Still the One...

I know it's fabulous when you find the one you want to spend your life with and many people found them long ago.  For those lucky people a renewal in Las Vegas can be perfect.  Did you know that every year hundreds of renewals happen in the wedding chapels of Las Vegas?
There is much of the same planning to do as with a regular wedding. With renewals, there can still be beautiful flowers, gowns and suits. The music should be different and its nice when songs are chosen to uniquely fit the couple.  During the ceremony, many of the same words are said.  Some couples even choose to have a sort of dinner party afterwards. It's also very nice when many of the friends and family members old and new attend as well. The main thing to remember is to take along the original marriage license.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day.


Cheers!
Connie

The Best Dress

When looking for a dress there are a few things to consider beyond the beauty of it's form and how it looks on you.  Consider the season, will it be in winter, spring, summer or fall.  Also, check the average temperature during the time you are scheduled to be married, don't assume it will be warm, just because it's a desert.  Consider the venue, will the wedding take place indoors or outdoors?  Will you have to walk outside to get to the chapel?  Just be prepared for the elements. Another thing, some dresses come with what seems like fifty (50) buttons down the backside that sometimes all need to be fastened by someone. The coordinators may not mind; however, it's nice if you have someone to do that for you (preferably not the groom). Consider the length of the aisle you will be walking down, and choose a dress with a train accordingly.  If you have always wanted a dress with a train, I say, go for it!  The wedding coordinators will usually fluff your train for you before you walk down the aisle. The Maid/Matron of honor (if there is one) arranges the train when the bride arrives at the alter and will help her with the train as she turns to walk back down the aisle with the groom.  Just remember you may not want to choose a cathedral length train for a small chapel venue.  When ready to travel, many brides have their dresses packed for shipping to protect them, keeping them from wrinkling and loosing their shape. Should you arrive to Las Vegas and not have a dress, there are many bridal shops in and around Las Vegas. Likewise, there are many formal wear shops that rent not only tuxedos but beautiful wedding gowns too. As with anything else, there are lots of options to consider, just choose the one that you think is fabulous.  

Creativity and Expression

When coordinating so many fabulous weddings  a day I learned to appreciate the creativity and individuality between the weddings.  Even when couples are not trying to be different, there is still something unique that no two weddings share.  Even among twins and twins marrying twins there are two different stories found within the two different couples.  Seriously, there are time constraints to be considered and many facilities are already well decorated, so it's not necessary to plan to decorate the chapel that you will be using. With receptions, however, there is a little more room for self expression and creativity.  Check with the banquet facility that you will be using to see what you can do.

Thank you for reading my blog, have a great weekend.

Cheers!  

A Date to Remember

It may have been mentioned before; however, having a catchy date is one that many people think to be fabulous.  Dates like 9/9/99 or 01/02/03 were wildly busy for weddings.  Although dates like the ones above won't come around again for a very long time, there still is a possibility to chose something neat or easy to remember.  Some couples choose a date that is significant to the relationship, it's the date when they first met, or went to the prom, or something of the kind.  This adds another layer of interest and originality to your story and your very fabulous day.

Enjoy this memorial day weekend.

Cheers,
Connie

Love and Faith

For some their love is fate, for others it has something to do with their faith, and a wedding simply can not be fabulous without some expression of that faith.   It may surprise you; however, the wedding chapels do have ministers of varying denominations with the exception of religions that do not allow weddings outside of their particular church buildings. With time constraints to consider most can not perform a traditional ceremony within the time frame allotted by the wedding chapels. I have worked with Protestants, Methodists, Rabbis, Baptists and varying other types of ministers. The minister's usually speak briefly with couples before the ceremony to get to know them and find out what sort of ceremony they would like.  Most of the time, couples request a non-denominational religious or civil ceremony which is easily accommodated. If there is something special you would like to add to your ceremony, a certain prayer, unity candle or a particular element from your religion,  ask or advise the facility to be sure that it can be added.  Also on rare occasions, brides and grooms travel with their minister who must obtain credentials and the approval of the wedding facility in Las Vegas to be able to perform a ceremony in the vicinity.  The above picture was not photo shopped. I took it about eleven years ago and thought it was fabulous.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and have a great weekend!

What's your tradition?

Jumping the Broom

It could be fabulous to have a traditional wedding in Vegas. It's possible, in the business of weddings it's understood that for some cultures tradition is inextricably tied to the ceremony.  True enough, in Vegas you can get married without any fuss at all and no one will ask of traditions or religion. However, within certain groups the wedding is a mass of traditions and procedures that are performed by specific people at specific times in order for the wedding to be considered valid in their cultures.  In any case it's our duty to accommodated the guest's wishes and desires for their special day to the best of our ability.

A truly international city accommodates all manners of travelers.  Within the Wedding Chapels of Las Vegas you can expect to receive at the very least a wedding that is either civil or generically religious. Generically religious meaning there would be some kind of blessing or prayer offered by the officiant.  Likewise, couples often insert elements of their cultural tradition into the ceremony.  Cultural elements such as unity candles, lassos, monedas, brooms for jumping over and breaking of glass are often brought along to use during the ceremony.  Certain chapels offer additional time to couples that would like to have specific types of ceremonies.  I'll get into specifics at another time.  Just call ahead a make sure that the facility that you will be using knows what you have in mind and I'm sure it will be fabulous!

Shop Around....

Las Vegas has many wedding chapels to choose from and many venues for receptions, wedding dinners and bachelor/bachelorette parties.  If at all possible it is good to actually go and shop around so that you can see all of the options.  Not all of the  hotels have wedding chapels; however, the ones that do are usually very nice.  The higher end hotels have more deluxe chapels.  As far as a reception, I would keep it as close to the wedding venue as possible so that you don't loose too many people to all the excitement.  Many people will come back to ask, "have you seen my uncle so and so?" I think having all your family and friends together at the reception is fabulous.