Las Vegas drive-through

Wedding in Las Vegas

Drive-thru-style wedding

There are many myths surrounding weddings, particularly those in the den of sin that is Las Vegas. Say ‘Vegas wedding’ and most people know exactly what you mean. You’ve been knocking back shots for half the day and aren’t entirely sure who’s walking down the aisle with you. We’ve seen it in films, and we’ve also read about all those celebrities who, whilst drunk and carefree, promise someone their eternal love in front of Elvis. Therese Wallgren, aged 32, and Thomas Daun, aged 30, got married in 2012 at the legendary Little White Chapel. Britney Spears, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Michael Jordan, Joan Collins and various other celebrities have all tied the knot there.It all began at a work party. Thomas and Therese spotted each other and made eye contact. Suddenly they were dancing, and later that evening they kissed. Therese was surprised when Thomas rang her the very next day after they’d met, and later that same evening they watched a film together. Everything felt right between them from the start. They’ve now been a couple for over six years and got engaged a year before their wedding. They live together with two cats in a flat in central Stockholm, and both share a keen interest in music, interior design and films.

Thomas, how did you propose?

— I’d planned to propose at the top of a Mayan pyramid in Mexico whilst we were there on holiday, but we weren’t allowed to go up there at the time, so we ended up doing it in a secluded spot below. My sister had been there before and I’d seen photos of the place, so I thought it would be a nice spot. I’d bought a ring which I’d stashed in a sock in my suitcase. Unfortunately, Therese was about to find it in my luggage, but I quickly made an excuse and said it was an electric toothbrush, and luckily she bought my lie. I fell for her because she’s calm, pleasant and very loving.

How did you react to the proposal, Therese?

— I was absolutely delighted and taken aback. Thomas is very romantic by nature; he brings home flowers and women’s magazines when I’m ill. At the weekends, he likes to have dinner by candlelight, whilst I prefer to eat in front of the telly.

Why did you choose to get married in Vegas?

— First and foremost, we went to Vegas to get married. “It had to be a Vegas wedding or no wedding at all,” we reasoned. We took the opportunity to go whilst “Viva Las Vegas” was on – it’s a four-day rockabilly festival. Among other things, they have car shows featuring classic American cars and lowriders, with pin-up girls posing in front of them. We also planned to have a bit of a holiday, do some shopping and see the city. For us, a church or civil wedding felt out of the question. Of course it was a shame we couldn’t have family and friends there, but we might have a party afterwards, even though it’s not something we attach great importance to. After all, we’re getting married for our own sake, not to show others that we love each other.

Therese, tell us about your hen do?

— When I opened the door one Saturday morning, 15 cheerful friends were waiting outside with several bottles of bubbly. We went to Dansens hus where we did a burlesque dance. We practised a basic routine in high heels, complete with swan feathers and other fun accessories. To finish off, I performed a choreographed dance with my male friends as backing dancers. Afterwards, we went to Stockholm Classic Tattoo, where a tattoo design was ready – a banner with Thomas’s name on it, which I had tattooed onto my arm. Then we had a meal at a restaurant and rounded off the evening with drinks and shots at our favourite bar.

How did you plan the wedding?

— We had no idea how or where we were going to get married, so we took a sightseeing bus the day before the wedding to look at the chapels. On the sightseeing bus, they asked how many of us were there to get married – they’re used to seeing bridal couples. There were chapels in almost all the casinos, but this one was a standalone chapel, so it felt more right. Everything was properly planned, not some drunken shambles like Britney Spears’s. There were lots of different types of weddings; you could choose themes like ‘The Blues Brothers’ or a ‘Dracula wedding’. There were loads of characters you could get married by, such as Chewbacca from ‘Star Wars’ or Captain Spock from ‘Star Trek’. At first we thought about having a character, but then we chose a regular priest. Lots of people go for Elvis, after all. You could tailor your wedding exactly as you wanted, but we opted for a ready-made package. We chose the Little White Chapel because we’d heard of it; it’s old and classic. We found them easy to deal with and not too expensive. They asked us whether we wanted a religious ceremony or not, and if we had any wedding speeches. The best thing is that you don’t need to prepare anything – everything is taken care of for you. We didn’t need any paperwork at all; the package we booked included a lift to the courthouse, and once back home, you simply send the paperwork to the Swedish Tax Agency. It all felt very straightforward.

What did you wear?

— A week before the wedding, I asked Thomas what he was going to wear, and he replied that he hadn’t the faintest idea. A tailcoat felt out of the question, and he didn’t want to wear anything that felt too pretentious or far removed from his style, so he chose to wear a cap and a T-shirt with the logo of his favourite band, Suicidal Tendencies. When his boss saw the photos afterwards, he said, ‘You can’t wear white knee-high socks when you’re getting married.’ I wore a black strapless lace dress I’d found in a second-hand shop; it fit perfectly. My nightmare would be to get married in a white cream-coloured gown; it feels too frilly and frumpy for my style. The wedding package we’d chosen included a garter to be worn on the left leg, as that’s closest to the heart. I also got to choose the colour of the bridal bouquet and went for pink. Thomas was given a red flower to pin onto his T-shirt. You could buy dresses and hire tailcoats at the chapels too, but we didn’t get the impression that the town was generally geared towards selling weddings to the public. They’d rather you got drunk and gambled your money away.

Tell us about the wedding day?

— We got up and had breakfast, then went for a carbon dioxide massage. During the day we went to The Strip and had a look around, then we had a beer. We went back to the hotel and got ready, drank champagne and ate potato-sized chocolate-covered strawberries. We were picked up by a limousine which drove us to the chapel, where we hopped into a pink Cadillac and got married – it turned out to be a ‘drive-thru wedding’, so we stayed in the car. You could choose whether to sit or lie down. As we were outdoors, we didn’t have any music. I got so nervous that I started laughing and found it hard to stop. I’d never seen Thomas looking so serious, and he gazed so deeply into my eyes. The vicar really got into his role and was a very good actor, which felt good. Afterwards, they drove us back to the hotel in the Cadillac. On the way, we were held up at the red lights by other couples who were also getting married and were asking about package deals. In Vegas, there isn’t really much to do apart from gambling or getting married. People drank all day long, from the morning until bedtime. People don’t get drunk but rather pleasantly tipsy; there’s no rowdy atmosphere. We went to the Paris Casino, which looks like the Eiffel Tower (Eiffel Tower Restaurant), for dinner, but Thomas wasn’t allowed in because of the dress code and didn’t want to borrow clothes from them, so we had burgers and steak sandwiches at a posh diner for our wedding dinner.

Las Vegas wedding facts

Flights + hotel for 8 days: 17,000 SEK | Wedding package: approx. 220 dollars | Marriage licence: 60 dollars