Hotel vs. Chapel

[vegaswedding07]

Alright all you Vegas Junkies, for those who have been either married there or just hang out there a lot...would you recommend having a small wedding of about 40 people in a hotel or chapel? Can you recommend any chapels?

[vegasbound]

I preferred hotel chapels to stand alone chapels mainly for the convenience factor. Everything could be done at one site and that way transportation of guests was no concern. Also, many of the stand alone chapels are located in strip malls, next to motels, and convenience stores, etc. I’m sure many of these chapels are beautiful, but these attributes made the chapels less desirable to me.

Little Church of the West, Special Memory and Little Chapel of Flowers were my favorites of the stand alone chapels.

I was married at Mandalay Bay’s Chapel by the Bay. I had 80 guests, so I encountered some trouble finding venues to accommodate our guestlist. In turn, it helped considerably to narrow down our choices. We also considered Paris, Bellagio and TI for our ceremony. Luxor has a lovely chapel, had it been open before I tied the knot, it would’ve also made the list for consideration.

Pictures of a few chapels:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbtGzli3bNGef&notag=1

Check out Ken's book Neon Nuptials (http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=1417127&cid=64664&fp=F), lot's of good information there.

Good luck with your plans!

[Nevada Kid]

I like the hotel chapels too, unless you want the convenience of a sex toy shop next to you. Okay maybe not that bad, but the hotels are much classier in my opinion.

[ken2v]

Anyone who has read my book knows from the tone alone that overall I much prefer the hotel-based chapels to the standalones, and as often as not it was for the various land-use problems a couple discussed here. But a number of standalone chapels lost serious points because they're run by nasty, spitefully, paranoid assholes. Certainly not all, but a good number. In fact, a few of the smilling faces folks might've seen on TV are among the worst offenders.

Having said that, don't be deterred from checking out the standalones. Once inside, some compare with the best of the hotel chapels, and honestly, what's worse, having a gas station/mini-mart next door or leaving the gorgeous Excalibur facility and being assaulted by the bullshit on the arcade level of that hellhole resort? Finally, few hotel chapels can offer up the excess of pink and corn that will only do for a lot of neon nuptialists.

[Denny]

My stepson was married a year ago at the Golden Phoenix Hotel Casino in Reno. We tried very hard to convince him to do it in Las Vegas. We even took pictures of various chapels in Vegas for him to see, but alas, to no avail, so my wife and I just had to stop in Vegas first for 4 days before going on to Reno for the ceremony.

He had lived in San Francisco for several years and Reno was just handier for him and his friends to drive to. The plan was for maybe about 20-30 people to show up. All the relatives and other friends were from Wisconsin so most of them wouldn't come. Well surprise, surprise. Over 100 people showed up and there was no room in the hotel chapel for that many so the ceremony was held in one of the banquet rooms. All went well though because the hotel had the room. A stand alone chapel would not.

[LVLady]

We got married at Little Church of the West. It is down near Mandalay Bay. It was wonderful and the outside of the chapel is pretty with some trees and at dusk they have little tiny christmas lights in them. They did a nice job with our wedding. We had 20 guests and the chapel could have held double that.

[ken2v]

... Over 100 people showed up and there was no room in the hotel chapel for that many so the ceremony was held in one of the banquet rooms. All went well though because the hotel had the room. A stand alone chapel would not.

A handful of standalone chapels can handle such crowds, and some of the casino-based. But that's sooooooo the exception in Vegas, where a good number are doing it simply to avoid the mass mess.

Glad the hotel responded professionally. Many don't seem to recall what service means.

[gayle]

Guess I am the odd person out, as I prefer the stand-alone's. Not ALL of them mind you, as some are really tacky. But, a few, such as Little Church of the West, Special Memory, Wee Kirk, Chapel of the Flowers and Graceland do NOT have the tacky Vegas feel at all, and especially Little Church, really "feels' like a very quaint little Church.

My reasons for my preference are as follows:
1. Much less expensive than the Hotel Chapels
2. You can get your flowers and other package items anywhere and in way you want.
3. Their packages have a great deal of flexibility for add-ons, and at reasonable pricing.
4. Some of them (the ones I mentioned) have a real history behind them, and will be standing for years to come should you ever want to trip down memory lane. Whereas the Hotels (alot of them anyway) might have a lifespan of maybe 20 years, and might not be around when that special anniversary comes up and you wantt o return to the place you were married.

[mrsvjw]

As someone who has been to many, many, MANY poorly planned weddings ....(what... the weddings is on one side of St. Louis and the reception is on the other? The hell??) if you're looking at a number like 40, I'd go with the hotel. As a guest, it is always much nicer to have the whole shabang happening in the same, or very close, places. Especially if you have people who are new to Vegas.... it's a lot less hassle for them. Everyone knows where everything is and no one has to worry about driving/getting a cab to and/or from anywhere. And you never know Vegas, lol, you may loose people along the way anytime they travel from one place to another.

However, I think the chapel really does make it seem more "Vegas-y". I like the kitsch factor (not the tacky factor, there are a lot that are nice, just not the one I was married in, lol). But that's me.

[vegasbride2003]

we got married in 2003 at the garden of love and i loved it. They worked with us, great prices and they handle 40 people just find. There was a wedding going on right before ours but it was just the bride and groom. So they went pretty fast. Also my package was for only 10 pictures and they took well over 50 pictures for no extra charge. The chapel has signs that said no pictures allowed but they let all of our guest take their own pictures.

it was great!! we had a blast.

My friend got married about 2 months before us in a hotel chapel, and their wedding was great also. So it is very hard to pick

[vanassa1]

A guy that I work with just got married at Red Rock Canyon. He is a very outdoorsy person. The pictures were absolutely beautiful. He said it was a great experience and wouldn't have changed a thing. With the new resort right there it would make for a close place for accomadations and dinner after the service. Man, maybe I should think about this.....

[East Coast Shuffle]

We were married last year at the Paris hotel's smaller chappel.
http://www.caesars.com/Paris/LasVegas/Weddings/WeddingChapels/ChapelleduJardin.htm

We had eloped as it was the second time for both and were looking for something intimate, yet traditional and the Paris was the right choice for us. Wondeful location for pictures, great service from our wedding planner and the minister was awesome...made the day very stress free and an experience I'll treasure. Mind you...I was lobbying hard for the drive thru service but was voted down. Marriage is give & take...especially when planning them !.

Best of luck on your day !.