Jade and Stu had been together for ten years when they decided to combine their honeymoon with a wedding in Las Vegas. They wanted a day that reflected them, and that meant stripping away most of the formalities. No bridesmaids, no first dance, no “something old, new, borrowed, blue.” They stayed together the night before, got ready side by side, and walked into the ceremony at A Little White Chapel together.

The chapel organised the vows, keeping them free from religious or traditional wording. The officiant left them with one line that really stuck: “May your lives be filled with joy, happiness, passion and peace.” Those four words are now printed in their kitchen.

From there, the celebrations moved to a rooftop spot on the Strip overlooking the Bellagio fountains. Guests ate, drank, and line danced into the night. Stu made the only speech, thanking everyone for making the trip and letting them know the evening was on them. Their favours were heart-shaped sunglasses (which made for great photos!) hand fans to cope with the 37°C heat, and a hangover kit stocked with lip balm, Gaviscon, and paracetamol. There were also personalised poker chip magnets, sweets, and chocolates.

They hired Jamie Y to shoot the day, and as they’d never been to Vegas before, she proved invaluable with helping them plan things beforehand too. However, they kept the planning to a minimum. They booked flights, hotel, chapel, and photographer in a single day, then waited for the trip to arrive! Jamie was their biggest expense and their first booking. “We booked our entire wedding around her availability”, Jade explained. “As soon as we found her we knew we had to book her, she was 100% our vibe. If we were going all the way to Vegas to get married, we wanted the perfect wedding photos to go with it, and that’s what we got.”

However, not everyone understood their choice to marry in Vegas and feeling like they had to explain themselves to other people was tough. “Trying to meet other people’s expectations was challenging,” Jade explained “We had a clear idea of what we wanted. Some people are too caught up in tradition and believe that this is the only way that things should be done, and it was challenging to be ‘disappointing’ those who are close to you.”

But they wouldn’t change a thing! “Don’t feel pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do”, the bride concluded. “No matter what you choose, someone will be disappointed… so just do you. And if you’re considering Vegas, we would 100% recommend it!”