9 Mistakes to Avoid if You Plan to elope in Vegas

Say yes to the idea of an elopement in Vegas!  Many people underestimate simplicity and tie themselves with all sorts expectations. But if you’re familiar with what I’m saying, then maybe this will sound like a good option for your big day instead-especially since it’s less expensive than most weddings (and can be done quicker).

Tying the knot is usually more work than just saying yes.  It typically involves a lot of family and friends, faces familiar or less so; it can be overwhelming to elope in Vegas for your big event when you don’t know what will make everything go smoothly on such an important day!

But if you’re feeling overwhelmed with all these expectations– consider some popular Vegas elopement venue locations for some relief from the tradition-driven weddings (and expensive ceremony costs). These ideas are great for letting two people who love each other have their own small celebration without any fuss at all.

♥ 1st Mistake: Not leaving enough time for hair and makeup.

Having a Vegas wedding doesn’t mean you get to forget about stress altogether. Planning the logistics of location, the transportation, and the coordination, all follow a strict schedule. The groom might allow himself a laid-back attitude before the wedding, but in our experience, the bride needs to allow a lot more time to have the make-up session, especially if her bridal party is also receiving services.

Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, with so many details to consider. But one aspect that should not be overlooked is the hair and make-up services. As a general rule, it will take approximately two hours to have these services rendered. In Las Vegas, the makeup artists will come to you and provide services in your hotel room. So, remember to schedule your glam team at least two hours prior to the ceremony per person receiving services. This will ensure that there is enough time for hair and make-up to be done properly, without rushing or feeling stressed. It’s an opportunity to truly enjoy the preparation process and savor every moment leading up to saying “I do.” This way, you can ensure that everyone has enough time to get ready and look their best for the big day.

As the minutes tick by, you start to relax and enjoy the process, knowing that you are in capable hands. Having your hair and make-up done is not just about looking good, it’s also about taking some time for yourself amidst the chaos of wedding planning to be pampered. As the hairstylist brushes through your hair and the make-up artist applies the final touches, you can’t help but feel a sense of calm wash over you. The stress of the wedding melts away as you focus on the present moment and indulge in a little self-care. And let’s not forget about the mimosa! As you sit in the salon chair, sipping on a refreshing mimosa, you can’t help but feel a sense of celebration.

This is your special day, after all, and what better way to kick it off than with a delicious drink in hand? The combination of the pampering, relaxation, and bubbly beverage creates an atmosphere of joy and anticipation. You can’t help but smile as you envision walking down the aisle, looking and feeling your absolute best. Sit back, relax, and let your glam team work their magic while you sip on a mimosa and embrace the excitement of your wedding day.

Just remember, no matter how simple you prefer your wedding, hair and makeup services will always require extra time and often more time that you planned.  If you need more advice on how much estimated time,  you are well-advised to ask your wedding planner. 

♥ 2nd Mistake: Not capturing your memories in photos.

There are so many ideas to Elope in Vegas but when you arrive to the decision to have or not have a photographer it’s best to pause and think it through carefully. This is a very important day. It’s one of those highlights of your life. When you look back on your wedding day you might regret it if you don’t capture your wedding day memories. Having a Vegas wedding photographer can go a long way for many reasons.

• First of all, if you are having an elopement, it will just be the two of you but in Nevada a witness is required.  The photographer will step in and be the witness for your legalities.
• Secondly, it may be a mistake that you may regret to not have photos as a keepsake of your experience.  Think about it, choosing to have a photographer will give you amazing pictures to share with family and friends. And even better, you may choose some special photos to hang on your wall at home so you can remember your event often as you walk around your house.  You may even decide to go upscale and hire a videographer to make the experience even more cherished and capture it live for posterity. 

Be sure your photographer has a camera that will make a backup of the photos they are taking however. Mistakes can happen and photos can get lost by camera malfunctions. If the photographer is a professional, they will have cameras that provide that function. 

The ceremony itself is the focus of the entire event and capturing poses of the exchange of rings, vows and special moments is essential.  Once again, this is where the photographer will shine in capturing the special moments for you; but be sure to hire a professional photographer to record those special moments in time with the regrets of having sub-par photos. Excellent photographers will be able to provide creative shots that family members most likely will not be able to duplicate.  You will have memories etched in time to remember.

♥ 3rd Mistake: Not considering the first look.

The first look is a tradition where the bride and groom see each other for the first time before a wedding takes place. In these modern times it’s sometimes done privately and many couples choose to have it done in their wedding suite or in a photo session before the elopement takes place.  The first look is the moment when the groom first sees his bride on the day of the wedding. It most often takes place during the processional when the bride walks down the aisle. It can also take place separately and privately, before the wedding, such at the photo shoot session before the official event takes place. 

This is a precious moment and you only have the opportunity once. Having the first look occur when the bride walks down the aisle can prove to be tricky though.  It will require great timing and logistical planning to make sure the guests and the groom don’t see the bride at all before the ceremony. 

It would be a mistake for the bride to not have separate transportation to the wedding location. It would also be a mistake to not have another additional coordinator or personal friend be on point as an assistant to time the correct arrival of the bride so the groom will not accidentally see the bride prior to walking down the aisle. 

For the first look, the bride needs to be seen by the groom at an appropriate time so the expression of the both the bride and groom can be captured as they see each other for the first time on their wedding day.

Grooms get excited to see their beautiful brides dressed up to the nines and have been often known to be a bit cheeky and try to take a peak too early.  They need to be reminded to look away, otherwise they can mistakenly look too soon and ruin the moment. 

♥ 4th Mistake: Not being prepared for formalities.

A Vegas wedding, by law, requires you to obtain a wedding license before the wedding takes place. The wedding license is easy to obtain in Las Vegas, even to non-residents of the US, but you’ll still have to provide proof of identification. Birth certificates are not mandatory, and any type of official government photo ID will suffice. But there are also specific details you want to know about that are different in Las Vegas than other U.S. states and countries. Be prepared by looking ahead and making the necessary arrangements.

Find out how to get a Las Vegas marriage license to help you prepare for getting married in Vegas.

Remember, also, that holidays are a peak time when it’s harder to find, schedule, and carry out a Vegas wedding. Note, no one else can get the marriage license for you.  Only the bride and groom are allowed to obtain the license, in person. Popular days to avoid going to the license bureau are the major holidays, Valentines day, 4th of July, New Years Eve, for example.  It’s also best to have a look at the major conventions in Las Vegas to avoid bad traffic jams and high hotel room rates. These factors sometimes will effect your experience in obtaining a license because people will decide to get married while in Vegas during conventions.   

It’s advisable to visit the Clark county website before you arrive in Vegas and fill out an online pre-application for your Vegas marriage license up to 3 months in advance of your event.

It’s also important to be prepared for seasonal weather fluctuations.  Not knowing specifics about what you will face with the weather could put a huge damper on your event.  For instance, when the weather changes from the cold season (which doesn’t last long) to the hotter weather in July and August, when we extreme heat conditions.

Visit the article below for important weather and convention links and tips. 

♥ 5th Mistake: Scheduling the celebration dinner too soon.

Though not exactly busy like New York or Los Angeles, traveling through the city of Vegas still takes longer than expected to travel from location to location. Getting from the wedding location to the wedding reception can easily become super stressful if you forget to schedule the celebration and leave enough time to account for traffic congestion and other unplanned incidents.

This is where a wedding planner will be invaluable asset to you because they create an itinerary for you to keep your event on track. When you are eloping, almost anything can happen and often the unexpected does happen which may circumvent a well-planned itinerary. In these circumstances, last-minute revisions will need to be made.

One problem I have experienced happening at events is delays with the limousine. Many mistakes with timing can and do happen.  Two common mistakes that may delay the accurate timing are not planning out the ride well beforehand and calculating the amount of time needed for the elopement event, including travel time.  Las Vegas now has a tremendous amount of construction projects in effect and they are causing significant delays. These delays need to be factored in when planning is done and the planning needs to take place ahead of time.  If you are brave enough to plan it yourself, it’s best to leave enough room in your schedule to account for common challenges and keep your celebration timeline on track. It is well worth your time and money to reduce the stress of the occasion.  There are many excellent reasons to hire a Las Vegas elopement planner to plan your wedding in Vegas ahead of time.

♥ 6th Mistake: Not taking advantage of hotel concierge services.

A helping hand can easily turn what seems to be Herculean effort into a solution only one phone call away. Note that prices can vary greatly depending on which hotel you are staying, but even the small services a hotel concierge provides for free can be a lifesaver. Some of the planning assistance they may offer, depending on the hotel are some of the essential referrals you may need such as dress and tux, salon and spa services. Also, use the valuable services of a concierge to help you when setting up reminders for appointments.

As you get closer to your event the stress usually becomes higher in intensity. Then it may be harder to remain as calm and coordinated as you would like to be. You may always ask the concierge service to help you with reminders and notify you about important deliveries.  We at Custom Las Vegas Weddings also offer an all-in-one day of planning service to our couples.  So whether you go with the concierge at your hotel or decide to avail yourselves of an all-in-one solution like ours, it is a service you might not want to overlook.

♥ 7th Mistake: Not having enough limousine time.

With traffic being such a frustration, you’ll need more time to travel from one point to another. More than likely you won’t know the city dynamics, therefore you would be wise to leave the planning to a professional Las Vegas wedding planning company to make a day of timeline.  A professional will be able to estimate more accurately how much time you will need for the limousine. There are a lot of details to take in to consideration when planning the transportation schedule, even for something as simple as an elopement event. Here are some of the mistakes that may take place:

• Not calculating how much time the event will take.
• Not doing a proper estimation for travel time to and from the event.
• Not taking in to consideration traffic construction delays.

To avoid the pitfalls of being late to the wedding, restaurant reservations, or shows it is imperative proper planning takes place well before the event.  It’s most important your experience is more about having fun and enjoying the experience of the ceremony before continuing with your special evening. Your wedding memories should be treasured without blemish. 

♥ 8th Mistake: Partying too much and not getting enough sleep.

A wedding day, complex or less so would still require lots of energy. And the magic of Vegas and the partying or gambling it offers is more alluring than any other when it comes to keeping you awake. Nothing can zap your energy more than these top three things:

• Drinking too much:  Save the drinking for the night of or the night after the wedding.
• Not getting enough sleep: Get the needed amount of sleep the night before the wedding and be clear the day of.
• Not drinking enough water: Whenever you travel, you need to keep hydrated. Any travel and climate change will require more water intake.

Be careful not to over-drink though. It is easy to forget about limits altogether when you are driving through Vegas, at night, experiencing the hidden rhythm with all of those lights shining. If you do happen to drink too much, however here is a great hangover resource to recover from your Vegas hangover if you don’t manage to avoid the partying and need to recover quickly. 

If you want a memorable and enjoyable wedding day, take this advice – you must pay heed to these cautions. No matter what! There is always time for late-night partying after the wedding.

♥ 9th Mistake: Not having a planner help you coordinate your wedding day.

If you are in Vegas for the first time, try to make the calculations upfront, and see whether or not you’ll fare better with a Vegas wedding planner. They can handle the wedding day coordination down to detail, and even pass you discounts for coordinating vendors, saving you money in the long run, making your experience to elope in Vegas stress-free.

If you are in Vegas for the first time, try to make the calculations upfront, and see whether or not you’ll fare better with a Vegas wedding planner. A Vegas elopement planner will handle the wedding day itinerary and coordination meticulously, down to detail, and even pass you discounts for coordinating vendors. They also have a lot of valuable local knowledge about all of the good and bad side of Vegas. The city is constantly changing and we are known as one of the largest “scam cities” in the world. Unfortunately, that title comes with most major tourism sites. Hiring a Vegas elopement planner is like taking the hand of a friend who has lived through it all.

Your planner will give you invaluable advice to steer away from the dark side of the city and into those dazzling lights that you really came to see! For example, beware of texts or phone calls following your ceremony from the “Marriage License Bureau” requesting that you send them additional money to validate your marriage license for an additional cost! This is a recent scam that has plagued a few traveling couples. Having a planner as your ally will help in saving you money in the long run even in ways you could never think of, making your experience eloping in Vegas stress free.

The elopement planner you choose should let you share your vision, and offer lots of different places to elope in Vegas, as well as exciting Las Vegas elopement packages for two, including transportation, photoshoots, and logistical solutions to every step of the way.

Contact Julie to help you plan your Las Vegas wedding.