Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the other free-standing chapels. It also has the bad habit of levying extra charges
for items you don't need or get free elsewhere (for example, they'll charge you a
special fee to arrange for the bride and groom not to run into one another before
the wedding; they also offer to accompany you to the marriage license bureau for
$75, another utterly unnecessary expense). Still, the chapels are bright and shiny,
and suitably romantic in that synthetic Vegas manner (one's “Italian,” another
“Victorian,” the third pale yellow one meant to evoke the “Old South,” as well as
a street-facing gazebo) and as I said before, you'll be well taken care of. Chapels
here can hold between 20 and 70 guests, and there's a small space with a water-
fall that's appropriate for small champagne receptions.
Two others to consider
With seating for 60 (and additional standing room), the Italianate
Mon Bel Ami
(607 Las Vegas Blvd. S.;
%
866/503
-
4400 or 702/388
-
4445; www.monbelami.
com; basic wedding
$
79; Sun-Thurs 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-midnight)
is a
good option for those who want to combine their ceremony with a short recep-
tion (there's a large room attached to the chapel that can accommodate catered
events or simply serve as a place for guests to do cake and champagne). Golden
hued, and less cupid-and-hearts laden than other off-Strip chapels, it's an option
for those who want a slightly more elegant wedding (albeit one that usually comes
with an uptick in price when you add in the elements you want).
The only thing Hollywood about
A Hollywood Wedding Chapel
(2207 Las
Vegas Blvd. S.;
%
702/731
-
0678; www.ahollywoodweddingchapel.com; basic
ceremony
$
40; Sun-Fri 10am-10pm or Sat 10am-10pm)
are the dozens of movie
posters that line the waiting area outside the chapel. Other than that, it's your
typical froufrou chapel, all white with overflowing tureens of silk flowers designed
to make you forget that you're in a low-ceilinged room off a motel. A family-run
operation, the owner also serves as its minister and he's got a gentle, sweet man-
ner about him. When I last visited, his 7-year-old daughter was helping to oper-
ate the cash register, giving it all a nice homey feeling.
CASINO CHAPELS
Personality ain't a strong suit of the casino chapels. Oh, yes, there are some excep-
tions (such as getting married on the deck of the Starship
Enterprise;
see p. 162),
but in general these chapels are not as, well, gloriously tacky, or wacky, or just
plain festive as what you'll find off the Strip. I'm not saying there aren't advantages
to getting married in the same place that you'll be sleeping—the honeymoon can
start a good 15 to 20 minutes sooner, obviously. You'll also have half-a-dozen
restaurants and banquet halls to walk to right from the ceremony, an onsite
beauty parlor, and the chance to parade through a smoky casino in your wedding
dress (don't smirk, I know some gals who find that exciting). But you'll pay a lot
more for what may turn out to be a fairly homogenized experience . . . and you
run the risk of losing the best man to the craps table on the way to the service.
There are exceptions, however, and the
Riviera Royale Wedding Chapel
555
(in the Riviera Hotel & Casino;
%
800/242
-
7322 or 702/794
-
9494; www.riviera
hotelchapel.com; basic wedding
$
279; daily 9am-7pm)
is foremost among them.
Not only is it reasonably priced (its cheapest package includes champagne, pho-
tos, music, and flowers for about what the off-Strip chapels charge), it also has a
