Why Vegas?

mwkoby

I know there are some locals on this board but I think majority are doing destination weddings.  No one here is doing the stereotypical Vegas wedding.  I know I've gotten some strange looks from people when I've said I'm getting married in Vegas.  They automatically assume we're getting married by Elvis in a drive-thru and it's just going to be the two of us.  So just wondering, what made you choose Vegas?

MNVegas

We wanted to avoid family drama and the stress of planning a big wedding. Vegas wedding was perfect for us! We had everything we wanted and more.

aerinpegadrak

It was a central location for my widespread family that was cheaper and easier for everyone to travel to, and it allowed our budget to go a lot further than it would have here in SoCal or in our original destination of Yosemite.

mwkoby

I'll start by answering my own question...

We wanted to get married on a beach in Mexico, or something along those lines.  My family was totally game for it but his, not so much.  They were completely opposed to the idea, mostly because of money and his family aren't really big travellers.  I live in Canada, FI in the US so it would have been a destination wedding for one of our families anyway. Shortly after we were engaged, someone mentioned the beach at MB.  Although we were engaged in Vegas in April, we didn't realize there was a beach there.  We figured it was a good compromise.  We got our beach, although man-made, and it's a cheap destination for everyone who wants to attend.  Once we saw pictures and starting planning, I realized I wouldn't have it any other way now.  We were engaged on the 16th and we're getting married there just short of one year later, on the 10th.

smokeybailey

We love vegas.  We go there at least 3 times a year (which is more often than many places we visit it at home).  We love to gamble and drink so it works well for us.

There are also tons of inexpensive rooms, direct flights for our guests, and lots to do.

It doesn't affect the type of wedding or cost for us.  We will spend the same amount locally as we will there and our invite list does not change at all. 

mwkoby

Wow, you ladies are fast!  You beat me to being the first!  I'll have to second the point on stress.  I have had very little stress about and it was only right in the beginning when we were having a few issues securing our location and some FSIL drama.  Other than that, it's been totally stress free!

smokeybailey

Question-how is planning a long distance wedding in Vegas less stressful than planning locally?  I am still deciding between a local venue and a Vegas venue and I simply don't see how it's easier to plan there.  I also don't see how it's cheaper there either.

Just curious.  I'm not saying that it's NOT less stressful for you but I am just wondering how that is.  For me, it's super easy to pop by local venue for questions.  That's one of the "cons" for Vegas, actually.

mwkoby

I was actually surprised at the fact that it's been stress-free because I'm a bit of a control freak and a natural stresser.  At my venue, I'm not allowed to have outside vendors so I didn't have to worry about shopping around for a photog (not for the ceremony anyway) or florist.  I find that because my mom or WP are all at just as much of a distance as I am and no one knows the venues really well, no one tries to get too involved and push their ideas or opinions.  That's just my feeling.  I know some people would stress more if they weren't able to go and see absolutely everything ahead of time.  I went down in Oct and met with my WP and any small doubts that I had before that were completely gone.  She definitely made me feel even more at ease and I know that she understands what our vision for the day is now.

red1115

Both Elvis and Poker played a major role in our courtship.  Throw in the fact that I used to live in Vegas when I worked for MGM, it's got an Int'l Airport for our guests coming in from overseas and it smells better than certain parts of the French Quarter and well, I can't imagine us getting married anywhere else!

oh and don't worry  - even my afther asked if it was going to be a Drive thru wedding with Elvis! <sigh />

lforgm

We decided on a Vegas wedding so both sides of the family can travel. My family is from California and his family is from Illinois.

ricekim

Fun! I wanted to remember the details of my wedding day and have fun with the smalll number of guests attending.

I also like being able to choose a venue with a wedding package. Ceremony/flowers/photographer. And so far it has been so much cheaper even considering flights/hotels etc.

stinkerbell6879

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_vegas-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:6e0e355a-c0d5-42ca-a484-02e5bbfa139cPost:90995293-f443-4257-a202-03c9d1dae8a4">Re: Why Vegas?</a>:
[QUOTE]Question-how is planning a long distance wedding in Vegas less stressful than planning locally?  I am still deciding between a local venue and a Vegas venue and I simply don't see how it's easier to plan there.  I also don't see how it's cheaper there either. Just curious.  I'm not saying that it's NOT less stressful for you but I am just wondering how that is.  For me, it's super easy to pop by local venue for questions.  That's one of the "cons" for Vegas, actually.
Posted by smokeybailey[/QUOTE]

It was less stress because I did not have the option to deal with all of the little details that would have driven me crazy at home. I too think that we could have spent as much in CA, but not as nice of a venue. I also was able to keep the guest list in control because I always had the "It's in Vegas....we are keeping it small" line :)

ltbatts

I didn't want to deal with the stress of a wedding. If I have a local wedding we would end up with at least 250 people and spending a lot of money.

TheEncoreBride

We thought it would be easy and fast! By then, we opened it up to guests....It wasn't so fast and cheap anymore but we're spending much less than a wedding back home. Not to mention the place is fun, all of our friends are so excited about Vegas, our families on the other hand...

queenklm33

I just wanted to say I am having the stereotypical Vegas wedding.  FI and I are both in our 30's, could care less about  the ceremony and purposefully found the cheesiest Elvis ceremony possible to invite our family too.
We actually have a lot of people laugh when we tell them that is what we have planned LOL

LilMissScareAll

Our first vacation together, Ben took me to Vegas and I fell in love with the city. We go to Vegas several times a year.
My family lives in IL, NJ, SC, & KY. His family lives in CA, NY, & Puerto Rico. No matter where we had the wedding, something like 80% of the people would have to travel.Vegas tends to have good deals on flights and hotel rooms. SoCal would be super expense for us and for our guests.
Budget and guest list would stay them same no matter where we held it, but Vegas will give us more for our dollar.

vegasgroom

FI and I love gambling, drinking, partying and Vegas.  FI always dreamed of getting married in a church, I don't go to church and was not really fond of that idea so it didn't take too much work convincing her we could have an over the top wedding in Vegas instead lol.

Regarding expenses, I don't see how it would be less expensive in Vegas unless you're from a small town; everything near the strip costs a lot more than anything I could do here in Tampa so going to Vegas was definitely not about saving money.

j_jaye

Um we are doing the stereotypical vegas wedding! The main reason is that since I was about 8 years old I have said I was going to get married in Vegas by Elvis and it truely is a me kind of wedding! FI was just happen to get the chance to go to Vegas! Also I am sooooo no the princess wedding type- our other thoughts for a destination wedding were Bali, Thailand or Fiji but everyone here does that and I wanted a wedding that everyone would remember as different.

For us it is both cheaper (a lot cheaper to be exact) and more stress free even with the massive airfares. However we fully acknowledge that for our guests it is way more expensive than attending a wedding at home but that doesn't actually seem to be stopping anyone from attending! We just sent out our save the dates and have had about 40 of our 60 guests tell us they have already put in the request for holidays! 

Gribbles

FI and I love to travel, and as I am a travel agent I have found it pretty easy to organise and get good deals.

It is also a halfway point between the UK and Australia, where our respective families live, so it seems fairer this way and is a little bit symbolic!

Our money is also going a LOT further by getting married in Vegas and it is easy to incorporate the wow factor cheaply.

It is more than a wedding for us - it is also the first time our families will meet and spend time together, as well as a massive holiday that everyone is getting really excited about!

RachNRich

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_vegas-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:6e0e355a-c0d5-42ca-a484-02e5bbfa139cPost:7afcd441-0e8e-4aa8-903a-a5efc91395a2">Re: Why Vegas?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>It was a central location for my widespread family that was cheaper and easier for everyone to travel to, </strong>and it allowed our budget to go a lot further than it would have here in SoCal or in our original destination of Yosemite.
Posted by aerinpegadrak[/QUOTE]

<div>Ditto aerin's bolded part.</div><div>
</div><div>We thought the cost and convenience factor would bring more people to Vegas than it would have to Ohio. Plus, we love Vegas!</div>

ebonyivory10

We love Vegas, it's laid back, there's so much to do and it was also centrally located for many of our guests.

For us, Vegas was much less expensive than a wedding at home. For one, the guest list would have been nearly three times as large, which would have cost much more for our reception. I know some people are inviting the same amount of people to Vegas as they would have at home, unfortunately we couldn't do that - that was a huge deciding factor. We don't live in a small town, but to get the type of quality we had in Vegas for almost 150-200 people would have been a lot more.

For our ceremony, there was no place as nice as what we had in Vegas for a reasonable cost. The fact that our ceremony package was almost all-inclusive (flowers, officiant, music, etc) cut the cost down dramatically.

dianaslik

My FI really wanted an "unconventional"/non-traditional wedding (heck, he practically wanted to elope - but knew I wanted an actual wedding, with friends & family)... Ironically, he doesn't drink much and doesn't gamble (and is a huge Elvis fan, who dislikes Elvis impersonators), but suggested Vegas!  It was a great way for both of us to get what we wanted.
The ease of picking a package at a casino (Flamingo for us) in many ways is going to keep costs down - even with having the at home reception.
Oh, yeah - and it will be FUN!
(my sister got married last year and had a pretty traditional wedding: Catholic cathedral, buffet dinner and wedding DJ - so this will also be a nice contrast for my family and some of our friends)

amityr1976

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_vegas-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:6e0e355a-c0d5-42ca-a484-02e5bbfa139cPost:1d03bed1-c070-4641-97d8-072032b1b304">Re: Why Vegas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Why Vegas? : It was less stress because I did not have the option to deal with all of the little details that would have driven me crazy at home. I too think that we could have spent as much in CA, but not as nice of a venue. I also was able to keep the guest list in control because I always had the "It's in Vegas....we are keeping it small" line :)
Posted by stinkerbell6879[/QUOTE]

Ditto!!!

Natrasha

For us it was the fun factor. We always have a blast when we go to Vegas, and I love the feeling of no responsibilities in the city. It would also be cheaper for our guests than somewhere beachy.

We have been engaged for well over two years (first there was family divorce drama, and then my sister got married this past summer and we have family that has to travel from out of the country, so I had to give them a year to come back) and we want to make the wait worth everyone's while by throwing an awesome party. We always have people tell us they want to see Vegas, so this gives them an excuse that they might not otherwise have.

It is not cheaper and it seems like it won't be less stress, because we have at least 100 people who are very interested in coming. But it will be more fun and hopefully something they will all remember.

wiwicaty

We don't gamble and I don't drink but boy, do I love Vegas!! We were there for the first time last year, stayed for a week and had a total blast! William immediately said that the Wynn would have been a great location for our wedding. I guess it's cheaper than doing it in NYC and it's sure cheaper than doing it in Rome but regardless, we knew it was going to be in Vegas. I love the fact that is completely out of the ordinary and if our guests can afford to come - great, otherwise it will be just us and our 2 BFs. I haven't gotten much of a feedback so far but as far as our families are concerned they are absolutely flabbergasted that we're getting married in Las Vegas, lol. 

Lwinter829

We chose Vegas because we have never been on a "real" vacation together... yes we go up north and visit his parents/siblings, but we always stay in MI. This was the perfect opportunity to go on a vacation, get married and celebrate, and be on a honeymoon all in the same trip... Yeah... I'll take it! Plus I am not into planning a wedding, I love the fact that the wedding planner does everything and asks me Pink or Red (or any other color).... it's nice and stress free. The money factor played a part as well, My FI sister just got married in MI and her wedding was pretty low key (nothing to fancy except her dress), but they spent a TON of money on it... and now they are playing catch-up because they are pregnant now.. that alone made me say yes to Vegas and saving money,, CHA-CHING!!!

We are also a different kind of couple we do things differently then most do, so why not have a different kind of wedding...? Getting married in a Shark Reef at 9 A.M in Vegas, and only 10 guest's can see the wedding. Sounds good to me.... and if there are only 10 guest's, that keeps the family drama to a minimum. HAHAHA.

aegrish

Smokey Bailey- I kind of agree with you!  My month or so of planning has been kind of stressful and I agree, Vegas is costing us close to what a traditional wedding would, but we will be able to have better venues, food, etc. for less guests vs a local wedding where we would have more guests but not be able to have as nice of dinner.

We also inititally wanted to have our wedding in Mexico but have other friends that are planning to go there for  their wedding and guests are getting too nervous to stay there, even though its in a tourist area.

missjets

I was never the girl who dreamed about her wedding day. I'm 28 and have been with my FI for almost 11 years and we've been common law for 10 years now. We didnt want to get married because it was the next step, we wanted to do it because we were both positive that this was it, forever. Took a while but we're finally both there. Anyways, I've always felt that marriage is between the 2 people tying the knot - not my second cousins, or my old friends from school, co workers, ect. Vegas gives us the right to have an intimate setting with only the people we feel are important to us. It's not traditional, and neither are we. The city has a hum that makes me feel good, like something new is right around the corner. I dont really know how to describe it.

Money isnt really a factor, we would have spent the same amount here, but then we would have received presentation - which we are declining because I feel our guests are giving us the gift of their presence.

Charity

Olivea12

I wasn't the planning kind of bride.  I wanted to go somewhere that had comprehensive packages so I wouldn;t have to contact a bunch of different vendors.  I also had planned a big wedding in my hometown, but had to cancel it.  We were either going for the Bahamas or Vegas, and Vegas won out!

impslave

As locals, our first version of our wedding plans was for us to have our ceremony and reception in a really nice venue that was nowhere near the Strip.  But our plans changed when we cut our budget down after I was laid off and DH was reassigned.

We then decided that for price and convenience, we would go with a Strip hotel package.  After checking out each hotel online, we were able to narrow down our options based on our budget.  We then scouted each of the hotels on our list and eventually chose Mandalay Bay.

I'm not a control freak, so I loved the idea that I could pretty much pick a day to get married, show up at the right time and everything would be taken care of for me.  If anything, that's a really big plus to having a wedding in Vegas.

tlbattaglia

We both love Vegas.  And we go there once a year together.  We also wanted a DW.  So the choice was easy for us.