Some said we were technically already married. After getting engaged to the love of my life (literally already 13 years of my life!!), he and I snuck off to Vegas on a whim to be married by none other than The King himself. It was quick. It was real. It was us. The two of us…and Elvis. The truth is, I’ve been sharing a bed and a life with this guy for so long. Growing up together through our teenage years, helping form each other and guide each other through some pretty rough shit. Some pretty amazing shit, too.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect and stress-free, which was amazing because whenever I thought of the traditional wedding experience, with tons of things to orchestrate and guests to keep entertained, it freaked me out. I wasn’t afraid of throwing a party–I help run lots of events for work–I was afraid it would distract me from what I truly should be focused on–the love between mister and me.

Things started late morning by sleeping in and grabbing coffee and breakfast, enjoying it from our balcony while we chatted and joked about how awkward we were in high school. After throwing on our outfits (and obsvies a liitttle makeup), we hopped a cab to the marriage bureau where we waited in line, dressed to the nines, with the most amazing array of couples. Having not realized it would take only 15 minutes to file our license, we walked the downtown area to kill time before our wedding appointment at Graceland Wedding Chapel.

We stopped into the Golden Nugget, one of Vegas’ oldest casinos, to throw a little money into the slot machines, clearly looking out of place but not caring AT ALL. Then we grabbed a little refreshment at a Starbucks afterward–the barista there gave us free cake pops with heart confetti, and we wondered if we shouldn’t walk into every business in the area to announce our marriage for some loot. It was so nice to have everything be so relaxed. We were enjoying the kitschiness of our situation and each other’s company so much that we weren’t even nervous.

And then we hit the Chapel, letting Elvis do the dirty work. He was more of the post-PB-Banana-&-Bacon-sandwiches Elvis (and he was also from Park Slope, nearby where we live in Brooklyn). Five minutes (and several happy tears) later, we were married and singing Viva Las Vegas. Neither the husband nor I thought we would get so emotional, but looking into each other’s eyes and telling each other how much love there is between us opened the floodgates.

Afterward, we met up with the amazingly talented and effortlessly cool Daquan Terrence, a local photographer I’ve followed on Instagram for awhile, who took us around the Freemont area to celebrate and shoot some pics. We stopped at several bars along the way (I mean, it is Vegas), scoping out a spot that has a hidden backyard with a seesaw. We had way too much fun on that thing. Then we hit an arcade to play some old school games like air hockey and pinball, games we would play together in high school in our hometown movie theatre. As the sun started setting, we snuck up to the top of an abandoned parking garage for an amazing view of the city. All in all, it was everything I could have imagined and more. I mean, I get to be with my high school sweetheart for the rest of my life and he’s the most caring, funny, and kind person I know. Pretty freaking amazing.

OUTFIT DEETS

I say the dress made me elope. We were just planning to go to Vegas for a quick jaunt, but I saw this sequin Jay Godfrey sheath dress at Century21, and I just knew it had to happen. My coat is Forever21; the rings, choker & cat eye sunglasses are Amazon. The shoes (under $30!) are the Who What Wear line for Target. As for him, he’s rocking a classic v-neck white tee with a Suit Supply Havana Traveler Suit in navy, Banana Republic boots and Warby Parker sunglasses.

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