Valentine’s Day is always special in Las Vegas, but this year it felt a little extra special. It fell on a Saturday, and according to KTNV that hadn’t happened since 2015. I was lucky enough to be part of Channel 13’s coverage of the day, and I wanted to share the story here.
A big day downtown
KTNV’s Guy Tannenbaum spent the day with us in Downtown Las Vegas. The station reported that Wed Famously Chapels, which runs Little White Wedding Chapel, Vegas Weddings and Viva Las Vegas Weddings, expected to hold more than 250 weddings across the three chapels on Valentine’s Day. That’s at least double a normal Saturday.
When I spoke with Guy, I tried to give him a sense of what a day like that takes behind the scenes. As I said on camera: “If you want a traditional ceremony, a fun ceremony, an Elvis ceremony, we’ve got you covered.” I also mentioned that we “noticed back in December just how many weddings we had planned out, so we really had to make sure we had a whole system ready.”
That’s the honest truth. A day like Valentine’s Day is a real team effort, and the people around me deserve the credit for making it run so smoothly. KTNV also noted what a boost a day like this is for our local wedding economy.
The couples are the real story
The best part of the piece, though, isn’t me. It’s the couples.
KTNV met Richard and Ewa Blackmore from the United Kingdom, who were travelling across the United States on two motorcycles and happened to land in Vegas on Valentine’s Day. Richard told the station, “So, when in Rome — or Vegas!” Ewa explained, “Everything that we do is around motorcycles… Why not get married on the motorcycles while we’re traveling?” As someone who spent many years in the UK myself, I loved that.
The station also spoke with Eva Carey from Texas, who said her mom used to call her “Eva Las Vegas” as a little kid, so getting married here felt like destiny. She and her new husband, Fisher Carlton, were heading off to celebrate with a great dinner with friends and family.
By the end of the story the Blackmores summed it up better than I could. Ewa called it “amazing” and said it “feels kind of surreal.” Richard added that “it’s been an excellent experience as well, I would recommend it to anybody.”
Why I love days like this
Days like Valentine’s Day remind me why I love doing this. Every couple arrives with their own story, and no two ceremonies are ever the same. KTNV also reported that the chapels expected to stay busy through the rest of the combined Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day long weekend.
I’m grateful to KTNV and Guy Tannenbaum for spending the day with us and telling these couples’ stories so warmly. You can watch the full report on YouTube here: Hundreds of couples get married on Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas, and read KTNV’s article here.
If you’re dreaming of your own Las Vegas ceremony, on Valentine’s Day or any other day, I’d love to hear from you. Reach me through my contact form.