The most heavily populated city in Nevada, Las Vegas is
January 23, 2008
The most heavily populated city in Nevada, Las Vegas is considered not only as a major vacation and shopping destination but also the center of gambling in the United States. Although it is often called Sin City because of legalized gambling and prostitution, availability of alcoholic beverages, and various forms and degrees of adult entertainment, its glamorous and enchanting image has made it a popular setting in the movies and television programs.
Dubbed as “The Entertainment Capital of the World,” Las Vegas is not only known for its tourist attractions, but also for its infamous ‘Las Vegas Weddings’.
Las Vegas is by far the most popular destination-wedding spot in the United States (and perhaps the world). About 120,000 weddings are held in Las Vegas every year, and it is a perfect place for couples (especially celebrities) who want to get married in a quick and different (or unusual) way.
A lot of couples prefer to have a Las Vegas wedding because of the following advantages:
It is affordable. Las Vegas weddings cost less than traditional wedding ceremonies.
It can be held on short notice. Most chapels in Las Vegas allow couples to book for their wedding right away - others even accommodate walk-ins!
It is convenient. Hotels in Las Vegas usually have their own wedding chapels, with a wedding coordinator that takes in charge of all the preparations - from the flowers and music to the officiant and the souvenirs - and can get in touch with the couple on the phone or even online.
It is fun. Las Vegas weddings offer couples with a fun and amusing way to get married - even with an Elvis impersonator as their officiant!
It allows couples to start their honeymoon early. After the wedding, there is no need for couples to board a plane and head out of town - Las Vegas is a great honeymoon destination in itself!
Are you (and your partner) thinking of having a Las Vegas wedding? Below is a step-by-step guide that will help you get married in Las Vegas:
1. Set a wedding date.
2. Decide on a Las Vegas wedding chapel (check out the chapels in casino-hotels).
3. Speak to a wedding coordinator to know about the information on wedding packages.
4. Book for the date and time of the ceremony that you desire.
5. Make plane and hotel reservations for your friends and families who will come over (and for you if you are not yet in Las Vegas).
6. Make reservations for a festive lunch or dinner (don’t forget the wedding cake!)
7. Obtain a marriage license at the Clark County courthouse at least a day before your wedding.
8. Slip away after the ceremony and the celebration.
Aside from these guidelines, below are the things that you also need to consider when getting married in Las Vegas:
The holidays. Watch out for ‘peak seasons’ that result to busy wedding days, such as Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve.
The weather. An extremely hot weather in Las Vegas can be uncomfortable when you are in a tuxedo or a heavy gown (not to mention your makeup and the icing on your wedding cake).
The dress. There are a number of places in Las Vegas where you can rent wedding dresses for that ’spur-of-the-moment’ weddings.
The legalities. Make sure that you meet the legal requirements and that you are issued a marriage license before you hold the wedding ceremony.
Now you are ready for the wild and wacky experience of a Las Vegas wedding. Just remember that the most important thing is to recite your vows from the heart, and live them all throuh your marriage. All the best!
Five Reasons to Get Married in Las Vegas
January 11, 2008
The first recorded wedding in Vegas was in 1900s when California banned gin from being part of the ceremony, young lovers who were drunk and in love were able to get hitched in Las Vegas. Their unity certificate took only hours to get stamped and outside the chapel was a city of lights for their marriage celebration. Clark Gable was said to have been the first celebrity to get married in Vegas, and from then on it became the top wedding destination for celebrities and commoners alike. Here are five reasons why you should consider getting hitched in the Entertainment Capital of the World.
1. Last Days of Singleton
Days before THE big day, arrive at Las Vegas and plan to spend the last hours of your singleton in the Sin City! Experience life and the company of friends on a night out on the strip.
Want girl-bonding time? You can do that, too! Try a day at the spa for relaxing massage and body pampering while indulging in interesting girl talk on the man you are about to marry.
2. Marry, Quick and Easy
Ready to get married? A valid ID, your social security number and $55 is all you need to get married in Vegas, oh and yes Love! It is that easy to get hitched: no wedding planner, no in-laws, and no wedding singer. Just you and your loved one and, of course, the one to marry the two of you: Elvis, a priest or the Commissioner, its entirely to your liking. Just dont forget to get a marriage license before hand for a smooth flow of the ceremonies.
3. Marry in Your Own Style
Wedding for a party of 2 or a party of 200? Vegas has the place and style for you. Most wedding chapels offer an assortment of packages, from very simple to very grandiose. Rings, flowers, witnesses, everyone and everything are readily available. And dont worry about your guest of 200 they have a whole city to entertain themselves, so you can forget about them concentrate on your first night of marital bliss.
4. Stroll To Your Honeymoon
Some marriages break up before they start their honeymoon. A long plane ride can be a very tough test for newlyweds. But that is not a worry in a Las Vegas wedding. As soon as you step out the chapel (or the garden, or the Commissioners office), the honeymoon begins. Stroll along the strip and be amazed with lights and water fountains that are brighter and larger than life. Or stay at any of the luxurious hotels to make your wedding night truly memorable!
5. Settle in Las Vegas
Close to 2,000,000 Americans cant be wrong: living in Las Vegas is a serious consideration for any couple starting their life. The city has made very good infrastructure to combat extreme weather conditions. As the Entertainment Capital, it has 24×7 availability for basic need: food!
Tired of the blinking lights? Theres more nature to see at Las Vegas: try Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead are among the few that will surely take your breath away.
Ready to raise a family? Nevada is home to some of the finest schools in the US, take Clark Countys Green Valley High school, one of the top 10 high schools in the US.
Dont just get married in Las Vegas, start your new life. After all, once you set foot in Vegas, youll never want to leave ever again. Viva, Las Vegas!
Modify free wedding vows
December 29, 2007
A well-versed and well rehearsed wedding vow, especially when it comes from the heart, sends a certain chill to everyone who hears it. Vows have been a long time tradition in wedding ceremonies. The promise of a lifetime commitment to each other despite of difficulties and differences guarantee that true love really exists. Isnt that a nice thought?
Both the groom and bride exchange wedding vows. Commonly, the vows would include a pledge of unselfishness, faithfulness, and unconditional love. If you are in the dark on what to write in your wedding vows, dont be! You can find one of a kind wedding vow just by a click of your mouse. Surfing the internet for wedding vows proved to be a good source of ideas and tips that you can readily use on your wedding day. You may need to pay for the service on some sites, but you can scout one for free too.
Free wedding vows do away with the traditional and scripted promise one hears over and over again in common wedding ceremonies. The good thing about free wedding vows on the net, aside from the fact that they are free, they give you the freedom and flexibility to write what you want to say from your heart. You can modify the free sample vows or if you find the writing incredibly heart-warming, you can go ahead and use it without revisions.
There are different vows you can choose from. Like everything, vows can be customized according to the circumstances that you are in. There can be vows specially written for second marriage couples, couples with children, religious variations or wedding anniversaries. Using poetry as part of a vow is a common practice too. Those of Gibran, Keats and Browning are popular choices. You can browse on some internet sites that can even offer a free worksheet format and questionnaires that you need to fill out for you to easily modify your chosen wedding vow. These will serve as your guideline so that you can re-evaluate what you want to say.
Before that big day, preparing your wedding vows is very crucial. Writing your vows together is a very special activity that is highly recommended.
When writing a wedding vow together, set a specific time and place where the two of you can have some privacy. You can jot down your promises on a separate sheet of paper and agree to compare what youve written after an hour or so. First, write a letter professing your love for your partner. Do not hesitate to elaborate what you are feeling. Be creative and be sure to take note of your favorite and memorable times together, either good or bad. Some suggestions are the first time that you met, the moment when finally said yes or when a trying situation happened but still your love for each others endure. Grab sweet lines from songs, books or scriptures that translate your love for your partner. After writing down your letter, get back together and read each others writings. Reading the letters can be truly heart-warming. Prepare to share a laugh or even occasional crying. Share your thoughts on the best part of the letter and from there start your outline for your vows.
The secret of a good wedding vow is making it a personal commitment to your other half and make sure that the message you convey are made clear and simple. Nothing beats anything that genuinely comes from the heart.
Free Wedding Speeches, helpful or dreadful?
December 18, 2007
Youre sitting in your couch watching TV on a Saturday night, minding your own business and then your Best friend calls you up, tells you hes getting hitched and wants you to be his best man. You sweat, but cant decline, so you end up agreeing on a toast at the wedding. After you hang up the phone, you go straight to the net and search for Free Wedding speeches.
Get the picture? Statistics have shown that more people are afraid of public speaking then they are of more common fears, and it is indeed a very fearful act, speaking in public, anything you say cannot be taken back, and if you say something bad, youll get foot in mouth disease.
But does looking for free speeches on the net really help? Most of the time youll find some cheap tips on how to make the perfect, speech or how to say it. Or maybe youll be lucky enough to find one that is already made, and youll just have to print it. But these speeches tend to be rather, impersonal and very general, and if youre the best man, youll probably just end up boring your friends and family.
When making speeches, the simpler the better, you wont have to depend on free wedding speeches off the net if you have memories of your friends.
What you are asked to do on a wedding toast is to tell the people something about your friends, the ones getting married, how they were meant for each other and how you wish them happiness for the rest of their lives. You dont need a factory made, winding speech, all you need is memories, and your genuine care for your loved ones.
If youre still having the jiggly stomach about giving your speech you can follow these free wedding speech tips, they may not be ready made but theyll surely help.
- Forget the preaching go on with the memories
Most people give winding speeches because they tend to give unasked advice leave that to the marriage counselor or the pastor, just give em memories. Most couples appreciate the nostalgia of a few well chosen memories. Find a funny or a touching memory you have of the couple and share it with the room, plus a few well wishes and youre done.
- go for short but effective, rather than long and winding
Many of us know that a long speech is very boring; you dont want to dull the night with your talks of your childhood, and your games, with your friend. A biography is for a book, one or two memories are for a wedding.
- Write a Poem
You may say that poems are for sissies but that depends on every person point of view. But a Wedding Is a very emotional moment and its sure that everyone is in the mood for a little emotion and tears and what more to provoke those dams to flow than a few well said lines in the form of a poem?
- Dont forget to introduce yourself
A simple Jade has been my friend since high school and Ive never seen her gaga over any guy other than Andrew Make a basis for what youre saying, especially if youre talking about moments in the newlyweds life. If it was a trial, youre the witness, and youll need credibility. Just imagine would people feel your speech if theyre dont know who the heck you are?
American Wedding Practices
November 24, 2007
Living in the US makes one feel free - free to do anything, free to live, free to love, free from traditions. While this is true, there are still many practices done during wedding that renders this memorable event with a distinct American touch. Here are some:
Starting from the engagement, Americans can think of unique ways to personalize their wedding. As there really isn’t any engagement tradition, the more unique the marriage proposal is done, the better.
For most wedding preparations, the engaged couple visits their parents to inform them of their recent engagement.
At times, the engaged couple hosts an engagement party. The engagement party costs less than a wedding reception since most of the time, the menu will only include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Therefore, if the couple is on a tight budget, they can just invite more guests to the engagement party if they plan to limit the number of guests during the wedding.
Most wedding preparations have a bridal shower given by the maid of honor and the bridesmaids. The groom may also have a bachelor party the night before the wedding but he has to be careful not to drink too much.
Wedding invitations should include response cards to quickly inform the couple whether the person has accepted or declined the invitation. The wedding invitations should also be sent within four to six weeks before the event.
Usually, there is a rehearsal dinner in which the wedding party and guests came from far places to be present at the wedding attend. It was practiced that the groom’s parents pay for this dinner.
A bridal luncheon may be hosted for the bride’s attendants during the wedding day. However, time constraints may not permit this to be part of the schedule for the wedding day. Likewise, the groom may also host a groom’s dinner for his groomsmen.
Interestingly, even if the couple is not very religious, they still prefer a religious ceremony. However, this may pose a problem since in America people of different faiths and religious backgrounds get married.
Even if there are few people who believe in bad luck, some couples still make sure that the groom does not see his bride until she starts waking on the aisle.
It is still practiced that the groom and his groomsmen enter the church through a side door. The bride will then walk down the aisle with her father. In some cases when both her father and stepfather brought up the bride, she may ask them both to escort her.
During a formal reception, there is usually a bridal table where the couple and the attendants sit. Also, food and drinks should be served as the guests appear at the reception.
Before, gift giving used to depend on what the guest will feel useful for the couple. Now, it is better to register for gifts so the guests will know what to bring that the couple will need.
Upon receiving an engagement or wedding gift, it is better to send a thank you note apart from saying “thank you” to the giver. This should be sent within two weeks upon receipt of the gift. Make a personalized thank you note, instead of using an impersonal generic thank you note.
These are just some American practices during weddings. Whether one chooses to this or prefers to have a very different wedding, what’s more important is that American’s still believe in the wedding vow, “For better or worse, ’til death do us part.”