When people think of Las Vegas one thing usually springs to mind; escort girls! Only kidding, of course we meant to say gambling. However, there’s so much more to Las Vegas than simply betting on red or black, or whether to hit on 15 against the dealer’s 10 (a couple of gambling references there for those of you in the know). Therefore, if you’re averse to trying your luck on the roulette or blackjack tables, please don’t worry as you certainly won’t find yourself stuck for something to do.
Today’s Las Vegas is completely transformed from its image of Mafia run, tacky casinos of yesteryear. The 21st century Las Vegas is designed to cater for all tourists, business guests and the more sophisticated class of clientele (why else would we be getting married there!?). Vegas welcomes both young and old, offers world class restaurants and entertainment, and is home to 16 of the world’s largest 20 hotels, some of which contain over 4000 rooms! Las Vegas is a welcoming place, although on arrival it can feel a little intimidating due to the sheer scale and size of everything. Plus, stereotypical shouts of “Now that’s what I’m talking about” and “Yeah… wooo” across the casino floor by enthusiastic yanks can be a little unnerving to start with. The climate in Las Vegas is another reason why it’s such a popular destination. Situated in the Mojave desert, Vegas has over 300 days of sunshine a year and in peak summer times the temperature can be stiflingly hot. This is another reason why we’ve chosen to get married in September where the average daytime temperatures should be a little comfortable at a mere 80 degrees, although be warned, on our last visit the daytime temperatures were unseasonably hot and reached 104 degrees on some days.
Vegas is also conveniently located if you’re looking to do some exploring a little further afield, either in terms of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam which can be visited as a day trip, or by combining your trip by flying onto a different location, for example, Los Angeles and San Francisco where connecting flight times are approximately 1 and 1.5 hours respectively.
| The fountains at Bellagio Faith Hill, This Kiss, the song that was playing when I got down on one knee and asked Jacki to marry me. A map of Las Vegas Boulevard, AKA The Strip  |
