Going to the Chapel

A bride in Las Vegas can be anyone she wants when she walks down the aisle, from the ultimate fairy-tale princess in white to a rebel decked out in black leather.

Ohio native Rhonda Paahana was neither, choosing instead to wear red and white to her January ceremony at Bellagio. But it was the idea that she could be anything that led her, and new husband Don, to select Las Vegas as the site of their destination wedding.

"It opens up people's freedoms to not be stuck inside their own world," Paahana said of Las Vegas' wedding options. "We wanted a wedding that represented who we were."

Long known as the quickie wedding capital of the world, Las Vegas has become a popular destination for all sorts of weddings, from the elegant and expensive to the cheap and cheesy.

It started when Treasure Island opened in 1993 and began offering a themed wedding aboard the pirate ship, said Jacquie Montoya, executive director of weddings for Wynn Las Vegas. She worked at Treasure Island in the beginning, later moving over to Bellagio before landing at Wynn.

Hotel chapels had been a standard part of Las Vegas resorts, but the pirate package was something different and offered couples everything they needed at one place, from the ceremony to the honeymoon suite, Montoya said.

In time, resort officials started viewing weddings as a viable business and created packages to appeal to nearly every kind of couple at nearly every price point. A bride and groom can have an elegant yet inexpensive wedding anywhere in town, Montoya said.

At Wynn, wedding consultants get to know a couple in order to design the ideal ceremony for them. Packages start around $1,100, but they've hosted a few $400,000 weddings, Montoya said.

Even the independent wedding chapels do their share of destination weddings, said Charolette Richards, owner of the Little White Wedding Chapel.

"People like unique and different things," Richards said. "Elvis (weddings are) still popular but so are the excursion packages. People love the fact they don't have to worry about doing anything, it's all being done for them. That's one reason Las Vegas has become such a destination spot for weddings."

Richards offers a variety of wedding packages, starting at $40 for a drive-through ceremony up to $795 to get married in a helicopter flying over Las Vegas at night.

Here are some popular Las Vegas wedding locations.

EXCALIBUR

Brides often feel like a queen on their wedding day, and at Canterbury Wedding Chapel in the Excalibur, they can look like one, too. For the royal medieval wedding, the bride and groom wear Renaissance-style costumes that a king and queen might have worn during their wedding, says chapel manager Lyndsi Stull. There are about 40 costumes on hand so guests also can dress up. The minister can wear a medieval costume but it's not a Merlin outfit (as seen in the hotel's rousing show, "Tournament of Kings"), Stull says. Ceremonies start at $199 and top out at $1,575.

BELLAGIO

Couples who love Bellagio's fountains can pledge their everlasting love to each other from the resort's Terrazza di Sogno, which overlooks Lake Como. After they say their "I dos" and just as they kiss to seal the deal, the fountains erupt in a show that still gives Monica Bisek, the wedding chapel's assistant manager, chills. The price -- $3,800 -- may be a bit pricier than other chapels, Bisek says, but there's only one Bellagio fountain show.

STAR TREK THE EXPERIENCE AT THE LAS VEGAS HILTON

Real fans of the "Star Trek" shows can stand on the deck of the Starship Enterprise to tie the knot. Bride, groom and guests can dress in official Starfleet uniforms and the officiating minister wears a "Star Trek" wedding jacket as seen in the series, said Chad Boutte, manager of the Experience.

Select from five different packages, including the Vulcan Vow Renewal at $350; the junior officer's wedding, $500; and the $3,000 admiral's ceremony.

MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX MUSEUM AT THE VENETIAN

Visitors to the wax museum could always don a wedding dress and "marry" George Clooney, or at least the wax version of him, at the Chapel of Dreams display. Now, couples can take their vows there with Clooney's figure looking on. Brides and grooms can choose any celebrity figure to witness their wedding, from Angelina Jolie to Jodie Foster. Packages range from $595 to $1,895, said Karen Kugler, the museum's event sales manager.

CAESARS PALACE

It's not always easy to convince brides to allow Roman guards or handmaidens to carry them to the altar on a litter, said Desirae Parker, manager of the resort's wedding chapel.

But the option is there, if they want it. In addition to any Roman-themed wedding complete with Cleopatra (everyone in costume), Caesars can arrange for picnics at Red Rock National Conservation Area or helicopter rides as part of a wedding package.

"We've never had to tell someone no, togas and all," Parker said. "There are people who want to get married wearing their bathing suits at the pool. We don't want to tell people no." The average cost of a wedding is $3,000 but some packages go as high as $25,000.

TREASURE ISLAND

Only in Las Vegas can a couple get married on a ship with a sea captain officiating and a pirate serving as the best man. The Enchantment wedding package at Treasure Island takes place on the Sirens of TI ship. When the time comes to exchange the rings, a pirate swings down from the mast and presents them to the couple. The ceremony costs $2,599 Sundays through Fridays and $2,959 Saturdays and holidays. Couples receive all kinds of bounty, including a night in a suite, photos, massages and other items.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4564.