A Very Vegas Wedding: Why You MUST Get Married in Las Vegas

A few years ago we were invited to my business bestie, Jessie’s wedding to her longtime boyfriend, George Wyman. It was a destination wedding – they were getting married in Las Vegas! 

While I knew I wanted try my hand at a slot machine or two, I started looking into Las Vegas wedding chapels on the strip. Alex and I had already been married in 2014, so this would be a vow renewal in Las Vegas. You know how sometimes you hype an experience up and then it pales against your expectations? That was not the case with our Las Vegas Wedding. 

After doing my research into Vegas wedding chapels, I decided we’d head to A Little White Wedding Chapel. It claimed to be the best place to get married in Vegas and it delivered! Here’s why you must get married in Las Vegas. 

It’s Vegas

When you think of Vegas you think of a few things: gambling, partying, shows and quickie weddings. Why not do it all? 

The Experience

While I am a planner, I decided that to get the real experience I wouldn’t call ahead or make a reservation – which you can totally do in advance. One night after we saw The Beatles LOVE Cirque de Soleil show, we hailed a cab and headed to the Little White Chapel. 

When we got there it was somewhat busy so while I had been interested in the Pink Cadillac Wedding Package, we ended up with The Little White Chapel Package. We were given the option of a religious ceremony or civil. We actually asked the minister, who looked very much like John O’Hurley, to give us the most “Vegas wedding” he could muster. He was a bit surprised at the request, but he did a great job. Since we didn’t bring any witnesses (not needed since we are already married) we did hire their photographer who took pictures before, during and after the ceremony. 

We walked down the aisle together to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” The minister guided us through our vows and we exchanged rings (our own that we had taken off prior to the ceremony). While I thought it would be a corny, somewhat ridiculous experience, I was surprised by how sweet, intimate and touching it felt. 

As for our attire, we traded in white and a suit for a light pink sequined mini dress with fuschia block heels and Bermuda shorts and Sperry’s.

It’s a Semi-Inexpensive Memory to Share

While you can have a big Vegas wedding, packages at A Little White Wedding Chapel start at $50. You can also add on flowers, livestream the ceremony to family and friends, have an Elvis impersonater serenade you as you walk down the aisle, and other fun options. We decided to keep it simple and for under $250 we had our ceremony, had pictures taken and tipped the minister (which is not included in the fees). 

The Celebrity Factor

Many celebs get married in Vegas – and some of them actually stay married! A Little White Wedding Chapel has witnessed the marriages of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prince Jr. as well as Paul Newman and JoAnn Woodward. 

As for those who didn’t go the distance, Britney Spears had her famous Vegas wedding here, Rita Hayworth had one of her weddings here, Mary Tyler Moore married her first husband at the chapel while Mickey Rooney actually had two of his weddings here. Mel Torme and his first wife walked down the aisle, as did Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, and Joan Collins and Peter Holms. Judy Garland, Michael Jordan, and Slash from Guns & Roses all had one of their weddings at A Little White Wedding Chapel. 

As someone who is a bit pop culture obsessed, it was thrilling to be walking down the same aisle as some of my favorite stars. 

I will always remember our Vegas wedding because it was fun, but it also reminded us of our original wedding vows. Though I don’t have to go back to Vegas, if I did I would renew our vows again!

You can check out a complete list of the best wedding chapels in Las Vegas here so that you can have your own Vegas wedding, or host a vow renewal.  

[Disclaimer: Because we’d already been married, we did not need a marriage license. You don’t actually need one if you aren’t married, but it will mean that the marriage will not be official – which may be a good thing for some! But if you haven’t been married and want to make it official, you can apply for a Nevada Marriage License here.]