When we first began our wedding-planning process, we were pulled in one very specific direction by our families: traditional.
Since my husband was the first son in his family to get married, and I’m an only child, everyone held a lot of expectations about what our Big Day should be like. And we were just so caught up in the moment that we didn’t think twice; we just went with it.
But a year into it, when deposits were due and the details were really starting to come together, it just didn’t feel right. The whole thing felt like some prefabricated option we’d chosen off the page of a magazine and slapped our names onto; it was exactly like a thousand beautiful weddings we’d been to before.
Not to mention, my husband comes from a very large Italian family, and our guest list was quickly approaching 350. It was very overwhelming.
One day, we just looked at each and said, “is this really what you want?” And it was clear the answer was “no” for both of us. So we started over, determined to find a way to make it uniquely ours.
We thought about our personalities, and what makes us happy, and what we enjoy doing together.
Ultimately, it came down to two things: we love to travel and we love a damn good party. So when it came time to pick a location, there was no doubt that Vegas was the only choice.
We worked together to find ideas to make our “new” wedding original.
We thought about all the annoying things that bothered us about weddings we’d been to, and how we could change those traditional experiences into something enjoyable for everyone.
And with a destination like Las Vegas, we knew that anyone who RSVP’d “yes” would be ready to party, so we wanted to make the trip worthwhile for everyone.
Ultimately, we were married in one of the secluded gardens of Caesar’s Palace, surrounded by 50 guests. It was incredibly intimate, and that made it all the more special.
We had a cocktail hour immediately prior to the ceremony, which was a MAJOR hit with our guests – everyone appreciated having a cocktail in hand during what is typically the most boring part of a wedding.
Then, we had another cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony – just to help keep the party going – before making our way to a restaurant we’d rented out for a private plated dinner.
Come 10 p.m., it was time for the after party, which we hosted at Coyote Ugly. It was wild and crazy, and best of all, we didn’t hear “Shout”, “We are Family”, or “The Cha Cha Slide” once – it was a completely unique dance party.
We danced on the bar and were force-fed shots by the bartenders until they finally kicked us all out around 3 a.m.
Afterwards, we all ordered pizza (another bonus that came with choosing Vegas as the location? Everything stays open super late) and stayed up to watch the sun rise.
It was the absolute best day of my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing!
I should also point out that none of this would have been possible without the love and support of our wild group of friends who helped us party like it was 1922.
Sidenote: We had already legally tied the knot exactly one year prior at City Hall. So this whole event was actually kind of like a one-year anniversary celebration, disguised as a wedding. #AandKsayIdoAGAIN
(Photography by Imagine Studios of Las Vegas)
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