I can hardly believe it’s been five years since our Las Vegas wedding – but there are two tiny people living in our home who were not around when we tied the knot, so there’s no denying that some time has passed!
Something about five years really makes a person reflect. I’m honestly so happy to say I can look back on our entire wedding experience with a happy heart.
It. Was. So. Much. Fun.
We were married on May 21, 2015, at a twilight poolside ceremony at the Aria Resort & Casino, followed by dinner and dancing at the attached Vdara Hotel & Spa. We had 68 guests join us from Canada, Scotland, England and the USA and the night (plus the days that preceded and followed) were LIT. Case in point:
When people ask me what I enjoyed about getting married in Vegas, my response is always the same: “everything except saying we got married in Vegas.”
I don’t know why the stigma’s there, but you say “Las Vegas wedding” and “Little White Chapel” still pops into people’s minds. But, for the same reasons that I love visiting Vegas, I loved getting married there: it’s a city that knows how to have a good time.
Why Vegas?
Why not!
When Aaron popped the question, he made it clear he was excited to get married and wanted to do it quickly! I talked him up from a two-month engagement (LOL, I wouldn’t have been able to get a dress that fast!) to a ten-month engagement.
The day he proposed was the day we took possession of our new custom-built house, which he’d essentially let me design to my liking. I was never a girl to fantasize about my wedding day so when he asked if we could do it in Las Vegas, I was 100 per cent down!
Two months later we flew down and toured a few different properties. My only requirement was to have an outdoor ceremony space. After going back and forth between the Wynn and Aria, we sealed the deal with the Aria.
Our Las Vegas Wedding Ceremony
I loved the ambience of our ceremony!
The space itself was breathtaking. We had a twilight poolside ceremony by candlelight, with a flowing chuppah, Chiavari chairs and the most gorgeous floral arrangements. We also had a live pianist who played as we walked down the aisle. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps – it was a small detail that really stands out! And after we said, “I Do’, everyone lit a sparkler.
Learn from my mistake: I ordered extra-large sparklers online to my home then realised, after-the-fact, you can’t bring sparklers on a plane. So I had to ship them down to Vegas and it was quite costly. Don’t do what I did LOL.
Our Las Vegas Wedding Reception
We had our reception a two-minute walk away in Vdara’s Silk Road Ballroom. We opted for an open bar. I think it’s safe to say our guests took full advantage LOL!
We started with hand-passed champagne and appetizers and then moved into the ballroom for speeches and dinner. I can’t speak highly enough of our meal. If the Aria’s on your list, book with them just for the food! The menu was incredible – from king crab cocktails, lobster club sandwiches and Kobe beef satays as part of the appetizers – to shrimp and lobster pasta and chef-carved roast turkey at dinner.
Given that I was becoming a ‘Hunka” and we were in Vegas, following speeches, we had Elvis burst into the room to sing “Hunka Hunka Burning’ Love”. He was actually the same Elvis from Katy Perry’s Waking Up in Vegas music video!
I insisted he perform only two songs – I didn’t want it to go on too long. But, man, did Elvis ever get us all fired up and on the dance floor. We then had a live DJ for the rest of the night.
The After Party
We had our reception space and open bar until 2 a.m. but rented a large-and-in-charge hotel suite for the after party! We stocked the bathtub full of beer and bubbles and a large group of us stood and watched the sun come up at 6 a.m. It was great.
What I’d Do Over and Over Again
Pay extra for day-of coordination
I loved that the Aria set up and tore down everything and that I didn’t have to worry about doing any ‘work’ on our wedding day.
The cake
Candy bars, cupcakes and cake pops were very ‘in vogue’ but to this day, I still really love a good cake – and am so glad we got one! Ours was made by Jean-Philippe Patisserie and was vanilla sponge layered with fresh strawberries and champagne crème brulee.
The flow
Aaron and I did a first look and had our photos taken before the ceremony so that we could go straight from the ‘I Dos’ into the cocktail hour and hand-passed appetizers (which we got to be a part of), then right into the dinner with speeches and dancing. There was no ‘waiting around’ or ‘breaks’ which I loved. Except for these photos, haha!
What I’d Change
I would honestly do our wedding the same over and over again! I’m grateful I can say it was a fun experience.
The only thing I didn’t love – funnily enough, because now you’ll often find me behind a camera – was our wedding photographer. The Aria made it clear we had to use their vendor, which wasn’t quite my style. But, at the end of the day, we captured the major moments and that’s really all we need!
I also wasn’t crazy about our makeup artists. However, technology has come a long way in the last five years, so finding vendors is a whole different experience now than what it was half a decade ago.
Lastly, the Aria came with a high price tag LOL. Yikes. However, we asked family and friends to travel so I’m thrilled we gave everyone a fun night!
Thanks for checking out our Las Vegas wedding! If you’re planning an Aria or Las Vegas wedding and have any questions, I’m more than happy to answer them in the comments below or on Instagram DM.
Xo Holly Hunka
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