Jackpot
Whether you're planning your bachelorette bash, your honeymoon, your wedding or all three, Vegas has what you want.
Vegas—a destination so iconic you don’t even need the “Las” in front of it. Once known as the City of Sin, the town is now a wedding-friendly playground. There are amazing venues for ceremonies, from luxurious in-hotel chapels to fun, kitschy drive-throughs, and gorgeous ballrooms for receptions—those at the enormous Venetian and Bellagio hotels, for example. Thanks to full-service spas, gourmet restaurants and relaxing pool areas, Vegas is a fabulous city to spend your first days as husband and wife. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a raucous party here—there’s always a club, bar or casino open. Which means that Vegas is also the perfect place for that last hurrah as a single. In Vegas, you really can have it all, baby.
Bachelorette Bashes
Las Vegas Boulevard, aka the storied Strip |
Once you’re back on terra firma, head to Mandalay Bay’s Red Square, a Russian-themed bar offering more than 200 varieties of vodka, including those infused with cranberries and vanilla. You’ll enjoy your favorite flavor in the walk-in vodka locker, chilled to 10 degrees; faux mink coats and hats are provided, which makes for a great photo op. Insider tip: Say “na zdorovye” instead of “cheese” (mandalaybay.com).
Champagne, pedicures and laughs: Girls just want to have fun. |
For gourmet girls Start out with oysters and a glass of rose champagne at the Bubble Bar, part of the esteemed Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, but save room if you plan on dining in the restaurant itself. The chef (who sports three Michelin stars) will wow you with his 10-course Prestige menu, consisting of dishes like artichoke and black truffle soup, rainbow caviar, crispy sea bass with spices and butter-roasted veal sweetbreads (harrahs.com). Over at the MGM Grand, master chef Joël Robuchon offers two special dining experiences: the überformal Joël Robuchon, set in an elegant jewel box room, and the more casual L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon right next door. This stylish space is located right off the main casino floor, so you and your girlfriends can feast your eyes on the nonstop action of the craps and roulette tables while you feast on dishes like tuna tartare with lemon oil, crispy langoustine fritters with basil pesto and seared duck foie gras with cherries and almonds (joel-robuchon.com). Don’t worry about overindulging; you can dance it off later at Studio 54, a replica of the fabled New York disco (mgmgrand.com).
The serene spa at Bellagio |
*Bridal Guide Exclusive! Mention Bridal Guide when you book any treatment at Drift Spa at Palms Place and receive a 25% discount, plus complimentary access to the spa area, including the steam room, sauna, fitness center and hammam. Go to bridalguide.com/deals for more information. |
Weddings
For intimate gatherings The ultraluxurious Bellagio, modeled after a village on Italy’s Lake Como, is one of the Strip’s top wedding venues. The East Wedding Chapel, which holds 30 guests, is beautifully decorated with handblown glass chandeliers, Italian stained glass and gold-leaf accents. Appropriate background music may be provided by a violinist or harpist. If you prefer to go alfresco, head to the Terrazza Di Sogno (for up to 34 guests), a romantic patio that overlooks the hotel’s six-acre lake and is home to the famous dancing fountains. Bellagio also has 11 gourmet restaurants (some with private rooms), so you can wine and dine your guests in style. Choose from such places as Le Cirque, Prime Steakhouse, with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, or Michael Mina, which offers a seasonal menu (bellagio.com).Not ready to call it a night? Stop at Napoleon’s in the Paris Hotel, a champagne and cigar bar with a bordello-chic decor of red velvet couches, leather chairs and marble floors. Clink your flutes or snifters of vintage cognac and puff away on Dominican stogies as a piano player makes beautiful music in the background (harrahs.com).
A wedding chapel at the Bellagio |
For quiet types There’s more to Vegas than the Strip. In fact, many visitors choose a more low-key experience. At Red Rock Resort in trendy Summerlin (10 miles west of the Strip), you can wed by the pool area against a backdrop of the stunning Red Rock Canyon. Hold your reception either in the grand ballroom or in a private room at T-Bones Chophouse or Terra Rossa restaurant; continue the celebration at Cherry nightclub (stationcasinos.com). At sister property Green Valley Ranch in Henderson (10 miles southeast of the Strip), the pool is also the prime venue for weddings, followed by a reception in the ballroom or at the resort’s Hank’s Fine Steaks & Martinis—go for the filet mignon and martini menu (stationcasinos.com).
Another Henderson option is the Ritz-Carlton on Lake Las Vegas. The Tuscan-style resort offers such ceremony options as the flower-filled Florentine Garden and a lakefront gazebo. Before or after the big day, keep your guests active with golf outings for the gents, a spa morning for the ladies and sunset cruises for one and all. Be sure to snap some photos on the replica of Florence’s Ponte Vecchio Bridge (ritzcarlton.com).
Honeymoons
Inside Treasure Island, one of the first resort hotels in Vegas |
You’ll always have Paris – the hotel in Vegas, that is. |
For foodies You can’t go wrong with the options at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino, which is packed with restaurants headed by world-class chefs. One of the premier spots is a branch of Wolfgang Puck’s Cut steakhouse, which offers a menu that includes such items as Nebraska dry-aged steak and Japanese Wagyu beef. Food Network star chef Mario Batali puts his Italian spin on the classic steakhouse at Carnevino; expect dishes like potato gnocchi Bolognese and classic Florentine porterhouse. And at Restaurant Charlie, renowned Chicago chef Charlie Trotter serves up a Maine lobster tart with chorizo and arctic char with Savoy cabbage. Even Emeril Lagasse kicks it up a notch with his Table 10, where you can watch the chefs prepare pasta jambalaya and pan-roasted grouper from the 10-seat chef’s counter (palazzolasvegas.com). Let’s not forget breakfast; Payard Patisserie is renowned for its flaky pastries (harrahs.com). The weekend champagne buffet brunch at the Bellagio includes smoked salmon and crab legs. We’ll toast to that (bellagio.com).






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