Our Little White Wedding Chapel Elopement/Wedding in Las Vegas

The Story

Scotty and I had originally planned for huge barn wedding. I finally wanted to have the wedding of my dreams because honestly, I never had a real wedding. It was always the court house marriage. So I wanted something different. I wanted to wear adress. I wanted a ceremony. I thought I wanted something big…. but with time, we realized that something elaborate wasn’t what we needed. That’s when I joked one day…. we should go to Vegas and have Elvis marry us! Little did I know, we would do just that.

I chose July 22 because 7 is my lucky number and 22 is his. I remember calling the chapel to see if it was available. It was a Saturday so I was thinking surely not… especially with how well the Little White Wedding Chapel was known ever since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez had JUST married there the year prior and before that, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, amongst other celebs. But they DID have an opening. 4:30 pm it was.

I chose the Elvis package which ranged around $700. Elvis would sing 3 songs to us and perform the whole 15 minute ceremony. I knew I did not want it any other way so I picked my three songs: “Love Me Tender”, “Now or Never” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

We picked up the kids on a Friday night and headed straight to the airport on a plane to Vegas on a trip I will never forget. A limo waited for us and it blew the kids’ minds. It took us to our hotel The Flamingo and we all crashed as it was late. The next day, I would be a wife.

The Dress

The dress was one I had actually picked out over a year in advance. It is made by designer Stella York and I had purchased it from The Bridal Loft in Pensacola Fl. I knew I wanted something with straps, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted truly until I got to the bridal shop and there it was, on a mannequin. I tried it on and felt like a princess. I wanted something simple-no lace or beading. This was sleek but also femimine. I paired it with white cowboy boots and my wedding scent was Valentino Born In Roma fragrance.

The Rings

My ring was custom made by Scotty via Dana Augustine. The diamond solitaire is from Botswana and perfectly crafted with a matching band. His band is the Old No. 7 from Manly Bands made with authentic Jack Daniels whiskey barrel wood and dark diamonds around the inlay.

The Hair and Makeup

Hair and makeup was done by Sierra Styles U. My photographer recommended her to me and when I went to checkout her page, I saw she was already a follower which I thought was so sweet. After speaking to her once, I knew she was our girl. She did a fantastic job getting us ready in our hotel room at The Flamingo. My kids even loved getting the Sierra treatment! And her prices were very good to note.

The First Look

I knew I wanted a first look. I wanted to take the time to capture my groom’s reaction and boy was it amazing! Here is my daughter and I walking out to meet the groom and her brother. We got so many compliments and it made Evie so excited.

I arrived at our first look location. He was turned with his back towards me. They counted and had him turn around and I honestly thought he would fall to his knees by the way his breath was taken away. It was perfect. So perfect that I cried too-which I did not expect. This took place in the flamingo garden at the Flamingo Hotel.

I will never forget this exact moment.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was hosted by none other than the King himself. He sang us three songs, said a few nice things, and signed our paperwork. One thing I will never forget was Scotty’s vows to the children. He gave my daughter an emerald ring (their shared birthstone) and my son a nice chain like his to match. My daughter and son both cried! My daughter said she never cried at a wedding before.

The Dinner

I remember seeing brides rocking a burger at In-N-Out after their weddings and I have always thought how stinking cool and down to Earth it was. No fancy dinners, no champagne. Just a burger, fries, and a coke. It was a hit for the kids as well! We were busy shooting and had to move fast since the kiddos were getting a little tired so this pit stop made the perfect post-Vegas elopement dinner.

The Cake

Our cake was made by Cakes by Gee and was the Lambeth style with no fondant to signify/give old timey vibes to match our chapel and of course Elvis! It was SOOOO good. We ate on it for days and to be honest, I still wish I could have more. It was the perfect photo prop and snack after a LONG day!

The Wedding Video

All the rest….

Thats all folks! It was a dream wedding and I would not change one thing about my Las Vegas elopement at the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel. Here are some extra images from my wedding album to enjoy!

Huge thank you to Meg Gassler Photography. She is a long time friend of mine and one of the best photographers I have ever known. Also kudos to her husband Joe Gassler who shot my wedding video-such an amazing team. If you are in Las Vegas or coming to Vegas, they are your people!