The bright pops of neon orange the bridesmaids wore to Mercedes and Cody’s Ceasars Palace wedding were the first thing that caught my eye. Then I fell in love with the bride’s rosette wedding gown, their desert bridal session and the amazing suite they chose to party in!
These Canadians came to Las Vegas to be married in a garden ceremony at Caesars, which was followed by a casual reception inside a spacious Emperors Suite. It’s the room that served as the basis for the villa seen in “The Hangover.” This amazing penthouse-style, two-bedroom suite with wet bar and circular seating area turned out to be the perfect amount of space for this wedding with 50-some guests; I love the dance party that got going!
WHY LAS VEGAS?Â
We picked Las Vegas for our destination to get married because we really wanted to do an away wedding that would be affordable for guests to travel and because there were so many different options for weddings there. You could have a really elegant wedding, or a more laidback wedding, or a fun wedding, whatever kind of “theme” or “feel”; the options in Vegas were endless. We went with Caesars as our spot because I definitely wanted an elegant outdoor wedding, and that is exactly what we got with the location we picked.
THE CEREMONY — Venus Gardens at Caesars Palace
The gardens were beautiful. It did not feel like we were on the grounds of a Vegas hotel! The space was perfect, the music sounded good, everything that day turned out awesome! The wedding co-ordinator was so easy to work with and helped make me feel at ease the day before when we met with her. The location itself was exactly how I envisioned my outside wedding: simply stunning.
THE RECEPTION — Emperors Suite at Caesars Palace
Our reception was in the Emperors suite and it was well worth the money spent! Our reception turned out way better then i could have pictured it. The suite was amazing and all my guests had such a blast dancing the night away at our gorgeous Las Vegas penthouse reception.
FAVORITE MEMORY
I actually found out i was pregnant with our second baby about a month before the wedding. The day we arrived in Vegas, just two days before the wedding, I ended up having a big scare. As I was just three months pregnant I was still in that time frame when anything can happen, and I ended up spending the day before the wedding at the hospital. The doctor recommended bed rest; little did he know I had just flown in from Canada to get married! I was so grateful and relieved that the baby was okay, but there was no way that I would be able to stay off of my feet and “relax” these next few days! The entire planning timeline ahead of the wedding was upset but the wedding planner and photographer made me feel like I didn’t need to worry or stress about everything and that everything was handled. The day of the wedding I nearly tripped walking to the ceremony — scary! Knowing I had to be particularly careful that day, and not to mention no celebratory drinks with my girls while we were getting ready for my wedding, put a different “feel” on the day for me. But once I got out to the gardens and saw my soon-to-be husband standing at the end of the aisle, I just felt a big wave of calmness come over me, and the rest of the day was perfect.
LAS VEGAS WEDDING TIPS FROM MERCEDES AND CODY
Look at everything before you book the ceremony and reception. When I first started planning my wedding I was looking at only venues that would accommodate both a ceremony and reception and I am so glad I broadened my horizons! Aside from my walk down the aisle, the best part of the day was our reception in the penthouse. It is definitely an untraditional reception choice and is not good for a really big wedding but it was such a fun experience for everyone who came! It really helped make out wedding that much more memorable. So my advice if you’re doing a Vegas wedding: don’t be afraid to do something different!
VENDOR + VENUE DETAILS :
PHOTOGRAPHER . Belinda Louann Photography
CEREMONY VENUE . Venus Gardens at Caesars Palace
RECEPTION VENUE . Emperors Suite at Caesars Palace
BRIDAL SESSION LOCATION . Red Rock Canyon / BRIDAL FASHION . dress – Alfred Sung / HAIR + MAKEUP . NY Hair Company / BRIDESMAIDS . Jessica Simpson from PromGirl.com / GROOMSWEAR . Le Chateau / BOUQUET . Michael’s
Did Caesars allow you to cater to that suite? What did you do for food/cocktails? Would love to ask you more questions, I’m getting married there March 2016
Also very interested how you planned the food/coctails. I can see by the cups/beer can, that you kept it casual… which is exactly what we want to do. Can you share some of your details?