Louisa and Bernie had already shared two decades of life before deciding to get married. Their story began more than twenty years earlier during a brief meeting in London. They didn’t get together right away, but years later, Bernie walked back into Louisa’s life and the timing finally felt right.

“The juggernaut of fate decided it all for us,” Louisa said. “We met over 20 years ago, very briefly, on a Friday afternoon in London, but it obviously wasn’t the right moment. In hindsight, we both had another decade of ridiculous mistakes to make before we were going to be ready to meet properly. Bernie then walked into my life again and it felt like too much of a coincidence to ignore. We’ve barely been out of each other’s sight since.”

By the time they started planning a wedding, they already knew exactly what mattered to them. The day would be a celebration of their life together, free from obligation and expectations. Vegas it was!

“We’ve been together for a long time, been through so much of the stuff life throws at you, and we just wanted a real celebration of us, of our happiness, of our spirit and nothing that felt like ‘duty’,” Louisa explained. “We’re from the UK but have always loved Vegas. It’s a place of happy, slightly crazy memories for us. It was the obvious choice. And so, with no particular theme, the day simply evolved into an epic version of our real life, with the volume turned up to 11. This was really important to us as we didn’t want to look back on it as this separate thing that happened ‘over there’ as a once off. It was our life, but in Technicolor.”

They also made a clear decision early on to strip away anything that did not feel personal. The guest list disappeared entirely. It would be just the two of them, with Hellvis to marry them and their photographer, Jamie Y.

“Having the courage to say no to the stuff that wasn’t us was the best part,” Louisa said. “We didn’t take anyone with us because we wanted to just be able to focus on each other. Our ‘normal’ lives are really busy so having this whole day where we could just laugh and be together was such a treat.”

They woke up together rather than separating the night before. Bernie headed to the spa while Louisa had her make-up done. They didn’t want flowers, or a cake. They didn’t matter to them and Louisa knew they would not feel authentic in the photos.

Instead, their wedding included a different kind of detail. Their dog Abraham could not travel to Las Vegas, so they had stickers made of him and carried them everywhere throughout the trip. “We couldn’t take our lovely dog, Abraham, with us. He’s too old and too big for such things. We missed him. But, instead, we had stickers made of him that came everywhere with us (a few are probably still knocking around on Vegas lamp posts…) to make sure he was there with us.”

The ceremony took place at the iconic Sure Thing Chapel, officiated by Hellvis. “When Hellvis marries you, every moment is special,” Louisa said. “He practically throws you both over his shoulder and carries you into his surreal, beautiful cavern of love.”

“The vow moment was pretty special. It really felt like just the two of us in that room, standing in front of one another and sharing something magical. That’s another reason why I’m glad we went alone… there was no sense of having to ‘perform’ for an audience. We were totally just talking to each other.”

Their favourite parts of the day came from small moments between the spectacle of Vegas. After photos at dusk they walked along the Strip in their wedding clothes, hungry and exhausted, and stopped for burgers. A vintage red 1970s Buick waited outside their hotel with a chauffeur and the open top ride through Las Vegas was a real highlight for the groom. “There was something both surreal and wonderful about that open-top drive through Vegas, waving like lunatics at passing cars on our way to get hitched,” he said. “It was like being in a movie.”

Back in London they held a party for friends and family at The Dorchester. The couple wore their wedding outfits again and relived the excitement of the trip. “One of my favourite moments of the party was at the very end, when everyone else had left, and we were alone, quietly collecting presents and scattered Polaroid pictures. That was a lovely little chance to be together, exhausted but happy and on a complete high from an incredible evening.”

The bride has one final, important piece of advice. “Comfortable shoes. This one is non-negotiable, especially if you are getting married in Vegas! I promise you, it’s more important to feel free and comfortable than to totter around in agony, begging to be allowed to sit down.”