Should we go to Vegas?
stewiegriffin4president asked:
We have been engaged since February but we are planning to get married in October 2008. As much as I’d like a traditional church wedding, my family and friends are scattered about, as are his, and I’m afraid we won’t have much turn out in a traditional wedding anyway. Plus, I’m not too keen on dealing with all the pre-wedding drama that is often involved with having bridesmaids and all that crap. But, at the same time, I do want our immediate family and maybe our closest 2 friends involved. We’ve been toying with the idea of a Vegas wedding. So what are the pros and cons of Vegas versus the pros and cons of a traditional affair? Basically, which type of wedding is easiest to plan and pull off? Because I don’t want to be a Bridezilla!!!! So what is your advice for me? What should I do?
Jeff
We have been engaged since February but we are planning to get married in October 2008. As much as I’d like a traditional church wedding, my family and friends are scattered about, as are his, and I’m afraid we won’t have much turn out in a traditional wedding anyway. Plus, I’m not too keen on dealing with all the pre-wedding drama that is often involved with having bridesmaids and all that crap. But, at the same time, I do want our immediate family and maybe our closest 2 friends involved. We’ve been toying with the idea of a Vegas wedding. So what are the pros and cons of Vegas versus the pros and cons of a traditional affair? Basically, which type of wedding is easiest to plan and pull off? Because I don’t want to be a Bridezilla!!!! So what is your advice for me? What should I do?
Jeff
March 30th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Florence
I started planning a huge traditional wedding, then got cold feet and called it off. I eventually got married in Vegas, it was most definitely easier to pull off. The cons are you only have the people that show up, but that is also a pro because it was way more intimate. You can still have a very lavish wedding there, it’s not just little chapels on the strip.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 am
Monica
regardless of whether you go to vegas you can plan a simple, small wedding. Vegas, however, would probably be much easier, as they would plan it all for you, or you could walk into a chapel, and get married. I love destination weddings, I am doing one in TN. Good luck!
April 5th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Alma
The quicker you can plan your wedding and everything that goes along with it the less of a chance you will turn into a bridezilla. Sounds to me like you want certain people to be there so I would talk to both of your families and explain that you two would rather do something small with just the family and your best friends. I am sure that they will be happy as long as you two are happy. As far as planning a Vegas wedding I am not sure what needs to go into it. However, if you plan on having your family there and closest friends then you also have to make sure these people are willing to pay to fly out there, pay for hotels, and other expenses. You also have to make sure that all these people will be able to take the time off work to be there for you.
April 8th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Edwin
If you wish to avoid the big formal wedding and all the hassles thereof, go to Vegas…but, take lots of pics and have a big party when you return. Planning a reception bash in celebration still would allow people to come, they still send gifts, but there’s not the same pressure to be there if they can’t make it. Plus, you get married in a simpler way but still get to celebrate the marriage with friends and family later!
April 11th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Evelyn
Yes you should go to Vegas–or somewhere like Vegas. Traditional weddings can sometimes be too much and if all you want is a few friends and family then you should definitly do a destination wedding. They are so exciting and so personal–You and your man have already made the decision to wed so there is no problem with having a quicky ceremony–because you are both responsible adults—the only problem I can see with it is your other family members may be upset because you chose to leave and not bring them—even if your not too close to them—-everyone loves a wedding!!
April 13th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Deborah
Have a destination wedding. Just because you go away, doesn’t mean that your family can’t come too. There are lots of good places to get married.
You could get married on a cruise.
You could go to Vegas and do the whole tacky Elvis thing. There are some beautiful places to get married there, that aren’t in a casino. Friends of ours got married in Red Rock Canyon. It’s still one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to. There were 8 of us in this awesome canyon. You can get married in the Valley of Fire, Lake Mead, there are a bunch of places that aren’t tacky.
You could go to Scotland and get married at Gretna Green.
You could go to a Caribbean island and get married on the beach.
You could go to the Outer Banks and get married on the beach.
You can get married in the mountains of Tennesee. I suggest going to a place where you would like to honeymoon. It’s not hard to do. Once you decide where you want to have the wedding contact the venue and they’ll work with you to plan a beautiful wedding. There are trained professionals who deal with this stuff everyday, especially if you pick a popular wedding destination. Good Luck.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Judy
a Vegas Wedding is Ausome
April 16th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Rachel
My advise to you is that you should get married in a church wedding. It doesnt have to be anything extravegant. You can still do the whole Vegas thing because that’s what I would suggest for you instead of a big wedding. They have weddings there already planned and ready to go, all they need are the bride and groom. But then when you get back from Las Vegas before you start living together, you need to go to your church and get married with God’s Blessing.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Monica
I’m with the first persons response. I did the same thing…had a huge destination wedding planned in San Juan…chickened out and got married in Vegas. I have slight social anxiety and just kept thinking about how i would have to put on a show for all 200 guests…it freaked me out , lol. Vegas was fun…it was just as emotional as a traditional wedding , maybe even more so because it’s intimate , my only advice would be to not do it at a local chapel. I did and I regret it. The week following our marriage , we stayed at the Bellagio and I saw so many weddings..they were beautiful. I would suggest that , a wedding at a nice hotel , you still get the elegance without all the drama.
April 20th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Tommy
No matter what kind of wedding you are planning you are going to get the pre-wedding drama. I am getting married in vegas a month after you will get married, and trust me its no easier or that much cheaper. However theknot.com has a vegas/taho chat area that is extremely helpful. lasvegasbride.com is also very helpful. For us, we wouldn’t go any other way as we are a fun couple and that traditional frilly wedding isn’t for us. I have tons of other saved sites if you want to contact me personally, I believe my email is in my profile. But even with that said, I’m enjoying every minute of planning…so just go with what you feel you want, and then go from there…not necessarily the easiest thing.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:16 am
Darryl
Vegas, baby!
There are plenty of fully planned packages to suit pretty much anyone’s needs. I felt the same way that you do. So, my fiance and I booked a package in Vegas, and we will have 30 guests total. (You don’t need to have that many, of course.) I have had the whole trip planned out with 6 months to spare. It is so nice to not stress out about our wedding!
Vegas is not all about little white chapels and Elvis weddings, either. If you can dream it, Vegas can do it.
We’re getting married this October in the valley of fire. Check it out:
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Cody
If you’re seriously thinking about having a wedding in Vegas, unless you want to just elope or drive-thru you should call the place you would like to do it and find out if they have any openings, because I got engaged the beginning of this month and our coordinator from Vegas told us that if we wanted to be married in April of next year that we shouldn’t schedule any later then June, because they get booked fast.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Marcus
I have to agree with Shauna - I’m getting married this September at the Flamingo and am thrilled - Everything is included, I didn’t have to decide about anything except music and flowers - The hotels all have all-inclusive packages and the co-ordinaters do this all the time, so they know what they are doing - One of my co-workers just got married at the Flamingo with the same packaging and chapel that I have chosen and he said everything was perfect - Just remember to plan enough time to pick up your license beforehand (the clerk said first thing in the morning - 8:00am is the fastest - took us 15 minutes including finding parking - we picked ours up last week, but anything after 10:00 am can take up to 3 hours!)
Good Luck!
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:47 am
Jonathan
Of course it’s your choice, and what the two of you can afford yourselves for the wedding may decide this.
I just know from reading on here, that many couples regret destination weddings LATER - even though at the time the wedding was what they thought they wanted. It seems to be they regret it just because they don’t have all their family and friends celebrating with them, and then want a “second wedding”, which is just crazy.
You wouldn’t have to have a big blowout wedding, just a small one with family and close friends if you went the traditional route. There’s no need to pre-suppose drama!
Whatever you decide, good luck to you!
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Jo
We got marriaged in Vegas June 2004. The best thing we ever did. You dont have to have the tacky “Elvis” wedding hteme. We have a very nice Celtic ceremony in a chapel, and the limo took us and our family members to a great restaurant afterwards. Then we all got changed in more comfortable clothes and hit the town. The people at A Special Memories Chapel were so helpful, I told them what I wanted, and they took care of all the details for me, it was perfect! Very affordable too. Preacher, Flowers, Limo, Photos, Video, Ceremony, and tips totaled about $700.