|
 By
Joni Moss
Client Relations
LV Wedding Connection
Nevada Wedding Association
Las Vegas Connection
purple@cox.net
The
Wedding Capital and the Gaming Capital Join Together to Capture the
Dynamics of Luck in Love and Money
The most unbelievable wedding date ever.
People started planning for this date a year ago. This was the
biggest wedding day ever for Las Vega. We knew it was going to be huge
ever since this all started 09-09-99, and every year thus far, but with
three 7’s and being in Vegas we knew it was a marriage that was meant to
be.
I am the owner of L.V. Wedding Connection, which is a public relations
company for the wedding industry. I represent seven wedding chapels…each
one having their own niche, and I represent the Las Vegas sector of the
Nevada Wedding Association, which is a statewide wedding organization
funded by Nevada Commission on Tourism. With all of that said I was
right in the thick of this blissful day.
The week started out cool and calm, but quickly heated up by the 4th of
July holiday. The chapels had been preparing for this for a long
time…organizing staff…ordering flowers…servicing limousines…charging
batteries for camera equipment, setting up make shift areas due to our
extreme heat.
I had my own experiences of doing news interviews, radio interviews and
magazine interviews. There was a promotion going on the Las Vegas
Monorail that entailed having FREE renewal of vows services for the
masses at 3 different times on 07-07-07, for which I was the sponsor.
This meant having the staging set up…floral pieces to deliver…collateral
to hand out…etc.
I had a request to send a Minister to a restaurant to marry them.
I had a request to send a photographer to a Gold Mine for a wedding
there. A wedding cake had to be delivered. Flowers needed to be
delivered. Colleagues of mine were calling for assistance….and all of
these events had to be fulfilled on Saturday…and the requests kept
coming.
On Thursday I went to the Clark County Courthouse to see how that was
going…how long was the wait…say hello to all of the guests…welcoming
them all to Nevada. I arrived at 10: 30 am and the line was half way
around the block, so I visited a bit and knew that tomorrow, Friday
would be the crazy day, so I left and moved onto the next thing on the
endless list, and said to myself I would come back tomorrow.
Friday I had received many calls about what was happening down at the
Courthouse. So I arrived at 2:30 pm to see the line not outside, but was
wrapped throughout the Courthouse building. Our couples were waiting in
line in the air conditioning, and then as they got closer they were
outside for a short period of time. I went into the line and waited as
if I was a bride, and talked to many people along the way. I called my
resources on the inside and volunteered my assistance in the Marriage
License Bureau.
So off I went, I sat down and for the 5 hours and assisted the excited
couples with completing their paperwork. They were all so excited when I
called “Next couple” “Come on down”. We commented, this was like the
price is right.
I talked to people from all over the world… I noticed that there were
many birthdays in January as I looked at their driver’s licenses. I saw
a lot of people from Ohio, Texas, Arizona, California and as far away as
Europe. Young people, older people, and just happy people in love and in
love with getting married on 07-07-07. The wait at this time was about 2
½ hours and by the time I left it was down to about an hour wait. The
Courthouse staff was incredible about keeping it going, .and the energy
this day brought was unexplainable. I went to bed at a decent time as I
knew tomorrow would start very early.
A local PR firm and myself were working together with a local restaurant
on a contest to win a dinner and hotel stay when you entered the
drawing. Only couples married on this day were eligible to enter. They
were meeting me at the chapel before 7 am with burgers and champagne. So
off I went at 6am. The first wedding started at 7 am. The day was
consistent and couple after couple were married. From just the bride and
groom to parties of 50, we saw casual attire to formal dresses and
tuxes. There was yet another day of lines at the courthouse, and the
chapel I was at had many walk-ins to get married that had not
pre-scheduled the nuptials.
Most all of the chapels were booked solid. However, the wedding industry
always finds a way to accommodate couples in love. They might have asked
them to come at the end of the day, not to compromise all of the
pre-scheduled weddings and stay on time, which was everyone’s greatest
feat. Remember, most wedding parties are picked up by the chapel
limousines, and traffic here, especially on Saturdays, is hard to
predict. One accident on a major artery can really cause a problem.
I am happy to report that the majority of the chapels had a great day,
stayed on time, and had record numbers of weddings. It was a prosperous
day. However the chapels also take pride in having satisfied customers
that leave happy about the entire Nevada wedding experience. It is not
just about the money! Weddings are a big business. However they are life
changing days for many people.
One good wedding generates so much good will for our tourists to talk
about when they return home. Everyone talks about getting married in
Vegas. We see it in television shows, movies, even commercials. So the
chapels have a tall order to fulfill. Give them quality services and a
memorable time, and they will pass the word.
The chapels have come a long way since the beginning of getting married
in Vegas. They have upgraded their facilities with the most updated
photo equipment, have larger seating areas, have web casting available,
and some of them actually assist in tours, show tickets, rooms, and all
of the wedding amenities you may need besides just the chapel usage. We
are the wedding capital and it is a huge part of tourism here in Nevada.
Remember when couples get married, they need a place to stay…eat…see
shows...take tours...have bachelorette parties and I could go on and on.
Therefore all entities are patronized. Actually there is not a piece of
tourism here that isn’t touched by a wedding party - make up- hair
salons.-shoe stores-lingerie-and the list could go on and on. We do have
a big piece of the pie in the our great state!
The Courthouse issued in the excess of 3700 marriage licenses in 3 days.
Remember that does not tell us how many people tied the knot. That is
due to renewal of vows, and commitment services have no legal
documentation needed and licenses that were purchased within the year to
be used on this day are not included in the 3700 licenses issued on the
days of July 5, 6 and 7. The industry is in a cohesive pattern, and most
everyone is aware that there is enough business for everyone. Chapels
have begun to work together, as it has begun to be clear to all of us
who plays fair and ethical…and for the most part that is everyone.
The next chapter...
Start preparing for 08-08-2008. Eight is an infinite number and
important to many due to this definition. For people who really pay
attention - an interesting factor is that when you total all of the
numbers above it totals 26….which also adds up to eight ...therefore
creating a double 8….hmmmm.
This day will be on a Friday so the wedding community will have another
numerological date in history coming around for lovers!!!
|
