The New Mrs

We are baaack! We had a wonderful wedding weekend in Las Vegas. It was as stress free as a wedding could be, we enjoyed our friends and my family who made it all the way from PR to be with us. Best of all, it was done my way.

This is what I mean by my way:

We got ready together

I wore a drop veil, yes I DID (and gold)!

 We walked up the aisle together (come on, I've been on my own for the last 15 years and this is my second wedding, who and why will anyone give me away?) Not to mention, this is a decision we made together...

 We took cool pictures around Vegas afterwards

And lastly but more importantly we had great food with amazing friends

It was great and we had plenty of fun

Pictures: Todd Wilson

(Please do not use)

Can you tell?

I learned a few things about us throughout the process.  Even though there were some disappointments, sticking to our beliefs was worth it and we would have not done it any other way. The day after the wedding we had brunch with our guests and we headed off to Fiji, will post next!

How We Did It-Recap

As I planned to write the series I realized the way we chose our vendors was the same every time. Word of mouth from other brides, I would check out their website and hopefully their blog. I would email them, wait for the response by next day (since I am ahead of Vegas by 10 hrs), ask for what I wanted, wait for a quote, compare and make a decision. Wash, rinse and repeat for all the vendors.

I know vendors know this, they know word of mouth is worth more than any ad they can pay for. Having a nice website and hopefully a blog (not to mention participate in other social networks) is very important especially in this time and age of technology. The fact that they responded quickly was high up on my list. As an Encore Bride I was not hung up on the simple details.  My focus was having what we wanted, a nice ceremony along with a wonderful steak dinner among family and close friends.

We wanted and talked about eloping but I wanted to give everyone a chance to attend, to my surprise many of my friends had made reservations before we even sent their invitations!

To recap, this is how we did it:

1. We spoke to other brides getting married in the same area.
2. We asked for references
3. We checked vendors reviews and feedback
4. Emailed vendors to inquire about their services
5. Waited for reply
6. If they did I would go in the detail of what I was looking for but I let them do what they do best, offer the best suggestions for our event.
7. Agree to a price
8. I received all contacts via email, I signed them, scanned them and sent them back
9. DONE!

Who said it couldn't be done? We are planning a small, intimate but elegant wedding for 30 in beautiful Las Vegas and we did it all in about 3 months.

Now if Uncle Sam could only assure me that I will be there, it would be alright!

How We Did It-Part II Reception

After the chapel and date were secured we knew we wanted a small, intimate steak dinner along the strip, hopefully with a view. I went back to my 2 sites of reference, theknot.com and weddingwire.com. I asked other brides, I emailed almost every restaurant on the strip, and then I checked wedding wire. After every response from every restaurant I was shocked at the prices. The main purpose for doing this in Las Vegas was so that we didn't have to pay $100+ a person. It seemed all of the restaurants on the strip wanted around $100 a person without drinks and gratuity. 

After coming across the reviews in wedding wire I came across a restaurant that had the most and highest ratings; Lawry's the Prime Rib Restaurant. It met most of our requirements: steak dinner-check, intimate with private room-check, rave reviews-check, reasonable prices-check, and lastly I can bring any cake and flower vendors I would like at no extra charge-HUGE CHECK! The only thing Lawry's cannot provide is a view of the strip but that OK with us.

 Lawry's

Another plus was the outstanding service I received from the Sales manager, she emailed me within a few hours (I am 10 hours ahead of Vegas) every time I had a question. To this date she still does as questions come up when planning the menu, etc.

Again, the key to booking this space along with the Chapel was the convenience and customer service they provided, in my book, those two things are priceless.

To recap, how does one plan a wedding in Las Vegas from Iraq, I would say: Internet, Las Vegas knotties and wedding wire. What helped you plan your wedding?

How We Did It Part I-Location and Date

 We were originally planning a wedding around November of 2011, 11/11/11 to be exact, location TBD. Our families are in Puerto Rico, Mississippi, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado and California. The big question was where and we didn’t have an answer for that. We considered Puerto Rico but it wasn’t a firm decision.

To make matters more complicated we knew we would be moving as soon as we returned from this deployment but we didn’t know where. We were still waiting for the Army to make a decision. The Army finally gave us a location about a month after the engagement; Norfolk, VA. We started planning the move but we quickly realized that if we wanted to move in together in military housing we would have to be a lawful wedded couple…

One day he walked in my office and I said, “That’s it, we’re going to Vegas as soon as I get back, we’ll let our families know and if they want to join us they can if not we’ll still love them the same”. He said with a grin on his face, “OK”! 

The only request he had was that it must be in a Chapel, with God present. “Ok”, I said, “deal”.  Next thing you know I went online and “googled”: Chapels, Las Vegas.  I came across an article on the best Chapels in town and one came across with many glowing reviews, Chapel of the flowers. 

Victorian Chapel 

The Chapel’s website was elegant, informative and easy to use (hint, hint). I was able to take a look at the different chapels within the property, package prices and even book a date, all online…easy peasy.

Next up, I had to choose a date, well, January 1^st would’ve been great for us but not for our family and friends, not to mention that I would have barely made it back to the US.  The next long holiday in January was the weekend of Martin Luther King, January14-17, 2011. Well, then January 15^th it is. We booked the Chapel for that date with a $100 deposit. We are going places here.

Magnolia Chapel

Photos: Chapel of the Flowers

In the end, we ended up booking with them because of their rave reviews, beautiful branding and appealing website and most importantly, convenience.

How Did I Do It?

Photo Credit

The question everyone keeps asking me is, how did I plan a wedding while deployed to Iraq? In fact, I've heard that question so many times I decided to write about it. Now that the bulk of the planning is done I can use my very little free time to share with you how I accomplished it. I started planning a wedding 176 days out (I know this from internet evidence) and was 85% done by day 120.

So again, how did I do it? I will share in detail the process in hopes that it can be helpful to someone. Starting Wednesday I will begin a series of posts taking all of you through the journey that it was planning the wedding. Stay tuned and be sure to bookmark my site, see you then!