las Vegas this week, we were treated to a tour of some of the most popular stand-alone wedding chapels in the city, and it was a real eye-opener. The most surprising part? It wasn’t the pink Cadillac that drove the bride and groom down the aisle, the Elvis impersonators who perform hundreds of weddings a day, or the drive-through lane at another chapel. Nope. The most surprising thing to me was that many of these chapels seem so NORMAL.
We saw chapels that felt like traditional churches, a rustic chapel that looked like it was lifted out of a Tuscan hill town, and another that was a sleek, white space in which any modern bride would feel right at home. We met the wedding planners who work hand-in-hand with out-of-town couples — who often book their Vegas weddings months (or even years) in advance — and we learned that the reasons for a Vegas wedding are as varied as the couples themselves. Some do it to save money, some are seeking a unique and quirky atmosphere, and, yes, some are doing it on the spur of the moment and like the fact that there’s no waiting period or blood test required.
From what I saw, there’s a Las Vegas wedding experience that’s right for just about anyone, and I can’t wait until I can help the right clients plan a “Vegas-tastic” destination wedding of their own!
