Wedding Bells Chapel

The 20th Century of shotgun spontaneity is responsible for a booming industry in Las Vegas, and we're not referring to impromptu decisions over strip clubs. Recent statistics suggest in excess of 100,000 weddings occur within Neon City every year, with 5.5% of that figure being U.S couples. Historically, Las Vegas has been the glitzy high end dream of couples seeking to tie the knot without the fuss, financial debt and frenzy that traditional weddings bring, yet more prominently, as a place where the legal age in the U.S was also lower than other states and not having to wait for a marriage license. Apart from Gretna Green in Scotland, no other location has such a defining reputation as a mecca for eloping couples – many still in love with the wild impulsiveness that Las Vegas ceremonies represent.

A much hyped stereotype of Las Vegas weddings is that of the Elvis themed ceremony, since the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself wed his beloved Priscilla at the Aladdin Hotel in 1967. Wedding Bells Chapel, situated on East Harmon just behind the Strip is one of the oldest purpose-built wedding chapel structures still in existence. Curiously, the original wooden hut chapel still standing within the extensive grounds of the Alexis Park Hotel was formerly a Colorado schoolhouse, moved to it's present location from Golden, Colorado. Expansion of the Wedding Bells Chapel brand and grounds in recent years has made way for a number of garden grottos, pagodas and mini-chapels and the original schoolhouse is also still in use.

A leafy haven of hidden grottos and tree-lined avenues, Wedding Bells Chapel is more than just a pretty building set upon a verdant grassy knoll. The efflorescent gardens of the Alexis Park Hotel are tastefully designed with romance in mind, complete with subtly woven fairy lights among the branches of it's trees, winding cobblestone pathways and palm-lined arboretums. Sculptured statues, trickling fountains and decorated floral archways set the tone for an Eden that very few imagine exists so close to the Strip. It's certainly a far cry from the gaudy stereotype of old!

From morning until midnight, the non-denominational Wedding Bells Chapel serves the whim of romanticized couples seeking to follow in the footsteps of the King – or just simply escape the pressures of an extensively planned wedding day. Celebrities in particular have favored the simplicity and ease that Bells Chapel allows, with 80's rock star Tom Petty and Britney Spears being just two such entities to have exchanged their vows within the hallowed grounds. Rumors were abound in 2003 that Jennifer Lopez and then boyfriend Ben Affleck were planning their nuptials at Wedding Bells, more recently Jackson Brown of The Eagles also seeming to be interested in confirming a date. Hollywood icons aren't the only clientele enjoying the exclusivity of Wedding Bells Chapel to make their dreams of matrimony a reality. With an array of affordable packages to choose from, the trappings of a Vegas wedding can be realized by anyone looking to “do it a bit different!”