Why Couples go to Las Vegas to get Married
If you have spent most of your life dreaming of the perfect old-fashioned wedding, with you, a vision in white, floating down the aisle on your father’s arm, to be given away to your prince charming, then a Las Vegas wedding is probably not going to hold much appeal..
However, for brides who are amenable to foregoing the traditional fantasy, in exchange for a stress-free, cost-effective alternative, Las Vegas might be just their cup of tea.
Las Vegas has evolved into the wedding capital of the world. Each year hundreds of thousands of couples opt to travel to “Sin City,” alone, or with their friends and families, to tie the knot and begin their future together in fun-filled, non-traditional style.
Some of the reasons people go to Las Vegas to get married:
- Finances
A traditional wedding today can cost upwards of $20,000. Planning and preparing for the event can take a year or longer. Young couples who do not have the income or patience to plan such a lavish occasion might opt to hold their wedding in Las Vegas, where a deluxe wedding package might cost somewhere in the range of $350.00, including travel expenses and lodging.
Brides have discovered that they can still have their fantasy of walking down the aisle in a white bouffant dress. If they are the more adventuresome type, they can even be accompanied down the aisle by an Elvis Presley look-a like.
Most hotels and wedding chapels in Las Vegas offer cost-effective wedding packages that can be customized to include all the wishes of the bride and groom and then some. The wedding can be planned in advance, from an on-line web-site, so there are no surprises during the actual affair. If family and friends are going to be accompanying the couple, group discounts can be obtained on airline tickets and hotels.
- To accommodate long-distance relatives and friends
If a family is scattered all over the country, a traditional wedding can become expensive for the guests as well as the bride, groom and parents. By holding the wedding in Las Vegas, everyone will potentially spend the same amount on travel and lodging, but a mini-vacation of fun and frolic for everyone can be an additional benefit.
My niece was married at a lovely chapel in Las Vegas and relatives from various locations enjoyed a family reunion, as well as the opportunity to celebrate the bride and groom. It is a memory we all cherish.
- For a low-key ceremony
Often a couple wants to keep the occasion low-key when it is a second wedding for one or both of the individuals. Being married in a charming chapel in Las Vegas is the perfect setting in such a circumstance.
- Quick and Easy
Some people do not like all the fuss and bother surrounding a large wedding and opt to go to Las Vegas and exchange their vows. Their main focus might be on spending the rest of their life together, and beginning as soon as possible. For these individuals, it is a natural progression to fall in love, decide to get married, and elope to Las Vegas. This can be the strategy for the very young and impulsive, and the older, privacy-prone couples.
- To avoid family discord
When a couple comes from diverse backgrounds, with religion or customs that clash, getting married in Las Vegas is a way to avoid the stress and family conflict that might ensue in the process of attempting to please everyone and satisfy the traditions of both families.
Getting married in Las Vegas is a popular trend nowadays and lacks the mythical stigma from years past, when eloping to Las Vegas was considered irresponsible and believed to be a sure sign the marriage would be doomed to fail.
Couples who forego a traditional ceremony, opting for a Las Vegas wedding, have just as valid a license, and potentially just as strong a commitment, plus a fun memory to share with their offspring at their 50th anniversary party, which could potentially take place in Las Vegas.
