Erin and Thomas got married at Sure Thing Chapel with Hellvis officiating, a burlesque dancer surprising the guests midway through the ceremony, and their one-year-old daughter dressed in a miniature Hellvis costume. The whole thing was shot entirely on film, which suited the mood perfectly.

The bride, who had been married before, knew she didn’t want to spend their life savings on the wedding, so Vegas was the perfect place to do it. Other than the venue (which came with the officiant, flowers and entertainment) and photographer, their costs were very minimal – she even made her own veil! In total they spent under $5,000.

We’re both metal heads and punks at heart,” Erin said. “When we thought about getting married, we knew we wanted something easy but wild. When we found Hellvis we knew it was a perfect fit. Our love hasn’t followed a traditional path and we knew our wedding wouldn’t either.”

They originally planned to elope, but once family heard the plans, many of them wanted to travel to Vegas to be a part of it. “My family loves an excuse to party and couldn’t resist tagging along for the fun. We knew we wanted the destination to offer everyone a reprieve from the stresses of the state of the world. What’s better than Vegas to tune out and lose yourself for a weekend?”

Guests were encouraged to dress as wildly as they wanted and midway through the ceremony a burlesque performer appeared without warning. “We didn’t tell any of our guests beforehand and they were blown away by her performance,” Erin said.

One of the biggest logistical challenges came from bringing their one-year-old daughter along. Erin wanted her involved in the ceremony while still making sure everyone could relax and enjoy the night. She hired a nanny through a local Las Vegas service who attended the wedding as a guest and helped look after Clementine throughout the day. The result was seamless, with the baby appearing in photos wearing her custom Hellvis outfit before heading off for bedtime while the adults carried on partying.

After the ceremony everyone headed to Atomic Liquors, the oldest bar in Las Vegas, where they reserved the front patio under the neon signs for cocktails and snacks. Guests waved homemade Hellvis-themed banner wands created by Erin’s cousin while tourists passing by stopped to watch.

Erin made her veil and Clementine’s costume herself. Both she and Thomas kept their outfits affordable. “We both don’t believe in wasting thousands of dollars on outfits you may wear once”, she explained. “Making my own veil was a massive cost savings as any bride knows the market for accessories can get pretty expensive, especially in the custom world. I chose to buy my shoes off Poshmark and reused jewellery I already owned. Thomas invested in some new shoes and his suit jacket but wore his favourite Express jeans that happened to match.”

That mindset shaped everything – they put their money into the experience of the day, rather than the aesthetics. “The materialism and consumerism that surrounds the industry has always really bothered me,” she admitted. “I think it’s so crazy that people will spend a down payment on a house just to say ‘I do’ and enjoy a party.”