How did self-proclaimed "Sin City" also become the wedding capital of the world? Supposedly the ease and low cost of attaining a marriage license here had caused an increased demand to be married in the area. Operating under a "if you build it, they will come" mentality, Vegas developers capitalized on the increased wedding demand and started concocting plans for every type of wedding venue imaginable.

Now, the venues themselves and their crazy themes are also reasons why Vegas is a popular wedding destination. Do you want to be married by Elvis or Captain Kirk? Here you can be. The Drive-Thru wedding is popular, but so is the Drive-By (the minister rides in on a foldout platform van and pronounces you wedded in the parking lot of your choosing). There are at least one hundred wedding chapels in a ¼ mile block on the north end of the strip. They each offer religious or civil ceremonies (or sometimes both) and some also have venue options such as gazebos and reception halls.

Almost every hotel on the strip has at least one wedding chapel. These tend to be pricier than the stand-alone chapels on the strip, but offer an increasing diversity of options for celebrating the day. I looked through the packages at the Bellagio; their presentation was beautiful and elegant, though in the end I decided to go a different route.

"No waiting, no blood tests." That might as well be a tourist slogan printed on the "Welcome to Vegas" sign on Las Vegas Blvd. It’s true that it’s unbelievably easy to obtain a marriage license in Vegas. We filled out our paper work within 5 minutes, handed the clerk our IDs, and were on our way, license-in-hand, within 10 minutes. The ceremony and subsequent filling-out of the unofficial marriage certificate took another 15 minutes. I believe that the length of our wedding was ideal; my mother-in-law didn’t even have a chance to cry before it was all over. I didn’t even have a chance to be nervous.

Planning a Vegas wedding was not always smooth-sailing though. There were many little wrenches that threw themselves in the works once we arrived in town three days before the wedding. From crazy relatives and trouble-causing friends, to problems with accommodations and dinner dramas; this was one stressful trip!

All-in-all, I probably would still choose to be married in Vegas if given the choice again. I believe eloping would have been easier than inviting my friends and family, but I’m glad that I was able to honor my family’s request to attend my wedding. It was certainly an unforgettable experience.
Quick Tips:
Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve and Numerical Patterned Dates (ie, 07-07-2007, 08-08-2008, etc) are all extremely popular times to get married in Vegas. Sometimes specials are offered for getting married on these dates, but one must remember that most places get completely booked and cannot tolerate instances of lateness and last-minute venue changes on these days.

If you have a large group of friends and relatives making the trip to Vegas for your wedding, you might want to look into possible group airfare rates that some airlines offer.
Best Way To Get Around:
There is plenty of transportation in Las Vegas with the ability to get you to the courthouse if that is your desired destination. Cabs are available at most strip hotels and are just a phone call away otherwise. Limo transportation could also be easily arranged.

We decided to opt for the chapel limo service which sent a car before the ceremony to bring us to the courthouse and then to the chapel from our strip hotel location. This turned out to be a very convenient option and was worth the few extra dollars for an upgraded wedding package from the chapel.

Unless you are using a chapel limo service for courthouse and ceremony, it is recommended that you get your marriage license at the courthouse the day before your ceremony. This is required for almost all hotel weddings since they need the license in hand to issue the certificate. Just something to keep in mind when charting out your timeline for before the wedding.