Las Vegas Destination Wedding

A Las Vegas Elvis-themed wedding with gobs of blue and pink? Don’t mind if we do, thank you! Bride Christina is a photographer herself, and knew immediately she wanted to turn to her friend and fellow photographer Sonya Yruel to capture her wedding day to Rabbit. Yes, Rabbit. How could you marry someone with that nickname and not have a few bunnies at your wedding?

From the bride, Christina: We really wanted our guests to have fun. Being a wedding photographer myself, I wanted my friends and family to experience the most memorable wedding and what better place to do that than in Las Vegas. We also really wanted to surprise people and Las Vegas weddings definitely have a reputation for being a little cheesy. I embraced the cheesiness for our unforgettable ceremony, but made sure nothing was missed at our reception. Looking back and hearing all the stories from our friends, we succeeded in making it fun and memorable for all.

Our colors were yellow and blue originally and then last minute I decided to add in hot pink, mainly because I really wanted an illustration of my face (for our matchbooks and portraits) in pink. Coincidentally, I was driven (walked down the aisle) in a hot pink Cadillac convertible and our hotel room had a hot pink painting that was used for a backdrop for our dresses. I didn’t plan those things with the pink, it just all magically fell into place.

At our ceremony, which was wild in itself with fog machines, laser lights and Elvis singing and serenading us, we made sure our guests were taken care of. They each received a pair of gold Elvis sunglasses which set a tone for the day. After the ceremony, we had 100 yellow balloons delivered and all our guests let them go and made a wish for us. My dad built the Vegas-like sign that read “Mr. + Mrs. Rabbit”. It was such a magical piece and fit so perfectly with our wedding. It’s now living with us at home and such a great reminder of our wedding day.

We chose not to have assigned seating, but I wanted to surprise our guests one last time. Although the little envelopes looked like escort cards, they were actually personal handwritten letters to each and every guest. It was our opportunity to let each person know how much we loved them and appreciated their support. We weren’t there to see it, but from what I hear everyone was bawling their eyes out. Animals in the desert: My husband’s nickname is Rabbit -— because of that alone (and the fact we were married in the year of the Rabbit) it only seemed fitting to have bunny rabbits delivered for formal photos! The mobile petting zoo also had a pig and pigs are my favorite animal, so why not include him. It was really fun, although on the ride back to the Palms we quickly realized that my Rabbit is allergic to rabbits and his eyes swelled up. Good thing we had those Elvis sunglasses!

See Also

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Be you! If you want to do something for your wedding, do it. You only do it once and do things that are important for you and your husband to be. Try not to get wrapped up in forcing the prettiest pictures or moments, live it and trust your vendors and I promise you, you’ll get exactly what you want.

Wedding Music:
Processional/Recessional were chosen by Elvis
First Dance: “Walk the Line,” Johnny Cash
Father/Daughter Dance: “Father and Daughter,” Paul Simon
Mother/Son Dance: “Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac

Wedding Location: Las Vegas, NV / Photographer: Sonya Yruel / Event Design and Planning: Staci Bajuniemi of Vivacious Design & Event Planning / Wedding Flowers: Lori McNeill / Ceremony Venue: Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel / Reception Venue: The Palms Garduño’s Restaurant / Wedding Dress and Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amy Fink / Wedding Veil: Ottilie Brodmann / Necklace: Erickson Beamon / Headband: Giant Dwarf / Wedding Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Hair and Makeup: Kristine Burget of Le’Burget / Groom and Groomsmen’s Pants: Volcom / Groom’s Hat: The Hat Guys / Wedding Cake: Caked Las Vegas / Cake Topper: Dandelion Land / DJ: DJ Luxor / Match Boxes: For Your Party / Flower Girl Stars: Cards by Carla / Hangers: Lila Frances / Photobooth Headdress: Miss G Designs / Star Lanterns: Luna Bazaar / Save the Date: Elizabeth Hummert / Wedding Invitations: Yelley Art & Design / Hand Drawn Map: Kacey Schwartz