When you hear the words “Las Vegas elopement,” you think of a tacky drive-through chapel, a runaway bride with an Elvis impersonator officiating. But in this post, I’ll show you how to elope in Vegas with style – it’s easy and fun too!
Las Vegas doesn’t need an introduction. It’s unique, exciting, and fun, offering loads of entertainment, especially if you stay for your honeymoon.
You can get a marriage license in a matter of hours, but for a classy elopement, avoid last-minute reservations. The further ahead you plan ahead, the less stress you’ll have.
Forget the strip with its traditional mega-resorts. Elopements are about intimacy. Instead, get of town and head to the desert. In fifteen minutes, you’ll leave the neon lights behind you, and bathe in the warm sun reflecting off the Sierra Nevada mountains. Just you, your beloved, and a breathtaking location.
If you like, after the ceremony, you can return to the strip for iconic newly-wed photos.
That’s what Katie and Anthony did after their ultra-chic wedding, attended by close family.
I’m all about chic, classy and romantic elopements, but I’m not keen on so-called “adventure elopements.” What’s romantic about hiking for miles on your wedding day?
I love elopements in exquisite natural settings and scout out beautiful locations around the world. But let’s keep the romance intact and save the hiking for the honeymoon… maybe.
HOW TO ELOPE IN VEGAS WITH STYLE
For a classy and stylish elopement, I like to include the same elements used in more formal weddings, such as an amazing officiant, cake cutting, first dance, champagne toast, gourmet dinner, gorgeous florals, and candlelit tables. But for an intimate elopement, you’ll want to keep it on a smaller scale without losing any of the sense of moment and style. Incorporate details and props that are meaningful to you both. Each detail should be a reflection of who you are as a couple.
Choose a photographer who has experience with intimate weddings. It takes a very different skill set to capture those spontaneous, unguarded moments when there aren’t a lot of guests around.
Anthony + Katie’s Glamorous Las Vegas Elopement
Now let me walk you through Katie and Anthony’s chic Vegas elopement. Initially, they had planned a wedding in Positano, Italy but they had to cancel due to Covid. Katie still wanted a glamorous elopement and when the Dry Lake Bed outside Vegas came to mind, everything else fell into place. The lake bed looks like the surface of the moon, all flat and creamy, with the majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada in the distance.
They checked into the Green Valley Resort, a bit off the strip where Katie was photographed getting ready. Then she climbed into a limousine with her sister and parents for the fifteen-minute drive to the site of the ceremony.
In the midst of the dry lake bed, they created a floral arch and seating, including a chair for her grandmother who had passed away, and the bride wore her grandma’s ruby ring and cover-up, so she felt her presence.
After the ceremony, the guests were served champagne, from a specially organized cart, which was brilliant.
It was a windy day, and the bride’s veil danced in the air, making for gorgeous photos.
(Wind, by the way, is one of my favorite props).
“Katie advises couples who want to elope to be in the moment, as the time goes by so fast, and you’ll want to savor every second. Since she was a little girl, she’d wanted a big, glamorous wedding, but the wedding she had was simple, yet beautiful and intimate and she now says she wouldn’t have had it any other way. She and Anthony were able to focus on one another without worrying about guests or arrangements gone wrong.”
At their engagement party with fifty guests, they’d barely been able to see each other all night and hadn’t even tasted the food. They knew they didn’t want that for their wedding day.
Katie says:
“If you are torn between a big wedding and an intimate one, my vote would be for the intimate elopement. Only invite the people you cannot live without. For Katie, that was her immediate family.”
“Katie thinks that couples should do what feels right for the two of them, not what their families want. The day is just about you. Everyone will have an opinion, but it’s up to you and your partner to decide how you want to celebrate your marriage.”
OTHER SPECTACULAR LOCATIONS FOR A STYLISH ELOPEMENT OUTSIDE THE VEGAS STRIP ARE:
- Red Rock Canyon
- Dry Bed Lake
- Mount Charleston
- Zion National Park
- Bryce Canyon
Leave a comment below or email me for more tips on how to elope in Vegas (or elsewhere) with a free consultation.
