Wedding In Vegas

Has planning your wedding turned into a major production worthy of raising the Titanic? Then eloping to Las Vegas may be the easiest way to dodge the hassle and put real creative control back into your hands.

Vegas chapels specialize in putting together themed packages that transform the exchange of vows into a fantasy party where anything goes. Just do what over 110,000 couples do a year, apply for the $35 marriage license at Clark County Courthouse and let a chapel handle the ceremony. There is no waiting period, no required blood tests. Most chapels offer one-stop service, assisting with the license application and arranging for a chaplain, flowers, and pictures. Couples must be at least 18 years old and have ID in the form of a driver's license or birth certificate. It's that simple.

Choosing The Ceremony Is Up To You

Those with big budgets can rent out a British Frigate, the HMS Britannia, docked in front of the Treasure Island Hotel or get married atop the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. Or, if a wedding's your excuse to flash your cash, rent out a resplendent 18,000 square foot villa that includes a recreation of Italy's Sistine Chapel. The crystal filled mansion was Liberace's former home and is over-the-top in elegance.

A little less demanding of the pocketbook, but just as memorable, are theme wedding packages. They're a total-submersion experience that include special lighting effects, costumes and props. Marrying in a Vegas theme wedding is much like shooting a wedding scene on a movie set where you're the stars. Here's a sampling:

Other Than Elvis

When most people think of a Vegas wedding, they picture Elvis officiating in an Elvis themed chapel, then crooning some songs for the first dance under a spinning glitterball. This is a bonafide option, but there's much more to choose from. Space-age couples can trek to a Starship Chapel, which looks like the interior of a spaceship, then don intergalactic uniforms to be wed by a Captain James T. Quirk. Your wedding of the universe will be attended by life-size cutouts of intergalactic heroes like Luke Skywalker and Spock. For more pomp and circumstance, try an Egyptian wedding package. Two hulking male slaves carry in the bride while a pair of glittery goddesses fan the groom as minister King Tut presides.

A Magical Wedding

The wedding couple aren't the only ones who get to have all the fun. A bang-up time can be had by dressing the entire wedding party in wild west regalia and tying the knot at a barnyard chapel. Then again, maybe you see the ol' ball and chain literally and find a S&M theme suits you better. The bride is outfitted in black leather and whips are optional. If that doesn't get you all hot and bothered, try taking the apple of your eye into donning a suit of chainmail to grant your knight in shining armor fantasy with a Renaissance themed ceremony. Or, ask Merlin the Wizard to work his magic while trumpeters and fair ladies attend your wedding in Camelot. Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel offers a buffet of different chapels that are elaborately dressed in these and more themes; packages start from $100 upward.

Flying High

Looking for something even more far out? Consider exchanging vows with your high-flying lover while hovering over the Strip. Bring your license to Las Vegas Helicopters, then charter a luxurious jet helicopter. With the pilot, bride, groom, and minister to officiate, there's only room for one guest, but it's an unforgettable ceremony atop a virtual bed of rubies, diamonds, and sapphires. If that sounds a little cramped, how about a roomy 12-seater, hot-air balloon instead? Rent one from . Either method is sure to erase any thoughts of bolting from the altar at the last second.

Wedding to Go

Those in a big hurry to stay ahead of the jitters can say "I Do" at a drive-thru. That's how Demi Moore and Bruce Willis did it, Joan Collins, and Michael Jordan, too. The Little White Wedding Chapel's canopied drive-thru window has been rolling out marriages for over 40 years and weds 500 couples a week. The company will send a stretch limo to shuttle you, your love, and a few of your closest friends to the marriage bureau for your license and drive everybody up to the drive-thru (they have a walk-in chapel too). You never leave the backseat of the limo during the entire ceremony. Then you're returned to the hotel within a hour from when you were first picked up. Their drive-thru has married couples on Harleys, jeeps, motorhomes, and boats. Ceremonies start at $40. As a bonus, all newlyweds receive a copy of the chapel owner's famous recipe for maintaining a loving relationship absolutely free.

Check out the The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's website for a collection of wedding chapels that can be found in the Wedding Capital of the World.