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The offbeat bride: Carrie, Tattoo Artist
Her offbeat partner: Ryan, Tattoo Artist
Date and location of wedding: The Little White Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas, Nevada — October 21, 2011
What made our wedding offbeat: We decided to get married in Vegas which was a pretty big deal since we are from a small town and traditional weddings are all the rage. We also did it completely family-free! Surprisingly, both of our families were completely supportive of this which definitely helped. We chose The Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas because it had a drive-thru and also cost only $40.
I wanted it to feel spontaneous. I never imagined myself wanting a traditional white dress, or having a traditional wedding party, so we technically didn't have one. Everyone wore black and white. My dress was black and as short as possible, with some blue suede shoes to honor Elvis.
Tell us about the ceremony: When we all arrived at the chapel, we ran right in because we were about 10 minutes late. The lady at the front desk was amazingly nice and after some obligatory paper work, she asked us if we wanted to get married in the pink Cadillac. Obviously we did. The civil ceremony was perfect. All of our friends were running around the car taking pictures, crying like maniacs. It was surreal.
The whole ceremony lasted about 10 minutes,which was perfect since we were married at 11:00 p.m. wanted plenty of time to party in Vegas. We all jumped in to a limo (limos are about as easy to catch in Vegas as a cab, and just as cheap!) and we headed to Fremont Street for some photo ops in Old Vegas. Fremont street was pretty overwhelming. Huge casinos, loud music, and so many people having a great time. It was a fantastic atmosphere.
After walking around for about an hour, we caught another limo around 1:00 a.m. and headed to dinner.
Our biggest challenge: Actually, the only challenge was getting ready for the wedding. I have dreadlocks, and since I didn't make a hair appointment, I had no idea what I was going to do with them. But it actually turned out pretty decently. A curling iron and bobby pins went a long way. I would have to say we were pretty blessed that everything came together so well.
My favorite moment: The most meaningful part of the wedding was having our best friends there with us. It meant a lot to us that they were so willing to drop everything and take the time off to come. It was a great wedding, but also an amazing vacation that we will cherish forever. Not only because of the wedding, but because some of our other friends who had never really met before were able to make new friendships themselves.
My funniest moment: A lot of funny moments happened throughout the night. We were all crammed into an elevator at the hotel taking pictures and when the doors opened, we tried to include all the people who walked into the elevator too. We also had a boot of liquor with us at all times and tried to include it as best we could.
Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? I actually didn't have ANY expectations, which was a great feeling. Other then the ceremony at 11:00 p.m., and dinner at 1:00 a.m., nothing was planned. We wanted the night to be spontaneous and carefree.
My advice for offbeat brides: A lot of people had different opinions about our decision to get married in Vegas, with no family present. Regardless of opinions, do what you feel is best. Also, don't get too stressed out about everything months in advance. A wedding isn't just one day, but all the days leading up to it, so enjoy every moment!
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Bouquet: Etsy seller SurroundingsOnline
- Rings: Tungsten rings and bands
- Photographer: Ben Telford
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
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Such fun! I loved this one!
Carrie,
If you are reading this, DAYUM girl! You were smokin hot at your wedding! And thanks for putting this out there, this is the exact kind of wedding I want, but with a few family members there (because my lil bro and his wife RAWK, as does my FSIL!) Your wedding looks like a total blast!
You two have me wanting to go to Vegas now. =P Congrats!!!! It looks like it was a blast!
I really love the blue suede shoes in honor of Elvis. This wedding looks like it was fun and amazing. Congratulations!
now THIS is a vegas wedding baby! 😀
and Carrie you have dreads!?!?! couldn’t even tell! You guys are AWESOMESAUCE 😀
I would have never guessed she had dreads..I have never seen them in an updo like that. They look amazing. (I love dreads in all their styles and forms!)
Vegas weddings are such a blast. They look like they had a ton of fun and are super in love. Great wedding story!
This is probably the best Vegas Wedding I’ve seen! And seriously, I agree with the post above – I couldn’t tell you had dreads until I read the post but when I looked again, I loved the hairstyle even more! Awesome photos y’all!!
damn girl, with legs like that it’s a crime NOT to wear such a short dress! you guys completely rocked vegas, I love everything about this
This looks so cool! I almost got married in Vegas last year, i was on holidays from Australia & i was worried about my family being upset that they wouldn’t be there to see it so we didn’t go through with it. I came to regret it when we got home & my parents said “we thought you guys would have gotten married over there” so we got married 2 months later on our own on the beach. Every time i see photos like yours i wish we’d gone through with it. You look like you had an amazing time & that’s what weddings should be about.
I love how your dread up-do turned out! This wedding truly is a celebration of love and family.. so awesome!
How awesome! I just got back from Vegas and have a new found love for it. Can I ask where you stayed/partied/hung out?
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH EVERYONE!!!
we stayed at the Luxor for 4 days. it was an amazing hotel. but i think when we go back we will probably stay somewhere a little further up the strip. so much walking! lol
I was all, “Hm, she must have had an amazing stylist,” and then I read that SHE DID HER HAIR HERSELF.
HOLY COW. That hair is GORGEOUS. I couldn’t do that if you gave me a room full of infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters coming up with instruction sheets.
Also: Vegas is where we’re taking our first grown-up vacation this holiday season. Can’t wait!
hahah thanks! i dont think i could recreate it again if i tried. about 100 bobby pins. dreads are heavy. i actually cant believe it held up so well!
Hi Carrie! I need to know where you got that dress! Please let us in on the secret! 🙂
Hey Caroline
i got the dress off of Ebay.
Its The French Connection “Fast Lust” dress. it comes in blue and gold as well! its been sold out for a few years and they no longer make it. I ordered it new from a seller in the U.K. but you should be able to find it on Ebay no problem!
Thanks so much for the response, Carrie!
This is AWESOME
What a fab wedding – the fun factor leaps off the computer screen – your husbands mustache is brilliant by the way!!!
hahaha yep, i love his mustache. he waxed the heck out of it for the night. i always laugh when i look at the pics, he has such a hard time keeping his eyes open with such bright camera flashes.lol
This is fun! Bet you guys had a blast! Family-free and a pink cadillac! AWESOME!
This is fantastic! You guys are stunning. We are having JUST this kind of wedding in June. Can I ask about your photographer? I clicked his link but it seems not be working 🙁
Hi Amy! It seems the link is down — here’s his twitter, maybe you can contact him through there?
https://twitter.com/#!/bentelfordphoto
yes. sorry amy, that link didnt work. but that is his twitter. also, you can find him on facebook. Ben Telford but its under “Bernjamirn Turtleferd” lol. hes based out of Toronto.
Thanks so much Carrie! Your pics are f’n awesome!
Ben has perhaps the best Facebook username of all time: https://www.facebook.com/dickdessert
What an amazing and fun wedding!!! The bride is absolutely gorgeous! What a sexy dress!