When you choose to get married on Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas, there’s not much point in playing it cool. Lucy and Russell leaned in to the romance of it all. From the bride’s heart-covered veil and shoes, to her red dress to the heart shaped cake, their wedding at A Little White Chapel was unapologetically playful and romantic.

“We went pretty hard on the ‘Valentine’s Day’ of it all,” said Lucy. “Red, white, a bit of pink. Roses, hearts, tuxedos. I wanted big hair, big fur, a satin mini dress. Not even sure that’s actually an old-school Vegas thing, but that was the idea.” It was a look that was part showgirl, part romcom, and totally her.

The pair didn’t set out to have an anti-wedding, but they did want to strip away anything that didn’t feel right. They invited one brother each, mostly to serve as witnesses, and skipped everything else that didn’t feel fun or meaningful. But within that minimal framework, they still embraced some traditional elements, just on their own terms.

“We exchanged vows in a chapel, had a photographer, wore fancy outfits, cut a cake, had a toast, went out for an expensive dinner,” Lucy explained. “But for each thing, we thought: do we actually want this? If the answer was yes, we did it our way.”

They wrote their own vows and gave their brothers disposable cameras, which resulted in a mix of goofy and candid shots that added a personal, low-fi layer to their professional photos. The photographer was their biggest splurge and also the most worthwhile investment. “She wasn’t just taking pictures. She held onto our marriage license, kept us on time, knew the best photo spots, helped us navigate the chapel. It made everything less stressful and the photos are incredible.”

Dinner that evening was at the Eiffel Tower restaurant at Paris Las Vegas. No speeches, no formal timeline, no pressure. “I’ve heard so many people say they barely got to spend time with their spouse on the wedding day,” Lucy said. “We got to just sit across from each other, eat great food, and take it all in. It was perfect.”

They saved money in other places: no venue hire, no formal reception, and a $5 falk flower bouquet from Michael’s that photographed beautifully. Lucy admits she briefly considered splashing out on a Vivienne Westwood dress, but she doesn’t regret skipping it. “Honestly, the budget didn’t really matter to us. We just wanted to be married.”

Planning a Vegas wedding themselves was surprisingly easy, but Lucy did find that once you step outside traditional expectations, the options can feel endless. “When you let go of the idea of wearing white or even a traditional wedding dress, suddenly you can wear anything. And that can be a bit overwhelming. It’s not a bad thing, just unexpected.”

Looking back, they wouldn’t change a thing. “If you’re not super into wedding planning, you really can’t beat Vegas,” Lucy concluded. “There are people who’ll plan the whole thing for you, but we just got to do the fun bits without worrying about guests or a big reception.”

Asked what rule she’d break for everyone if she could, Lucy didn’t hesitate. “That feeling that you’re ‘supposed’ to do things a certain way. You’re not. You can do whatever you want – and it might just make the day feel more like yours.”