Getting Married in Las Vegas – Propose and Get Married in the Same Weekend
Just proposed and want to get married in Las Vegas? You are not alone, buster....
Are you thinking about getting married in Las Vegas? If so, you’re certainly not alone. More than 110,000 couples get married in Las Vegas every year. While not all of them get married in a chapel by Elvis, many people who want to get married in Las Vegas do so because they want to get married fast. Sometimes there is a bit too much liquid courage involved in their decision.
On other occasions however, it’s the mystique of getting married in the same chapel where such celebrities as Jon Bon Jovi, Kelly Ripa, Carmen Electra, and Lorenzo Lamas (no, not all to each other) tied the knot. In Vegas, you can get married at almost a moment’s notice, in an old fashioned church, or in one of the many themes wedding chapels strewn throughout the city.
What are the requirements to get married in Las Vegas? According to the Clark County court, who has authority over such things, you need the following:
Non U.S. citizens should check with your local officials for special documents that may be needed to ensure that your marriage will be recognized in your country.
Applicants must be a male and a female, at least 18 years of age, and not nearer of kin than second cousins or cousins of half blood, and not having a husband or wife living.
Applicants may be required to prove their age. Those not having acceptable identification to prove age may be refused a marriage license. Faxed copies, damaged identification, privately issued I.D., check cashing cards or photocopies of identification are unacceptable.
Social Security Numbers are required on the Affidavit of Application for a Marriage License. Please know your Social Security Number. Those without knowledge of their Social Security Number may be refused a marriage license. It is recognized that non U.S. citizens will not have a Social Security Number.
There is no blood test and no waiting period after a license is issued.
If you hail from a country outside of the U.S., but feel the need for speed, you’ll be pleased to discover that there is no difference in the requirements for U.S. citizens and non citizens.
If either of you are divorced, you need only know the exact date of your divorce, and it must be final, but you don’t need to bring it with you to get your marriage license.
What are some of the more popular wedding chapels in Las Vegas?
Graceland Wedding Chapel is certainly near the top of the list. I have even attended a wedding there myself, and no, it wasn’t my own. Rocker Jon Bon Jovi did attend his own ceremony there, however. So did music and TV star Miley Cyrus’ dad, Billy Ray. If you want to get married by Elvis, The Graceland is the chapel for you.
Another top Las Vegas Wedding Chapel is The Little Church of the West. Like the Graceland Chapel, it has had its share of celebrities get married there. Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton got hitched there, as did Betty Grable, Mickey Rooney, and Dudley Moore. It is the oldest of the “quickie” wedding chapels, opening its doors all the way back in 1942, when Vegas as we know it today didn’t really exist.
Another option if you want to get married in a Vegas chapel is the Chapel of the Flowers. This is one of the nicer chapels, and it’s right on the Las Vegas strip. Brides magazine even picked the Chapel of the Flowers as “The most beautiful and private wedding chapel in Las Vegas, without comparison.” That’s pretty high praise from a magazine that tends to know about such matters. Who has shared their sentiments? Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra were married at the Chapel of the Flowers.
One more chapel in Vegas that has gotten some well deserved attention is the Little White Wedding Chapel. The LWWC has an actual drive through tunnel, for God’s sake! It has also been hosting weddings on the Vegas strip for decades, and many celebrities have gotten hitched there. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Micheal Jordan, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, and Joan Collins are just a few of the celebrities whose weddings have taken place at the Little White Wedding Chapel.
Weather you’re looking at getting married in Las Vegas because you’ve always wanted to, you wanted to share in the celebrity mystique, or because you found the girl of your dreams and proposed last night, there are many options and few restrictions. That’s why Las Vegas has long been a favorite of people that want to get married sooner, rather than later.
