Mon Bel Ami Wedding Chapel???

[babydollbetty]

My BF wants to get get married in Vegas this fall. She asked me about this chapel, but I have not heard much about it on the net. Does anyone have any comments, reviews or info about it other than their website(which looks quite nice)?

Any advice I could pass along to her would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

[ken2v]

Recently totally rebuilt from the ground up. Attractive, no gaga cherubs/hearts/lace crap gooing it all up, clean.

[babydollbetty]

Thanks! I have on other question. Is it located in a "bad" part of town?

[ken2v]

Most chapels not within a hotel-casino are in a "bad" -- from a surrounding land-use perspective -- part of town. That's just Vegas. There's a shuttered, chainlink-fenced motel next door, but that's not as bad as some. The proprietor (of the chapel) has put up a lot of fencing recently. If you choose a neon nuptial there are certain things that go with the experience, and quaint, pristine surroundings just usually isn't one of them.

[gayle]

There are a few of the "neon" chapels that have prettier grounds than others.

Little Church of the West being the leader of the pack. It sits on an acre of lovely grounds, so there are ample wedding photo sites right on the grounds.

Little Chapel of the Flowers has some semi secluded grounds as well. Special Memory isn't too bad outside as well.

Then you have your second tier chapels. Those that sit next to some eyesores, but the chapels themselves have created little mini oasis's on their small plots. These would include, Wee Kirk, Graceland (which is really a darling little chapel, with a darling front that is landscaped) Mon Ami, and Candlelight would be in this classification (IMHO).

Then youv'e got the chapels that are all about Vegas Neon, and eyesore (or completely over-the-top) locations.

I personally would put Viva Las vegas, Chapel of the Bells, Little White Chapel, Cupid's, Sally's Victorian, and a few others that I can't quite remember the names of in this category.

Personally, I prefer the idea of the free standing chapels over the hotel ones. Granted, the hotels will be more pristine and elegant, but, they are also a heck of alot pricier, and from what I have heard, they are pretty inflexible about you providing any of your own services (including floral or cakes), and lock you into buying everything from them with a large profit margin.

If you want the best of both world's, at a fair price, and in a real little piece of Las vegas History as well, I would probably look first at Little Church of the West.

[ken2v]

Actually, while the casino-based chapels are typical higher priced, they are generally no more/less inclined to make such use-of-services demands than the "independents." There will be exceptions, of course. And as a group, the standalone/independent chapels are eminently more cutthroat ... eminently. They were the ones outside the county building jostling for business -- and fighting with each other -- and they are the ones who will openly rip the competition. Lotsa ugliness within the LV love business. But there are some true gems among the independents.

[gayle]

I agree Golfntravel. I am primarily speaking of my experience with Graceland chapel, and helping a friends wedding at Little Church of the West.

Both of these facilities go out of their way to let you customize, use your own providers, etc.

The only thing Graceland was a stickler on was using their photographer for the inside the chapel photos. I brought in my own flowers, which they discounted off my "package". they allowed me to use an outside photographer for any shots I had taken on their grounds, because we bought a double photo package, they threw in a video for half price, they gavce us a candle lighting ceremony for free (we hadn't ordered it), and discounted t-shirts to half price.

I was REALLY impressed. I had a similar experience with Little Church when I was Maid of Honor for a girlfriends wedding. They seemed willing to go out of their way to allow her to customize.

Granted I have not had a whole lot of direct dealings with the Hotel chapels, but I am active on a wedding planning board and know lots of brides who have had LV weddings at the hotel chapels, and almost all of them paid double or triple what I paid, and had little or no flexibility with packages or services.

Speaking of hotel chapels, IMHO, the unsung gem of them is at all places Excaliber.

I have been to a wedding there and that chapel is absolutely stunning. The other hotel chapels I have seen (which include Bellagio, Stratosphere, and Circus Circus) all look like a conference room that has been "chapelized".

Aside from Excaliber (hate the hotel, LOVE the chapel), the Tropicana Island chapel is pretty cute and Mandalay Bay is nice as well.

If I was gonna use a Hotel chapel, I would go with Excaliber or Tropicana. Their rates are better than most as well.

[ken2v]

Lucky you, a half dozen. I've had to endure them all. LOL