‘Wedding experts’: How Las Vegas plans to remain a top destination for marriages

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By Kelcie Grega (contact)

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 | 2 a.m.

“Wedding planner Jodi Harris of Sight and Sound Events has seen many changes in her 25 years in the Las Vegas wedding business. She’s seen couples drop traditions like the garter belt and bouquet toss, or replace sit-down formal dinners for food stations where guests serve themselves.

“I’m seeing a lot less formality and more of a party atmosphere,” she said.

And Las Vegas still remains a great place to host a party, Goya said. In 2018, about 80% of Clark County marriage licenses were issued to visitors.

“When I ask my clients, why Vegas, they say it’s because they don’t have to worry about entertaining their guests for the weekend,” Harris said.

Some, like Harris, says the decline in marriage rates could be attributed to the millennials, who are staying single longer than couples from previous generations and are somewhat slower in forming households, according to the Pew Research Center.

But Goya said millennials weren’t killing the wedding industry; they are just changing it.

“They’re waiting for that right person,” she said. “They’re actually making very good decisions. If you look at marriage and divorce statistics, their marriages are more stable; baby boomers are the ones getting divorced.”

Goya said millennials wanted to have a different wedding-day experience than their parents and were opting for a more authentic experience. They are drawn to a more “vintage Vegas” setting, meaning the chapels in downtown are a huge draw.

Goya said weddings have helped build the community. Now, it’s time to show the world more of what Vegas has to offer.

“We are a great bargain over most destinations, we are the wedding experts,” she said. “Those things are why people come to Las Vegas.”

Want to see the full article? Go here: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/sep/17/we-are-the-wedding-experts-stakeholders-look-at-so/