How to plan a Vegas wedding

Some people here may push the idea that elopement means no guests. The meaning has been evolving to include small informal marriage events.

The problem of doing the wedding outside of the states is that the marriage may not be accepted by the states as an official one. Then if you marry at the US Virgin Islands, the wedding would be recognized but the wife is "required" to take the surname of the husband. I'm not sure how that name change is supposed to happen.

A state-accepted wedding in Mexico then would be a bit more complicated where you get birth certificates translated and other details within their system.

So it is cleaner to have the wedding event in the states.

I too am planning a wedding in Vegas, and I think it's an ideal choice for people doing micro-weddings (I am actually one of those people who reject the "E" word because it generates a lot of negativity, particularly with older relatives).

Michael has some great points as to the Mexican or Caribbean options so I'll not touch on that, but let me share what pros and cons I've experienced with planning for Vegas:

PROS

1) Variety. People assume it's all cheese and debauchery to get married in Vegas, but the Elvis impersonator officiant isn't as common as you think. You can get married in a variety of venues and formats, and with Vegas really mastering the wedding industry, if it's doable, it's probably here. Chapel settings, beautiful outdoor locales, vintage/retro, five star glam, there is so so much to pick from. We're getting married at a farm in North Vegas just 20 minutes from our Strip hotel. Yes, a farm. In an olive grove. Literally any option is here.

2) Quality. Again you're dealing with a massive wedding ecosystem so if you're going with vendors who are from the area, you're going to get really great outcomes. The photographers are especially good, just one quick search on IG will attest to that. And micro-wedding companies keep a working list of these vendors on their roster, so definitely take advantage of them.

3) Base of operations. If you have relatives from all corners of the country (or globe, in my case), moving to a destination really allows everyone to share in the vacation. It's a win for destination weddings as a whole, to be fair, but given enough shopping and advance planning, you'll be able to secure a great hotel stay with higher end accommodations than something fiscally comparable in, say, the Caribbean. Not that it's economically feasible for everyone to travel, just saying as far as hotels go, you're unlikely to get as good a deal at a resort in Ixtapa (as someone who works in the hotel industry, trust me on this one).

4) Efficiency. In a town that runs 24/7, I'm surprised the marriage license office even closes: though it's only from midnight to 8am, so there's a lot of wiggle room there. Vegas is used to the load of people coming in to get married and have a well-oiled system for doing the legal stuff. You submit your paperwork online well in advance, then when you get there, you go into the office with $102 bucks in cash and they give you the license to present to your officiant. After the wedding, the certificate is mailed to you in about a week. Easy peasy.

CONS

1) Price. Destinations are always expensive and Vegas isn't necessarily an exception. What you save on hotels, you might lose on eating out and just flying there (though domestic flights to Vegas are usually not so bad, coming from out of country can get a bit pricey). Also, know Vegas peak times. Spring and autumn are peak times to get married in vegas, or just visit, so hotel rooms go way up in price.

2) The weather. If you don't want to brave the pricing of the peak seasons, then you're going to have to brave the sun. Getting married in a Vegas summer is only really ideal if you plan on doing an indoor venue (or heading to the mountains for a snowy wedding--yep, I wasn't kidding about the variety, because that's entirely doable near Vegas too). Even then, commuting to and from your venue leaves you susceptible to the elements, so hydration and minding any older relatives is going to be key.

3) The Grand Prix. I hate pointing this out because it already frustrates me to think about regarding our wedding in October but Vegas signed a three year contract with Formula 1 to host an annual Grand Prix each November. The first one was last year and it completely shut the Strip down, turned the road into a racetrack, boarding off beautiful sights, even building a grandstand along the front of the Bellagio fountains. If seeing the sights isn't a big deal, then the routing and difficulty getting an Uber to take you somewhere efficiently, might drive you insane instead. I have my fingers crossed they'll do better this year, having learned from their mistakes. Apparently they started constructing things as early as August 2023, and takedown lasted until the end of the year. Personally if I were you I'd shoot for spring on the Strip or pick a location outside Vegas instead. The JW Marriott in Summerlin is a very popular venue and it's 20 minutes west.

There's a lot more to share but that's a starting point. Personally I think the pros far outweigh the cons and I would encourage anyone looking into a small wedding to consider Vegas. Just know the facts to make an informed choice about when, and where. That being said, feel free to DM me if you want someone to bounce ideas off of. Good luck!