HELP- Want to get married in Las vegas in 2010

[pscc]

After 13 years and 3 kids we want to get married in Las Vegas in 2010- and you guessed it it's all down to me to organise and I have no idea where or how to start!
Never been to Vegas or got married before so I have no idea, has anyone got married in vegas?
Can someone please advise me how to go about doing it?
Thanks
XX

nobody???????

We got married in Vegas in 2000, have been back since and my SIL has been last year and is going again so if you want any info regarding nice hotels etc, let me know.

Decide whether you want to go down the whole tacky Vegas wedding thing (Little White Chapel) or whether you want something a bit classier.

We got married in vegas.

Actually ceremony was at the drive thru of the little white wedding chapel. We hired an amazing car and got married in jeans. No family. Cost about $100 (including some photos).

You have to go to the Nevada registry office I think at least 24 hours beforehand to get the license. Cost about $50 I think.

I would try and stay in a central strip hotel. Bellagio $$$$ but looked lovely. We were at the Luxor which was OK but nothing really special.

The night of the wedding we had a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon and then stayed overnight on a ranch on the canyon rim which was amazing. Had horse ride the following morning and saw a mountain lion.

We stayed for about a week (if not 6 days) in total which was plenty really for us - not into gambling in any big way.

Tacky

Was not tacky - was eminently classy.

that's great! Thanks.
pgwithnumber3 I would be grateful for the nice hotels,e.t.c.
Do I need to book anything (besides the hotel0 before I get there- like going to Nevada registry office?
Are there any websites of venues to look at- tried to google but that just confused me even more!
thanks

LOL pooka, mine was tacky, my wedding video looks like CCTV. We said to each other on the way out "where was the videographer we paid for?" - my new husband informed me that the "videographer" was actually a camera in the corner of the room on the ceiling! I have never seen such a bad wedding video. Makes us piss ourselves when we watch it though, all you get it a view of my cleavage.

If you go to Vegas to get married with friends and family you have to make it a bit more of an "affair", there were 16 of us whereas if it just you and the DC, you can do it all very relaxed.

Treasure Island is very nice, central and not OTT expensive. SIL stayed there last year and said it was lovely still, just been refurbished. It really depends on your budget.

This has some info (and links to local websites)
www.confetti.co.uk/article/view/4911-7623-0.do

We flew with Virgin and stayed in a hotel via them as well - might be worth checking their website.

www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/clerk/pages/marriage_information.aspx

I found the above site very useful when we got married there in 2005 We had to be resident in USA for 3 days before we could get married there then, not sure if that is still the case or not?

Warning, the que at the licence office is quite long, take some water to drink, we qued for about 2 hrs, the people in front of us missed their wedding time, as we're trying to do it in a hurry

I don't think we had to be there for a set time before the wedding (in 2002). We went to the office very late and managed to avoid significant queues. And also went in October so not mad busy.

Yeh- not a huge budget- hence why 2010, enough time to try and save (aswell as feeding the extra 3 mouths!!).
Would you do it again- or is it really tacky?
I'm not too bothere where we get married but he wants something to tell the kids about as they get older (3, 20months and 3months), we are past the big white wedding in a church!

thanks for the web links- and Frizbe thanks for the water advise! Might have to leave the kids with PIL!

If you want my honest opinion, no I wouldn't do it in Vegas if I had the chance again. It cost us a small fortune to fly DH's ungrateful family out there and put them up, feed them etc, we might as well have done it here. You could probably get married over here in a nice hotel with a few very close relatives as guests and it be cheaper (especially if the £ doesn't strengthen against the $). Don't let me put you off though!

I'd do it again like a shot. Neither of us wanted a big wedding - we just wanted to slope off and suit ourselves. We told family beforehand though. No one hurt or upset not to have gone.

DD was conceived there as well!

Strangely though I don't have any desire to go back really. Not sure how child-friendly it is really.

That's true PGWN3 - we went by ourselves and my MIL actually ended up paying for flights and accommodation as a wedding present (unsolicited). So was a cheap option for us and a brilliant way of avoiding fuss. If I was having a wedding with guests I think I'd have just gone to the local registry office.

Again - I'm not sure it's a great place for children really.

why dont you get married here for something different/memorable!

My brother and his wife went in 1999 on their own and got married there, brilliant if you are doing it that way as Pooka says but really wouldn't bother if you are going out with a load of family. Its just not special enough (even though I love Vegas, its great fun) as a wedding venue to enjoy with friends and family. There are a lot of prettier and more child friendly places in the UK/World to get married.

it would be very small- just mums, dads, brothers and sisters! But having second thoughts if not very child friendly!

That's all we had, mums, dads, brothers and sisters and their children. There is no where to go in the evening which would really accept small children (they are not allowed in the casinos or bars) so you would end up sat in a restaurant all night. Not particularly enjoyable with 3 DC!

Have a good look around the UK and other places abroad first before you make up your mind. If you didn't have DC, I would say go ahead and enjoy Vegas but it really isn't a place for young children. Get married in Disneyland instead!

We got married in Vegas - like pooka we didn;t want a fuss and didn;t have any family there.
We stayed at the Mirage and there are phones around the casino area which connects you to wedding chapels. You choose time and place, they tell you what to do and send free limo to pick you up (I say free, but they suggest how much you should tip). The place is full of couples getting married and it is very tacky.

Yes, I'd do it again but I would nick pooka's idea of helicopter trip to canyon and staying on ranch .... so romantic.

Agree not great place for children

thanks for all your advise!
Disneyland is not a bad idea! Will have a good re-think (might go another 13 years before we do anything!).
Thanks again.
Xx

We got married in Vegas too (1999). We had 30 friends and relatives come over, we all spend 5 days together. Everyone combined it with something before / after the wedding. People still say it was the best wedding they have ever been to

We got married in the Candlelight chapel, and was a lovely, pretty, but fairly short wedding.

We stayed at 'The Imperial Palace', which is one of the cheaper hotels, but in a really central great postition on the strip. My dad hired one of their rooms for our reception.

dietstartstomorrow- would you do it again with kids in tow?

With kids - ummm not sure. It would definitely be more restricting but if you don't mind missing out on the nights out, then go for it.

We did go back to Vegas with DS1 who was 4 at the time, and we had a lovely week there, but was just different.

Thanks all!
Xx