One of the greatest bits about Vegas, is that it is so dang eclectic. And seriously, I shoot so many weddings a year, and they are all SO different! I feel like this is such a unique quality about Las Vegas, and so so cool. And I totally get why people come here from literally all over the world to have their wedding in our cool eclectic neat little city. Vegas is ridiculous with the choices it has to offer people. Whether it be a totally traditional church wedding, or an amazingly vibrant vintage wedding at the Neon Museum with Elvis officiating, Vegas literally has it all. So can I ever complain about not having enough variety when it comes to locations to shoot in this gorgeous city of mine? Heck no, I can’t!
All that to say, I did such a fun elopement recently! Amber and James came all the way over the pond from the U.K. to get hitched. They wanted something cool and unique and chose a nighttime ceremony at Chapel of the Flowers
Chapel of the Flowers
For anybody in the “Vegas-know”, Chapel of the Flowers is iconic. Its one of the oldest chapels in Vegas, and has one of the prettiest properties, out of all of the chapels, to get hitched at. I can totally brag on this place because its where I got my Vegas start. (p.s. I’m gonna keep putting “vegas” in front of common phrases to make my own Vegas vocabulary). I was actually a photographer at Chapel of the Flowers for just about two and a half years. Its how I learned to be so darned quick with getting a ton of variety and quality in a short amount of time.
So anyhoo, Chapel of the Flowers is where Amber & James chose to get married. I met them at the chapel after they’d had their ceremony, and this is where our nighttime adventure began!
Fremont East
Our first stop was Downtown Fremont Street East. Can I just say, I feel like this area is one of the coolest areas in Vegas. Seriously, it has so much rock-n-roll attached to it, its not even funny. Well, some of it is funny, and amazing, and full of life.
We started atop the parking garage for the famous El Cortez hotel. The top of the parking garage boasts some awesome views of the strip, so we totally utilized it. From there we made our way down to street-level. The place was packed. SO MANY PEOPLE. It was Memorial Day weekend, and everyone, their dog, and their dog’s aunt’s cousin’s uncles were out in droves. No big deal though, we used the crowds to our advantage while shooting and got some really cool photos at street-level with a really cool vibe, and the occasional photo-bomber.
Something that not many people may know about downtown Las Vegas is that it is becoming known for world-renown street art. There are some incredible murals downtown, and so, of course, we had to seek them out and take photos. And how lucky are we, there were even “love” themed murals. PHOTOGRAPHER’S DREAM!!!
Vegas Strip
Amber & James wanted to do something fun, vintage, eclectic and unique, but they also wanted a few photos that were a bit more classic, so we made our way down the strip to the Bellagio for some more gorgeous shots. Again, it was Memorial Day weekend, so Las Vegas BLVD was packed with cars. It took us about an hour to get from Fremont Street to the Bellagio (which normally would take maybe 15 minutes at most), so while we were stuck in traffic, we did what any good photographer and newly married couple would do, we took photos. They’d rented this sweet ‘Stang (Can I say ‘stang? Are you rolling your eyes at my lameness right now?) Eh hem…Mustang convertible, and we needed photos, obviously. Cue impromptu photoshoot in the middle of traffic on Las Vegas BLVD.
Bellagio
When we finally arrived at the Bellagio, it was nearly 2am, so we finished up with some really classic photos, and the light was unreal. Perfect lighting all night long! It was the perfect end to the evening being able to hang with these two, and watch the Bellagio fountains with them. It was truly the quintessential nighttime Vegas wedding experience. The fact that it was Memorial Day weekend and everywhere was packed with people only added to our experience and sense of adventure! Check out a few more pics from the night below!
Photos by: The Amberlight Collective
Share on: