A custom-tailored jumpsuit. A funky paisley suit coat. A quintessential Vegas chapel and a dad bod-wielding yet still convincing Elvis impersonator. Cameron + Sadie's Vegas elopement was exactly what they dreamed it up to be: A minimum-stress, maximum-fun, low-key/funky/retro/boozy/dive bar-y 70's inspired Vegas elopement with a modern Bianca + Mick Jagger meets Elvis + Priscilla vibe. Nailed it.
We loved everything about this elopement, but what we mostly loved is how careful Cameron + Sadie were to ditch traditions and make the day completely theirs.
They got ready side by side (yasss) at the penthouse suite of the Oasis at Gold Spike (you might remember it from The Real World: Las Vegas). It was the kind of suite where the elevator opened right into their gigantic living room, and also, it had a gigantic living room (and oodles of bedrooms, a pool table, a confessional, and a bathroom that has more square footage than our last two apartments combined). They stayed there with close friends, family, and an army of Instax film packs.
At noon, we trekked out to Red Rock Canyon for the grit and the views, and we weren't disappointed. Sadie was the real MVP when she hiked and climbed in her tall, wedge heels with no inhibitions.
We met up with their band of family + friends before walking the mid-century neon light-laden streets of Downtown Las Vegas and landed at the Graceland Wedding Chapel—"Just Married!" cooler wagon in tow.
At the chapel, a revolving door of Elvises (what is the plural of Elvis?) tag-teamed officiating ceremonies. We watched as one Elvis exited and the next entered and prepared for what was inevitably the highlight elopement of his day. After he asked where everyone was from, he turned on his microphone, linked arms with Sadie, and walked her down the aisle, singing along with an Elvis track that began playing right on cue. Tears were shed. Catchphrases were said. (Cameron + Sadie were wed). The whole thing was perfectly kitschy and equally romantic, intimate, and sweet. The moment Elvis pronounced the two married, everyone in the room broke out in a quick dance party that carried over into a rice-throwing exit.
Following the ceremony, we spent golden hour touring the Neon Boneyard, an eclectic collection of Vegas history in the form of neon signs past. They made killer backdrops for photos.
The evening wound down at Chicago Joe's, a homey Italian restaurant lit mostly by red and green string lights. A man in suit pants and suspenders announced his memorized menu instead of passing out plastic copies of it. Everyone ate hearty portions of pasta and constantly signaled Cameron + Sadie to kiss under the table by stomping their feet.
Traditions are for squares.
