The wedding capital and the
gaming capital joining together to
capture the dynamics of luck
in love and money….
The most unbelievable wedding
date ever
People
started planning for this date a year ago………this was the biggest wedding day
ever for Las Vegas…….. we knew it was going to be huge ever since this all
started 09-09-99, and every year thus far…but with three 7’s and being in Vegas
we knew it was a marriage that was meant to be………………
I am the
owner of LV Wedding Connection, which is a Public Relations company for the
wedding industry. I represent seven wedding chapels…each one having their own
niche, as well as I represent the Las Vegas sector of the Nevada Wedding
Association, which is a statewide wedding organization funded by Nevada
Commission on Tourism. With all of that said I was right in the thick of this
blissful day.
The week
started out cool…and calm but quickly heated up by the holiday of July Fourth.
The chapels had been preparing for this for a long time…organizing
staff…ordering flowers…servicing limousines…charging batteries for camera
equipment, setting up make shift areas due to our extreme heat…
I had my
own experiences of doing news interviews, radio interviews and magazine
interviews. There was a promotion going on the Las Vegas Monorail that entailed
having FREE renewal of vows services for the masses at 3 different times on
07-07-07, for which I was the sponsor. This meant having the staging set
up…floral pieces to deliver…collateral to hand out…etc.
I had a
request to send a Minister to a restaurant to marry them…I had a request to send
a Photographer to a Gold Mine for a wedding there…. A wedding cake had to be
delivered…..Flowers needed to be delivered………..Colleagues of mine were calling
for assistance….And
All of
these events had to be fulfilled on Saturday…and the requests kept coming……………..
On
Thursday I went to the Clark County Courthouse to see how that was going….how
long was the wait……..say hello to all of the guests…welcoming them all to
Nevada. I arrived at 10: 30 am and the line was half way around the block…..so
I visited a bit and knew that tomorrow, Friday would be the crazy day… so I left
and moved onto the next thing on the endless list….and said to myself I would
come back tomorrow.
Friday I
had received many calls about what was happening down at the Courthouse….So I
arrived at 2:30 pm to see the line not outside, but quickly found out it was
wrapped throughout the Courthouse building. Our couples were waiting in line in
the air conditioning, and then as they got closer they were outside for a short
period of time. I went into line and waited as if I was a Bride, and talked to
many people along the way. I called my resources on the inside and volunteered
my assistance in the Marriage License Bureau.
So off I
went, I sat down and for the 5 hours assisted the excited couples with
completing their paperwork. They were all so excited when I called “Next
couple” “Come on down” ….. we commented….this was like the price is right…
I talked
to people from all over the world… I noticed that there were many birthdays in
January as I looked at their Driver’s licenses. I saw a lot of people from Ohio,
Texas, Arizona, California and as far as Europe. Young people, older people,
and just happy people in love with each other and in love with getting married
on 07-07-07. The wait at this time was about 2 ½ hours and by the time I left
it was down to about an hour wait. The Courthouse staff was incredible about
keeping it going….and the energy this day brought was unexplainable. I went to
bed at a decent time as I knew tomorrow would start very early…………
A local
PR firm and myself were working together with a local restaurant on a contest to
win a dinner and hotel stay when you would enter the drawing. Only couples
married on this day were eligible to enter. They were meeting me at the chapel
before 7 am with burgers and champagne….. so off I went at 6am….. the first
wedding started at 7 am…..The day was consistent and couple after couple were
married….From just the Bride and Groom to parties of 50…we saw casual attire to
formal dresses and tuxes. There was yet another day of lines at the
courthouse…and the chapel I was at had many walk ins to get married that had not
pre-scheduled the nuptials.
Most all
of the chapels were booked solid…however the wedding industry always finds a way
to accommodate couples in love. They might have asked them to come at the end
of the day, not to compromise all of the pre-scheduled weddings and stay on
time…which was everyone’s greatest feat. Remember most wedding parties are
picked up by the chapel limousines and traffic here especially on Saturdays is
hard to predict. One accident on a major artery can really cause a problem.
I am happy to report that the majority of the chapels had a great day, stayed on
time, and had record numbers of weddings. It was a prosperous day, however the
chapels also take pride in having satisfied customers that leave happy about the
entire wedding experience here in Nevada. It is not just about the
money!!!!!!!!!!!! Weddings are a big business, however they are live changing
days for many people.
One good
wedding generates so much good will for our tourists to talk about when they
return home. Everyone talks about getting married in Vegas. We see it in
television shows, movies, even commercials. So the chapels have a tall order to
fulfill….give them quality services, and a memorable time, and they will pass
the word. The chapels have come a long way since the beginning of getting
married in Vegas. They have upgraded their facilities with the most updated
photo equipment, have larger seating areas, have web casting available, and some
of them actually assist in tours, show tickets, rooms, and all of the wedding
amenities you may need besides just the chapel usage. We are the wedding
capital and it is a huge part of tourism here in Nevada. Remember when couples
get married, they need a place to stay…eat…see shows.. take tours.. have
Bachelorette parties and I could go on and on. Therefore all entities are
patronized. Actually there is not a piece of tourism here that isn’t touched by
a wedding party. Make up- Hair salons.-shoe stores-lingerie-and the list could
go on and on. We do have a big piece of the pie in the our great state!!!!
The
Courthouse issued in the excess of 3700 marriage licenses in 3 days. Remember
that does not tell us how many people tied the knot. That is due to renewal of
Vows, and commitment services have no legal documentation needed and licenses
that were purchased within the year to be used on this day are not included in
the 3700 license issued on the days of July 5, 6 and 7. The industry is in a
cohesive pattern, and most everyone is aware that there is enough business for
everyone. Chapels have begun to work together, as it has begun to be clear to
all of us who plays fair and ethical…and for the most part that is everyone.
The next
chapter……………………………………
Start
preparing for 08-08-2008. Eight is an infinite number and important to many due
to this definition. For people who really pay attention to this…an interesting
factor is that when you total of all of the numbers above it totals 26….which
also adds up to eight ………….therefore creating a double 8…. hmmmmmmmm….
This day
will be on a Friday so the wedding community will have another numerological
date in history coming around for lovers!!!
Joni
Moss
Nevada
Wedding Association
LV
Wedding Connection
505 East
Windmill Lane Suite 1B
Las
Vegas, Nevada 89123
702-236-8728
joni@lvweddingconnection.com
www.lvweddingconnection.com
