Jillian and Andrew didn’t want a traditional wedding (and all the stress that comes with it), so they ran off to Vegas for a quickie wedding at the Wee Kirk ‘O’ the Heather Chapel. After a short and sweet five minute ceremony, they danced in the desert, drank tequila, and ate cupcakes! Now, how can you argue with that?

Special thanks to Angie and Matt Sloan of Sloan Photographers for sharing the photos of Jillian and Andrew’s fun and quirky wedding day with us.

Las Vegas Elopement

Jillian, 27 & Andrew, 28

Las Vegas, Nevada

Wedding Date: December 23, 2013

Number of Guests: 0

Wedding Cost: $4,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Wee Kirk ‘O’ the Heather Wedding Chapel

Wedding Reception Location: A dry lake bed outside of Prim, NV. We had a little cupcake and tequila picnic in the dessert.

shot glasses in the desert

bride in lace-up boots

bridal portrait in the desert

bride walking through the desert

desert wedding portrait

intimate wedding portrait

Las Vegas desert elopement

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We wanted the day to be simple, easy going and just about us getting married. We didn’t want to stress over all the details of a traditional wedding, or pay for one. Our wedding day was about us and that’s it. It was perfect.

wedding dress hanging up

bride getting her hair done

bride getting her hair done

bride lacing up her boots

bride tying groom's tie

bride clipping groom's tie

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

The biggest challenge was being okay with the fact that some people may not be happy because they are not invited. Thankfully, we didn’t have any issues.

bride running through the desert towards groom

bride and groom first look in the desert

first look in the desert

Nevada elopement

bride and groom standing in dry lake bed

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

No, we decided to elope and not tell anyone about it. We thought about having only our immediate families, but we made the decision to elope only one month in advance of the wedding day, so we decided to stick with our original plan and keep it sweet and simple. I did end up telling my mom about it; I think she would have been sad if I kept it from her. So she was able to help me shop and figure out last minute details, like finding my boots and picking out Andrew’s shirt the night before we left for Vegas.

bride sitting in dry lake bed

bride and groom soft light portrait

bride and groom in the desert

wedding portrait

black and white desert portrait

romantic desert portrait

close-up wedding portrait

bride and groom walking through the desert

bride and groom taking a shot

bride and groom walking across nevada road

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?  

No, because no one knew about it except for my mom. She was sad at first, but she also knows how much I worry and will stress out over the details which get larger with more guests.

Las Vegas Elopement

Las Vegas wedding chapel elopement

groom placing ring on bride's finger

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Marrying my best friend in five minutes! It was very exciting and romantic. We had a typical quickie Vegas ceremony but it still felt special and personal. Andrew also made my bouquet while I was getting my hair and make-up done which was really cute!

bride and groom first kiss

Las Vegas wedding chapel elopement

What were the highlights of the reception?

Playing. It was so laid back and we were free to do whatever we wanted. We ran around and danced in the desert, drank tequila, smashed cupcakes in our faces and just had fun! I found our vintage plates and table cloths at a thrift store in Minnesota (where we are from), and we got our shot glasses and cupcakes the day before in Vegas.

bride and groom having a picnic in the desert

wedding picnic in the desert

Las Vegas desert wedding picnic

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

We were able to focus on us – not other people, not on details we don’t care about – and save a lot of money.

couple walking through the desert

bride with green pasmina

black and white portrait of the bride in the desert

desert bridal portrait

desert couple portrait

evening desert portrait

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Do it! Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, so make it special and do whatever is going to make you happy. At the end of the day the most important thing is that you just married your best friend, so why stress over the details and cost of a traditional wedding?

night wedding portrait in the desert

Vendors:

Photography: Sloan Photographers

Ceremony Venue: Wee Kirk ‘O’ the Heather Wedding Chapel

Hair and Make-up: Lei V Beauty Agency

Wedding Dress: Free People

Flowers and Cupcakes: Trader Joes