Jess and Glenn met over a decade ago through mutual friends in their city’s music and tattooing scene. A friend set them up, they went on a first date, and by 2016 they were inseparable. Their mutual love of gigs, late nights and creative people shaped how they bonded, so it also shaped how they got married.

They were drawn to the idea of an elopement from the start, and although they’d never been to Vegas before, as soon as they found Sure Thing Chapel, there was no question that was the place for them. “If we’d had more money, we would have put on all the add-ons Sure Thing had to offer!” Jess said. “The organ player, the floral alters arrangements, the vintage car, the whole lot!”

They wanted a wedding that felt light and personal. They wanted mismatching, bold choices and zero interest in doing things correctly. Fun was the priority. “We wanted to stay true to our individual styles, mismatching, colour clashing, non-traditional”, Jess continued. “We wanted the day to be filled with laughter, and this was captured in our photographs perfectly. The vibes we gave our photographers were inspired by the motel signs, the colourful back drops of east Fremont Street. Dolly Parton meets Mars Attacks with a Wes Anderson spin. The photographs were the most important thing for us to take away with us as mementos of the experience, especially considering we did not have close friends and family in attendance. We had found Shevelle and Nick through the Instagram and as soon as we saw their work we knew they were our kind of people. They understood what we were looking for and were able to make us feel incredibly comfortable straight away.”

Glenn is nine years sober, and the day had to honour that too. They built an itinerary around experiences and found more than they expected. Antiquing, vintage shopping, long drives, the Grand Canyon… They loved old Vegas and the Arts District, finding local creatives and small businesses that were away from the Vegas clichés. “We feel like we seen the real Vegas behind the glitz and glam and lights is a wonderful community of local creatives and incredible small businesses,” they said.

The bride is super colourful in her everyday life so a traditional white dress didn’t feel like the right fit. Although she did buy a few, when she put them on they never felt like the right choice. When she found her suit on Vinted, all the pieces finally fell into place. The only tradition that made the cut was a sixpence in her shoe for good luck, given to her by a woman in a vintage jewellery shop in Newcastle where they bought her engagement ring and Glenn’s wedding band.

Looking back, they would change one practical detail. Staying on the Strip was overwhelming for a first visit. Downtown Vegas ended up being where they spent most of their time, and where the photos came alive. So, if they did it again, they would base themselves there and explore even more.