Jackpot

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

For adventure seekers Start your weekend bash with a jolt of adrenaline, and book a helicopter tour with Heli USA Airways. Raise a glass of bubbly before boarding, then embark on a thrilling ride over the neon lights of the fabled Vegas Strip and its massive casinos: You’ll spot the bottle-green MGM Grand, the Paris Hotel with its faux Eiffel Tower and the pyramid-shaped Luxor (heliusa.com).

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.

Later, head to dinner at Aureole in Mandalay Bay, where celebrity chef Charlie Palmer offers a menu that features such dishes as spring pea ravioli, fennel Alaskan salmon and roasted rack of Colorado lamb; the award-winning wine selection is stored in a four-story tower (aureolelv.com). Cap off the night at Cleopatra’s Barge in Caesars Palace, a hot club on an Egyptian-style boat, where the dance floor literally rocks (harrahs.com).

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

For guys and dolls Organize a glamorous “Jack & Jill” celebration at the Palms Casino Resort, a prime hangout for young Hollywood (think Justin Timberlake, Leonardo DiCaprio, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan) that’s located just off the Strip. Your group can soak up some rays around the see-and-be-seen pool area, complete with waterfalls, blackjack tables and a DJ. You can book a private cabana bungalow with a large deck, private hot tub, wet bar and fireplace. Or stay at the hotel’s new 599-suite Palms Place, an ultraluxe tower featuring a fabulous spa with a hammam, a traditional Moroccan steam bath (palms.com). Continue the revelry at the Palms N9NE Steakhouse, which is always a scene, especially when such luminaries as George Clooney, Gwen Stefani and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his supermodel girlfriend, Gisele Bündchen, are in the house. The restaurant features a two-sided waterfall, mirrored mosaics and a silver-leaf domed ceiling. While the celebs can generally be found in the glass-walled private dining room, some opt to hang out at the circular champagne and caviar bar. Take your seats and sample the filet mignon with béarnaise sauce and lobster tail with scampi butter (n9negroup.com). Late night, head to Blush, the glitzy cocktail lounge at the Wynn Las Vegas, and order specialty martinis. You may just find yourselves rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pamela Anderson and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (wynnlasvegas.com).

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 the truly unique In Vegas, anything goes! Have a medieval-style wedding at the Excalibur Hotel, complete with Renaissance-style (king and queen, knights, princesses); exchange vows in the aptly named Canterbury Wedding Chapel (excalibur.com). At the pirate-themed Treasure Island, a minister, decked out as captain of the ship Song, escorts the bride and groom on board to exchange vows. On cue, a swashbuckling “pirate” swoops in from the crow’s nest to deliver the wedding rings (treasureisland.com). If it suits your fancy, you can go for full-on kitsch at the Elvis Chapel: Book the Hound Dog package, and Elvis not only officiates the ceremony but also croons your three favorite Presley tunes and gives each of you a pair of cool sunglasses (elvischapel.com). If you’re really wild at heart, sign up for a Vegas Extreme Sky Diving wedding: A preacher conducts the ceremony on the plane as it ascends 15,000 feet for your tandem dive (with an instructor). Talk about taking the plunge (vegasextremeskydiving.com).

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

For romantics After waking up in your lavish bridal suite at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino, head to the hotel’s Canyon Ranch SpaClub for a day of pampering. In addition to his-and-her massages, couples can indulge in the Rasul Ceremony, a cleansing ritual that involves applying a mineral-rich mud to your mate while you sit in a Turkish-style steam chamber (palazzolasvegas.com). Dine at Picasso, one of the most romantic restaurants in Vegas, where you can feast on chef Julian Serrano’s sophisticated Mediterranean cuisine, expertly paired with wines from around the world. In between courses, check out the artwork—all the paintings, ceramics and sculptures are original works of Pablo Picasso. Julia Roberts and George Clooney filmed a scene from Oceans 11 here (bellagio.com). While you’re in town, be sure to take in a show. What could be more perfect for newlyweds than The Beatles Love, the Cirque du Soleil theatrical delight at the Mirage? You’ll be humming along to classic Fab Four tunes (“Hey, Jude,” “Yesterday” etc.), as the acrobats perform high-flying feats. At the Italian-themed Venetian Hotel, don’t miss the chance to float down the Grand Canal in a gondola as you’re serenaded with love songs (venetian.com).

You’ll always have Paris – the hotel in Vegas, that is.

For highfliers Sign up with Grand Canyon Airlines for a tour of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, and you’ll be treated to stunning views of the south and west rims, as well as other famed attractions like Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam (grandcanyonairlines.com). Continue the sky-high theme with cocktails at the ultrahot Mix Lounge, atop the 64th floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Book a table on the patio and sample cocktails like Mixpolitan, made with Cointreau, vodka and fruit juices. Hang out until sunset, when the sky’s orange glow contrasts with the neon of the Strip and the red-hued, desert hills beyond (mandalaybay.com). The Paris Hotel’s Eiffel Tower Restaurant is a fantastic spot to take in the lights of the Strip; it’s on the 11th floor of the half-scale reproduction of the Paris landmark. Reserve a table, sip a glass of chablis and enjoy dishes like foie gras, roasted rack of lamb and duck confit. And for dessert? Chocolate soufflé, of course (eiffeltowerrestaurant.com).

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).