Las Vegas Wedding Photography | Heavy Metal Indie Elopement!
This wedding takes the cake (or cake pop)! I had a blast photographing at the Pop-Up Chapel at the Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, Nevada this past weekend. The bride and I go way back, her mom and my mom even grew up together. I don’t normally photograph weddings for friends and family, but I stepped up to the plate for this one because I knew if I forgot to put a memory card in my camera for her entire wedding, the bride would laugh and not worry about not having any sort of professional wedding photos.
I arrived late on a Friday and attended my first bachelorette party ever. We ran down the strip watching senior citizens and partygoers share the sidewalk. We got dragged into the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino by Jenna Spaghetti, promising to show us a canal. I was too tired to think clearly and the half-gallon mojito they carried didn’t help lead us to reality.
The next day we headed to the Neon Boneyard for a quick tour. They are building a new museum which will have a fully restored and preserved La Concha Motel lobby.
Later we headed to the Marriage License Bureau, and then the Freemont Street Experience.
The bride and groom were set to get ready at HRH All-Suite Tower at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. If I told you how much they paid for their suite, I’d have to kill you. In this bright, spacious suite, the bride got prettied up in a red dress from Trashy Diva, and put on a super cool black handmade necklace from the lovely Katy Westcott, black and blue heels from Vince Camuto, good luck horsehoe earrings from By Boe, and a peacock feather from Batcakes Couture. The groom wore an Iron Maiden Tee from John Varvatos and slip-on Chuck Tailors from Converse, with Dr. Scholl’s gel inserts. Before we headed out, the bride grabbed her brooch and felt bouquet that she and friends handmade. The black steel rings from She Weld fit in a black leather pouch adorned with red hearts from Gypsy Tailor.
The Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas has a space that hosts temporary shops that rotate frequently. In addition to the Pop-Up Chapel, the space has been home to a Dutch designer called Droog, and soon the space will transform from this limited-time wedding chapel into something new.
Before their six minute wedding ceremony, the bride and groom filled out some paperwork and a handful of witnesses signed.
The short list of wedding guests practiced their whistles before the ceremony.
The wedding ceremony began and ended quickly.
The Pop-Up Chapel at the Cosmopolitan Hotel included a photo booth token, eraser rings, and cake pops.
Later on at the Chandelier Bar, the newlyweds called their parents.
On the way out, we caught a glimpse of the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel.
No Vegas elopement is complete without a stop at the famous Gun Store to shoot an AK-47.
Getting Ready Hotel: HRH All-Suite Tower at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Wedding Ceremony Venue: Pop-Up Chapel at the Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, NV
Rings: She Weld
Brooch Bouquet: Handmade by bride and friends with brooches and felt
Necklaces: Katy Westcott
Shoes: Crane pumps in teal from Vince Camuto from Nordstrom
Dress: Honey Dress in red from Trashy Diva
Groom’s Shirt: Iron Maiden Tee from John Varvatos
Veil / Hair Accessory: Peacock Feather from Batcakes Couture
Ring Pouch : Gypsy Tailor
Earrings: Little Luck horseshoe earrings from By Boe
Ceremony Music: Processional – Siouxsie and the Banshees – This Wheel’s on Fire, Recessional – Nilsson “Cuddly Toy”
Celebrations after the wedding: The Gun Store, Las Vegas, NV, bride shot an AK-47