In front of the famous ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign, Lili and John, wedding photographers themselves, said their own vows. Inspired by the aesthetics of the 1960s, their elopement was about capturing and celebrating the moment, rather than just checking boxes.

Lili and John’s love story came full circle as they prepared for their special day. “We actually met in Vegas in 2015”, the bride told us. “On our elopement day, we got ready at the Hard Rock – the same hotel where we first met.” They wanted their day to be wild, fun, vintage, creative and, most importantly, all about them.

Having been in the industry for a while, they found planning the day very easy. They wanted to be married right in front of the Las Vegas sign and booked with Little Church of the West who handled everything. “We just showed up at the Vegas marriage bureau and got our license which took five minutes, texted our wedding photographer friend to ask if they’d shoot it and another friend to make my bouquet. That was it!” Lili explained.

Although this was an elopement, they spent $4,000 in total, and didn’t shy away from investing in key elements like Lili’s dress, photography and flowers. Lili passionately shared, “I really feel these are key elements to a wedding. Sometimes I hear people advocating to forget the florals, or saying they’re a waste because they ‘just die the next day’ but I really disagree. The flowers live on forever in your photos. The more you give your photographer to work with, the more variety you’ll get in the photos you are going to treasure for the rest of your lives. The flowers are worth it.”

The most cherished part of their experience was just the sense of completeness of getting married in the same place they first met. “Be present and enjoy it”, they concluded. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Kiss. Dance. Live the moment.”