Wedding Plans

The big day for my brother and Val is only three months away. We still aren't done with, well, anything, but I have been giving them three tasks to do each week. It's tough because Val is working really hard on finishing her Master's thesis and the wedding has taken a sort of back seat.

Will and Val are a quirky couple and their wedding is kind of quirky too (hence our flip flop footwear with formal gowns). They are getting married at the Clark County Heritage Museum (before the peanut gallery begins to argue that there is no history in Vegas, let me state that there is.) The museum has various exhibits on the history of Nevada, but the area where the wedding will be is called "Heritage Street". It is a small, tree lined street with different houses from the turn of the century to the mid-fifties that have been restored and furnished as a living history exhibit. At the end of the street is a gazebo, which is where the wedding will be. They don't usually have weddings there but Val and Will asked the board to let them and they agreed. They will make a donation to the museum and in exchange they can have the ceremony there. Our family has lived in Las Vegas for more than half of it's modern history so it means a lot to them to celebrate the side of Las Vegas that most people never see. The museum will put out benches for the guests and we aren't going to decorate much because it's such a unique place to begin with. We might just decorate the gazebo a bit.

The reception will be at the Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City. It's about twenty minutes away from the museum so guests will park at the hotel, then a shuttle to and from the museum will be provided. There is a DVD player in the shuttle so I'm making a video with some history (both Vegas and the happy couple's) for the ride. There will be time after the ceremony for guests to browse the exhibits and explore the museum while the bridal party takes pictures. Then it's back to the hotel.

The Boulder Dam Hotel is an historic place in its own right. It was built while the dam was being constructed. It has housed many famous guests, like Howard Hughes, Betty Davis, Henry Fonda and the future Pope Pius XII. The Cornelius Vanderbuilt Jr.'s honeymooned there (Will and Val are staying there on their wedding night too.) It's a pretty hotel with lots of history and Boulder City is this oasis of old-fashioned in a sea of constant change that is the Las Vegas valley. There is no gambling in Boulder City (one of only two cities in all of Nevada where it's illegal to gamble.) It's a truly charming small town.

The reception will be informal, just a light afternoon repast with a menu of appetizers, including sliders. Which is the inspiration for the first wedding favor, miniature bottles of Heinz ketchup personalized with the bride and groom's names and wedding date. The other wedding favor has a more Vegas-y theme. Music will just be on an iPod and of course the cakes will be my cupcakes, decorated with cherry blossoms. (The theme(s) for the wedding are cherry blossoms and Vegas history, I told you it was quirky.) And the reception will end early enough that family can go to dinner afterward or just go explore Boulder City. With only forty guests, it really should be a fun way to celebrate friends, family and love. Awww.

I am working on the invitations right now. They will be vellum over a photo collage of old Vegas.

Thanks, Maura, for asking about the wedding plans. Now if I can just get the bride and groom in gear. I keep telling them it has to get finished, but I'm not sure this is their first priority. I understand that they have really busy loves, but weddings take work. Oh well, this may be the only wedding I ever get to plan. (More on my sorry single state tomorrow.)