Vegas Vacation / ..... wedding?

[Doug5984]

So me and my girlfriend have been together for over 3 years now, and have been planning a wedding for a while. After going back and forth on what we want, and when we want it- I think we've decided to go to Vegas, don't mess with the stress of planning, inviting, setting up, cleaning up, all that we'd have to do at home- just show up- get it done, have a fun trip.

So anyone have any experience with this?


Also- anyone have any advice for seeing Vegas for the first time, I doubt either of us will gamble more than a few minutes. I know I want to see the grand canyon, is there any special way to see it? The helicopter trips look pretty cool...but are a little pricey. Besides that, I don't know there is all kinds of stuff to do- I know we'll never see it all on our first trip. When I pulled up the websites last night it's kind of overwhelming- there are so many places to stay I don't even know where to begin.

[Ksyrup]

The wife and I went for the first time (well, her first time and my second) in June and had fun. Didn't gamble but maybe 20 minutes. We were only there for 3 days, so doing the Grand Canyon thing was out of the question, though I looked into it. We did spend one full day on a Lake Mead/Hoover Dam tour, which we enjoyed. Otherwise, we spent the rest of the time walking the strip and checking out each of the hotels. We also caught two shows.

It looks like I will be going back in January for the Consumer Electronics Show.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yep, got married in Vegas almost 20 years ago myself, for reasons about the same as yours. FWIW, for all the obvious jokes that go with a Vegas wedding, darned if it hasn't worked out better than an awful lot of the traditional ones that took place around the same time. Point being,just laugh off anybody that gives you any shit about it. It's you & her that make the marriage, not the ceremony.

As far as advice on the wedding itself, I'd offer most of the same advice that you already know for any other purchase: shop around, price compare, do your online research, etc. One thing that we did that I suspect was a little different was stay in different hotels the night before, the old "don't see the bride before the wedding" bit. She spent the whole trip at our eventual "honeymoon" hotel (LV Hilton) but I spent the first night at The Plaza on Fremont (my pick at the time). That wouldn't be everybody's thing of course but it was a nod to tradition that we both enjoyed, with the happy side benefit of letting us both have our inevitable pre-wedding jitters out of each other's sight. Ours was a late night wedding, so she spent the day getting her hair done & whatnot, I spent it getting fairly hammered on mostly free drinks at a sports book. The important thing about that story, IMO, is that what matters is doing this in a way that makes you both happy. You're getting married in Vegas for cryin' out loud, the only conventions you have to be a slave to are the ones you like

Well, those and the bakery convention that showed up uninvited at our wedding ... but that's a long story (albeit a pretty funny one)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If you're a thrill seeker, riding the Big Shot and X-Scream at the top of the Stratosphere is a definite must. I have a fear of heights, but I ride them every time I'm in town. The adrenaline rush on those rides is as good as it gets.

There's a lot of nice places to stay and the deals available are great right now with the downturn in the economy. I'd check out http://www.cheapovegas.com/ for deals on hotels, shows, and meals. You can land some cheap stuff if you're OK with planning a bit.

For hotels, the travel sites like Expedia and Travelocity provide a good starting point. Once you zero in on what hotels you think you like, then you can search for specific deals on other sites for those hotels. Also, note that there are wedding packages at most hotels, but doing it at one of the local chapels is always the cheaper option.

Best of luck!

[Doug5984]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

If you're a thrill seeker, riding the Big Shot and X-Scream at the top of the Stratosphere is a definite must. I have a fear of heights, but I ride them every time I'm in town. The adrenaline rush on those rides is as good as it gets.

Yeah f that. I'm only 27, I don't want to die of a heart attack yet.

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

There's a lot of nice places to stay and the deals available are great right now with the downturn in the economy. I'd check out http://www.cheapovegas.com/ for deals on hotels, shows, and meals. You can land some cheap stuff if you're OK with planning a bit.

Thanks for the link- we are definitely on a budget so good deals are what we're looking for.

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

For hotels, the travel sites like Expedia and Travelocity provide a good starting point. Once you zero in on what hotels you think you like, then you can search for specific deals on other sites for those hotels. Also, note that there are wedding packages at most hotels, but doing it at one of the local chapels is always the cheaper option.

Best of luck!

We were looking at some of the local places that do them outdoors, that's the only thing she wants is outside by the water somewhere- we found a few online that start around $400, which sounds perfect for us- don't want anything fancy.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Doug5984

Thanks for the link- we are definitely on a budget so good deals are what we're looking for.

If you want to save a ton and still have a nice wedding/trip, do it during the week if you're flexible or can take a day or two of vacation from your job. Go out on a Saturday or Sunday and stay through mid-week. The difference in price on hotels is huge.

[Doug5984]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Yep, got married in Vegas almost 20 years ago myself, for reasons about the same as yours. FWIW, for all the obvious jokes that go with a Vegas wedding, darned if it hasn't worked out better than an awful lot of the traditional ones that took place around the same time. Point being,just laugh off anybody that gives you any shit about it. It's you & her that make the marriage, not the ceremony.

As far as advice on the wedding itself, I'd offer most of the same advice that you already know for any other purchase: shop around, price compare, do your online research, etc. One thing that we did that I suspect was a little different was stay in different hotels the night before, the old "don't see the bride before the wedding" bit. She spent the whole trip at our eventual "honeymoon" hotel (LV Hilton) but I spent the first night at The Plaza on Fremont (my pick at the time). That wouldn't be everybody's thing of course but it was a nod to tradition that we both enjoyed, with the happy side benefit of letting us both have our inevitable pre-wedding jitters out of each other's sight. Ours was a late night wedding, so she spent the day getting her hair done & whatnot, I spent it getting fairly hammered on mostly free drinks at a sports book. The important thing about that story, IMO, is that what matters is doing this in a way that makes you both happy. You're getting married in Vegas for cryin' out loud, the only conventions you have to be a slave to are the ones you like

Well, those and the bakery convention that showed up uninvited at our wedding ... but that's a long story (albeit a pretty funny one)

That's good to know as well- I don't think we'd do the separate rooms, we've lived together a year now... but I have heard of people doing that. I know everyone's first reaction to us just kind of leaving and getting married will be to think she is pregnant.

[Doug5984]

So we decided on a place, and got it set up already, any advice on the vacation part now? I'd like to see a magic show, maybe comedy magic, and possibly blue man group.

Not sure what else to see, there is a lot...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Doug5984

So we decided on a place, and got it set up already, any advice on the vacation part now? I'd like to see a magic show, maybe comedy magic, and possibly blue man group.

Not sure what else to see, there is a lot...

1. Sit in the first three rows at Blue Man Group. Get to see everything up close and at a 25% discount compared to row 4.

2. There are tickets at discount on day of show at places like Casino Royale. Leave a night open and you can pick up some seats for quite a few shows for relatively cheap.

3. Don't know if your wife is into the burlesque shows or not, but Peepshow is a lot of fun if she's not one of those that's totally opposed to that kind of thing. We had three couples that went to it last time we were out there and we all enjoyed it.