Las Vegas has dozens and dozens of stand alone wedding chapels and hotels with sanctuaries or quiet contemplation gardens appropriate for simple elopement ceremonies. Seemingly, there’s so many options that an engaged couple looking for a place to say “I do” could be facing information overload.
If you spend as much time in the Las Vegas Weddings & Elopements Facebook group as I do, you’ll see posts saying as much fairly frequently.
Which is exactly why these couples turn to the Facebook group in the first place. They’re feeling lost and overwhelmed, but they’ve heard Las Vegas is the place to be. And they’re right about that. The Wedding Capital of the World is a bad-ass place for elopements. As long as you don’t let your private ceremony turn into a copycat of everyone else’s!
There’s enough alternative chapel options, stunning outdoor venues and intimate gathering spots to get away from the crowds. And you’re a rebel, so why settle for the most often recommended spots?
The Chapel On Everyone’s List
Undoubtedly, the chapel most often mentioned in the Facebook groups is the World Famous Little White Chapel. On their website, the chapel itself claims to have performed hundreds of thousands of ceremonies since they opened in 1951. With that many couples parading through the door night and day, it’s a wonder how they keep the steering wheel on the pink Cadillac clean. I’m guessing lots of Clorox wipes. GROSS!
Some people are so quick to follow the crowd that they book it before even deciding if it’s what they really want.
Yikes! Who knew cold feet could apply to your venue choice! My advice is don’t let your rule-breaking Sin City elopement experience become a cookie cutter chapel ceremony by letting the group think take over. Be your own decision maker!
True Alternative Wedding Venues in Vegas
Let’s get real. If you’re looking to break the mold on your Vegas elopement you shouldn’t be listening to the masses. Giving tradition the ring finger sure doesn’t include following the pack. Consider one of these alternative wedding venues instead.
Punk Rock Museum
This Las Vegas attraction celebrates the history and legacy of the head-banging and crowd surfing music genre that is anything but traditional. The chapel located at the Punk Rock Museum lets you add your love story to the narrative, culture and absurdity of rock ‘n’ roll’s bastard step-child.
Saying “I do’ in the same building that houses a tattoo parlor will certainly shock your parents, and that’s kind of the whole point. The museum also houses a bar (two warm beers, please) and a punk rock merch shop and a room where you can actually play some of the instruments donated by legendary musicians.
Downtown Las Vegas Alley
An entire network of alleys located in the downtown area make up an urban jungle dotted with a mix of flowering street art, brightly colored murals and the perfect amount of grit and grime.
The street scenes in Downtown, the Arts District and East Fremont make for a perfect alternative wedding venue because it isn’t actually a venue — it’s its own kind of beautiful. These hidden away spots are a fantastic way to experience local art, and also make great backdrops for your Downtown Las Vegas Wedding ceremony and photographs.
Midcentury Manor
If you’re rebelling against a traditional wedding but still kinda like the old school classic vibe prescribed by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, this spot might be for you.
Las Vegas came into its own during an iconic time in architecture and design history, which gave rise to the legendary Midcentury style. The Midcentury Manor celebrates this history allowing you to embrace some serious Vegas cocktail culture vibes on your wedding day.
7 Magic Mountains
An enchanting venue complete with stone towers, colorful artistry and the opportunity for contemplation and reflection. No, it’s not a gothic cathedral with flying buttresses, stained glass windows and rows of church pews…it’s large-scale public art in the middle of nowhere!
Internationally renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s 7 Magic Mountains dominates the desert landscape 10 miles South of town and gives couples looking for an anti-bride wedding venue a one-of-a-kind ceremony experience, resulting in beautiful and truly distinctive wedding photos.
Neon Museum
If you’re looking to include some real Vegas history in your elopement, the Neon Museum is for you. Say “I do” surrounded by iconic neon signs that blazed up the Strip in years gone by and enjoy an offbeat ceremony site that is truly unique and full of playful photo opportunities.
For the couple that appreciates the classic Vegas vibe and wants a piece of historic Vegas added to their special day, The Neon Museum will provide just that.
Ferguson’s Downtown
Ferguson’s is a still mostly undiscovered spot in the East Fremont area with a winning combo of shops, cafes and art nooks. It feels like the little block that could.
This revitalized hotel block offers a modern couple the chance to be among like-minded creative types. The people behind Fergusons have put together a curated and welcoming community perfect for couples wanting to feel part of this unique micro-neighborhood while escaping the traditional wedding.
Eldorado Canyon
Canyons are often described as natural cathedrals, in part because of their towering walls and the feeling of grandeur. This canyon evokes some of the same emotions — especially if you worship Americana, legends of the old west or the natural beauty of the American Southwest.
Eldorado Canyon is one of our most beloved alternative chapel wedding venues. Chic, vintage, stylish and wild, it’s a blend of stunning nature and erratic man-made structures — plus the most beautiful cholla cactus field you’ve ever seen. The sight of the sun setting against these cacti is unreal — it makes for the perfect wedding photo op.
Receptions That Aren’t Retreads
In her 2022 chronicle The Last Resort, about the evolution of seaside destinations and resorts, and the perilous future many popular beach towns face, Sarah Stodola experienced for herself, and spoke to other travelers about, a longing for what many popular spots used to be like before the guidebooks, the Instagrammers, and the pursuit of the almighty dollar changed them forever.
She outlines how today’s secret stretch of sand becomes tomorrow’s sinking beachfront condos as new places get discovered, capitalized on and ultimately overdeveloped and under-supported by the resources necessary to keep them sustainable for generations to come.
Stodola might place Las Vegas in the saturation stage when it comes to the reception sites passed around in the Facebook groups.
You’ll see that the majority of netizens suggest Maggiano’s for dinner with your group of wedding guests. And they offer it up constantly.
Tied for first place is booking the wrap around suite at the Cosmopolitan and securing catering. It’s practically getting to a point where the Cosmo’s meetings and events sales team should just start implementing a lottery system for reservations.
But you came here to find out what the rebels are doing for their receptions. Luckily, Vegas is still in its infancy when it comes to reception venues off the beaten path. And the rebels are booking with Electric Sugar Elopements’ sister company, Gather After!
Gather After puts upscale restaurants and lounges into play without getting the run around from owners blowing you off, ignoring your calls or deleting your emails.
GA makes the logistics, preparation and execution of a memorable wedding reception quick and easy thanks to a dedicated team of locals who can be onsite to be your eyes, ears and extra hands so that you don’t have to worry about the details. When we say, “We Make It Happen, So You Can Make The Memories”, we truly mean it.
Rad Weddings for Rebellious Types
If your love story deserves more than the same-old thing, book an all inclusive wedding package with Electric Sugar Elopements. We’ll hook you up with kick-ass photography, a modern minister, incredible florals and tradition-busting venues that pack a punch instead of packing them in!
