Love in Las Vegas

Article by: Vivek Wagle, February 2008

It probably wasn't the strangest thing that had happened that night. In happy ignorance, I had hit Sin City during one of its most wedding-intensive weekends ever: July 7, 2007. Or - in the glazed eyes of habitual slots players - lucky 7/7/7.

On an average day, 250 happy (or disastrously inebriated) couples get married in Vegas. That Saturday, the number had blown out to over 3000. The Strip was overflowing with bridesmaids in taffeta nightmares and men in penguin suits. As I waited to be launched into the air on the terrifying rides at the Stratosphere, I noticed an entire wedding party behind me. The elevator guy giddily informed me that there had been more than 70 weddings performed in that hotel alone that day. (A normal weekend sees two or three weddings, with a side of vertigo, at the Strat.)

A Vegas wedding has become a cliché, yet the city remains a powerful magnet for the soon-to-be betrothed. One reason is that it's incredibly easy to get married here: no blood tests, no waiting period and - until just recently - no proof of identity required.

A Vegas wedding is just plain fun. Where else in the world could you get married by a Klingon for 500 earth dollars?

Another reason is that the city's massive wedding-related infrastructure makes for minimal hassle. If you're eloping, you can simply drop a couple of twenties at your friendly neighbourhood chapel and have the deed done almost instantly ('You may now kiss the bride, and here's $10 in free chips,' noted the minister who performed Homer and Marge's ceremony in The Simpsons). If you want a massive affair, you can head for the major Strip hotel-casinos, where purchasing a package gets you free use of wedding consultants and planners.

Most importantly, though, a Vegas wedding is just plain fun. Where else in the world could you get married by a Klingon for the sum of 500 earth dollars? Where outside Vegas could you indulge your lust for blood and sanction your lust for your partner at the same time? And, of course, there's Elvis. He's everywhere, apparently, but at the grammatically-challenged A Elvis Chapel, he'll walk you down the aisle, perform a full set of songs and even stream your ceremony live on the internet. Matrimony doesn't get any better.

If you're eloping, you can simply drop a couple of twenties at your friendly neighbourhood chapel and have the deed done almost instantly.

That is, unless you want to drop some serious cash. Vegas nuptials don't have to be all flippant fun and games. The higher-end establishments will provide you with all the sumptuous indulgences of a traditional wedding, including a planned ceremony, catering, entertainment and use of the honeymoon suite. At the Bellagio, they'll even get the fountain to dance during your first kiss for a mere $1800 extra. No wonder the city has hosted a slew of celebrity weddings, right from Zsa Zsa Gabor's first to Dennis Rodman's latest - Carmen Electra.

The final advantage of a Vegas wedding is the honeymoon. The morning after, you can breakfast on croissants in a French bakery, while away the day on a Venetian gondola, and catch a show inside an 'ancient' Egyptian pyramid. Or, if you've tired of the city's charms, you can hop and skip away to the Valley of Fires State Park, surround yourself with splendour at Bryce Canyon, or simply stare into the breathtaking abyss (by no means a metaphor for married life!) of the Grand Canyon.

Then again, you could just remain holed up in your room with a case of champagne, in a perpetual state of bliss.

Just watch out for exhausted travel writers in the corridors.