Rhiainon & Sam

If the idea of a Las Vegas elopement fills you with visions of bright lights, tall towers and musical fountains, then today’s romantic Las Vegas elopement will force you to think again. On the beautiful El Dorado Dry Lake Bed, the duo was joined by their photographer Kristen Kay Photography and celebrant, for an unforgettable experience.

The bride tells the story of how she and Sam met. “Sam and I met out at a mutual friend’s house one night playing pool, had a few drinks together and then I left. We didn’t think we would see each other again but two days later, we both ended up at the Portsea pub. Sam, in a conversation, called me “mate” and instantly I took it like any girl would, “I’ve just been friend zoned”. So I didn’t give Sam much attention after that. He was very confused as to what happened as he called everyone mate. Queenslanders….. Later on, that night Sam ended up very abruptly plonking his phone in my hands and requested my phone number in front of the whole table of friends which at this point were watching on. After we had left the Rye pub Sam pulled me aside confessing his feelings and asking if we could get to know each other but “nothing crazy”. Two minutes after leaving I received a message saying “hi”. Its been nothing but crazy ever since. Just how we like it!”

“Getting married was a no-brainer, we always knew it would happen. Sam can be very spontaneous.. he is a total extrovert personality. As I am not at all, in any way an extrovert I was a bit nervous about how the proposal would go! I was expecting something outrageous! We were driving home from the city one afternoon chatting and in conversation Sam proposed, he wasn’t on one knee, there was no big elaborate speech, it was just perfect. As we called our families on the drive home everything started falling into place!”

The bride wore a gown by Jaase, telling “I purchased two dresses, both online. On the day we got married it was rather cold so I chose the long sleeved dress. I just wanted to feel comfortable on the day and we were only engaged for 6 weeks before getting married so I didn’t have a lot of time to shop around.”

Jamelle Johnson officiated the ceremony, Rhiainon explains “At our ceremony, we had our celebrant Jamelle Johnson, a witness and us two. It was intimate, special and Jamelle did an amazing job. Also HIGHLY recommended! It was exactly what we wanted. Sam and I didn’t write vows, the vows Jamelle provided were beautiful and we were happy to use those!”

Of their photographer, the bride tells “I found Kristen on Instagram, and fell in love with her photographs as we are from Melbourne the internet is how we organised our whole wedding! From the day I inboxed Kristen with our arrangements and asking if she was available she was nothing but a pleasure to deal with. It was almost like we were already friends or had met before. She made me feel so comfortable and was so professional! On the day she had us laughing the whole time, she brought us a little wedding present and honestly I could not have asked for someone better. I was so nervous to have our photos taken I felt it would be very awkward but she made it so much fun. Kristen was an absolute legend and I will never forget how perfect she made the experience for us!”  

“I loved getting off the plane, getting a taxi to the Vegas marriage license office and applying for our license, took us 10 minutes and we paid over the desk and received a certificate for our celebrant. We felt like we were in a movie! The most special part of our wedding was that it was exactly what WE wanted, only immediate family and friends knew, we chose everything ourselves and it was the most precious day for us! ” tells Rhiainon.

Luz’s Blooms created the beautiful bouquet, Rhiainon telling “I sent her a photo of what I liked and asked for native looking flowers and she delivered the flowers to our hotel. I was in love when I saw them. Better than I expected and so different to anything I had seen before. My florist was so easy to communicate with and very reasonably priced! I highly recommend her if you’re planning on getting married in Vegas!”   

Congratulations Rhiainon and Sam! Thank you for sharing the stories of your elopement with us! Thank you also to Kristen Kay Photography for sharing today’s beautiful imagery!