Wedding in Vegas vs. Traditional Wedding w/reception?

I think it makes perfect sense. My fiancee and I are getting married in Sturgis this year and just throwing a big party when we get back. Weddings are out of control nowadays and I, for one, refuse to spend tens of thousands of dollars for one day of my life.

I have personally always thought of Vegas as the perfect place to have a wedding, but I couldn't convince my fiance (or rather, his family) of that either, so we are having a nice, low-key wedding here in Denver instead, but I still think Vegas is an excellent wedding destination. Here are some things to keep in mind: when your fiance thinks "Vegas wedding," he is likely picturing some tacky run-down chapel with a ceremony officiated by an Elvis impoersonator, and while there are a lot of chapels like that in Vegas, there are also many really classy, beautiful places to have a "traditional" style wedding too. All the major hotels offer wedding package deals, and their facilities are just gorgeous. Last time I was in Vegas, I saw a group of people leaving a wedding at the MGM Grand, and there were about 50 guests, all dressed up very nicely, with the bride in a gorgeous wedding gown that looked like a designer gown- not tacky in the very least, and all very traditional, with the bridesmaids in matching dresses and the groomsmen in tuxedoes. (Of course, a little further down the Strip, at the Sahara, I saw a bride in a white mini-dress toting a case of Corona back to the chapel with her, so it all depends on the location, I guess.) Show your fiance some pics of all the beautiful wedding venues available in Las Vegas- each hotel there has a web page that features their wedding amenities. The nicest ones are Bellagio, MGM Grand, the Venetian (they sail you around in a gondola and serenade you after the ceremony!) and Paris (you can get married at the top of the fake Eiffel Tower!). He'll be a lot more open-minded once he realizes that not all Vegas weddings involve a drive-thru chapel. Keep in mind, though, that while a Vegas wedding may prove easier and cheaper for you, it will put a lot of expenses on your guests, such as travel accomodations, food and entertainment expenses for the duration of their stay, time off work, etc. that they normally wouldn't have had to deal with if you'd had your wedding in town. Lots of people get so caught up in how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to plan a destination wedding for themselves that they forget that some of their friends or family members are maybe going to have a hard time affording the trip. Good luck!

Vegas wedding all the way!

I had a full wedding at the Excalibur as well as a reception, which was beautiful. We had close family and friends go out there (we live on the east coast) and it turned out wonderful.

We saved so much money by going to Vegas and we had a memorable wedding. Each hotel has great package deals -- look for what suits you best. I would highly recommend using one of the hotels because they work really well with you compared to the chapels on the strip.

Hi and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

I totally agree about not spending tons of money for one day. They DO have very reasonable packages in Vegas even in the nicer hotels on the strip.

I was going along with your question and agreeing until I got to this sentence..."Afterwards we could have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants & anyone who wants to join us may but they gotta foot their own bill..."

Ummm....you CAN'T DO THAT! Just because you are having a destination wedding, you cannot ask your guests to pay for their own meals. Just like you wouldn't if you were having a reception in your city/town. Also, you said many family will need to drive 4-5 hours. Again, if they are willing to do that to be with you and to witness your marriage, the least you can do is to pay for their meal.

All weddings are the same no matter where they are....you invite, you pay. This doesn't mean you need to pay for people's airfare....that is their choice if they want to come...but you DO need to pay for their meal and beverages.

Wow....if I lived in southern California, I would have something really simple outside at someone's home or in a park or garden. You don't need to have a "foofy event" in order to have a beautiful wedding on a budget. Many on this site are! There are so many options.

Good luck!

I've done both. First wedding was the traditional catering hall thing, 200 people, big white dress, etc. I thought that's what had to be and since I was going to be married "forever" why not have the big event. It was a fabulous party, but the marriage didn't last forever. Second wedding, we got married in Hawaii which was our honeymoon. Just a few people were there and then we had a party when we got back. I do wish more guests had been there, but it was an expensive trip so I understand. But for my husband and I it was really a great trip and a wonderful way to do it.

I totally agree. I'm getting married in Jamaica, we love the beach, we love the sun and we can still have a nice ceremony without having all the trouble of finding a million vendors and deciding who to invite, the hotel does everything and we are inviting everyone, whoever can make the trip can come. I have never been to Vegas but I always hear great stuff and if that's your style, I think it's a great idea.

First I would like to say CONGRATS!! My fiance and I got engaged on that day too while we were on a cruise!!!! I totally agree with you! We are having a small courthouse wedding and whoever wants to attend can and then we are going on a 4 day cruise and whoever can afford may join and we will rent a room and have a small reception on the ship. I think marriage and weddings are WAY too overrated these days!!! Good Luck!

I got married in Vegas. I think we spent around 550 for the wedding package which included the ceremony (done by Elvis), the limo ride to and from the hotel, and the video of the wedding. I don't regret my wedding. It was fun and it was what I wanted to do.

I think if Vegas is what you want to do, then you should do it. However, if you can afford to pay for a small dinner after the wedding, I would recommend doing so. It can be done inexpensively and it's a nice thing to do for people that are traveling to see you get married and most likely giving you a gift.

If Vegas is what you want, then do that. However, like a previous poster mentioned, you can't invite someone and then refuse to feed them (meaning they pay their own bill). If it was a traditional wedding, would you be charging your guests to eat and drink there as well?