Lately I’ve been hearing some rumblings that perhaps Calico Basin and Red Rock Canyon aren’t as accessible to weddings as they once were, due to some recent changes to the permit system.
However, there is no denying the place is gorgeous. Incredible rock formations, beautiful colors and a special intimacy that can only come from getting married in the natural beauty of the desert. Kelsey and Adam chose to marry (after getting engaged) there before joining friends and family at a festive reception after. Sounds perfect for this down-to-earth couple who also chose to support artisans where ever they could in their wedding day.
THE CEREMONY — Calico Basin at Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon is our favorite spot in Las Vegas. We wanted an outdoor wedding and Red Rock is such a beautiful location it was the obvious choice. It was the location Adam proposed to me as well, so it holds a lot of memories for us. We also wanted the reception festivities to stay within the Summerlin area, so Red Rock made an easy venue to get between the different locations for the wedding festivities.
DIY DETAILS + DECOR
(We were going for) simple, natural, and as DIY as possible. We wanted to keep it small and intimate with a personal touch. We wanted our actual wedding ceremony private to keep it as intimate as possible, but we opened up our reception to close friends and family. We kept it simple by holding the reception party at Adam’s parent’s house. We had an open bar so people could make their own drinks as they pleased, and the majority of the food was homemade. All decorations were either handmade or purchased through Etsy to support independent artists. We had a succulent/desert theme which we incorporated through our colors (greens and purples with highlights of gold and silver) and flowers (succulent centerpieces and succulent bouquet and boutonniere). We made our own wedding invitations, centerpieces and signs.
FAVORITE MEMORY
My favorite part of the planning process was just being able to enjoy the reward of all of our hard work at the great reception party we had. While we kept our wedding simple there was still a lot of planning involved. It was nice to be able to enjoy all of the work everyone had put in to make our day so special. Another part I enjoyed was being able to support independent artists. Etsy was a great resource and I feel like a lot of our wedding items were truly unique and original.
LAS VEGAS WEDDING TIPS FROM
Make a lot of lists! The only thing that kept me organized was making lists. It felt satisfying being able to mark stuff off as we went along. At the end of everything there was only one or two things that I had forgotten, but they were minor and not really significant. If I had not used lists to keep myself organized a lot more would have been forgotten! Another good thing to remember is that everything will still be okay even if something is missed or goes wrong. There’s always something that’s going to go wrong but it’s such a big day and you are surrounded by such loving and supportive people that no one would really care if you forgot to put out a certain favor or sign, etc. No one knows the difference and they’re most likely having a good time anyway!
VENDOR + VENUE DETAILS :
PHOTOGRAPHER . City Wedding Tours
CEREMONY VENUE . Calico Basin at Red Rock Canyon
RECEPTION VENUE . Private home
OFFICIANT . Norma with City Wedding Tours / WEDDING PLANNER . City Wedding Tours / FLORAL . Succulently Urban / CAKE . Nothing Bundt Cakes / BRIDAL FASHION . Adrianna Papell