If we’re talking wedding venues with spectacular views, the rooftop at Platinum Hotel & Spa has to rank high on that list. Meg and Ben’s hip wedding with DIY projects galore at Platinum was photographed by Brilliant Imagery and included a rocking party complete with karaoke and interpretive dances. (Um – awesome!) You will not only love the always amazing views from the hotel’s skydeck, but all of the handmade details.
The paper goods were made by Meg herself – in fact, the wedding inspired her and she now runs her own company NupptialDesigns, specializing in wedding items. A baker friend from D.C. unable to supply a cake for their destination wedding made an amazing cake topper that combined the TV show “Parks and Recreation” with the Green Bay Packers.
Meg’s bouquet included kale, her favorite vegetable, and was wrapped in doilies made by Ben’s grandmother. The blazing blue bottle centerpieces were from Saratoga Springs Water Company, and it was the cobalt blue and silver colors that inspired the entire wedding palette.
Keep reading for some excellent tips from Ben and Meg on planning a destination DIY wedding in Las Vegas!
Vendor and Venue Details:Â
Photographer: Brilliant Imagery / Wedding + Reception Venue: Platinum Hotel + Spa / Wedding Dress: Alfred Angelo “2384” (Meg’s birthday!) / Hair + Makeup: Amelia C & Co / Bride’s Shoes: TOMS / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Caché / Groom’s Suit + Menswear: Jos. A. Bank / Tie: Kohl’s / Jewelry: Green Bride Guide / Ben’s Wedding Ring: Rob & Lean / Floral: Pam at The Palette / Cake: Tiers of Joy / Cake Topper: Thunder Pig Confectionary / Entertainment: All Night Long Entertainment / Stationery, Wedding Day Timeline, Welcome Bag Bag, Brochure and Door Hanger, Paper Flowers: NupptialDesigns / Transport: Courtesy Wyndham Grand Desert / Welcome Bag Favors: Water Bottles, DiscountMugs.com, Playing Cards, The Knot Wedding Shop / Ribbon Altar Backdrop: Jessica Ann Boutique
On Why Ben and Meg Chose Las Vegas:Â
Our family is all over–mine is mostly in the Northeast, Ben’s is in the Midwest–and we ended up inviting people from 18 different states. Since there was no centralized location, we wanted to find somewhere equally inconvenient for everybody!
Las Vegas is also where we spent our first dating anniversary and where we got engaged, and has significance to both our families: Meg’s parents honeymooned at the Riviera, Ben’s sister honeymooned at the Golden Nugget, and Ben’s mom got remarried at the Rio.
On Their Wedding Theme and Look:Â
We’ve sat through a lot of formal ceremonies in our day, but wanted ours to reflect our relationship, which is pretty goofy and relaxed. I walked down the aisle to the theme song from “The West Wing,” we wrote our own vows, and we asked our readers to participate that morning–reading the same reading that I read in most of their weddings over the past 10 years, which is a bit of a family joke.
Since this was the first time our families met, we also wanted to stress the uniting of our lives and to be very inclusive. Our minister suggested a ring-warming, which we loved because everybody was able to hold and bless our rings.
Ben’s from Wisconsin, so our minister also waited until halfway through the ceremony to reveal that he’s a Bears fan. We almost called off the wedding, we decided to go through with it, we just heckled the minister for the remainder of the ceremony. Typical.
The ReceptionÂ
We’ve always loved to sing to each other, and we surround ourselves with incredibly musical people, so when we put together the guest list and realized how talented our guests were, we knew that karaoke was a requirement for the wedding.
The quote from the day after the wedding was Ben saying, “I knew there was going to be a lot of singing. I did not realize there would be that much interpretive dance.” Between his cousins’ amazingly ribbon-wand choreographed dance to “Time After Time” and the photobooth that night was just full of hijinx.
Did you have any DIY projects for the wedding?
Yes! I didn’t actually foresee this as a major DIY affair, but the more I looked at my budget, the more I began to think, “I can do that myself!” So I ended up DIYing all the paper flower centerpieces, table numbers & escort cards, ribbon wands, etc.
I also work in marketing and discovered while designing the stationery (invitations, programs, welcome guides, hotel door hangers, reception signage) that I really love the process of conceptualizing and designing items for weddings! Thus, NupptialDesigns was born as a way for me to share that love with friends & family, and eventually anybody across the internet who loves cute/quirky/unique custom designs.
Was anything more challenging or easier than you expected?
Two things were more challenging:
(1) Getting everything out to Vegas! Thankfully many of my guests were flying Southwest, so I think between my parents, MOH, husband and I, we had 8 suitcases full of stuff (including a hard-sided case for the glass bottles) PLUS we had things delivered directly to our hotel!
(2) I was a bit of a spazz about tracking RSVPs, and I thought I had a good handle on who was coming and who wasn’t. Then, about 10 days before the wedding, Ben’s mom had to have emergency surgery and couldn’t travel. Suddenly plans that felt set in stone–the processional order, the first dances, the seating chart–had to be re-decided, and we also scrambled at the last minute to hire a videographer and figure out how to Skype her in.
Moral: Even though you think you know everything that’s going to happen, things will change at the last minute. You’ve gotta roll with the punches, and remember that as long as you end up married at the end of the day, the wedding was a success.
Do you have any tips for other brides and grooms getting married in Las Vegas?
Planning a wedding from a distance is difficult, but the internet is full of resources. I became addicted to Little Vegas Wedding and The Knot’s local Vegas board, and also stalked WeddingWire for new vendor reviews. Then, once you choose vendors, trust them. They know what they’re doing.
Invest in photography. Find someone whose style AND personality you like. This person will be with you for most of your day and will give you the one keepsake that stays with you forever.