Three years ago, my best friend managed to rope everyone in for one of the ultimate Las Vegas Holidays. By “everyone,” I mean all her friends, every member of her family, and of course, her husband’s family too. Because, you see, this holiday wasn’t just a holiday. It was also their wedding. In Las Vegas. With Elvis officiating.
They didn’t elope. They just brought the wedding party along with them. But they lived up every Vegas cliche. Their wedding invitations were Two of Heart playing cards. They hit up casinos and slot machines, watched glitzy showgirls, and indulged in swanky glamour.
Now, I’m not a lounge kind of girl. I don’t gamble or drink, and I’d rather see stars than neons signs. But here I will admit: I couldn’t have picked a better wedding for the two of them. My bestie doesn’t just bring the party–she IS the party. Where better to celebrate that than Las Vegas? She and her husband love playing pool, loud music, rockabilly style, and of course, Elvis. Their Las Vegas wedding was romantic, fun, and wild, just like them.
And Las Vegas isn’t just dice and sequins. It’s home to some of the best aerial dance performance in the world. Oh, you know I’m talking about Cirque du Soleil. For the five readers out there who don’t already know, I dabble in low-flying static trapeze (as in, not swinging and six feet off the ground instead of 50). This exists as an art form largely because of Cirque du Soleil. Instead of tradition circus tricks, the new circus movement focuses on circus arts (trapeze, lyra hoop, fabric, acrobatics, etc.) as part of dance and storytelling. There isn’t an aerial dance fan who doesn’t dream of seeing Cirque du Soleil up close. Where better to do that than Vegas? (Plus their new show at the Bellagio is semi-aquatic! I’m kind of aching to see it).
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I don’t think so. Mel and Jeff have been happily married for more than three years, and they’re still going strong.
