August 1 wedding

After going to vegas every year for the last 11 years We've decided to get married in vegas this year.. My niece who is a professional photographer is going to meet us there and do our after photos.. So I am looking for ideas afterwards besides the fountains at Bellagio, the tower at paris and the sign. Also can you just walk into say Bellagio or flamingo and do photos on your own and leave ? or whats to stop you from doing so

 

Congrats! Aug 1st happens to my wife and my 5th anniversary. We'll be in Vegas getting our vows renewed by Elvis. Where are you getting married?

 

Where did you find out the details to get the vows renewed by an Elvis, This is what we intend to do in July, but am not having any luck finding an Elvis!

 

We're doing it at Graceland Wedding Chapel. They include Elvis for free for vow renewals. $199 before tips and whatnot...includes RT limo transportation too.

 

Wow, great price.....we just wanted to do a very short renewal in front of the Vegas sign.....by an Elvis....

 

Ceremonies are about 10 minutes. If you search Graceland Wedding Chapel on YouTube, there's plenty of examples. Best part about a vow renewal is that you don't need an ordained minister and Elvis does the entire ceremony. The $199 includes 2 songs...1 at the beginning, Viva Las Vegas at the end. If you look on YouTube, the 3 song ceremonies where he sings in the middle of the ceremony are awkward.

A lot of the chapels do Vegas sign weddings, but they're more expensive. Good luck!

 

When we did our wedding pics in Vegas, here's how it worked at the two casinos you mentioned:
Bellagio: we did some pictures outside by the fountains and near the front of the hotel. We didn't go inside; I've heard MGM is a little more strict about photos. We were also in a bit of a time crunch, so we were satisfied with just outside photos.
Flamingo: we did some pictures outside at the wildlife habitat, and at one of the outdoor wedding chapels (it wasn't in use, of course)...then we went inside and did just a couple pics around the casino. We did them quickly at a pit that was closed so no one really noticed. A pit boss eventually saw us, and we just let him know that we wanted to snap a couple photos and we'd be careful to avoid the tables that we in use. He said it was okay so long as we were quick we didn't get any of the players in the background of our pics.

Some other good places:
Planet Hollywood: they have some really beautiful chandeliers that make a gorgeous photo background. If you go down to the hotel check in, they have those "pillar chandeliers" (best way I can describe it) that are gorgeous.
Paris: really beautiful replication of Paris...makes for nice scenery in pictures. They also didn't seem to mind us taking pictures in the casino and in the shopping/dining areas.

"Bad" locations:
I've heard that MGM properties are more strict about photography than CET. However, we didn't even try, so I can't say that is 100% true from personal experience. Go ahead and try it if you want to! The worst they'll do is tell you that you cant take any more pictures and tell you to leave. Be respectful of your photographer though (I'm sure you will since she's your neice!) - some photographers won't even try, because they'll be banned from bringing future clients to the property if they break the rules too many times. This is what I was told by another Vegas photog. So if she regularly photographs Vegas weddings, she might not want to run the risk.
Cosmopolitan: don't even try. from what I've been told, they are very very strict about not allowing photography on the property.

congrats and good luck!