Hire a wedding planner/coordinator. It was the best decision we made. Other than showing up for the rehearsal, final catering meeting, and the wedding itself, I didn't have any wedding related responsibilities for the entire trip; everything was taken care of. If I had to do it over again, I would have them plan the entire wedding.
Schedule in some downtime and try get some sleep. The most stressful part of the trip was trying to see everyone. People were texting and calling us constantly to see where we were and what we were doing, and to invite us for drinks, to the pool, to gamble, ect. We ended up running from one group to the next.
Go easy on the gambling the day of the wedding. Very late on the night before the wedding, I hit a streak of bad luck that I couldn't shake. After breakfast, MOH and I headed to the casino to kill some time. I got killed at the blackjack table. After buying in twice, I switched to mini baccarat and I got killed some more, albeit more slowly, before making a full retreat back to the room. The picture below is me grimacing as a couple of three and four game parlays go down the tubes on the first college football games of the year. I shook off the losses, but it isn't great to feel unlucky on the day of your wedding, even for two hours. Groom went to Bill's for cheap craps and cheap beer. He had the better plan.
A little bit of moderation when it comes to drinking is probably a good thing especially the day before the wedding. All of our events had open bars, our relatives hosted happy hours, and people generally bought us drinks all weekend. Its easy to go overboard.
People who are in Vegas for the first time don't know to tip dealers and waitresses. Instead of calling them out, Groom and I made it really obvious about what we were doing and sometimes would over tip the waitresses. People caught on quickly.
Pick an awesome MOH and then do something nice for her after the wedding. It can be a thankless job.
Pick an awesome MOH and then do something nice for her after the wedding. It can be a thankless job.
Don't worry about your guests not having anything to do. They won't have a problem keeping themselves busy - and they will invite you along too. We agonized over whether to plan something after the wedding and almost pulled the trigger on renting a villa at the Mirage. As it turns out, we didn't need to. We didn't leave the reception until around 1:00 am. Most of the people that were left wanted to gamble although a few headed to a bar.
Book the wedding with a venue that you trust can do the job you want. We picked the Bellagio because they exuded competency. We were always confident that they could pull off our wedding without breaking a sweat. That, in and of itself, is very reassuring.
If you are staying on the strip, make sure your guests understand how to get to the hotel in a taxi. Long hauling is a huge problem. I just read an article that estimates that it happens 25% of the time. I really only have a problem leaving the airport. I go to Vegas several times a year and the cab driver tries to take the highway to the strip about 75% of the time. Its ridiculous and, frankly, illegal. Warn your guests.
Don't drive yourself crazy worrying about forgetting something. Other than the rings, your marriage license and your passport, there is very little else that you can't either buy or do without. We had to leave our honeymoon luggage at the airport and it turned out fine.
Don't threaten to kill your dad if he trips when walking you down the isle (don't judge - there is a lot of pressure with stairs). Your dad is probably more nervous than you are.
Book the wedding with a venue that you trust can do the job you want. We picked the Bellagio because they exuded competency. We were always confident that they could pull off our wedding without breaking a sweat. That, in and of itself, is very reassuring.
If you are staying on the strip, make sure your guests understand how to get to the hotel in a taxi. Long hauling is a huge problem. I just read an article that estimates that it happens 25% of the time. I really only have a problem leaving the airport. I go to Vegas several times a year and the cab driver tries to take the highway to the strip about 75% of the time. Its ridiculous and, frankly, illegal. Warn your guests.
Don't drive yourself crazy worrying about forgetting something. Other than the rings, your marriage license and your passport, there is very little else that you can't either buy or do without. We had to leave our honeymoon luggage at the airport and it turned out fine.
Don't threaten to kill your dad if he trips when walking you down the isle (don't judge - there is a lot of pressure with stairs). Your dad is probably more nervous than you are.
6:5 Blackjack is evil. Playing 6:5 Blackjack is agreeing to a higher house odds at no cost to the casino. Its a rip off, and if people continue to play at the 6/5 tables, they are only encouraging the casinos to add more of them.
Strongly consider mailing your wedding dress to Vegas. We mailed mine to Debbie, but carried it home. It took a beating in the airport and on the plane. I didn't care after the wedding, but would have freaked out about it before the wedding.
Over Labor Day weekend, hotels were checking room keys, but not swiping them, at
the pool. I'll leave it to your individual ethics as to what to do with guests who aren't staying at your hotel, but want to hang out with you at the pool.
Its easy to get caught up in the details, but try to keep the big picture in mind. My guests will not remember what type of chairs they sat in, what type of flowers were at their table, or the songs during our ceremony. They won't remember what my dress looked like or what shoes I wore. (I'll admit that I spent way too much money on a dress - a dress that was torn at the reception, got mangled on the way home, and is now hanging in my closet because i don't know what to do with it). Guests remember things that they have personal interaction with: they remember ducking when the confetti cannons went off, they remember being called out on the dance floor by the DJ, they remember the shot the bartender named after them. The three things I received the most compliments on were: 1) the bar/food/service; 2) the DJ; and 3) the location/fountains. Spend your money where it counts.
Enjoy it. Its over before you know it.
Strongly consider mailing your wedding dress to Vegas. We mailed mine to Debbie, but carried it home. It took a beating in the airport and on the plane. I didn't care after the wedding, but would have freaked out about it before the wedding.
Over Labor Day weekend, hotels were checking room keys, but not swiping them, at
the pool. I'll leave it to your individual ethics as to what to do with guests who aren't staying at your hotel, but want to hang out with you at the pool.
Its easy to get caught up in the details, but try to keep the big picture in mind. My guests will not remember what type of chairs they sat in, what type of flowers were at their table, or the songs during our ceremony. They won't remember what my dress looked like or what shoes I wore. (I'll admit that I spent way too much money on a dress - a dress that was torn at the reception, got mangled on the way home, and is now hanging in my closet because i don't know what to do with it). Guests remember things that they have personal interaction with: they remember ducking when the confetti cannons went off, they remember being called out on the dance floor by the DJ, they remember the shot the bartender named after them. The three things I received the most compliments on were: 1) the bar/food/service; 2) the DJ; and 3) the location/fountains. Spend your money where it counts.
Enjoy it. Its over before you know it.