Viva Las Marriage! (pics inside)

[sunkist]

Love all the new pictures, Lizzie! Do you mind me asking, what is your nationality? You have a very unique and beautiful look

 

[diamondfan]

I was wondering the same thing! You are such a pretty lady and look so happy too!

 

[LizzieC]

TravelingGal- Mesa Grill was unbelievable.... Everyone was blown away! DH and I both had burgers (called it my bridal burger!), and the quesadilla appetizer was to-die-for, just like you said!

When we first sat down DH and I were served our drinks ahead of everyone else... a mimosa for me and a beer in a fancy glass for him. We did a little toast to each other... but apparently DH''s glass was not only fancy, but much longer than a normal glass, and when he was bringing it away from the toast, the bottom of his glass it the stem of my champagne glass! A good third of the mimosa ended up down the front of my dress.... we attacked it immediately with our napkins so I don''t think it left a stain... but the amazing thing is that NO ONE noticed it had happened at all... I guess it was a very discreet spill! Though I was kinda sticky for the rest of the day!

We didn''t have a wedding cake, so we opted to feed each other cookies instead!

 

[LizzieC]

Sunkist and diamondfan- you are so sweet! My parents are from Peru, but I was born here in the U.S.

 

[LizzieC]

I posted before that I wanted a simple chignon... but when I went to the salon, I''d forgotten to bring a pic! I looked through their books while waiting and picked the simplest ''do I could find. The stylist replicated it EXACTLY and very very quickly (probably gets lots of practice in LV). Although it wasn''t what I originally thought I''d get... I was really happy with the way it turned out. And with the veil on it gave me a good inch of height!

The pro photog took pictures in the salon, so there should be good ones, but here is one that DH took at the end of the day before he helped me take it down.... which wasn''t the easiest task! I think I had 30+ bobby pins in there!

 

[LizzieC]

The next night we went out with ILs to a bar called VooDoo Lounge on the top of the Rio... it had great views of the Strip... but more importantly... it had intense black lights! This was my first time seeing my ring under a black light... I had always wondered if any of the stones in my setting had flourescence... I was ecstatic to see that they did!!!

Two in the halo had strong flour and two of the asschers on either side did too... And my center stone has a hint of it as well, which I wasn't expecting. I made DH take some pics... this is the best one.

 

[snlee]

LizzieC, congrats!! That is a beautiful place to get married! You look GORGEOUS! You guys look so cute together!

 

[flutterby]

one more question lizzie, how long did you have steve for? I cant decide, i want get ready pics but we will be doing that for hours in the suite..... and we want him for the reception.

 

[LizzieC]

SO later Sunday night I forced hubby to go out dancing with me and my friends. We went out to Rum Jungle at the Mandalay Bay and then after that closed we headed to Body English at the Hard Rock... Body English was madness! One of my friends (the one on the right, who we think looks like a short, latina, Angelina Jolie) used her charm and good looks to bypass the lines and we somehow ended up dancing in the DJ booth (hubby included) with my friend running the strobe lights in the club!

Here''s me and the girls... In some thread ages ago I talked about how my favorite dress ever was a prom dress that I had made for me... well here it is! I swore I would wear it again!

 

[LizzieC]

The DJ told my friend that there was going to be a special celebrity guest performer, but that they didn't know who. Well... it was Wyclef and Shaggy and Tyrese! My friend ran over to the little stage (w/ me in tow) and she ended up on stage dancing with them! She kept trying to pull me up there, but I was like.. "no I need to go find my husband!"... I felt very responsible... and married! The impromptu concert was very good... and unexpected!

 

[LizzieC]

Oooh, I just realized that these pics are big enough to blow up! Here''s the hand shot from above!

 

[LizzieC]

The party was still going strong when we bailed out ... we grabbed a quick bite to eat inside the casino, and were heading to the door when DH, who was up ahead said, "come check out what's going on outside"... we went over to the doors and it was daylight! I think it must have been about 5:45am! I was horrified! We finally made it into bed at about 6:30am... I'm still recovering... I am way too old for those shenanigans!

 

[LizzieC]

All in all it was a fantastic weekend! Couldn''t have asked for anything better! Thanks for letting me share it with you!!!

 

[LizzieC]

diamondfan- the flowers are made of porcelain... but they''re matte and very thin and almost flexible... not like the porcelain decorations we are used to. I didn''t want to deal with getting fresh flowers at the hotel, sight unseen, and I also liked the idea that we will have them forever! Pretty neat!

msflutter- we booked Steve for 6 hrs, I think. But he only shot about an hour of pre-wedding stuff, and the 6 hrs included the two hours driving time to and from the site. I say, if it''s possible to stretch your budget elsewhere, put the $ towards the pictures. Don''t let them push the wine on you at Canaletto''s and you''ll save up enough for a few extra hours of Steve! Re: Canaletto''s in general... the food was excellent and the waiters were very attentive (maybe a little overly attentive). It was definitely a big hit with the guests... and the tiramisu (which I did let myself have... bloat be damned!) was delicious!

 

[flutterby]

It looks like you had a blast! Btw, i LOVE shaggy! I keep coming back and looking at your pics and thinking, 58 days!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the advice on canalettos! My FMIL is footing the whole bill, but i already printed out menu''s of my own for the guests, with a list of included drinks. I picked the wine and beer we are ordering, and i hope all 50 guests dont go overboard. If they want martini''s or anything else, they have to go to the bar.

 

[DiaDiva]

Lizzie, I love your pictures!!! You have such an amazing venue for your wedding. Congratulations!

 

[ellaila]

Lizzie, your photos are so great because they show exactly what a wedding should be -- full of love and fun and happiness!! Not even knowing you personally, seeing your photos still makes me smile and feel so happy for you guys! You can just see the love shining through in both of your faces -- truly radiant!!

Post more, post more!!!

 

[dani13]

OMG, Lizzie, that photo with you and your hubby with the marriage liscenses in your hand is ssoooo funny- I laughed out loud! lol

You two are such goofballs- perfect for one another!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LizzieC]

Thanks Dani! That pic is one of my faves. We are goofy! We laugh a lot!

 

[ky6]

Wow! It looks like you guys had such a grand time! The arch was beautiful and those shoes couldn''t have been more perfect for your hike

I love the marriage license pics...I had to send them to FI letting him know that we must take pics like that. I love them

 

[Selkie]

Wow, congratulations! Your wedding looks like what a wedding should be: fun, meaningful, personal, and beautiful!

 

[LizzieC]

Thank you DiaDiva, ellaila, ky6, and Selkie!

msflutter- Those 58 days will be here before you know it! I was talking to a co-worker today who also just got married in LV at Caesar''s... she and I were both surprised at the # of phone calls we got from people at all hours of the day and night (a downside to 24-hr LV), and even on the wedding night and early the next morning. So my advice to you is to turn OFF your cell phones and have them put the Do Not Disturb on your phone! This is probably true of all DWs, but I also had so many of my nearest and dearest just completely act like they''d never traveled before and had no idea how to do it! I had several phone calls from people asking if we were going to pick them up from the airport and asking how to get to the hotel from the airport! So be prepared!

 

[flopkins]

ooooooooooooooo more pics!!! hehe.

thanks for the extra updates and fun pics!!! looks like you had an awesome time!!!! congrats again!!!

i cant believe you partied til the morning... DH and I are such party poopers we get tired by 1 or 2 am!! hehe.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Lizzie:
First off, CONGRATS! Wishing you and your husband a lifetime of wedding bliss.

THANKS much for sharing pics and stories about your wedding weekend. it all looks fabulous, and I''m glad everything turned out OK. Didn''t you just LOVE Mesa Grill? The cactus margaritas are yummy.

Glad to hear that you had a good experience with Steve. FI and I didn''t meet with any other photogs. We liked his work (and him!) and that was enough for us. Can''t wait to see the pro pics. I dig that he uses pictage!

MsFlutter, I think I booked him for about 7 hours (so 2 xtra). The wedding starts at 5:30 and the reception goes on until 10:30p. I haven''t finalized this with him, but am thinking of having him meet us in the hotel suite at 3:30p, and I plan to be dressed and almost ready to go by then.

Too funny that all three of us have the same photog!

CG

 

[sarita]

LizzieC,

Thank you for sharing some of your fabulous day with us. I really enjoyed all the candid pics. You and your new hubby look so happy and perfect together. You were such a cute (and I should say beautiful too) little spunky bride - I love it!

 

[diamondfan]

Date: 6/9/2006 1:31:34 AM
Author: LizzieC
diamondfan- the flowers are made of porcelain... but they''re matte and very thin and almost flexible... not like the porcelain decorations we are used to. I didn''t want to deal with getting fresh flowers at the hotel, sight unseen, and I also liked the idea that we will have them forever! Pretty neat!

msflutter- we booked Steve for 6 hrs, I think. But he only shot about an hour of pre-wedding stuff, and the 6 hrs included the two hours driving time to and from the site. I say, if it''s possible to stretch your budget elsewhere, put the $ towards the pictures. Don''t let them push the wine on you at Canaletto''s and you''ll save up enough for a few extra hours of Steve! Re: Canaletto''s in general... the food was excellent and the waiters were very attentive (maybe a little overly attentive). It was definitely a big hit with the guests... and the tiramisu (which I did let myself have... bloat be damned!) was delicious!

that is an amazing idea! I just asked because I know people who have mentioned being allergic and I thiought you might have been one of them, so the porcelain flowers were a great choice! I think they look great...where on earth did you get them?

 

[bling*diva*]

~~Lizzie, your wedding was beautiful!! The location was gorgeous, and you look amazing!! Congrats!!

 

[LizzieC]

Thanks flopkins, chargergrrl, sarita ("spunky"... I like that

), and bling*diva!

diamondfan- the flowers are from porcelainroses.com... I found them randomly online while looking for alternatives to real or silk flowers. The bouquets are made to order, and so you can designate the color and the type of flowers (they have others besides roses). I was about 70% happy with my experience with them. I did have to"fix" some parts of the bouquets myself... the stem/handle parts of the bouquets were awkwardly long when they arrived (much longer than in the picture I had seen and used as a reference) and so I had to cut the wood and wires and re-wrap and hot glue them back together. And they also forgot part of my order (two favors), and I didn''t end up receiving them until the day before we left, which was a little stressful. But, I was happy with the end result.

I have one more pic... I think this is the last one (until the pro ones arrive!), but it shows the back of my dress, and you can kinda make out the lariat (this one''s for you ellaila)!

 

[diamondfan]

Well, I think the whole thing was lovely, the locale, the dress, your bouquet...you both look so happy and it looks like you had FUN too!

 

[ellaila]

Yay!!

I've been waiting for a back-of-the-lariat shot!!

Lovely lovely lovely!

By the way, I've been sending this link to my friends so they can see my dress on a real-life person! And everyone comments on, well, the dress (of course), and also on about how gorgeous your wedding was