Getting Married In Las Vegas, Low Budget
Written: May 23 '01 (Updated May 23 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Endless Options For Every Budget
Cons: Not A Great Place For A Honeymoon.
The Bottom Line: The wedding was easy to set up, prepare for and ran very smoothly. It might be a little too commercialized for a honeymoon spot.
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| nursefriendly's Full Review: Las Vegas |
My wife and I got married in Las Vegas in April 2001, will focus on a few points in this epinion:
1. Why Las Vegas.
2. Picking out a Wedding Chapel.
3. The Marriage License
4. The Wedding Day.
5. The Photos and Loose Ends.
First, Why Las Vegas.
My wife had been married twice and divorced twice. The thrill of having a traditional wedding had worn off. I would have enjoyed having a traditional wedding, practically though, it wasn’t going to happen.
We were told, and could find by researching the web that Las Vegas had an unlimited number of options for getting married. Both of us had been there previously, and liked checking out the casinos and shows. We set aside a week and started planning.
Second: Picking out a Wedding Chapel.
In Las Vegas, you can get married by a judge, a priest, or Elvis if you choose. We decided on a priest and moved onto the chapel. Online we did a search for Las Vegas and saw some wedding chapels listed on the main page. These were our first stops.
On the wedding chapel sites, we saw full size pictures of the facilities and grounds. Several packages were displayed for each type of chapel and facility.
Each package had optional services and variations of each including:
1. Hotel accommodations for the marriage
2. Limo service to the chapel and back.
3. Flower for the groom and bouquet for the bride.
4. A video of the ceremony.
5. Professional Photo packages.
6. Amount of chapel time needed.
7. Special entertainment packages for the newlyweds.
After reviewing several sites, we went with Little Chapel of The Flowers and a $275 dollar package. Their website is: http://littlechapel.com/
We decided on this one for their affordable package pricing and Victorian Chapel. We also liked the fact that they would broadcast our wedding live on the Internet for our families to watch and make it available for a few months afterwards for $10/viewing.
We paid $175 over the phone and sent the remainder in a check two weeks prior to the wedding.
Third The Marriage License:
In Nevada, Las Vegas you can obtain a marriage license for $35 at a local municipal building downtown. We went the afternoon before our wedding day, spent 20-30 minutes in line/filling out forms and had our license. There is no blood test required prior to marriage as in some other states.
We were surprised that there were over thirty couples in line before us when we got there. We were told this is not uncommon and that on some days the line is out the door.
Fourth: The Wedding Day.
When we arrived in Las Vegas, we called the chapel, told them which hotel/room we’d be staying in. They asked us to be ready an hour before our scheduled wedding time, and that we’d get a call from the Limo driver telling us which hotel entrance to meet them at and what time we’d be picked up. They also stated that we’d need to have our wedding license “in hand.” (apparently some people forget and you cannot be married without one).
We stayed at the MGM Grand and my wife had her last minute preparations taken care of at the Salon in the hotel.
On the wedding day, we received our phone call like clockwork an hour before and the Limo arrived shortly after. At the chapel, we led in to meet the priest and he described the ceremony, asked us our preferences and answered our questions. Within 15 minutes we were ready and asked to proceed to the chapel for the ceremony.
After the ceremony was over, the photographer took a few shots in the chapel. We received our video and were led out to the chapel grounds for more pictures. The Limo driver was there and brought us back to the hotel when we were ready. Along the way, we watched our wedding video.
Fifth: The Photos and Loose Ends.
We went back the next day for the photos and sent in a request for a “certified copy” of our marriage license to the State of Nevada.
The photos were “OK.” We only decided to purchase a few. Additional photos had been taken and were available for purchase at $5 per pop. For the negatives of the photos, they were asking $200. They told us the price would go down to $95 in six months.
The video was also just "ok" looked liked a copy of a video more than a professionally prepared one. Looks like we got what we paid for. . .
Summary:
The wedding was easy to set up, prepare for and ran very smoothly. If you’ve ever spent time in Las Vegas, you’ll know that there are shows galore, restaurants to eat at and things to do for every budget. It might be a little too commercialized for a honeymoon spot. For that reason, I’d recommend you look to other places to honeymoon after getting married in Las Vegas.
Sincerely,
Andrew Lopez, BS RN (epinions “nursefriendly”)
http://nursefriendly.epinions.com/user-nursefriendly
The Nursefriendly National Nursing & Consumer Healthcare Directories
http://www.nursefriendly.com, andypulse2@aol.com ICQ #6116137, AOL “andypulse2”
867 Dante Court, Mantua New Jersey 08051
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618
Your Online Nursing Resource For Information & Business Opportunities You Can Put To Use Today
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
nursefriendly
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Member: Andrew Lopez, BS RN, Nursefriendly, Inc.
Location: Mantua, New Jersey
Reviews written: 66
Trusted by: 72 members
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